There's a show on TV (生活智慧王) in Taiwan where they give simple tips for household problems, Do-It-Yourself solutions, and how to prepare simple meals.

Today's simple solutions:

P: Write on your skin with a ballpoint pen?
S: Use sunscreen and a cloth to wipe it off.

P: How to I take the tarnish off my silverware?
S: Use White Out (the liquid kind) on a cloth and wipe it.

P: Got White Out on your skin (maybe from cleaning your silverware)?
S: Use Green Oil (綠油精)

P: When you Stacking up newspapers, does it take up too much space?
S: Before you fold the newspaper, cut each end of the fold. This will flatten it quite a bit.

P: Having trouble storing away comforters because they take up too much space?
S: Fold the comforter into thirds, and then roll it up length-wise (like you do with a sleeping bag). Then use an old dress shirt, and "dress up" the rolled up comforter, using the buttons to hold it together, and tying the sleeves in a knot, as well as the bottom of the dress shirt in a knot.

Other tips:

Make a storage couch by taking a small shelf (say, with 3 levels), and turning it on its back (so the open end faces up). Then buy a piece of plywood and size it to the same dimensions as your shelf. Stick thick sponge on the plywood and cover it with a nice cloth which wraps around and is stapled to the back of the plywood. Add hinges to connect the cover/seat to the shelf. Done! A seat where you can store things inside. Simple and cheap.