Thrifty Tip Contest (July 11 - 17, 2009)

Duration	Entries
July 11 - 17, 2009	30

Tip: Random Drug Testing for Teens

July 14, 2009

When my kids were in high school I instituted random drug testing at my house. It was really cheap to set up and I feel like in the long run, I was saved an incalculably amount because one of my kids lived in the "gray".

Comment Was this helpful? 16

Tip: My Frugal Bathroom

July 13, 2009

Here are some of my favorite money-savers for the bath: I keep a spray bottle of homemade cleaner in the tub; I use vinegar, a little dish soap, and, perhaps some "this and that".

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 29

Chinese Sheetrock WarningEven though there have been many lawsuits, Chinese drywall hasn't yet been recalled. This Chinese sheetrock is manufactured using fly ash which is a waste product of coal burnt in power plants.

6 Comments Comment

Decorate Your Child's Room With Giant Coloring SheetsThis is a tip for decorating a child's room. Instead of buying the typical pre-made wall art (princesses/cars), I picked up some of the giant coloring sheets and attached them to the wall

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Softening Feet With Olive OilDon't waste money on high priced pedicures and lotions! Rub a small amount of extra virgin olive oil on your feet and around your cuticles of your toes, and put on cotton socks at night.

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Store Salad Greens With a Paper TowelI washed it well in cold water, broke off the core at the bottom, lined a large plastic container with paper towel, and layered romaine leaves and paper towel, hoping it would keep a few days.

5 Comments Comment

Use a Simmer Pot for Citronella OilInstead of torches, use your electric simmer pot for citronella lamp oil, when you spend time outdoors.

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Use Your Dishwasher as a Drying RackOur dishwasher recently went out, until we get it fixed, we are using it as a double drying rack for hand washing dishes. Everything is self contained and there's no need to use up counter space.

1 Comment Comment

Get Up Early to do College HomeworkI started college the same time my youngest entered K-5. I was having trouble juggling my homework with housework and family obligations. I found that if I took care of my family obligations and did not touch my school work until early morning things went smoother.

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Habitat for Humanity StoresIf you are in need of building or home improvement supplies (paint, flooring, tile, etc.) try Habitat for Humanity. They have stores located in all states. The items are donated from builders.

2 Comments Comment

Preventing Fruit FliesThe best way to avoid fruit fly problem is to water wash all produce, especially bananas, as soon as possible. I put the wet produce on a kitchen towel or paper towel, blot it a bit, and let it sit out until its dries thoroughly.

7 Comments Comment

Removing Drink Stains on CarpetTo my horror, my strawberry margarita slipped off the end table and disaster struck on my light beige apartment carpet. Being a typical male I begin rubbing not blotting the stain and after a while of scrubbing gave up and went to bed.

4 Comments Comment

Reuse Plastic Cupcake Trays to Start SeedsUse cupcake trays from the grocery store bakery for mini greenhouse to start plant seeds in. Each cake compartment holds a peat seed starter pot nicely.

5 Comments Comment

Reuse Small Button Bags to Sort Jewelry When TravelingWhen buying a blouse, you often receive an extra button in a small plastic bag. I save all my buttons in a jar and use the little plastic bags to separate my jewelry when I travel.

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Saving Your Garden from Torrential RainLast year, around the end of summer, there was a big storm that formed off the coast of Baja California. We saw it on the Weather Channel. We live in the Midwest, and we had no reason to believe that storm could possibly come our way, but it did.

3 Comments Comment

Trash Bag Bird BathI like to put a trash bag, folded in half or to whatever size I want it and held down by rocks out in the garden and then when it rains, the water puddles and makes a great bird bath.

3 Comments Comment

Use Mylar on Your WindowsMy kitchen, bathroom and son's room are on the side of the house that get the evening sun. Unfortunately, that means these are the hottest rooms in the house to come home to.

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Hamburger Veggie SoupBrown potatoes, carrots, and onion in butter until they have a browned color. Add some broth and boil till tender. Add cooked and drained hamburger, soups and some broth to thin soup to your liking.

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Landscaping Fabric as an Embroidery StabilizerIt's hard to find a stabilizer for machine embroidery on black and navy fabrics. I've found that weed barrier cloth (landscaping fabric) which is black in color works great and is both cheap and sturdy.

1 Comment Comment

Pick Up Dead Insects With a Clothes PinWhen you kill insect with a fly swatter, shoe, newspaper, etc., pick up the insect with a clothespin to put in the trash. That way you don't get stung or bitten if it's not dead.

3 Comments Comment

Recycled Sock CoziesI used to recycle old socks by cutting the toe section off, then sliding the sock over my children's bottles, sippy cups, juice boxes or canned drinks. This helps keep little hands from getting cold.

1 Comment Comment

Shop Once a WeekOver the past few months I have stuck to a simple rule: Grocery shopping once a week. If you are not in the store, you cannot spend money, you can't fall prey to slick marketing and "buy more, save more" types of incentives.

9 Comments Comment

Use a Dryer Sheet on ThreadWhen using thread, take a dryer sheet, and run it up and down it. The thread will have less knotting.

1 Comment Comment

Use a Mini Recorder at Doctor's AppointmentsBorrow or buy a mini voice recorder to bring with you when you visit the Doctor. This way you can remember what was said in instructions to you about medications, tests and anything else you will forget as soon as you leave the doctors office.

2 Comments Comment

Using Vegetable or Tomato Juice in CookingFor those of us that get WIC vouchers, here are some uses for the vegetable or tomato juices that we get with them. We interchangeably use the vegetable or tomato juice. I use it for pizza sauce or tomato sauce or for salsa or spaghetti sauce or for stews and soups.

1 Comment Comment

Coffee Filter TipAn easy way to separate coffee filters is to take the whole stack and turn them inside out. Then they separate easily.

2 Comments Comment

Use Your Oven Rack for Perfect Bread SlicesWhen slicing bread, I open my oven door, pull out the rack and place the unsliced bread on the rack. I put a tea towel on the open door, under the bread, to catch the crumbs that fall through the rack.

4 Comments Comment

Easy Foot ScrubHere is a nice scrub I made that is not only simple, but inexpensive and takes minutes to prepare. This would be a nice summer gift or a treat for your own feet!

2 Comments Comment

Email Yourself Important NotesInstead of having a lot of little pieces of paper with important notes lying around on my desk, I send an email to myself with the important information. Then I create personal folders in my email so I can file each email in its appropriate folder.

2 Comments Comment

Keep Your Garden Pots Moist With a DiaperHelp your pots and hanging baskets keep some moisture by adding a baby diaper in the pot. If you decide to take away the plastic, be sure to water soak the diaper first before emptying the contents into the soil.

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