Thrifty Tip Contest (August 22 - 28, 2009) | ThriftyFun

Menu Ask a Question Share a Post Account Search

social

Contests Winners Enter a Contest

Thrifty Tip Contest
(August 22 - 28, 2009)

This contest is over. See the winners and other entries below.

Latest Prev Next

Duration	Entries
August 22 - 28, 2009	62

Tip: Choosing Where To Be Frugal

August 28, 2009

Being frugal does not mean one should not enjoy life, just that we should examine our way of life to see if what we are doing is bringing us pleasure for the cost associated.

Comment Was this helpful? 41

Filling Zip Top BagsWhen using ziplock storage bags, fold over the top of the bag. The bag will stand and you will have no trouble putting your leftovers, etc., in the bag. this allows you to keep your two hands free to pour the product into to bag.

3 Comments Comment

Keep After School Snacks in the CarKeep snacks in the car. Fill a sandwich bag with pretzels, crackers, cheerios, etc. Keep bottled water also. If you pick up your kids, as I do, they are hungry when they get in the car. This snack gets them to dinner and makes for a more pleasant ride home.

3 Comments Comment

Make Meatballs From Leftover MeatloafI always have left over meat loaf. After it cools, I roll into one inch meat balls. I put 12-14 meat balls into a freezer bag.

9 Comments Comment

Make Your Shopping List On The GoTape a piece of paper on the inside of the cupboard. Divide it into spaces for lists: cleaning supplies, canned goods, bathroom, other. When you remove the last bag/can/box of food, write it on the paper in the appropriate space.

Product Review: Sno-BolI have finally found a product that removes rust stains from your shower doors, tile, floors, walls, etc. It is called Sno-Bol, it's a toilet bowl cleaner and you can buy it real cheap at a Dollar store, Walmart,etc. for only like a dollar or two.

5 Comments Comment

Reusing Gift BagsThose gift bags are great and they last and last. Don't throw out those you receive! Re-use them - And if you have a backlog, you can swap with friends! A buddy of mine passes along his, as he never bothers to wrap anything!

1 Comment Comment

Supplement Your Pet's DietPet food is always an important issue with pet owners. This economy is making it hard to afford the best foods. Be sure the supplement your dog's diet with real chicken and real beef. This is because the cheaper foods do not have much meat in them.

2 Comments Comment

Trivia At DinnertimeWe all have unused games laying around. Some have educational information cards, like Trivia. Take the cards and put a few on the table, next to salt and pepper.

6 Comments Comment

Weekly Errands Master ListIn order to save gas and time, I do all my weekly errands on the same day. I realized one day while I was writing out my grocery and errand list that I pretty much visited the same places all the time.

5 Comments Comment

20 Year Class Reunion IdeasWe are having our 20 year class reunion. We are having tailgating party, and tour of school at a home football game on Friday night. Alumni preordered class T shirts to wear to game.

1 Comment Comment

Disinfect Your Telephone Receiver With ListerineTo clean and disinfect the telephone receiver, apply Listerine mouthwash with a soft cotton pad or rag to clean the crevices use a q-tip. Do not rinse off.

2 Comments Comment

Homemade Jelly as Christmas GiftsGive Christmas presents that come from the heart. I buy stemmed glasses at the lowest price possible, figuring one set of 4 for each present. Next, I get 4 boxes of SureJell, a package of wax, and 4 bottles of 100% juice without sugar.

4 Comments Comment

Ice Cream Bucket Perfect For Storing BreadI had an a-ha moment recently when I compared the height of a 5 qt. ice cream bucket to the height of the bread pan for my automatic bread machine.

1 Comment Comment

Keep Track of Children When in Large CrowdsI'm a foster mom and mom, and when I take kids to someplace with lots of people or opportunity to get separated, I write my cell phone number in ink on each child's arm so if they get lost, they can have someone call me!

1 Comment Comment

Mini Sticky Notes for Calendar AppointmentsI have a friend that uses very small sticky notes to mark her calendar of important appointments. That way, if the appointment changes, she just lifts the sticky note to the new date without marking up her calendar.

3 Comments Comment

Puree and Freeze Excess VegetablesIf you have an excess of carrots, or some that are wilting, cut them in slices and boil until tender. Then puree them in your blender, using a bit of the water. Freeze the puree in ice cube trays and use it as baby food, or as a substitute for pumpkin in muffins, etc.

Rocking Horse And Cart PlanterI saw this lovely planter as I was going down the road today.The person had taken a regular spring rocking horse, painted brown and white and it looked real, and had dismantled it from its rocking assembly, the springs and such were off of it.

College Books

Saving Money on College BooksOne of the worst "visible" expenses I had to deal with at college was books and supplies. If you're a freshman, you will be knocked directly on your butt at the cost of a semester's worth of "educational materials."

3 Comments Comment

Touching Up Permanent Press ShirtsTo ensure my permanent press shirts really do look ready to wear: I remove them immediately from the dryer when it is finished. Then with a little spray bottle filled with water, I spray the collar, button hole placard, and the sleeve edges.

Use Faded Dish Towels for Kitchen Hand TowelsAfter I have used my dishtowels for awhile and the the design is fading, I use them to dry my hands on in the kitchen instead of paper towels. And they are also great to use to clean up spills on your carpet instead of using paper towels.

2 Comments Comment

Uses for Prescription BottlesI have seen several people ask about uses for pill bottles and decided to give my assorted uses for them. I have many of various sizes in my sewing box to sort out the different sizes of snaps, safety pins, and buttons.

11 Comments Comment

Virtually Free Broth From TrimmingsSave and freeze all meat trimmings and bones. Also save the celery tops, onion skins, pepper seeds, tomato skins, etc. When you have enough bones and meat trimmings of the same kind, add them to a pot with a bay leaf and some of the celery tops and onion skins.

Add Hair Clippings to Your GardenWhen you cut your hair put it all in your garden. Believe it or not, it really does help.

2 Comments Comment

Birthday Box for CollegeOur older daughter recently went away to college for the first time, and will not be home until after her birthday to celebrate. So her 18th birthday will not pass by unnoticed while she is at school, I put together a birthday in a box that can be used by her suite mates help her celebrate!

2 Comments Comment

Copy Wrapper Measurements Inside Your CookbookSome of our butter and shortening wrappers have markings on them for measuring like 1 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1/4 cup. Copy this "ruler" onto the front page of your recipe book.

1 Comment Comment

Crimp Toilet Paper Roll to SaveI just wanted to share that I found a way to save on toilet paper. Just put a crimp in it so that it does not go round and round so easily. By having the crimp, it stops and allows you to use a smaller amount instead of the waste of what you don't really need.

1 Comment Comment

Duct Tape to Keep Squirrels from CornI am growing a vegetable garden for the 1st time this year. All of my plants are doing amazingly well, but I was absolutely devastated when a squirrel got into my sweet corn.

1 Comment Comment

Freeze Water Containers for EmergenciesThis is an excellent suggestion that was printed recently in our local paper as a tip for power failures during storms: make freezer packs by placing water filled water jugs, plastic pop bottles, or gallon ice cream containers in the deep freeze.

2 Comments Comment

Make And Freeze Leftover Soup As CasserolesI find that when I make a soup with pasta in it, the pasta gets very soft when trying to serve the soup as a leftover. When I have a lot of leftover soup, I will now put it directly into a casserole dish and freeze it.

Making EZ Stretchable Hair CombsI came up with an idea and plan to make a bunch of homemade EZ Combs for my hair. I love the EZ Combs, but hate the price. Plus, I want more colors.

5 Comments Comment

Organize Tax Records With an Accordion FileTax records were always a problem for me. I now use an accordion file folder with 12 slots. I use one for each month. I keep it next to my computer since I do most of my bills on line.

Post Office JokeA little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery store. As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, can you tell me where the Post Office is?"

1 Comment Comment

Preparation H for Poison IvyHave Poison Ivy? All you need is Preparation H-Cooling Gel! It not only cools and soothes the itch, it shrinks the lesions as well. It's not just for hemorrhoids anymore!

2 Comments Comment

Seal Pruned Roses With GlueTo keep Rose Bores from burrowing into the pruned ends of Rose bushes, my mother always put a dab of white school glue, like Elmers, on the pruned end. I've been doing that for years and it works great.

Bake Cookie Dough as Bars in Toaster OvenI have a bunch of the Betty Crocker cookie mixes that I bought for next to nothing, but have been buying cookies instead due to the extreme heat in Arizona and not wanting to turn on my oven.

2 Comments Comment

Creating a School Year FolderYears ago when my kids started school every year I took a picture of each of them the first day of school. I taped the picture to a large manila folder. I wrote on the outside the teachers name, school and who were the friends at that time.

4 Comments Comment

Cut Mr. Clean Magic Erasers In HalfI love using Magic Erasers to clean items in our home from walls to shoes to the glass shower doors but dislike the price of them. That's when I decided to cut the Magic Erasers to the size that was necessary to do the job.

2 Comments Comment

Dog Waste Bags for Female Personal Hygiene ProductsI discovered that those small poop/waste bags for dogs make perfect bags to dispose of used sanitary pads or plastic tampons. Definitely handy while traveling.

3 Comments Comment

Keep Hair Style Nice While SleepingIf you styled your hair, and you want to keep it nice overnight, in order to help it not get messed up during the night, put a slip over your pillow.

2 Comments Comment

Keeping Cool During Hot WeatherYears ago when I worked in a nursing home, the halls were air conditioned, but not the individual rooms. We would take a hand towel, soak it in cold water, ring it out and wrap around our necks, repeating as necessary. I have done this frequently at home, too.

1 Comment Comment

Lighted Dog Collar For SafetyI just found a site that is perfect for anyone with a dog or a cat. Whether you walk your dog or take him on car trips or whatever. Using a lighted collar and leash would greatly improve the pet's safety!

1 Comment Comment

Mix Different Types of YarnIn a knitting blog, I read about acrylic yarn being a low-cost option. Well, it is - and to make it more interesting in small projects you can mix it with other yarns, even wool ones.

1 Comment Comment

No Cruise Control, Not in the RainDid you know you should never use your cruise control when driving in the rain or snow? This can be very dangerous because if your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car can hydroplane and may speed up and you will literally fly through the air.

2 Comments Comment

Spiced Peach JamPare and pit peaches. Chop fine or grind. Measure 4 cups into large saucepan. Add lime juice. Mix sugar and spices; add. Place over high heat. Bring to a full rolling boil.

1 Comment Comment

Start School Schedule Before School StartsMy mother always started having us go to bed at "school night" times about 2 weeks before it started and getting up at "school morning" times. Then she'd have us write a short paper (usually only one page) to get our minds on track.

1 Comment Comment

Use Brown Paper Bag to Drain Fried FoodWhen you are out of paper towels and need to drain fried food, like chicken or French fries, use one of those brown grocery bags. It absorbs the grease and you can just throw it away.

1 Comment Comment

Wide Straw Cherry PitterI have to give my daughter Sabrina credit for this one. We were discussing pits in cherries last week, and she told me what she had discovered. If you save a firm, wider straw from one of the many fast food places, they are perfect for pitting cherries!

4 Comments Comment

Avoid The Advertisements

Avoid The AdvertisementsI noticed that when I read the Sunday paper or catalogs, that suddenly I would "need" something because it was on sale. I didn't realize how much those sales pitches were influencing the money I spent, until I ended up with two of the same bedding set that I didn't need.

17 Comments Comment

Buy Groceries At Dollar StoresWith tough times we are all looking for ways to save money. My local everything cost one dollar store has many food items. I find you can buy flat flour burrito shells, and shredded cheese and pepperoni, all for $1.

4 Comments Comment

Crochet Pattern For A Wheelchair BagThis is not exactly a pattern but instead a way of adjusting a different pattern in order to make a wheelchair bag. I have 2 versions here.

4 Comments Comment

Magic Eraser To Clean GroutIf you carry a small container of warm water with you and use those Magic Erasers on ceramic tile, and especially to clean grout between your tiles, without much elbow work at all, the grout comes clean.

3 Comments Comment

Magnetic Grocery List On RefrigeratorI have one of those clear see- through magnetic frames; the kind that pulls apart half of the way as you insert whatever picture you might like. Well instead of a picture, I put a blank piece of lined notebook paper in it.

Preparing Carrots for StorageWe grow a lot of carrots and I like to keep some in long term storage as we live in central Canada where fresh produce is imported and expensive during the winter.

3 Comments Comment

Product Review: Individual Carrot CakeMy daughter and I are both watching our weight. I love to bake, but, unless we have guests, we find we can't resist second helpings. Yet we crave some baked treats.

5 Comments Comment

Shish Kabob TipsWhen grilling, like "Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs", I thread each item on separate skewers, chicken on one skewer, onions on one skewer, mushrooms on one, etc.

1 Comment Comment

Use Baby Wipes For Spot FresheningI liked the convenience of "Feminine" wipes, but even though I was getting my packets from the dollar store, they were still sort of pricey. When the dollar store supply ran out, I thought I would try baby wipes in a pinch.

5 Comments Comment

Use Less Shampoo By Avoiding "Repeat"This is a fact I learned at least 30 years ago, maybe more. Re: the amount of shampoo you use when washing your hair. Everyone seems to follow the instructions of washing, rinsing, then repeat. Do you know why it says that?

8 Comments Comment

Use Pan Liner for Cake BakingI learned something very neat at my job the other day, since I work alone in the kitchen. I needed to make a cake and I did not want to stay to scrub this pan.

Use Rug Runners As A Weed BlockerUse old rug runners around where you don't want the weeds to grow through, and put mulch over it. It works great! No weeds grow through that. I use them around my house, where I just wanted certain plants to grow.

1 Comment Comment

Use Sharpies Instead Of Marking Pens For CraftsTry using Sharpies instead of markers, they don't rub off or smudge like markers do. (I have tried markers on plastic for another craft project). Sharpies have a lot of colors.

Use Styrofoam Egg Cartons for PackingI use Styrofoam egg cartons for mailing in place of packing peanuts. I never throw an egg carton away. They are far less messy than the peanuts and cost nothing.

2 Comments Comment

Published by ThriftyFun.
Desktop Page | View Mobile
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Generated 2022-08-23 03:51:52 in 3 secs.
© 1997-2022 by Cumuli, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.thriftyfun.com/tf/contest/000/072.html