Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Four, Number 174 July 19, 2005
http://www.ThriftyFun.com
Hello,
This week's TF News will be about Recycled Clothing Crafts. We will publish tips and ideas about making your own clothing from recycled items, like pillow cases and old jeans. If you have any ideas or photos to share on that topic, please submit them.
Reminder: Any tips submitted before Thursday at midnight to either the photo or tips contest will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win the new Harry Potter book.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's Photos
Saving Money on Your Wedding Cake
We saved money on the wedding cake because we ordered a very plain cake. It was only frosted with pearl frosting edging. Then we took left over live flowers that were not used in the wedding and decorated the cake. Her cake was absolutely magnificent and so simple to do as well as money saving!
By Robin
If you have any more tips for saving money on a wedding cake, feel free to post them.
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Tikka (Chihuahua)
My dog's name is Tikka (tee-kah). It means "little pieces" in Native American Lakota Sioux, and was hand selected. She is a beautiful pure bred chihuahua and is over a year now, topping off at about three pounds. Here's little Tikka!
I made a collage of puppy pictures of my adorable little chihuahua and posted the pictures on the back of my goldfish bowl, so that the pictures are visible through the clear glass and water. While I can admire my beautiful fish, the pictures of my little pooch shine through and I can adore them simultaneously!
By Abigail Kuch
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Getting a Hoya to Bloom
If you are having trouble getting a Hoya to bloom, try it directly in a west window and remember when it does bloom, let the blossoms fall as another will take it's place in the same spot on the vine.
By ERP
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Today's Tips
Keeping Rust off Tools
Tips for keeping rust off tools. Post your ideas.
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Washing Windows with Vinegar
When washing windows get empty squirty bottle, pour about a quart of normal vinegar into it and then fill the rest of the bottle with cold water. Squirt onto your windows and use a normal dish cloth to wipe. You may notice smearing to begin with but this will fade. It's fantastic and so cheap.
By laurs25
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Freshening Your Air Conditioned Air
Attach a medium white thin cloth to indoor air conditioner filter with perfume or spices sprayed on it. Use you imagination. I have also used fruit rinds or dried flower petals sprayed with an oil based perfume. Put it in all indoor vents if you'd like.
By Sandi G (s222)
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Reusing Headboards for the Garden
Old brass or wrought iron headboards can be used as trellises in the garden and also add a touch of whimsy to the overall landscape look.
By Bobbie
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If You Can... Joke
- If you can start the day without caffeine
- If you can get going without pep pills
- If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains
- If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it
- If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time
- If you can take criticism and blame without resentment
- If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him
- If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend
- If you can conquer tension without medical help
- If you can relax without liquor
- If you can sleep without the aid of drugs
Then you are probably the family dog.
By Sue Hadley
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Organizing Your Home Calendar
Let your household calendar help with everyday organization. Write birthdays, anniversaries, appointments, etc. in different colored inks so you know at a glance what type of event is coming up.
By Bobbie
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Watering Your Plants When You Are On Vacation
Tips for watering you plants when you travel. Post your ideas!
If you cannot afford fancy watering systems for your houseplants while on vacation, gather them all up and place in the bathtub with an inch of water. They will be just fine for at least two weeks.
By Bobbie
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Ran Out Of Laundry Soap?
Need to do a load of laundry and you have ran out of laundry soap? Here are some ideas that may help. Feel free to post your ideas.
Recently I ran out of laundry detergent (with two little kids I lose track sometimes!). So I squirted a pre-treater on the stains, used 1/2 cup baking soda, and used hot water to wash. I threw in the fabric softener and had a clean, great smelling load of laundry.
By kami
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Save Money on Kids Clothing
Ideas and tips for saving money on kids clothing. Submit your ideas below!
Children's Specialty Items
I shop at local Thrift Stores to buy my children "specialty" items such as dress pants that they will only wear once. This saves so much money and gets them what they need.
By Tami
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Uses for Jars
Tips for reusing jars. Post your ideas.
Save All Your Jars!
They can be used for so many things.
Two ideas:
Washed artichoke jars can be used as tea light holders. I use 4 of them and paint "N" "O" "E" "L" on them with fabric paint. They look beautiful outside near the front door, on a table in the entry, buffet, etc.
Tomato sauce, fried pepper jars, etc.: Wash them (do not remove label) and place wildflowers, small bunches of cut flowers or fresh herbs (smells great). Voila! a charming holder and didn't cost a cent! I especially love the fried pepper jar with label holding zinnias, so colorful!
By Annie
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Give Hands a Spa Treatment While Gardening
Use your gardening time to give your hands the spa treatment. Before you put on your gardening gloves, coat your hands with a thick coating of moisturizer. Rake your nails across a bar of glycerine soap to put the soap beneath your nails, and rub olive oil into the nails themselves. While you are gardening, your hands will be moisturized. When you finish, use a nail brush to remove the soap and wash your hands.
By Chris Knoblaugh
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Taking Factory Tours While on Vacation
The cost of vacation destinations are spiraling upward. But your family can still have fun at no cost and receive free items to boot. Check out the Factory USA web page at http://factorytoursusa.com. You'll learn you can make your own pretzels at the Sturgis Pretzel Factory in Lititz, PA; get tea and a heady surprise in the peppermint room of Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, CO; and indulge in a brew on the Anheuser-Busch tour in Jacksonville, FL. I've been on many such tours and found them to be informative and enjoyable. The company is doing its best to leave you with a great impression of its products. Enjoy!
By Ellen Metter
Editor's Note: In California, Oregon and Washington there are winery tours, too.
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How To Grow Basil
Information about how to grow basil. Post your ideas.
Saving Your Basil from Bugs
To keep the bugs from eating your planted basil, plant them with marigolds!
By Fay Ruggles
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Keeping Pantyhose From Running
Keeping New Hose from Snagging: Use old nylons or pantyhose to find fingernails that will snag your clothes when the nylons are pulled tight. Drag your nails across the old pair of nylons or panty hose to find the nail that needs to be filed.
By Wendy
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Epsom Salts for Plants
Epsom salts works wonders for houseplants because the magnesium sulfate helps cleanse the soil of harmful salts that tend to accumulate in the pots.
Give your roses a growth spurt, water them with an Epsom salts solution in May, and then again in June.
Mix two tablespoons of Epsom salts in a gallon of water, apply half of it to the soil in May, the other half in June. Epsom salts provide magnesium, which will stimulate growth.
By Susan Ide
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The Best Day of the Week To Fill Up Your Tank
Always fill up your gas tank on Thursdays because they always hike up the prices on Fridays for the weekend because that is when most people travel.
By Mary
Editor's Note: I have seen similar tips that reference different days of the week to purchase gas. The best way to spot patterns is to keep a small notebook in your glove box. Keep track of the prices at the gas stations that you drive by regularly and see if you can determine a pattern.
You also can keep track of your fill up patterns and gas mileage in the same notebook.
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Potato Puffs
I used all left over mashed potatoes to make potato puffs.
I season the mashed potatoes up with garlic powder, minced onion, salt and pepper. I then combine the potato mixture with cracker meal, and one egg until it can form a ball.
I then take balls of potatoes and fry in oil until golden brown.
They are yummy!
By Rebecca
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Contest ends August 31, 2005
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New Requests
Catnip Mosquito Repellent
I have seen a lot of tips on catnip as a mosquito repellent, but, if I plant catnip somewhere in my yard, won't I have all the cats in the neighborhood pokin' around in it?
I really don't want cats in my yard!
Thanks,
Patty
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Flame Decorations for Room
I'm looking for flame room ideas and decorations for my bedroom. If anyone knows where I can get sheets, light shades, etc. with flames on them, please let me know.
Adam
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Dog With Smelly Ears
My springer spaniel has chronic ear problems - they look very clean; I never get any "yucka's" out of them, yet I can tell they hurt him and they smell. A friend told me 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 rubbing alcohol which I tried tonight, he's calm now, but was crazy when I first put the stuff in. Can anyone help? the vet bill is $40 just to see him and another 20 for the medicine. I am looking for a better home remedy!
Thanks.
Debra Ann
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Clothing Stains From Sunscreen
I have discovered that sunscreen is staining my clothing. Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution as to how to clean these stains off from cotton tops?
Beth from Mi.
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Making Fabric Flowers
How can I make fabric flowers to attach to dresses or sweaters?
Rosemarie
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Gasoline Smell on Wicker
We recently bought white wicker furniture to use in the sitting room attached to our bedroom. Unfortunately, it gives off an odor similar to a gasoline or motor oil product. We have spray painted it and the odor still persists. How can we get rid of the odor? Will it dissipate over time if we wait? I worry about ingesting the "fumes" as we sleep.
Rosemarie
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Only Half of Electrical Circuit Works
We recently purchased an old home (105 years old) and one day half of the lights on a circuit stopped working. They stopped when I turned on a sconce and it shorted and blew the circuit breaker. Half the lights on the circuit went out, not to be seen again.
I have checked all of the old outlets and replaced them as I thought I might be shorting back through the common. I am stumped as to what I should do. I had an electrician come out and take a look and he is stumped as well. Any advice?
Rick from Iowa (in an old home)
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Removing Suncream from Whites
Does anyone have any tips for removing suncream from white cotton t-shirts? I keep ending up with yellow stains, and find waterproof suncream is worse. I live in UK so I may not have access to any of the products from USA. Vinegar hasn't worked.
EmmyK
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Planting Cedar Shrubs
I'm about to plant a cedar hedge. I was told I have to mix some lime into my soil first. Is this true? I live in a zone 4 and already have several cedar trees on the property.
Anne from NB
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Puppy Potty Training
I am not sure how to house train my second silky. My first one is 8 months old and already house trained. The second one is barely 3 months old but I don't know if she should be crate trained. Would it create a problem if she is left in the crate while her "older sibling" has run of the house?
lunababy
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Lampe Berger Refills
I have fell in love with my Lampe Berger lamp that was given to me as a gift. Does anyone know how I can make the fuel for this thing any cheaper than the 12 dollars a bottle I am paying to refill it? That is knockoff price, the real stuff costs about 20 bucks for a small bottle. I love it soo much, if you get one of these you will never burn another candle again. My house smells yummy and the air is also pure.
Heather from Louisiana
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My Dog is Vomiting
My dog has been vomiting for about 2 days on and off. It intially started out as A LOT of food. So, we thought it was because he gorged himself. Honestly we could not believe he could have eaten that amount of food. He is on IAMS dog food if that matters.
That went on for the first day. Now he is still throwing up periodically. But he acts and plays normal. This morning he threw up again. This time it was a dark brown. Like black coffee. I have never seen this color of vomit in a dog. Should I be really concerned? He acts normal?
Is there something I can give him to help him through this? I don't have the money to take him to the vet right now. Are there any home remedies? He is drinking fine. His stool yesterday was loose, but not watery or bloody that I could see.
I am desperate. Any advice would be great!
Thanks in advance.
Michelle
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Summer Schedule for Kids
My kids have no schedule. None. During the school year they did, but I have been EXTREMELY lax since the summer began. I need advice on making a schedule for them for the rest of the summer. They are 9 (going to 4th grade) and 7 (going to 2nd grade).
During the school year, they got up at 7:30, did their morning routine and rode the bus to school. After school, it was homework, dinner, showers, stories/snack, a little t.v. and then bed at 9. Mondays, once a month, were scout pack meetings and every week on thursday were scout den meetings. That has also let out for the summer and picks back up in September.
Right now, this is pretty much their (our) schedule. They get up whenever they feel like it, usually around 9 or 10. They eat/get dressed, then we leave to pick up my mom and go to the gym. After that we hang out at my sister's for a while or at my mom's. Then we come home in time for my hubby, around 3:30.
I make dinner while they play around the neighborhood with the other kids. I call them in for dinner when it's ready. (we use walkie talkies, lol) They eat dinner then go back outside to play until around 9:30, when they come in and take a shower, watch tv and hit the bed, with a movie in their room.
They don't read, they don't do the expensive computer games and workbooks we bought from school to help them prepare for school. I just don't know what kind of schedule to have or where to start. Can someone help me?
Thanks!
Linda
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Musty Furniture
I recently received a love seat and a recliner/rocker from an agency that helps homeless and/or needy people. The recliner has a musty smell to it. Is there a way to get rid of this? Will a product like Febreeze work?
Knitter in Illinois
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Foldable, No Sew Hat?
Does anyone have a pattern for a foldable, no sew hat? It is a circle with slits that radiate from the inside of the brim to within an inch or so of the top center circle. It lies flat until placed on your head, then pops up.
Thanks,
Mary from Cedar Creek
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Today's Sponsors
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Manage your money simply and quickly. Inexpensive budget planning
software.
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More Reading:
Grocery Budgets
By Gary Foreman Dear Dollar Stretcher
I am looking for someone to tell me how to go about making a budget for our family's groceries. I have no idea as to how to even start. Any suggestions?
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Decorating Your Kitchen With Antique Plates
By Lee Dobbins Antique plates can add whimsy and interest to your décor. Many
people hang them right on the walls for a unique look. You can hang them up on special holders made just for this or use ribbons to hold them and hang from fancy hooks. Learning how to arrange your plates so that they look best is key to making them a successful part of your wall décor.
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Stow It Away (Kitchen Appliances, Large Pots and Serving Dishes)
By Maria Gracia Almost every kitchen has appliances, oversized servers and pots that are seldom used.
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