Daily Thrifty Tips - August 31, 2006

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I found this guy just in time to watch it hatch a day later. What a blessing! I haven't seen a butterfly hatch since grade school.

It was green with a line of gold dots the first day. I didn't get pics because I didn't realize it was so close to hatching.

By April from Buffalo, NY

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Hello from Canada!

If this winter, you need to stop cold air from entering under your door, simply stick paper tape to the bottom edge of the door. Not under the door but simply on the inside edge of the door. Close the door and use clear industrial silicone to fill the crack between the door and the floor. Put more silicone on the floor than on the door. Use a wet rag to make a nice long door stop and when it dries, open the door. The paper tape should pull away from the door and you will have to remove it from the silicone; but now you have a wind stopper for the winter.

By Joseph Raglione from Laval West, Quebec,Canada

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When making brownies, instead of using the required egg, I use a 1/4 cup of applesauce. Most of the time, I never have plain applesauce on hand, it's usually peach, berry or pineapple flavored applesauce. It doesn't matter which flavor I use, as the brownies turn out moist and the chocolate flavor overpowers the fruity applesauce flavor.

By Terri from NV

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Yep, those plastic limes which I got so many glasses of lime water
out of last summer will, with a little glue and glitter, become tree
ornaments for years.

Hey, decorate them anyway you like. Oh and they don't break when they fall. A plus and they need little wrapping to store.

An Early Merry Christmas

By Mr. Thrifty from Shermansdale, Penna.

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Very easy, just like it sounds. I cut potatoes into thick slices, with peeling on them. I put the slices in the bottom of the crockpot and put my pork roast on top of them, then pour lemon pepper marinade on top of them. Cook on low for eight hours. Really good. Lots of leftovers made great sandwiches for lunch the next day.

By christi from Paducah, KY

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We have been cutting back, so one of my newest things is to cut down on meat by spreading it as much as possible. Instead of cooking five chicken breasts, I now cut up three into bite size pieces and put them into a glass baking dish with a bottle of our favorite barbecue sauce and cook it for about half hour. It saves money because I can use the extra meat for another meal and this always goes around and we have leftovers, where when I gave out a whole piece of chicken there were no leftovers. I also cut my packs of hamburger into 4 equal pieces instead of three. Another meal at the same price and we see no difference on the table.

By Christi from Paducah, KY

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Want a simple craft to do for the novice crafter? Try plastic canvas. The canvas is inexpensive and you can get really nice yarn cheap or free from freecycle sometimes.

I got a book of tissue box covers, it was easy to follow the patterns and they were really cute to give away as gifts. You can get as easy or complicated as you want with plastic canvas and it gets really addicting to try new things. The hardest thing I made was a rocking horse tissue cover that had 27 pieces but it came out so pretty and the expectant mother loved it. Also great to make tags for gifts.

By Christi from Paducah, KY

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Studies say that you are less likely to be able to keep a January resolution due to fatigue and post holiday stress syndrome... So, why wait until January to resolve to make a lifestyle improvement? Our family made a "New Year Resolution" starting with the first day of school:

Mom's was to have a devotion book in the car to read on the drive to school and to rotate the evening meals Grace between all family members.

Dad said he didn't need to make any lifestyle improvements (but he didn't ask us for suggestions! haha)

DD, age 14, said she was going to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into her diet.

DD, age 8, said she would remove all school papers from her back pack and place in the designated spot for mom and dad to sign.

So far we are doing great with these resolutions. Some other ideas your family could adopt:

Eat dinner together at least 5 evening a week

Have children pack their own lunches (during after dinner cleanup to limit the mess.)

20 minutes of reading each night (a child can read mom or dad a bedtime story.)

Go to bed on time (or 5 minutes early)

TV and technology free day (it's Tuesdays in our house. We work outside, play games, talk or read.)

Think about a new habit you wish to develop and try making a "New Year Resolution" at a new time of the year! You'll be amazed at your success!

I'd love to hear some of your suggestions.

By Diana from Prospect, KY

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Dear Webby's Humor Letter

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My dooney burke is made of fabric. It's a creme color. There's a black dirty mark on the corner of my purse. The mark could be black grease from an Auto factory. Do anyone have any suggestions on how to clean my purse without making the mark worst?

Denise from Grand Prairie, Texas

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I am looking for the fabric softener balls that you put in washing machine. Does anyone know where I can get them?

Thanks,
dd2woodruff

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I work for a lady who had cats inside, the cats are gone but the fleas stayed! What can we use inside to get rid of them? We've sprinkled bags of sevens dust in every room, it's help very little. it's very bad, she's bitten several hundred times a day, I'm bitten about a 100 times everyday while I'm there. What do we need to do? We are willing to try anything that's not poisonous because it is inside and she doesn't get out.

Thanks for any help.
Chas from WV

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How do you get tie dye off of skin?

Fi from Woodinville, WA

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What are some fun activities i could do at my girl-boy party (I'm turning 14)?

Bandit from Indiana

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I am considering going to Singapore to get a lot of dental work done. Does anyone have any information about dental procedures in Singapore please? Also, any other information about Singapore would be gratefully accepted, as I haven't been there for 40 years!

Thanks,
Wendy M. from Australia

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There seem to be many interesting approaches in removing musty smells from books. However, short of trying those, is there some known spray or air freshener that works well to this end? Granted, its only a cover-up, but may be just enough to make the situation bearable.

Thanks,
Bob the Bookman from Chicago, IL

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Has anyone heard of staining your concrete floors?

Sharon from McGehee, AR

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Model: Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator

Manufacturer: LG

Request: How good is LG's Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator?

Cecil from Grafton, MA

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I have the round knifty knitter and was wondering how I turn to avoid making a complete circle to make a blanket? I don't really understand the instructions and can't find anything online. Anyone have any simple instructions to make a blanket?

Thanks,
Winter from Red Deer, AB

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We have an electric smoke detector. It won't stop going off. It is a continual beep. I had to unplug it. What could be the problem?

Shirley from Creve Coeur, MO

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Hello Everyone,

I was wanting to know if anyone has ever tried the new chop wizard that they have been advertising on TV? It's suppose to chop up apples, onions, potatoes and so on. If anyone has tried this new product, I would like a little information on it. I was thinking of getting me one, and I wanted to know first before I spent my money. You know those things on TV can be a little tricky.

Thanks again.
Teresa from VA

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Whenever I get store bought peaches, they are rock hard. I put them in a brown paper bag to ripen, but it takes days (it seems like forever) to get them ripe enough to eat. Is there a faster, better way to ripen them quickly?

Thanks for all responses!

Tori

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I have leather interior in my car and somehow the ink off a plastic grocery bag bled on to the leather. Anybody know any great tricks?

Phyllis from Ferris, Texas

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I would like to display some cook books on my countertop. Where can I find a small book rack?

Jean from Central Islip, NY

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Is there anyway to repair a pop-up tent with a torn canvas doorway? Thanks in advance.

patsAZ from Morristown, AZ

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Any ideas about what to do with dried prom and wedding flowers?

Katie from Olney, IL

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I have old dark water marks on a light wood table top. How do I remove them?

Billie from Roy, WA

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Has anyone painted old laminate flooring? The previous owner placed ugly old style fake wood laminate flooring in the kitchen, which abuts real wood flooring in the dining room in this kitchen dining combo. It looks terrible and I can't afford to replace it. I am thinking of painting and sealing it. Any suggestions? I've also thought of tearing it up with the hope that there is badly stained wood flooring that I could paint, but this might reveal a worse nightmare.

Claire from Harrisonburg, VA

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I'm currently looking for a job and keep finding job postings that say FAX RESUME TO: and no other information. Does anyone know a way of tracing a fax number to its origin? I am nervous about sending my info without further information. Googling didn't work.

Thank you,
Janet from New York City

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