We have lots of tips and requests today. One interesting tips is about Food for 2 years for $5 a week. I think that prices may be much higher than when this was developed but in any case it's a good list of what to have on hand.
If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.
Around October, I start buying gifts to avoid the December price crunch. It is difficult to hide presents from snooping children. I wrap each child's present in a particular wrapping paper, a type of secret code known only to me. I still hide them, but since they don't have names tags on them they're not as interesting.
I found a stretchy short sleeve shirt with 3 buttons at neckline that was stained and planned to throw out as material not good for cleaning. I turned it inside out, stitched across the bottom and then put the plastic grocery store bags inside. I placed it on clothes hanger. it looks good, more stable than plastic in plastic and holds many more than the ones you can buy for several dollars. Now I'm looking for a smaller one for small plastic bags, such as bread and produce.
Set aside $5 a week to buy the specific items each week. You will have a kitty set aside that you put the $5 in and you can't touch it for any reason but to buy the food storage item for that week. Put in the remaining change back into the kitty. Some things in the beginning are going to be cheap and then later will be more expensive. In order to pay for the expensive stuff later you need to keep the leftover money in the kitty. Weeks 38 and 44 you will have "off" to replenish the kitty.
700lbs of wheat,
240 lbs sugar,
40 lbs of powdered milk,
13 lbs of salt,
10 lbs of honey,
5 lbs of peanut butter,
45 cans of tomato soup,
32 cans mushroom soup,
15 cans tuna fish,
10 macaroni and cheese dinners,
500 aspirin, and
730 multiple vitamins
They suggest adding 6 lbs of dried yeast and 6 lbs of shortening and this should be enough to sustain 2 people for a year. For every 2 people you have in your family add $5 more and double or triple the amount of whatever you are buying that week.
By Christi from Paducah, KY
Editor's Note: I searched and there is another version of this. Prices may be a lot higher for some items now (I know that honey costs a lot more.)
There is also a Morman version which is slightly different:
A pumice stone rubbed across your dog's coat will gather all loose hair that would have ended up on your carpet. Up the hair gathering a bit by having someone point a blow-dryer on your pet while you're using the pumice stone. This works better outside for obvious reasons!
You can, make nice pinch pleated drapes from sheets. I used King sized sheets and made them floor to ceiling for a 22' opening. I bought the buckram heading sold by the yard at a fabric store and made my own pinch pleats. Looks professional. I did them unlined, but you could use another sheet to line them.
I bought my flat sheets from Wal-Mart. They were around $14.00 per sheet. Be sure you buy all you need at one time, even white sheets can vary in the whiteness! They can be dyed.
One king sized sheet yields 13 pleats allowing for space on either end. Need wider drapes, sew sheets together!
Don't use the pleater tape that you can sew on and buy the pins to gather them into pleats ... they are quick but do not look nor hang very well at all. Talking from experience.
I really should have know better, it's not like I didn't know how to make drapes! You can save a bundle making drapes that look custom made!
This year my daughter's Christmas presents will be bought with a theme in mind. At a recent Heritage festival she was introduced to the colonial style of using a wringer washer. The kids were allowed to scrub the clothes and hang them up on a clothesline. My daughter remarked that she could wash clothes all day long!
For Christmas, I will purchase an old fashioned wringer washer, an old metal tub, one prairie bonnet all at a second hand shop. I will purchase new for her the set of Little House on the Prairie books. The moral of the story is find something your child is very interested in and expand on the idea.
When looking for a fun new piece of artwork for your laundry room (or any room really), think outside of the ordinary. Take old patterns for clothes (50's, 60's and 70's styles are really neat) and frame the fronts. They are fairly close to standard sizes for frames and easy to trim down. Just frame and hang. When you get tired of one, switch it out! Easy and cheap, these are usually fairly easy to find in thrift stores and at yard sales.
To discourage squirrels from eating your garden stuff, you can make a paste of cayenne pepper and water and paint it on the leaves that they seem to attack or if you prefer you can paint the whole garden. The Paste is just made with a little water. This does work but your neighbors will LOOK at you a little funny if they see you "painting" your leaves. I know, I've tried it.
If you have a frugal buddy (I have one who lives near a great independent dollar store.) - have them look out for new and interesting arrivals (and do the same for them, of course). Things in those stores come in waves and the the good stuff goes FAST.
If you're into microwave cooking, you might already know this. But in case you don't, learn from someone who knows. Don't use any dishes with gold or silver metallic stripes or designs in your microwave. It'll spark and make your food smell funny, not to forget it'll change the silver or gold on your dishes to black. I did this shortly after getting married. It didn't hurt my microwave, but it sure scared me, as I was watching the dish spark.
I am looking for low carb recipes. Also, what are some tips to curb the appetite? Is there any foods that are tasty and almost carb free that can be snacked on through out the day? Any tips and ideas would be wonderful.
Here's a real poser for you all. We left a car battery in the back of our minivan and it tipped over, probably several days ago. When we tried to clean up the mess, the carpet came up in fuzzy pieces. The worst part is that we were planning on trading this van in soon. I am trying to decide if I should just trade it in as is, try to patch the damage (most of the cargo area), replace the entire carpet or something else. Anyone have any experience with something like this?
I have recently been given a large amount of french fries. Other than the obvious frying them to make french fries or chili cheese fries any ideas of what I can make with them? I am talking about 2 cases of french fries like McDonald's serves.
This summer, something got at my hostas. It looked like a squash bug. We powdered them, but overnight, these little buggers ate the leaves off, right to the vein. They look so sick and just awful. Should I cut them back this fall? My patch was just beautiful until it got all chewed up.
I have an English Tudor House built in 1937. I am trying to find out what the design is called that was put on our interior walls. I need to repair cracks and want to make the same design in my plaster. Anyone out there know what it is called?
I'm not sure I like our new grout color - black with red tiles. Would it be possible to paint the grout with a bathroom/kitchen stain repellent paint? Or would it just peel off soon?
I have a Magic Steam Press 7. It needs to be repaired as it went out on me two weeks ago. The only person that repairs these I found out passed away and No one else repairs them here. My husband repairs things really well if he has some kind of a repair manual to go by. It is a singer steam press. Please somebody tell me how we can get ahold of a repair manual and a place to order parts so my husband can repair it. I have been lost without it. It is only 3 years old and I love it. I would truly be indebted to you. Help and God Bless.
I just redid my bathroom and the tub and sinks have slightly bluish stains by the drains. Is this from iron in my well water? Is there any product that would remove the stains without damaging the new tub and sinks?
If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.
Be the first to post feedback! Click here to post feedback.
Post Feedback:
Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback (if you are a registered user). If you have not yet registered, click here to do so. It's FREE!.
