Daily Thrifty Tips - February 26, 2007

Blue Man Chu

Blue Man Chu is a Japanese Fighting Fish. I received him as a gift.

By Debra Frick from Colorado Springs, Co

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The Money Will Follow

They say that if you "stick with what makes you happy, the money will follow". I don't know about that, but if you have a talent at something, and love doing it, go for it! You never know.

Through many many moves, four children, and often little space or money, I have always tried to find a corner to do art. I've always tried to incorporate it into my children's lives. It's just something that's always been a part of me. Now that my kids are older, I look back and see that, I'm a lot better than I was when they were little. All those years of doing what I love have paid off. I now know a lot more, (although typically, I also know that I could always, and will, hopefully always improve.)

Never give up, and always make room for that little corner to do what you love. I don't know if the "money will follow", but the joy of doing it has been priceless!

By Sue from Oneonta, NY

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Josie the Cat

Josie is a 6 year old cat. I got Josie from a litter of kittens born to my Aunt's cat.

He likes to sleep, eat, and be brushed.

Josie is a He and when he was given to me, I was told that she was a she. That is why he is named Josie, after Josie and the Pussycats.

By Lisa from S.C.

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Tuscon (Labrador Retriever)

Tuscon is approximately 2 years old and is a Labrador. She was adopted on 1/2/2007.

She loves to run and play with her squeaker toys.

Tuscon was adopted by our friends, Joan and Dwaine after their two beloved dogs recently succumbed to cancer. She was rescued by a Labrador Rescue Group just before her "time was up" and was brought to Nevada from Kansas. She's filling a very large hole in their hearts and in return she is simply adored. Isn't she beautiful?

By ShellyE from Las Vegas, Nevada

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Lantanas - Beware!

Beware! - The lantanas will get you if you don't watch out! Very satisfactory in our dry, WARM weather.

By Marion Godbold from Brookhaven, Mississippi

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Saving Money on Cellphones

Last month I was in the market for a new cellphone and a new cellphone carrier so I went online looking for the best deal. For various reasons I was unable to complete an order online and ended up going directly to a Cingular store (one managed by Cingular). They matched the deal I found online plus gave me an addition rebate on each phone. They were also able to transfer my existing numbers, something that was not allowed with the online retailers offer.

By Fisher

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Space Bags For Travelling

Just flew from Ohio to Texas and was trying to figure out how to bring a giant 6 foot teddy bear I had purchased for my 2 year old niece. I had purchased some space bags a few months ago and wondered if they would shrink it down enough to stuff in my luggage, my husband thought I was nuts,lol! Either it is genius or the most stupid thing I've ever thought of, well I stuffed it in the largest bag, zipped it up and put the vacuum to it. It sucked all the air out and, to my amazement, shrunk it down with room to spare in a regular piece of luggage.

When we arrived at my brother's, he could not believe when it came back to life and full size right before our eyes. Little Catherine loves it and now I have an empty piece of luggage to fill with shopping goodies from my trip to take back home.

By Aunt Peg from Cortland, OH

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Equivalent Measurements In Cooking

By LRP from Lowell, MA

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Use Newspaper For Weed Control

You can use newspaper for weed control, place 3/4" overlapping layers of newspaper around your shrubs/plants. Soak it down with water and wait for 24 hours before you place decorative mulch on top. It keeps weeds away while recycling. Save lots of $, no need to buy black gardening plastic. Don't have enough newspaper around? Ask your neighbors for their newspapers and help save the earth.

By Tracey from Thomasville, GA

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Uses For Leftover Christmas Paper

Old Christmas wrapping paper makes great pattern paper! If you make your own sewing patterns or make duplicate patterns or revisions to patterns like I do, use your old Christmas wrapping paper or Christmas tissue paper, it makes GREAT PATTERNS!

You can also turn over Christmas wrapping paper and let kids use the blank side to color or paint on.

When buying Christmas paper during the holidays, I try to find colors that I can use the rest of the year for gifts and other holidays like Gold, Silver, Copper, Purple, Blue, and Checked or Stars. Gold and silver makes great wedding and anniversary wrapping paper while Blue, Purple, Checks and Stars makes great Birthday paper.

Use Gold Christmas Paper to "gold leaf" your crafts and projects with.

By Cyinda from Redmond, WA

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Senior Dress Code - A Joke

Many of us "Old Folks" (those over 50, WAY over 50, or hovering near 50) are quite confused about how we should present ourselves. We are unsure about the kind of image we are projecting and whether or not we are correct as we try to conform to current fashions. Despite what you may have seen on the streets, the following combinations DO NOT go together and should be avoided:

1. A nose ring and bifocals
2. Spiked hair and bald spots
3. A pierced tongue and dentures
4. Miniskirts and support hose
5. Ankle bracelets and corn pads
6. Speedo's and cellulite
7. A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar
8. Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor
9. Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge
10. Bikinis and liver spots
11. Short shorts and varicose veins
12. Inline skates and a walker
13. Thongs and Depends

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Use Plastic Knife For Burned On Food

I used to use single edge razor blades to scrape burned food off my porcelain enamel stove, but even that scratches. So when I was trying to scrape off some dried sauce, I turned to a thin plastic knife with a serrated edge and it worked without scratching! So I will keep one around for cleaning.

By pamphyila from Los Angeles

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Beauty Bath Bar

• 1 bar soap
• acrylic paints, paint brushes
• 2 ounces canning wax

By Jan from Suring, WI

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Gardening In Areas With Less Light And More Moisture

Tips for anyone with less light and more moisture in their wishful new garden planting area*:

To each 5" round/sq. planting hole about 6-8" deep, add two teaspoonsful of crushed, new, untreated charcoal briquettes over 1 cup of gravel and 1 cup of straight compost. On top of the compost, add 1 tsp. of crushed, new, untreated charcoal briquettes and 1 cup of washed playsand.

Place a 4" size young plant that requires less sun into the hole and add compost all around to fill in sides about 3" with medium pressure, water with 1 cup of 1/4 tsp. vinegar water and 1/4 tsp. baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to each 16 oz. water, filling loosely with compost for any remaining space uncovered and lightly tamp down all around plant.

Break in half one old or damaged Computer Disk and place on top of smoothed soil around stem of plant base, silver side up, so that it reflects sunlight to the plant AND repels many plant pests/birds. The plant will seldom need watering, and the moisture that is in the soil already will be sweetened by the Vinegar/Soda water, charcoal and sand, allowing for plant growth, UNLESS there is underlying fungus, mildew, or disease already in the area. Even so, the solution/mixture/drainage layers should retard it's spread to the new plants. Should the plant base be larger or multiple stalks, simply widen the spread of the two Computer disk space to accommodate the width needed OR, if necessary, add a third disc half overlapping the first two.

Then, if labeling is needed or desired, break off the plastic handle of USED white disposable flatware, and mark with a Sanford Ultra Fine point permanent marker, the plant name/date planted, and stick outside of the dripline of the plant, near outer edge of discs.

*Remember to keep all unnecessary branches, dead or alive, trimmed from what is over-shading the area as well, if possible. If the soil is rocky or filled with extensive roots, this formula will not work unless roots are small enough to cut out. Do not use this formula for cactus or Sedum that require much sun and dryer soil. However, plant growth for partial shade loving plants will be competing with the overgrown root system and new plants will likely not survive. Use wisdom and common sense in any case.

By Lynda from TX

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Organizing Bills and Statements

How do you organize your files with your bank statements, credit card statements, tax deductible items, home insurance, medical insurance, pay stubs, etc.? Year after year.

Kathy from Los Angeles, CA

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Growing Food in Buckets

My hubby got me some 3 gallon square buckets to start a garden (fruits and veggies) and I need some advice as to what to plant and where to find the seeds for it. I have never had any luck with grocery store seeds so I'm looking for other places.

Hardiness Zone: 8b

Thanks,
Denise from Mcrae, GA

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Refreezing Frozen Hamburger

I have cooked and frozen hamburger meat. Can I add that to tomato sauce, re-cook and then refreeze?

Judy from NJ

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Selling Lighted Glass Blocks

I am new to this site. It is great! My husband and I are making the Lighted glass blocks. We were wondering if we were to sell them at a craft fair what would be a good price to charge?

Jeanne from Crystal Lake, Iowa

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Getting Rid of Japanese Beetles

How do I get rid of Japanese Beetles/Asian Beetles. They are swarming us in the bathroom and kitchen windows. There are dead carcasses all over the counters. I was hoping someone could help!

Mary Ann from Center Junction, IA

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Should I Put Area Rugs on Carpet?

We recently moved. The carpet was put in last summer and was kept good care of. You can't even see where the furniture sat. No traffic path or anything. I want to keep it in good shape too, I know it was never shampooed. My question is.. is it OK to put a 5x7 area rug in the center of the room

A friend said she heard it wasn't a good to put rug on top of rug. I did notice the carpet at the old place was discolored where the rug was in the center. I don't know if it was normal wear considering it was older carpet (but I vacuumed often and shampooed once a year) or if it was from the top large area rug. Any ideas?

Thanks
Ariela from Jax FL

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What Color Countertops Should I Get?

I am redoing my kitchen. The cabinets are going to be white. The walls are a reddish color. What color would you recommend for the countertop? I like the look of marble/granite, but will be using laminate.

Melissa from Massachusetts

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Dampness and Mildew in a Closet

When I opened my closet today, there is a strong smell of musty mildew. This has not been there before, although two times this winter, the sleeve on my sweater was damp when I took it out of the closet. The sleeve was facing the back of the closet, which is an outside wall.

I have lived here two years, and the closet has always smelled fresh. Now today, I cannot stand to open the door! I can find no sign of water leakage in there at all. I don't have money to hire a carpenter, and my husband is disabled. Does anyone have any ideas? What can I do about this smell, that will ruin our clothing?

Julie from Southwestern, Minnesota

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Staining an Old Piano

I have a really old church piano that has been painted. I want to stain the piano with a dark stain and have no idea what is under the paint. Do I have to strip the paint that is there now in order to stain the piano?

Kim from Northampton, PA

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Mildew Smell on Towels

How can you get the mildew smell out of towels? I wash them and sometimes they still have a mildew smell. And same with my husbands T-Shirts I wash them and the armpits still have a sweat odor to them!

Mandi from Erie

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Do calluses return after they are removed?

Do calluses return after they are removed?

Donna from Harrisburg, PA

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Controlling Fleas in the House

I need help getting rid of fleas in the house. Also in the bed. I have washed all of the sheets and blankets.

Thanks,
Margo from Canal Fulton, OH

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Exploding Ink Cartridge

A black ink cartridge just exploded on me and a wall. How do I remove it?

Randu

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Making Crinkle Skirts and Shirts

How do you crinkle skirts or shirts permanently? You can buy these skirts and shirts but I would like to try it myself.

Carol from South Africa

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Teens and Thongs

My teen thinks she is going to die if I don't let her where thongs to school. She is 13 and apparently they make fun of anyone who doesn't wear thongs in gym class. They call normal underwear "Granny's Panties"? This has caused a major problem in our relationship. Does anyone have any advice or experiences to share?

Thanks,
Diane from Palm Beach, FL

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Fixing a Hydro-Sil Heater

I purchased a Hydro-Sil heater several months ago and it stopped working. How or where do I get it fixed?

Thanks
broadwayjack

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Cleaning a Vinyl Fence

Does anyone know what works to clean a vinyl fence? We have stains from seagulls and other birds that have dried and we have not been able to get it clean. I tried the magic eraser and that did not work.

Kathy from Los Angeles, CA

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Type 2 Diabetes Meal Plans

I love this newsletter and thank everyone for the tips. I need help. I have just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I have tried looking for a good site to get more info and a menu list, etc. I would really appreciate and help.

Thanks,
Juanita from Mississippi

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Growing Lemon Trees in Containers

I am looking for information on growing lemon trees in containers.

Hardiness Zone: 9a

Calvin from Mandurah Western, Australia

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Cherry Chutney Recipe

I recently had Cherry Chutney served over almond crusted fish at a local restaurant. I am trying to find a recipe for the chutney. It was quite sweet and favorful. It may have been flavored with a sweet brandy but I am not sure. Anyone have a recipe to share?

Ginger from Richmond, VA

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Growing Fruit In Pots
By Ellen Brown

Container gardeners (and fruit lovers) rejoice! You don't need a big yard to grow delicious apples, plums or pears. With the right fruit, the right pot, the right compost and the right care, you can create your own little fruit orchard right on your balcony or terrace.

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Craft Uses for Old Wedding Dresses

Most wedding dresses are worn only once and then stored. Here are some craft ideas for recycling an old wedding dress.

By Linda from Knoxville

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