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Hello,
We will be publishing a short version of the daily tomorrow, it will just have photo contest entries and new request. We have 12 new request today.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Photo Contest Entries:
Today's Tips:
New Requests:
More Reading:
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Today's Sponsors
Lots of great art supplies at DickBlick.com
http://www.thriftyfun.com/thriftylinks/tf241337_tfl.html
Today's Photo Contest Entries
Here are pictures I took by my house. I live in Illinois and it was a garden near my townhome. It wasn't even a field, just a little plot.
By Kate in Illinois
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This cake is simple and delicious! A crowd (especially little ones) favorite. You will need:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Bake cake in round pans as directed on package. Eat one by yourself as is completely unnecessary to project ;) Cut round cake in half. Turn halves to face outward, so rounded sides are in and touching. Place Twinkie in center of two "wings".
Frost outer edges of wings and entire Twinkie with chocolate frosting. Mix vanilla icing with food coloring to create color of inner wings. Frost inner wing area.
Decorate with Candy as you desire. place licorice on wither side of "head" of butterfly for antennae. Place two candy eyes on face. Serve and eat with people you actually love. Makes it taste much better
By Suzanne S
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Submit a tip with a photo or a pet description with a photo and you could win a Digital Camera! You can enter the photo contest here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/photo_contest.ldml
Today's Tips
To core lettuce easily and quickly in a hurry with a capital "H", simply bang the core part firmly down on counter or table surface. The core will come right out, no mess, and it's a snap!
By Aurelia Casson
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Tips for saving money on perfume. Post your ideas.
Stretching Perfume
If you put a little water on the spot you wear your perfume or cologne you will use less. Just spread it around and it smells the same, lasts just as long and your cologne or perfume will go a lot farther.
By Monika Bigelow
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Avoiding Fast Food Drive Throughs
I carry a thermos (picnic kind) of kool-aid or Iced Tea with me when running errands or picking up kids and I pack cheap snacks from the dollar store. I have saved a lot of money not going to drive-throughs anymore.
By Monika Bigelow
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Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Combine 1 cup sugar, I cup peanut butter and 1 egg. Mix well, roll into 1 inch balls and flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (do not wait for them to start to brown or they might burn). Use a non-stick baking sheet. Moist, chewy and yummy!
By Wendy Hark
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Tips for saving money on dish soap. Post your ideas!
Diluting Dish Liquid
Mix 1/3 dawn with 2/3 water and it works just as well and goes a lot farther.
By Monika Bigelow
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Tips for using empty luggage (for something other than going on a trip). Post your ideas.
Use empty luggage to store blankets, seasonal clothes, or gift items purchased in advance during sales.
By Suanne Giddings
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Not Getting Burnt When Using a Glue Gun
To avoid getting hot glue on your fingers while using a glue gun, put a Bandaid on each of your finger tips before using the hot glue gun.
It really helps!
By Stephanie Skeem
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Recycle Old Towels, Uses For Old Towels
Tips for reusing towels that are past their prime. Post your ideas.
Making Washrags Out Of Old Towels
Make old towels into wash rags after cutting to size and stitching edges with zig zag stitch.
By Sharon Young
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Save pull over the head terry cloth bibs to use as hand and/or dish towels.
By Sharon Fernando
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If you are like me and have a problem with disappearing pet toys under your furniture especially couches, pick up some plastic gutter netting and cut it in half. Turn your couch up and staple-gun the netting from leg to leg INSIDE of the couch.
By Mary Beth, Saginaw MI
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Never buy anything you can't pay for, at the time, except a house.
By Linda K. Iverson
Editor's Note: It's a simple tip, but a good one. Also a very tough tip to follow with credit cards given out so freely. They make it really easy to charge things you can't afford but you save a lot of money when you buy things outright and don't have pay interest on the debt. We were unable to afford our new server outright, so it is sitting on a credit card. One thing we will do is pay it off aggresively to limit the amount of interest we have to pay. So if you have to buy something on time or on a credit card, pay it off agressively.
Credit card companies are great at making money and they set up their minimum payments to maximise how much they make on your debt. So pay more whenever possible and you will have more money in your pocket down the road. I will post a fallow up when we finally pay off our server and let you know how much charging it added to the total cost of the purchase. Hopefully we can practice what we preach and limit the amount of interest we end up paying.
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Measuring Shortening Without the Mess
When I was a little girl, I invented a little "short-cut" in cleaning up after myself when I was done baking.
As we all know, cleaning measuring cups with leftover shortening on them can be quite a pain, so I would use plastic wrap, cover the entire length of the cup, its depth, and width, and pack the required amount of shortening, making sure to fill any bubbles or holes. When I was done with the measuring cup full of shortening, I would simply throw the plastic wrap away. This tip is valuable in saving a lot of cleanup time. I hope you try it and see how easy it is!
By Lauren-Ashley Dattner
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Storing Banners and Small Posters
Save the tubes from paper towels - makes a good thing to roll up a computer-made banner - i.e. happy birthday....
By xstitches
Editor's Note: Also works great for storing small posters. Just roll up the poster and slip it inside of the paper towel tube.
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What are some inexpensive meal ideas that your family enjoys?
Using Whole Chickens
Buying whole chickens (fryers) is way cheaper than parts and you can make chicken and dumplings one night, then have leftovers over mashed potatoes the next night. Very cheap to do this.
By Monika Bigelow
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Ingredients:
Directions:
In a medium pan, mix first 4 ingredients together. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat; add rest of ingredients. Stir only until blended and drop by spoon onto waxed paper or pour into a greased pan. (If put in a pan, chill and cut in squares to serve. If dropped onto waxed paper, let stand 30 minutes to cool).
By Terri
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Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a large bowl, blend margarine, and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In a medium bowl, mix together: flour, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Stir in Rice Krispies and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 6 dozen.
By Terri
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Easy, Healthy Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix well. Batter will be thick. Spoon into muffin tin. Bake according to cake mix directions. Makes approx. 18 regular muffins or 36 mini muffins
By Janet C.
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Cook on top the stove for 1 1/2 hours or in crockpot for 6-8 hours on low heat.
By imaqt1962
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Drain apricots, reserving juice; set apricots aside. Combine juice, 3/4 cup chicken broth, and next 4 ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir in ham and green pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup broth, stirring until smooth; add to ham mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in apricots, and serve over rice.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan. In large bowl place chocolate and butter. Microwave at high 2 minutes until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir. Add sugar; stir until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts. Bake 30-35 minutes. serves 24
By Robin
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Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Brownies
Ingredients:
Directions:
Cream butter and peanut butter in bowl. Add sugars gradually, beating constantly. Add eggs on at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in remaining dry ingredients and vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 2 inch square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until brownies test done. Cool. Cut into squares. Makes 2 dozen.
By Robin
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Be sure to check out our active topics page to follow the discussion.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/board.html
Tip Contest
Submit a tip and you could win:
New Contest Prize! Now a 2 $25.00 Gift Cards
In our contest we are giving away two $25.00 Gift Cards (we will
select to winners at random) at one of the following stores: Home
Depot, Jo-Ann's Crafts or Amazon.com. If you are the winner, you
get to choose which gift card! This contest ends on May 15th,
2005.
Syndication Spotlight:
Here are some publishers that have chosen to publish our tips this week!
Dear Webby's Humor Letter
Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter.
http://webby.com/humor
Do you publish a newsletter? Sign up for our Tip Syndication:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/syndication.html
New Requests:
Decorating a Cabin's Interior - Paint Color Advice
I need some help and I know I can get some suggestions here. We built a small 24x26 cabin and it's down to the point for me to start painting the walls on the inside. We put up paneling that is primed and it looks like barn wood. I'm thinking of dry bushing white paint that I've watered down. Hoping it will look like old walls with peeling paint.
I was planning on buying a new white apartment size stove and fridge. Now my hubby bought a 1930 Magic Chef apartment size stove and it's pale yellow and light green in color. Do you think the walls the way I want to do them would look OK and if so what color should I paint the cabinets. I was thinking of buying those unpainted kind. I have no clue what color to paint them.
I've hinted around to my hubby about writing Debbie Travis' FaceLift and her come and surprise me but he's not budged. LOL. So it looks like it's up to me to decorate it and that's where I'm going crazy. I don't know how to.
Help.
Pam
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What are some tips for getting rid of warts? I have one on my hand and it's annoying.
Thanks!
Luna
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Replacing Grape Vines With Fruit and Nut Trees
We are going to be moving to the country next month. The property has a vineyard and one corner the vines were damaged by a fire. The whole thing is watered by drip irrigation. I really don't plan to just have a vineyard and would like a farm with all types of nut and fruit trees.
Could I just clear out where the dead/burned vine was and plant something new in it's place? I figured it would also get watered when the vines do. The ground is sandy so I know I would have to add something to the ground before we plant but I don't know what. We live in the California's central valley.
Our zone is 9 I believe.
Firefly 1985
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I'm planning a surprise birthday party for my friend and I have chosen as a theme a Gypsy or Rrom (as is the name they prefer to be called) Camp. For entertainment I plan to have a Mendhi Artist and Tarot and Palm readers, but I'm still looking for games for the guests to play. The guest of honor will be 36. I will appreciate any ideas you can send my way.
Rosy
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My chocolate lab is 7 months old now and he has eaten, well actually -- swallowed whole, every pair of socks that I or my kids have tried to hide from him (he still finds them), and also has eaten 3 of my bras! He eats EVERYTHING!
He has also consumed a whole box of crayons (he had colorful rainbow poop the next day!), mardi gras beads, paper clips, erasers, happy meal toys, etc. Believe me, we spend SO much time hiding things all over the house from him and he STILL finds it! I know that he eats all this stuff mainly WHOLE because, sometimes it will come out in one piece in his stool or he vomits it up...and if I don't catch and clean the vomit in time, he licks it all back up again!
I know this is gross, but this is an everyday thing for me and my family. He does eat his dogfood and gets regular checkups at the vet. He is healthy and happy... but why the heck does he do this?!
Does anyone out there have this problem too?
Jo
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First let me thank all of my frugal family. I have had many tips that worked out quite nicely. This next one will call on your frugality: How about car wax? I have never heard of a substitute for it and would like a tip.
Thanks everyone!
Jim in FL
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Removing Water Stain From Car Upholstery
My wet dog sat on my car seat and left a large water stain on the grey upholstery. I patted the seat dry with a towel but there's still a stain. Anyone know any methods of removing water marks/strains?
Thanks,
Mary
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My Church has wax drippings on the carpet surrounding Pews of main Chapel. How do I remove the embedded wax. Please help me.
Sheila from Tucson, AZ
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I am planning "A Walk Down Memory Lane" party for my 75 year old father this August. It is not a birthday so it will come as a complete surprise. We've gathered old photos, had friends and family write memories for a scrap book and had everyone sign a quilt piece when they come in so we can make a memory quilt.
I need more ideas especially, for taking some formal pictures at the party. I can get an arch and decorate it but need an idea for the background while trying to keep with the Memory Lane theme. I have some old ads from the 30's-50's along with pictures of stars of that period and lists of fads and popular music back then. Any more suggestions for decorationg appreciated.
Sherry from Indiana
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Need to keep foxes away from a veg. garden and away from 2 dogs. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Jeff Williams
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Yellow Stains on White Clothing
I have several white shirts that are becoming yellowed around the collar. I have tried bleach, but this is not working. Is there a safe, non-damaging way to remove these stains?
Prettybyrd, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Looking for Weed Killer that Won't Kill Grass
We've got a lot of weeds (dandelions, et cetera) that are nearly taking over the yard, but we've also got a dog, so chemical weed killers are out. Are there any effective weed killers (that won't kill the grass too) that are also safe for dogs?
Rachel from Iowa
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Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here
Today's Sponsors
11 Craft Designs By House of Greathouse
Just $5.00 (including shipping) for instructions on how to make 11 unique craft designs on CD. For more information and pictures of the crafts visit:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/columnists/harlean.html
More Reading:
How To Get Your Pet To Strike The Pose: Tips For Photographing Your Pet
By Ian White
If you have ever tried to take a picture of your dog, you will realize how hard it is to capture the pups full personality and beauty in a photograph. Dogs aren't human, and they don't understand what we are doing when we try to take their photo. They may think that the camera is a toy and charge at you, instead of striking a pose. If you follow these tips, and take your cues from your pet, you can be assured of great photos of your pet.
View Article: Click Here
3 Smart Scheduling Secrets
By Maria Gracia
Scheduling can be a snap when you follow these 3 smart scheduling secrets!
View Article: Click Here
Tips For Installing Vinyl Flooring
By Lee Dobbins
Installing an new floor can spice up a tired room and you can even save some money by installing it yourself. Of course, if you are not handy and have never done any type of installation, you may want to leave it to a professional as installing the flooring incorrectly can ruin the whole look!
View Article: Click Here
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