Daily Thrifty Tips - July 19, 2007

Volume Six, Number 138, July 19, 2007 (Read It Online) We have lots of new requests today. Please look them over and see if you have any advice to offer. Here's today's featured request. Budgeting for a Family of 5 How much money is needed to feed a family of 5? Cheryl from Buffalo, NY Post Feedback Here Thanks for reading, Susan Send to a Friend! Share a Tip (You could win $25!) Share a Photo (You could win $25!) Have a Question? Submit a request... Link to ThriftyFun.com View Active Topics! Edit Your Subscriptions: To edit your ThriftyFun subscriptions, click the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter. Today's newsletter contains: Today's Photos: Garage Turned Into A Home Patrick In Iraq Homemade Barbie Doll Hats Girl's First Communion Cake Baby Geese Today's Tips: Hippo Table Wall In Garage For More Square Footage Shine Faucet With Facial Cleaning Cloth Vacuum Packing & Food Storage Furoshiki For Green And Frugal Carrying Place a Wet Washcloth on Neck To Stay Cool Keeping Cook Books Propped and Open While Cooking Vinegar and Paper Towels Clothing That Never Goes Out of Style Keeping the Washer and Dryer Clean What Can I Make With Frames? New Requests: Making a Futon Cover With a Quilt Can Microchips in Dogs Move? Cheap Long Distance Calls From Mexico Removing Crisco From Fabric Melamine Paint for Countertops Tinkerbell Birthday Party Not Many Tomatoes Henna Stains on Clothing Joy Dish Soap for Dogs Bread Pudding Or Rice Pudding Recipes Product for Plastic Looking Hair Dealing With a Nasty Boss Budgeting for a Family of 5 AC Advice for Empty Second Floor Making Your Own Baking Mix Chai Spiced Coffee Creamer Recipe Frugal Wedding Photographer In Dallas Whitening Dirty Washclothes Removing Clothing Stains From Wet Leather Make Ahead Meals For Boating Weekends Advice For 16th Birthday Dance Party Where Can I Find Terry Tea Towels Removing Fabric Dye From The Dryer Quick Weight Loss Tips Firefighter Themed Wedding Removing Tree Sap From a Car Cleaning Lime Deposits Off a Toilet More Reading: Renting Risks and How to Protect Yourself Heavenly Strawberry Recipes! 12 Tips To Follow When Shopping for a Bridal Gown Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! 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. More Information: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml Today's Photos: Garage Turned Into A Home Amazing what a can of primer and some elbow grease can do! I'm saving money (so I can keep up with student loan payments!) by living in my parents' garage. I decided to make it a little less garage-like so I'm attacking one area at a time, hiding storage, cleaning old paint stains, organizing my stuff and making it look as homey as possible. Here's stage 1 of my workbench-turned-cafe-corner. I did 2 coats of primer on the plywood walls, and made the second one extra thick to get into all the grooves and spaces. The final effect looked more like a textured or plastered wall than painted plywood! Cost breakdown: $12 for a gallon of primer (only used about half), $3 for marked down fabric (still need to actually sew into curtains, just draped right now), $5 for dowel rods and hooks to make removable undercounter curtain rods, $3 for spray paint for accessories, $2 for shelf brackets, other supplies and accessories pulled from storage and supplies leftover from other projects. Total cost: $25! By txdesignerd from Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96305300.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Patrick In Iraq This is my fiancee, Patrick (on the right) - deployed to Iraq - we miss him a lot! By Regina from Astoria Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58715998.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Homemade Barbie Doll Hats This is a project that requires supervision for the first step. Decorating will keep the little girl's occupied without much help. View This Craft: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf34084067.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Girl's First Communion Cake Hi, just wanted to share with you the cake I made for my daughter's First Communion last year. By Paula from Portugal Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97199649.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Baby Geese They are not MY pets but they really love to see me because I go to the river each day and feed them. We named them Paris and France because they seem so elegant in the water! Me and my children go there each day to feed them! Enjoy, they are too sweet! We taught the babies, Paris and France how to catch! When you throw the food, they have learned if we snap our fingers, they will watch and catch it (the bread) before it ever gets to the water! By Tenderheart from Eastliverpool, OH Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf63785255.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Contests: Tip Contest Submit a Tip or Recipe! Photo Contest Submit a tip with photo! These contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25! My Frugal Life Submit a My Frugal Life Essay! Today's Tips: Hippo Table At a focus group, I was paid $60 for my ideas for a complete new type of restaurant that had never been done. It was used by the company who got the feedback from this Market Research Focus Group they'd hired for such a venture, and actually built it all to my total amazement, and it has become the most wonderful and unusual place in the state. It has a Tropical Jungle theme. For a child's table idea I would strongly urge you to make one great table out of two circular ones with legs, by doing this: Take the legs off one table, paint white, and set aside to dry until later. Draw and cut out the pattern of the top of a hippo head, from a bird's eye view. Paint it and the remaining legs from the bottom table, the typical med. gray of a Hippo, wrapping the edges of the table top with the paint. When dry add the black "dots" only for imitation whiskers, paint the nostrils shading black or dark gray, eyes in black/white. Then cut and attach tiny grey vinyl or gray leather "ears" tacked well to the outer edge of the table top, a little past middle towards rear of Hippo head, but over the big mouth. (A child will likely be attracted to these ears and pull on them off and on in playing/talking to the "Hippo") Find the best line to cut the painted top ALMOST in half, but just after the ears, side to side, creating the illusion, when tilted up, of the open mouth of the Hippo, when in fact it turns into a caged hollow storage table for placing things inside the Hippo's mouth-cage when open). but nothing can sit on top, keeping it clean to view the Hippo, and clear to open the "Hippo Mouth-Cage" for storing inside. (cut top almost into half but hinge the halves back into place with a piano hinge, if you can afford it, hiding the hinge pin underneath so that the top can become the top of the Hippo cage' mouth storage table.) Take the painted white legs and measure off, sawing straight, the equal lengths of about 4-5" each. Turning over the Hippo-head that's now dry, mark off the correct numbers of places all around the underside edge, glueing leg lengths with Carpenter's Glue (Elmers?) and leaving them sticking onto the spots marked until dry. This will be the top of the table and the combo of "teeth/cage rails" when glue is totally dry overnight. Make certain that they are standing like a straight equally spaced line of birthday candles around the outer edges of a cake, so it will be ready, when dry the next day, to glue down to the same number of spots on the other table which should be painted like the inside mouth of the Hippo, complete with 2" grey edge, outlining a flat rosy or ruby tongue, for the inside top and bottom of the table, the tongue being drawn/painted inside of the spots where the "Hippo mouth-cage" will mate up to top of the Hippo mouth-cage. When all paint/glue is totally dry, drill holes for thin 2" wood screws ( you will drill through the top down, and from the bottom up, into each "tooth" for stability after they are all glued tightly and in place for drilling. The top front teeth of the mouth-cage will be attached ONLY to the top. The bottom front teeth AREA will be flat when mouth is open for sliding things into the table for storage. By sawing the hinge opening not quite at the half-way mark on the top of the table, it will be easier for a child to open the Hippo's mouth with teeth attached all the way back over the head and put the upper "teeth" out of the child's way, also allowing a surface to set something out from storage. Turn table upside down and attach the bottom legs, (which you have painted grey, complete with white cloven hooves, and dried well overnight as well), to the finished Hippo Mouth-Caged Table. Before taking into the home, give the entire table, teeth, mouth, inside/out, a single spray-coating of clear polyurethane. If the child is shown how to take care of things well, it should last through the early growing stages until ready to be matched up with more "grown up" furniture, such as a "caged/mosquito netted" bunk-bed and tree-ladder? I believe a painted jungle wall or two, with tall giraffes against a tall golden light brown bamboo grove/olive-drab leaves, dark green vine, and a friendly brown/gray/olive boa snake, wrapped around one thick bamboo stalk, with a bright shade of blue sky peeking through at the top, from the same colored blue ceiling would about complete the room for a starter, don't you? Remember a couple of zebras off in the distant horizon on the third wall, standing on the painted grassy plains? Don't add too much to your paintings. Less is more, especially when all the toys get scattered around. You'll want to keep it bold and beautiful, right? Good luck. Hope you make and enjoy my ideas? God bless you as you consider some of His creation as your child's theme, and perhaps with a simple scripture on a Jungle sign: "Where your heart is, so there is also your Treasure, God loves you." theme? By Lynda from TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf22990210.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Wall In Garage For More Square Footage Some friends of ours recently bought a new home. Since neither of them drive, they don't own a car. They had their garage boxed in. They had a contractor put up a wall over the garage door and finish off the rest of the room and ceiling so that it doesn't look like a typical garage. It keeps the desert heat out. Looks nice on the inside and on the outside, you can't tell it's not a drive in garage. If they were to want to sell the home, the garage door covering wall can be removed easily for future buyers. (on a lighter side: another pal of theirs said, "what would you give to be watching if a burglar ever tried to break into their garage, only to find a wall up, instead of easy entry?) By Terri H. from NV Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf46515633.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Shine Faucet With Facial Cleaning Cloth After wiping my makeup off with a facial cleaning cloth, I use it to wipe off my bathroom sink faucet as well as the towel holder. It quickly removes the dirt and grime from the faucet and towel holder, leaving them both bright and shiny. By Pam from Burlington, KY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf54284385.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Vacuum Packing & Food Storage By Kelly Ann Butterbaugh My newest experiment has been vacuum sealing my food. As one who always loved to "put up" food in glass Mason jars and keep a stocked freezer, the thought of further food preservation intrigued me. Vacuum sealing is a simple way of preserving food. If airborne bacteria can't get to the food, the process of natural breakdown (spoilage) can be avoided. It's the way food is packaged for shipping, so why not try it at home? I'm still on the fence as to whether or not it is saving me money, but I certainly am having fun learning. What Is It? Vacuum sealing is a process of food preservation which utilizes special canisters or plastic bags. Food is placed in the canister or bag which is then attached to a vacuum sealer which removes all the air from the container. This preserves the food for long periods of time. The bags can be opened and resealed (making them smaller each time), and they can be reused, frozen, boiled, and microwaved. Canisters are perpetually reusable, and they allow themselves to be opened and resealed throughout the day. Less Waste How many times have you thrown away food because it went stale or was freezer burnt? It's a frustrating task, and although I enjoy buying in bulk I despise wasting food. I'm disappointed when I pull a roast from my freezer that looks like a chunk of ice. Vacuum storage eliminates this problem, allowing me to produce a beautifully colored roast from the freezer months beyond its normal expiration date. By packaging a head of lettuce, which is pricey in my area of the country during the winter, in a vacuum canister I can preserve it for more than two weeks. All the while it looks as green as the day I brought it home. I've even sealed leftover steak rolls in a canister and used them eight days later without noticing a difference in their freshness. Save on Bulk Bulk purchases ask for vacuum sealing. After buying a large block of cheese at a discount price, I can cut it into four chunks, seal each one in a vacuum bag, and enjoy it for months. Freezer foods stay fresher, bulk packages of cereals and cookies don't go stale, and fresh fruits can last for over a week. The Cost Cost is a priority in our household, but so is avoiding waste. I'm not so upset if it costs a few more pennies as long as I don't waste food. However, I'm convinced that the initial investment in a vacuum sealer will pay off. The sealer systems aren't cheap, and neither are the bags and canisters. While the canisters are the priciest items, they earn their keep in that they're endlessly reusable. I haven't sat to do the math about the cost of the bags versus the savings on my meats and vegetables, but I don't think I'm going to do it. Like my canning, I enjoy this method of food preservation. My fridge looks full of fresh produce throughout the week and I'm throwing out very little if anything. Like all preservation methods, there is a cost. Canning requires pressure canners (more costly than the sealer system!), cans, lids, and the energy to boil the water. Freezers also ask for enormous amounts of energy as well as the initial cost of the freezer. In the end is a vacuum sealer any different? You be the judge. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93553735.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Furoshiki For Green And Frugal Carrying Have you ever heard of a "furoshiki"? Basically it is a square of soft fabric - like a large bandanna - that can be used in many ways for carrying items. I have used this in various ways over the years, after learning of it during the 4 years I lived in Japan. Daily, I use one to wrap my lunch. I simply set my lunch items in the middle of a large cotton square, and tie up the opposite corners, leaving a little bit of slack for a handle. When I get to the cafeteria, I can open it up and make a placemat, and then when lunch is over I can fold it up and tuck it in my pocket. It is easy to throw in the wash if it gets soiled, and very lightweight. When I used to have to go to the laundromat, I would bundle my laundry in a very large square, leaving enough slack to sling it over my shoulder. The cloth could be thrown right in the wash with everything else, and then i would spread it out, fold the laundry into it, and carry everything home. I have made them for people and used them as giftwrap, so the wrapping was something useful to them also. The link below shows tying diagrams for carrying everything from watermelons to wine bottles - all with just a square of cloth. http://www.env.go.jp/en/focus/attach/060403-5.html By Regina from Rochester, NY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf11813114.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Place a Wet Washcloth on Neck To Stay Cool In today's ThriftyFun Tips, you asked for suggestions on keeping cool. When I go places out doors, I always carry a wash cloth with me. This I will wet and lay around the back of my neck. It keeps me cool for quite a while and I can always find a place to rewet it as needed. Also I am never without my trusty water bottle for drinking. By Tupe from Tupelo, OK Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69008490.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Keeping Cook Books Propped and Open While Cooking If you need to keep a recipe book propped open while cooking, take one of those wooden pants hangers from your closet and clamp it over the pages at the top of the book. If the book is light enough, you can even hang it by the hook at eye level on a cupboard door knob! By truerblue Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf288088.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Vinegar and Paper Towels To keep cleaning time to a minimal, I keep a bottle of vinegar and roll of paper towels in the Kitchen and both bathrooms. I squirt the surfaces, sinks, toilets, floors, windows, mirrors with it and wipe with a paper towel. Less than 2 minutes each day. The vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorizer and is much safer than using commercial products. By Michell Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf814546.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Clothing That Never Goes Out of Style The following are clothes that almost never go out of style. If you're out and about shopping, whether it be at a name brand store or mall, yard sales, thrift stores, or at a relative's house and they're getting rid of some of their clothes look for these. Ladies: A-Line Skirts, solid color tailored blazers/jackets, solid color shells/blouses. Men: Neutral color shirts and tailored to semi-tailored sports coats. By Terri H. Editor's Note: What are your examples of clothing that never goes out of style? Post your ideas below. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf478636.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Keeping the Washer and Dryer Clean I've found a way to keep the exterior surfaces of my washer and dryer cleaner most of the time, and it's almost effortless! At the end of the day when my dishcloth is on its way to the basket I keep in the pantry for dirty kitchen towels, I use it to wipe down the tops (and once in a while the fronts) of my washer and dryer on the way (assuming the dishcloth isn't greasy.) I change my dishcloth daily so it's never very dirty. This way the washer and dryer stay cleaner and if I want to fold towels on top of my dryer, it's a clean place to do so. By Sharon in Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf123479.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print What Can I Make With Frames? Uses for old wooden frames that are missing glass. These tips are from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas here. Decorate a Picture Frame Decorate a picture frame using paint and found objects. You can decorate a frame with a nautical theme by painting a lighthouse and birds on it. Then hot glue on some found objects like seashells to complete the project. Make A Table Tray Or Collage You can put a thin piece of wood in where the glass goes, paint the whole thing and make a tray. Small frames make nice trays for your dresser or the bathroom, and large frames make nice serving trays. If the frame is really thick and strong, you can add handles from the hardware store to hang on to. If the frames are nice, it also looks neat to do a collage of empty frames on a wall - different shapes and sizes. The woodwork of the frame becomes your "art". By QueenBeeCrafts Blackboard You could paint some plywood with black board paint, attach the frame and then hang it near the pantry as a notice/shopping list board. By Wolnut Use For Children's Artwork When my kids were little, I use to take the old frames and frame their artwork and put them by the pictures on the same wall and as they got older I would put their best papers from school in the frames to show off. They were also able to take the frames and decorate them to become "different frames" on our walls. By Ginny Earring Holder If you staple window screening to the back of the frame, they make a great holder for earrings. Simply hang on the wall and organize! By Kathy Get Glass To Use As Frame An Arts and Crafts store like Hobby Lobby sells glass made for photo frames. If you know the measurements for the frames, you can buy new glass pieces for them. By Renee Make A Papermaking Screen Try a search on making paper. I have never done it but one easy method that I have heard of is to blend scrap paper with a little water to a fine pulp and then using a screen (a.k.a. one made out of an old picture frame) lay the mush out, squeeze it thin and let it dry. By Kwaurio Yard Art A lady in our local garden club used an old barnboard picture frame in her landscaping. She set it up on a stand and planted an assortment of annuals and perennials behind the stand. This "picture" was the talk of the club when we toured the yard and looked great. By Valleyrimgirl Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf182615.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Friends of ThriftyFun Dear Webby's Humor Letter Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter. Webby now has a blog, read his latest newsletter as well as back issues here: http://webby.com/humor/blog/ More Information: http://webby.com/humor New Requests: Making a Futon Cover With a Quilt I would like to make a futon cover from a quilt. I've seen directions using sheets, but wonder if anyone has tried using a bulkier material and would like to share any do/don't tips before I get started? The futon is a full-size. Instead of using two quilts, I'm considering using a quilt for one side and a contrasting, less expensive fabric or sheet for the other side. This will save some money and give another look when it is switched. Has anyone tried this with success? Gwen from Ohio Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf24638398.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Can Microchips in Dogs Move? My dog was micro chipped when we got him 2 years ago as a puppy. You could feel the micro chip under his skin in his neck in between shoulder blades. Well, here is the question. I don't feel it there anymore, but under his neck in the front I think it has moved. It is in the spot where it would have moved around. He was always itchy and we thought it was allergies. Could he of had problems with the micro chip, and scratched it so it moved? Now he itches that area and you can feel the lump like it was on his back. Thank You. Lisa Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf56149975.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Cheap Long Distance Calls From Mexico I need advice for making long distance calls cheaply while vacationing in Mexico. Roz from Victoria BC, Canada Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77637999.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Removing Crisco From Fabric I'm 14 years and I was getting the Fry Daddy out for my mom and I didn't know there was Crisco in it. It spilt all over my clothes. They are my new clothes. We don't know what to do. Shelby Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58897567.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Melamine Paint for Countertops I've read many posts on painting laminate kitchen counter tops but I'd like specific advice on making it look good when using Melamine paint. I wanted to skip all the priming, and poly coats at the end, and heard this is the way to go. The melamine has already been ordered, 2 quarts of "Cabinet Rescue" in white. My current counters are discolored green (Ewee yuk). My floor is a new nice Italian brownish ceramic tile, and my cabinets are pickled looking light maple. So, I was thinking some in-between color would work (tan)... thoughts? I've seen some great jobs done here, but they all involved acrylic... can Melamine get the same effect? If it is possible, what are the steps to do it? I only have 2 quarts and don't know if there's a way to get part of it colorized in a pint size for pouncing, etc. I fear it'll come out looking really lifeless and flat and painted... then again, I'm also too much of a chicken to try "marble-ing"... and don't know if it's possible with Melamine. The other question... just how much color can be added to white Melamine. One post I read mentioned, it can only be turned to a pastel color, but not darker, as that could affect the paint? What is the best type of paint to add to it for colorizing... I'm afraid the paint people at a store won't know. Also, what is the best technique and roller/brush to use to apply the paint to the countertop? I would assume, you tape off the sink... and maybe use a brush for all the edges... I have MANY rounded parts of the countertops that tie-into walls that may be tough with a roller, even a small one. Thanks a bunch, Scott Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81599714.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Tinkerbell Birthday Party I'm having a first birthday party for my daughter and her theme is Tinkerbell. I wanted to do something with a basket, it's handle-less and it's circular and I already bought Tinkerbell piggy banks. What can i do with them? Chrystal from Honolulu, HI Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf31547479.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Not Many Tomatoes My tomato plant has lots of flowers but only three tomatoes. It's about 4 feet tall and in a pot we planted the beginning of June. Am I being impatient or doing something wrong? Hardiness Zone: 10a Bnike from Sac., CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf44090078.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Henna Stains on Clothing How can I remove henna stains from clothing? Janice from Medina, OH Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98255047.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Joy Dish Soap for Dogs I got Joy dish soap as I've seen on other web sites I'm seeing some folks saying Dawn is what you can use to bathe your dogs. Is Joy (lemon) OK to wash the dogs and kill fleas? So much out there about fleas and how to get rid of them. I'm sick of spending money on Frontline, etc. and it doesn't even work. The vet said your animal can get used to the products and they don't work any longer. So How bout the JOY? Thanks, Be Blessed. Peachee from Byron, GA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf95401682.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Bread Pudding Or Rice Pudding Recipes A simple old-fashioned recipe for bread pudding and/or rice pudding. Brenda from Glen Allen, VA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf92841637.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Product for Plastic Looking Hair I am looking for a spray or gel that could give my hair a "plastic" or "rubbery" look to it after I spiked it. I want to make my hair look like it is plastic or something, and I don't want to put paint it my hair, though that would probably work. Rene from Vermont Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96052642.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Dealing With a Nasty Boss I know this request doesn't have anything to do with being thrifty BUT. i work at a doctors office. I love my job, the patients, etc. but the office manager is sometimes really nice and then flip the coin and what can I say... she isn't nice. She makes fun of what I have done whether it is making a copy for myself to keep track of patients for the day or whatever. Then she will come out and ask how my day is going and oh good she is so glad. Then she says really nasty like, oh come on, at least tell me who it is on the phone--real nasty. I am a very friendly outgoing person. I try to ignore how she is but today was terrible. I said this afternoon I was finished and I was leaving. She said to me with her back turned oh well whatever. If you haven't already guessed I am also a people pleaser. The urge was to go shopping at least for food to sooth my nerves but I cant afford it so I came home and ate what I had here. Sandy from Baltimore Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf25840068.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Budgeting for a Family of 5 How much money is needed to feed a family of 5? Cheryl from Buffalo, NY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96067559.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print AC Advice for Empty Second Floor I have two AC units. One downstairs and one upstairs. No one lives upstairs at my house. I need advice on what temperature to program upstairs to help save on my electricity bill. Any advice to share? Sheila from Cypress, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78264359.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Making Your Own Baking Mix I am looking for a recipe for making your own baking mix, such as Jiffy or Bisquick? Karen from Leavenworth, Kansas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf91687692.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Chai Spiced Coffee Creamer Recipe Chai Spiced coffee creamer ~~ Coffeemate (I think it was them) used to make chai spiced coffee creamer and I loved it!! I don't know if they stopped making it or my local stores no longer carry it - I've checked all 5. Does anyone know how to make this so I could keep it all week? Thanks! Mindy from Oregon Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf60845789.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Frugal Wedding Photographer In Dallas I have been looking around and all the photographers I see are very expensive and I'm on a very, very tight budget. I don't have a friend or family member that does photography as a hobby so that's out. Can anyone tell me of a good photographer in Dallas that doesn't charge an arm and a leg? There is no rush the wedding isn't until May next year. Thanks in advance Jessica from Dallas, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf61516102.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Whitening Dirty Washclothes Many of my white washcloths have a dirt stain in the center (mostly from cleaning my kids' dirty hands/feet at bedtime on those nights they don't get baths. I only use washcloths once before laundering and use lots of bleach, tried RIT whitener (definitely whitened but dirt stains remained). Aside from turning them into rags and starting with new white ones (or dying them a darker color), any tips on whitening? It's not fresh dirt, it's more of a build up. Tanya from Dayton, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf44800385.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Removing Clothing Stains From Wet Leather Does anyone know how to remove leather stains from a white cotton shirt? My friend was out in the rain with a leather cowboy hat which dripped all over his shirt. Mary from Milwaukee Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf95652538.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Make Ahead Meals For Boating Weekends With summer we have been spending a lot of time out on the boat and eating at the expensive restaurants along the river. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for what I could make a head of time (freeze, etc.) during the week to use for meals (sandwiches get boring after awhile) on the boat (so not too complicated) on the weekends? Thanks much for any ideas you have. Jan from Milwaukee, WI Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf76199369.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Advice For 16th Birthday Dance Party I'm throwing a sweet 16 the 1st weekend in November (Saturday the 3rd, because my birthday is the 1st of November). It's going to be a dance party at my neighborhood club house and I'm not really sure if my party should have a theme or not. I'm trying to think of a cute centerpiece for the tables for when we eat dinner. Also I wasn't sure what I should serve for dinner or if I should just serve snacks. If you have any ideas please help me. Alayna from Dacula, GA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93239366.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Where Can I Find Terry Tea Towels Where can I get terry tea towels to use for napkins? The ones I have used for years have had it! I've tried shop towels as a substitute but they are too scratchy, bar mops are too big, plain cotton not absorbent enough. I really like tea towels best. Anybody have an idea where find them? I googled them and found you folks. Dona from Fairview, NC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81451212.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Removing Fabric Dye From The Dryer How to get dye out of the dryer? I dyed a hat the other day and left it in the bathroom to dry overnight. My boyfriend (loves to wash anything that isn't nailed down) threw it into the dryer, now there's a big stain. What products can I use to remove the stain? Sunii from Denver, CO Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47045146.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Quick Weight Loss Tips I'm about 100 lbs. over weight and we start school in 6 weeks. I want to lose at least a noticable amount. I've tried everything! No matter how much I diet I can't lose and I have $5 to my name. Someone PLEASE HELP ME! Emily from Fort Worth, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90796811.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Firefighter Themed Wedding Any ideas for a Fire Fighter Themed Wedding? Jan from Latrobe, PA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf74660795.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Removing Tree Sap From a Car What is the best way to remove tree sap from an automobile? MARY from Washington, MO Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf930880.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Cleaning Lime Deposits Off a Toilet I have lime deposits on the inside of my toilet bowl which causes it to not work. How do I get rid of them? TIA, Lois Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf410816.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! 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. More Information: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml More Reading: Renting Risks and How to Protect Yourself Most people wouldn't imagine driving a car without insurance. After all,there's no telling what could happen tomorrow, a week from now, or in thenext five minutes. Yet thousands of students rent homes and apartments without even considering renter's insurance. Read More: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf42445285.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Heavenly Strawberry Recipes! By Pearl Sanborn A favorite among berries, the strawberry makes for a quick delightful dessert! During this strawberry season, be sure to gather plenty, so you can serve these wonderful treats to your family all year long! Read More: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf789172.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print 12 Tips To Follow When Shopping for a Bridal Gown By Rose Smith There can be a lot of pitfalls that brides fall into when shopping for that perfect dress for their special day. To help you make a more informed purchase here are12 tips to make your shopping experience smoother and more enjoyable. Read More: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf167132.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Interactive Coupon Swap! Swap coupons with other ThriftyFun.com users. Seed Swap! Swap seeds with other ThriftyFun.com users.