Daily Thrifty Tips - March 26, 2009

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

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Craft Project: Recycled Candle Jars

Save your candle stumps!

Here is an easy craft project to reuse the leftover wax from burned out candles. We use candles as secondary heat when the room is cold. They are also useful when the power is out. I find ugly/distorted candles at yard sales for free or next to nothing, at the dollar store or purchased with doubled coupons. Here are the directions for making the thriftiest candles!

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Craft: Easter Bunny Candy Dish

Make a cute Bunny candy dish for Easter: Spray Paint a terracotta clay pot and saucer white (any size you desire is acceptable). Sponge paint the interior of the saucer with a spring color if you desire (I suggest petunia pink, daffodil yellow, grass green, lovely lavender or a light turquoise).

Paint a bunny face (Use black sharpie for easy control and precision when drawing the face). Paint a heart shaped nose and lightly dab a bit of paint/blush on his cheeks using your middle finger.

Decorate a straw hat with leftover artificial blossoms, eggs or what have you. Curl 2 ears from foam and attach with glue. Place hat jauntily on bunny head, fill with your favorite candy (purchased on sale and with a coupon of course!) and enjoy.
Make these using miniature pots for teacher gifts. They are adorable!

By Diana from Prospect, KY

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Create Your Own Ribbon Holder

Create your own ribbon holder for less than $2 using leftover materials: Use an old wire basket (it is OK If some of the slats are broken) and several 12 inch long dowel rods (or pant hanger cardboard) cut to length.

Slide the dowel through one end of the basket, place the ribbon spools and then thread the other end through the basket. VOILA! A ribbon holder for less than $2. The craft stores sell these for $20 or more. Now you have more money to purchase those adorable patterned ribbons

By Diana from Prospect, KY

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Mickey (Toy Poodle)

Mickey is an 8 year old toy poodle. She was a rescue dog that our neighbors were fostering. We adopted her in 2001. Mickey is a snuggler. She loves to be close to her family! She likes to lay on my lap while I knit. Mickey also loves to play chase with her toys.

By Rebecca from Dearborn, Michigan

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Craft: Salt Art

Using plastic champagne glasses, table salt, chalk and a cocktail stick, you can create wonderful effects.

By Isobel from Scotland

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Save and Reuse Snack Containers

When I purchase pudding, yogurt or even jello, I save the plastic containers and wash them thoroughly with soap and water. They are the right size to either put snack such as raisins or trail mix in for kids. They are the perfect size to put paint and water in when kids want to paint. I love this because the containers are small enough for kids to hold. My daughter loves it.

By Chris from Ohio

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Use a CD Case for a Recipe Card Holder

You can use a CD case as a recipe holder. To display a recipe during a meal prep open the CD case and bend it back. Then place a recipe card (after cutting the card to fit, if necessary) in the opening.

By Janette from Parkersburg, WV

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Stretching One Meal Into Five

This is one of those meals that keeps on giving and changing into something new. It's the way I have been using roast beef. We love a good roast!

1. The first night, cook it as a pot roast, using plenty of water and some onions, potatoes, celery and carrots. Season well. I like Cajun seasoning, but salt and pepper are great.

2. The second night, slice it thin and serve it next to mashed potatoes and green beans.

3. The third day, have it for lunch. Make a sandwich with good whole wheat bread, guacamole and thin slices of beef. Have an apple on the side. Low cal and

4. The fourth day, you should be able to pull it apart after all that heating and chilling. Shred and put into warm tortillas. Add cheese, salsa and whatever you like for tacos. Or, saute some onions and peppers and wrap them with the meat in the tortilla and serve as a fajita. Sour cream is nice, but so is plain yogurt, so use what you have on hand.

5. This night, there are only scraps left, but still plenty of broth in the pan. Thicken the broth with a mixture of flour and water, then add a little milk if you want. Taste it for seasoning. Stir in the little bits of roast beef, scraping up the browned pieces on the bottom of the pan, and serve over a slice of bread or a biscuit alongside potatoes (which enjoy a bit of gravy on their own) and maybe some corn with butter and salt. Sometimes I mix in a tad of sugar if the corn isn't very sweet on its own.

That is how two people made five meals out of one roast this week, and didn't get tired of it even once.

By Coreen from Rupert, ID

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Add Vegetable Oil to Hard Boiled Eggs

Add a little vegetable oil to the water in the pot when boiling eggs. The shells absorbs just enough of the oil so that the shells then slide right off!

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Picking Up Straight Pins

I've been sewing on my kitchen table without using a pin cushion because I couldn't find it, LOL! So I took a lint brush, the sticky kind, to gather up the straight pins instead of sticking my fingers. Works great!

By Tammy from NovaScotia, Canada

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Save Lunch Baggies for Storage

I use zip lock bags for my children's lunches but they don't like them after a couple of uses as they look crinkled. I don't throw them out. I found them useful for small pieces of fabric that I have prepared for patchwork. Also categorize coloured cottons elastic and bias binding. My sewing cupboards are getting tidier. And less waste.

By Jill from Australia

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Make Bathmats Out of Towels

I needed to get some packing materials so I stopped at a thrift shop and bought some towels. I decided to select towels with pretty terry cloth patterns and when I got them home I cut off the ends, folded them in half and sewed around the edges (except for an area to turn it inside out). I turned it and hemmed the edge. It makes a great absorbent bath mat!

By paws and claws from Colorado

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Video: Easy Potato Peeling

I just received this tip from a friend who sent me the youtube website. It is a real time-saver for peeling potatoes, especially for potato salad.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Wash potatoes and score around the center with a sharp knife. Drop the potatoes into the boiling water and let cook for about 15 minutes. Remove potatoes from boiling water and put them into a bowl of ice water, one at a time, for about 10 seconds. Remove from cold water and pull the skins off from both ends.

Source: Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island is in this video on youtube.

By Sandy from Elon, NC

Here is the video:

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Frame Greeting Cards as a Holiday Decoration

I love to save greeting cards people have sent me over the years. One day, while going through my box of cards, I thought how pretty they were and it was a shame they were packed away in a box.

I went to a local craft store and purchased an inexpensive frame. Now, when each holiday rolls around, I take one of my greeting cards and slide it into the frame. I can display it on a shelf or end table or wherever I need a little holiday cheer. It's inexpensive and helps recycle those greeting cards!

By Kennedy C. from Virginia Beach, VA

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Decoupaging Ceramic Tiles

Is there a way to decoupage a ceramic tile to be used as a coaster?

By Teresa from Crosby, MN

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Homemade Ant Killer

How can I make ant killer spray using household products?

By Chad from Sacramento CA

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Thawing Fish

How do you thaw out frozen fish?

By Dorothee from CT

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Interior Design Business Name Ideas

I am starting an interior decorating business. What are some ideas on a good name for my new business?

Sarah

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Help With Furniture Placement

I have a living room with a corner fireplace that I am trying to buy new furniture for. I would like to maximize the space of the room as well as have a good space for seating to watch TV and entertain. The TV is mounted above the fireplace and the room is 14' x 19'. I need help with what kind of furniture to buy and where to place it. Thanks!

By Jenn from Hendersonville, TN

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Taking Care of a Puppy With Parvo at Home

Two of my dogs died of parvo this week and my little runt Cupcake caught it. I gave her IV fluids and we are on day 7. She is up and running and eating solid foods. I think it's good but I'm not sure. I tried giving her a bland diet and she wouldn't eat it. Should I let her eat what she wants?

By Karina from Fresno, CA

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Grafting Fruit Trees

How do you graft fruit trees? Thank you.

By Danny from Florida

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Reviews of Health Craft Pots and Pans

A friend passed away and the executor has given me some pots and pans which I needed. They are by Health Craft. I had never heard of them until I searched online. Does anyone use them? Do you like them? Thank you in advance.

By Sandy from Baltimore, MD

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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.

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Saving Money on Board Games

Tips and ideas for saving money on board games as suggested by the ThriftyFun community.

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