Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Three, Number 98, August 4, 2004
http://www.ThriftyFun.com
Hello,
If anyone has any tips or recipes for college students or parents
of college students, please submit them on our contest form. We
are working on putting together a topic site for college life.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Tips:
- Homemade Finger Paint
- Softening Brown Sugar
- Keep Ants Off Your Picnic Plate!
- Uses for Plastic Wrap and Aluminum Foil Boxes
- Clean BBQ Grill and Glass Baking Dishes While You Sleep
- Witch Hazel Toner
- Featured Feedback: RE: Unusual Garden Decorations
- Featured Feedback: Cutting Your Kids Hair
- Featured Feedback: Using Half
- Featured Feedback: RE: HSFree.com: Homeschoolers
- Other Active Topics
- Today's Recipe: Barbequed Spareribs
New Requests:
- Flea Infested Kittens
- Cat with Urinary Tract Infection
- Centerpiece Ideas Using Candles
- Need help finding discontinued wall border.
- Cutting Your Kids Hair
- Looking for An Alternative Cascade Plastic Booster
More Reading:
- How to Feed and Care for Orphaned Kittens
- Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
- Be Prepared With A Bride's Emergency Kit
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Today's Tips
Homemade Finger Paint
Homemade Finger Paint
This is a washable finger paint. I have had luck cleaning it out of just about everything. That doesn't mean it won't stain some objects or clothing, though. If your kids are small enough you can make an "art shirt" for them out of a plastic grocery bag (or even a thick department store bag). Just cut holes for their head and arms, then have them wear it like a shirt. It doesn't cover their arms but it will keep them from wiping paint on the front of their shirt.
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/3 Cup of cornstarch
2 Cups water
1/4 Cup dishwashing soap
food coloring
Put the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and then slowly mix in cold water. Then cook the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until you have a smooth gel. Let cool and then add dishwashing soap. Divide into as many containers as you would like colors and then mix in food coloring drops until you have you desired color. If you have colored dishwashing soap that can influence all the colors you try to create, which isn't always a bad thing.
Tip: Use baby food jars to divide and store the paint! They are a perfect size for kids to dip their fingers or brushes into and they can be sealed easily if you have leftover paint.
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Softening Brown Sugar
If your box of brown sugar has hardened over time, don't throw it out. Instead place the box in the microwave on high power for about 20 seconds and your brown sugar will be softened. By Sharon
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Keep Ants Off Your Picnic Plate!
To keep ants away from your plate on a picnic draw a circle around your plate with chalk. For some reason ants will not cross it. By Carol Clinton
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Uses for Plastic Wrap and Aluminum Foil Boxes
I had trouble seeing what was in the small jars I had in my cupboard as they were all on the same level. I taped together four empty aluminium foil boxes in an L shape. I've put this in the back of my cupboard and it acts as 'staging' and lets me see the large part of the labels on all the jars! You could go one further and add another three on the bottom to give you another tier!
By chickybiker
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Clean BBQ Grill and Glass Baking Dishes While You Sleep
Lay a barbecue grill rack on the lawn overnight--the dew will combine with the enzymes in the grass to loosen any burned-on grease. Try it with messy oven racks, too.
Put about a half inch or so of ammonia in a glass baking dish (don't use metal) and leave it in a cold oven overnight. The grease and gunk will scrub off easily. It's a lot cheaper than oven cleaner. By Sherry
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Witch Hazel Toner
An inexpensive alternative to the cosmetic counter toner is witch hazel. It helps reduce breakouts and is clean smelling. By Sharon
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Featured Feedback: RE: Unusual Garden Decorations
I've done the same thing. It appears I am always looking at something to see how I can use it instead of throwing it away. My daughter just got through cleaning her room and she has two of the shopping carts with the wheels broke on it. I set them aside to do the same thing that Robin did. Just haven't gotten around to it. I took one of her plastic baby doll carriers and placed a pot of alyssiums in it and have it setting out in front of our carport. I took her old baby bathtub placed dirt in it and planted marigolds and dwarf zinnias in it and placed below our outside water spigot. I plan on using her old baby plastic potty chair as a pot and place on the other side of the bathtub.
By Renee
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Featured Feedback: Cutting Your Kids Hair
Find some good haircutting scissors. You can buy inexpensive ones at Walmart, but it is worth it!
I used to do my daughter's hair and would clip it up and start on the underside and trim it, then let down the next layer and pull out and up to match with the bottom layer as a guideline and repeat all the way down. That was plain straight girls hair though. Bangs I would comb upwards and trim a spot, comb it down to see where it layed on the face (keep in mind that when it is dry it shortens a little) and if it was ok, I would lift up the next section and part of the first section to use as a guideline and go all the way across. Comb down between each section to make sure you are going straight.
There used to be a haircutting kit you could get that came with a VCR tape with instructions, hair clippers, hair scissors, a cape, combs, etc. for like $15-20 at Walmart or Kmart.
By Tawnda
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Featured Feedback: Using Half
Excellent tip Sharon - I always use half strength shampoo and conditioner, (in spray bottles), and cut up scouring pads, (Scotch Brite type) but now you've got me thinking........what else can I just use half?
Suggestions please!
Regards
Jo
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Featured Feedback: RE: HSFree.com: Site for Teaching Materials for Homeschoolers
Many districts burn hundreds of books and in Utah they give them away for free. Some are brand new because the principal purchased them and the teachers did not like them. They get money that must be used so they buy new books and their old ones may not be obsolete. Old, old books are harder than new ones. We leave school reading around a 3rd grade level. The old school marm taught 8 grades to read on the 6th grade level.
Choose a book that moves fast so your kids do not get bogged down. All words must end up being a sight word so promote that.
By George
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Other Active Topics:
Cat Pee! Aaaaargh!
Good Plants for an Apartment
Keeping a Leather Lounge Soft
What is the Best Fabric Softener?
Cleaning Dust In a House with Poor Ventilation
Uses for Old Tires
Motor Oil Stains in Sink
Nicotine Stains on Linoleum
Barbequed Spareribs
Brown:
- 1 1/2 - 2 lb cut up spare ribs and put in a pot to keep warm
Saute in butter:
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1 large celery stick - chopped
Add:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Dash of cayenne
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Cook 5-10 minutes then pour over spareribs in saucepan.
Simmer approximately 1 hour. Serve with rice.
I often double the sauce since it's so good on rice that we eat a lot of it!
About The Author: From http://www.CanadianCountryGifts.com
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Submit a thrifty tip or recipe and you could win a prize. Odds
of winning are based on the number of entries we receive and you
can submit more tips to increase your chances of winning.
Our current prize is: Home Coffee Roasting Kit
This kit includes everything you need to get started roasting coffee at home on your stove, in your oven, or in a hot air popcorn popper. Includes the book Coffee Roasting at Home by Susan Sanders and Fletcher Sandbeck, 1 lb of green, unroasted coffee beans, and coffee bags to store your roast.
Enter the contest!
New Requests:
Flea Infested Kittens
Just found 2 orphaned 4 week old kitties-house and other cats now flea infested. What can I do for kitties so young to get rid of these pests??
View Article: Click Here
Cat with Urinary Tract Infection
So, I have a 10 year old male cat, who has a urinary tract infection right now. So he pees just alittle amount, quite often, and all around the house. So he's on antibiotics for the next two weeks, but when he's better, I'm worried that he's going to smell where he peed before, and pee there again. Any tips? Also, I heard if you let your cat outside once in a while, the inappropriate urination seems to stop, but I'm worried, because his front paws are declawed, that another cat will attack him, and he won't be able to defend himself. will this happen? Aldal
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Centerpiece Ideas Using Candles
Looking to make my own centerpieces for a September wedding. I am thinking something with candles. Any suggestions? Oh, I need 40 of them! Anyfeed back will be helpful. Gina
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Need help finding discontinued wall border.
Hello all, I am in search for a discontinued wall border that was manufactured by Lambs and Ivy. The name of said border is 'Stop and Go'. I am doing so for my sister who has searched in vain for many months on end. Just when I thought I came across a site that offered this last, even receiving a order confirmation number no less, I receive an e-mail from the company notifying me that these were not in stock. Any and all assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. Best regards, Victor P.
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Cutting Your Kids Hair
I have been looking for ways to save money and would like to start cutting my kids hair myself but don't want them to look like Frankenstien or the Beatles (I guess that wouldn't be too bad). :-) Anyone have any hair cutting tips? I have never done it before. Thanks, Jenni
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Looking for An Alternative Cascade Plastic Booster
I really like using Cascade Plastic Booster in my dishwasher. It does an excellent job at removing red stains like tomato sauce. I was wondering if any one had any ideas for a homeade version or a cheaper alternative, because this stuff costs around $3 a tube. Any suggestions? CL
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Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit
your request here: Click Here
More Reading
How to Feed and Care for Orphaned Kittens
By LeAnn R. Ralph
Over the last 15 years, I have raised nine orphaned kittens. Four of them were two weeks old when their mother was killed; three others were only hours old when their mother died; two more kittens fell out of the nest in our barn when they were only a day old.
View Article: Click Here
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
By Jennifer A. Wickes
This summer, why not try some fresh herbs to add to your meals. They are virtually caloric free, fat free and extremely flavorful. Below is one of my favorites:
View Article: Click Here
Be Prepared With A Bride's Emergency Kit
By Rose Smith
As every bride knows, planning a wedding can be a very stressful time. With all the preparations to be made, you certainly want to limit any surprises that will occur on your wedding day. Unfortunately, surprises do tend to come with the territory. However, you can at least control one small part of this wonderful day, and that is to be prepared with a Bride's Emergency Kit.
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Thanks
Susan
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