Daily Thrifty Tips - August 7, 2009

Vol. 8, Num. 154, August 7, 2009 (Read It Online) Here are today's tips, photos and requests. We hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for reading, The ThriftyFun Team 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: Gator (Australian Shephard) Garden: Hydrangea Maggie May (Boston Terrier) Cooking Two Things At Once In The Microwave Today's Tips: Product Review: NuWave Infrared Cooker Reuse Hand Pumps Send Text Messages From Your Computer Place a Wet Washcloth on Neck To Stay Cool Summer Education Tips New Requests: Removing Corns from Toes Goo Gone Smell On Clothing Looking For Biz Color Safe Bleach Powder 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: Gator (Australian Shephard) Gator is a two year old Australian Shephard. Gator got to ride on an airplane from New Orleans when he was 11 weeks old. My sister has the mom and dad and she brought me one of the puppies. He got to ride in her lap most of the way here. Gator loves to swim, fetch and play with his sister Molly. Gator is a super smart boy. He learned commands very fast. He is a bit spoiled and a very big momma's boy. By Karen from Konawa, OK Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf46270119.tip.html Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Garden: Hydrangea Hydranga, 2 years old. Just huge and so pretty with the pale pink dot centers. By kostalota from Kamloops, B.C. Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97893111.tip.html Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Maggie May (Boston Terrier) This is Maggie May. Just like the Rod Stewart song. She is almost two years old. Maggie is a Boston Terrier. My best friend gave her to my kids for a Christmas present. She wasn't quite old enough to come home then. As soon as she was weaned, she had an accident. So the day she came home, she had to go to the vet first. One of her back legs were broken. Thankfully it healed nicely without surgery but she came home with us in a bright pink cast. She loves her chew toys and tennis balls. Her favorite thing to do is jump under the trampoline while the kids are jumping. It's the funniest thing to watch. Maggie also loves to snuggle under the covers, playing with the cat, relaxing in the sun, and taking a swim. She's very protective and hates yelling. If someone is yelling she yells back. Even though she loves water the water hose is her enemy. I've had to replace a couple. She is a rotten princess. We love her so much. By Crystal from Natural Bridge, VA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf49934352.tip.html Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Cooking Two Things At Once In The Microwave I needed to cook some fish and spuds in the microwave. I was running out of time before guests arrived, so I thought of a way to cook them both. I turned the casserole lid upside down and put the spuds on top. They all cooked at the same rate and were done at the same time. It saved time, space, money and heat! Hope that helps! Source: Too small a microwave, not enough time, and just using my noodle! By Poor But Proud from Salem OR Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48209454.tip.html Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | 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: Product Review: NuWave Infrared Cooker Product: NuWave Infrared Cooker Manufacturer: Hearthware Cost: $99.00 It seems pricey on the surface, but has saved us time and electricity. it cooks quickly and well. much, much more quickly than a standard stove, and the cooked meat is moist, tender, juicy and is cooked right. I did find the instructions basically useless-not that there aren't plenty of them, but that the estimated time/heat for cooking didn't work for where I live (1475 feet above sea level) and may not work for where you live. I suggest just trial and error. a knob with numbers 1-10 lets you set the heat level, I find 1-4 is best for defrost, 8-10 for final cooking. another knob lets you set the cooking time. it's that simple. with a clear cover, it's easy to see how the meal is coming along. The wire grill is as difficult to clean as a barbecue grill, but a minor hassle if you turn it high side down in it's tray and let the tray and grill soak in soapy water. I really can't complain about anything to do with the NuWave, the few issues I have with it can be circumvented. I did try both models, the manual and the digital. the digital died on us almost immediately. the manual is much sturdier. I swear by my NuWave. I've successfully cooked steak, roast, chicken and fish, as well as potatoes in it, and they are delicious. I'm a really poor cook, but we eat nice, flavorful meals thanks to the NuWave. because it is infrared, it is much cooler than a stove so summer cooking is lots cooler. it cooks very hot, but doesn't leak heat. it is simple and easy to use, relatively easy to clean, and rather conservative in power use and heat expenditure. By nekocat from Oregon Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf88942482.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Reuse Hand Pumps I love to pick up the pump hand cleansers when I find them on sale, but I hate to throw them out. I reuse them for simple things like placing dish washing liquid in them. It is a nice container to place at my kitchen sink when I need some instant dish washing liquid for a quick wash. They are also good for putting shampoo in near the bath tub, or to use for hand cream and body cream. They work well in the laundry area for a small amount of clothes soap when you need just a dab. By kghornsten from Davis, CA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98522848.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Send Text Messages From Your Computer It does not cost you anything to send text messages to a cell phone from your computer, simply type your friend's cell phone address into the "to" box in the e-mail header. If you are a Verizon Wireless customer, the address is the (number)@vtext.com. For AT and T: (number)@txt.att.net For T-Mobile: (number)@tmomail.net For Sprint: (number)@messaging.sprintpcs.com Source: I just received this information from my daughter who said it was emailed to her at work. By Bobbie G from Rockwall, TX Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf52002868.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Place a Wet Washcloth on Neck To Stay Cool I worked for years in a very hot environment. I found the best way to stay cool, is to buy new dish towels or hand towels. The reason I say buy some is the dish towels you already have might have a grease smell to them. I would take a supply of them to work with me. Wet one and put it around your neck (I would wet mine out of the water fountain where it would be cold. Or get a glass of cold water and pour over it). When it dried out I would just rewet it. If it got dirty I would get a clean one. Sometimes I would loan out one of my clean towels to someone who would forget to bring a towel with them.This also works great if your doing yard work or even having a yard sale. All you have to after using it is throw it in the dirty clothes and wash, to use another time. By Sharon from Vian, OK Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69008490.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Summer Education Tips These are my tips for continuing your child's education throughout the summer. Play Math BINGO, I made mine from the plain (inside) cardboard on cereal boxes. I made squares and put numbers in each square. On small pieces of paper I wrote out all the multiplication facts through the 12's. The caller reads the problem, such as "6 x 6", and the kids look at their card. If they have a 36 on their card, they cover it (we use pennies as our covers). You could vary this game according to your child's math level for addition or subtraction. Keep a critter's notebook. Each week or every few days, add a new animal or insect. You can add coloring sheets, research the animal in books or on line and write a report about it. My kids are older so their book is divided into the various animal kingdoms, and each animal is put behind the proper tab. You can take this with you when you visit the zoo and take animal pictures to add to your pages or to create new pages. Discuss various businesses and call ahead to arrange for field trips. My kids have visited the bank, post office, grocery store, feed store, vets office, doctors office. By asking for a tour, you get to see the "back rooms", have inventory and business practices explained to the kids on their level. Many businesses, such as banks and the post office also have free literature to give to kids. Have the kids shop. This uses home-ec, finances, math skills. Give them each a list, money and have them look for coupons and the best deals. Discuss nutrition and have the kids each plan a menu for a day or week or month (depending on their ages). Then, they can shop and cook or help cook what they picked. Menus must meet the food recommendations. Build medical models. We have built several skeletons and various organs. Older kids can learn the names of the bones. Get a newspaper end roll from your local paper. Lay out a long piece. Have the kids lay down and you can trace their body. Then they can color it all in. Little ones put on their face and clothes. Older kids draw in their organs and bones. Can be hung on their bedroom doors when finished. See if your local library has a summer reading program, or a kid's book club. Read out loud together as a family. Also read a book, then see if the library has a movie of that book. You can discuss how it was the same and different. Learn the books of the Bible Watch "Mr Smith goes to Washington" with Jimmy Stewart in it. It's an old clean movie that describes how the government works. Pick out several presidents and study them. Find some educational place mats in the housewares area at Walmart. They have for 99 cents ones with the presidents, solar system, map of the world and more. Rotate them out every few days. Get a free state map from your license bureau. Look up interesting areas in your state and then visit them in person or on line. Do you have a state park nearby? Visit the ranger station. It is free at most parks. Have kids gather leaves. Take rubbings and then look up and find out what the leaves were from. Learn animal tracks, poisonous snakes and plants, then take what you learned with you and go camping. Find the oldest cemetery around you and visit it. Read the tombstones. Who was the oldest? Who was the youngest? What is the oldest grave you can find? If you find a lot of people died the same year find out why? What illness or weather pattern killed them? Work on family genealogy. Take the kids to visit older family members. Have them tell a story and have the kids tape record or video it to save for future generations. Small kids can learn over the summer the months of the year, to tie their shoes. Visit your local police and fire departments. Most will show kids the trucks, cars and give them information. Then come home and have kids create a safety drill for your home. Make maps and mark exits, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. Have kids learn to make butter, bake a loaf of bread or some cooking lessons. Teach kids to sew. Start with a simple project such as a pillow. Have kids take apart nonworking and unplugged items such as old clocks, radio, TV telephones and see what is inside. Make a crystal radio. Get a microscope and study bugs, pond water, hair, leaves, skin cells. Visit your state capitol. Learn about your state and your state flag. Contact your local conservation office and get posters of local wildlife, plants, trees, fish. Study fish types and then go fishing. Work puzzles. That uses the same brain cells that math problems use. Watch such TV programs like "how is that made", and the history channel. If you watch Little House, notice and discuss how their life is different from ours today. Source: We home school, and do many of these every day. By mom-from-missouri from NW Missouri Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18804150.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | New Requests: Removing Corns from Toes I need something or a home remedy to remove corns on my feet. I have one on my little toe that I can't get rid of. By rforbes Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48462907.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Goo Gone Smell On Clothing I discovered a crayon had been left in my son's pocket and went through the washer and dryer. Needless to say, it created a mess on the whole load of clothes and the inside of the dryer. Magic Eraser worked to clean the dryer, and Goo-Gone got the crayon off the clothes. Now, my problem is that the clothes smell like Goo Gone, even after being washed three times. Any ideas how to get the smell out? By kates1134 from Lexington, KY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf884294.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Looking For Biz Color Safe Bleach Powder I live in Arizona and can't find the powdered Biz bleach. Everyone says it's at Walmart, but I haven't found it anywhere else. Please help. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf89875267.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | 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 Interactive Coupon Swap! Swap coupons with other ThriftyFun.com users. Seed Swap! Swap seeds with other ThriftyFun.com users.