Daily Thrifty Tips - September 9, 2006

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I sometimes get killer sinus headaches and I can deal with them in these ways:

I use saline solution - or you could snuffle salt water - up my nose to my sinuses. I close my nose with my fingers and gently force air in and out of my sinuses, gently massaging them (you can hear a slight noise and feel mucus down the back of your throat).

I massage the tense muscles of my head, neck and shoulders. I take a regular pain reliever for the headache. I apply heating pads to my sinuses/head and/or take a hot bath and breathe the steam. You can also use over the counter sinus meds - but they are just a pain reliever + pseudo-ephedrine or some other substitute - so you can put together your own mix - but it's speedy and keeps me awake. Also note that after repeated use decongestants have the OPPOSITE effect and further enflame your sinuses - so the manual remedies will work when all else fails!) Again - after these methods, you should feel mucus draining down the back of your throat and a lessening of pressure...

By Pam from Los Angeles

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I just got a small bird figurine for a dollar. I put such items in the flower bed in the front of the apartment to decorate them and fill them in - and if they "walk" - then it's no great loss! A whole bunch of mine did while I was on vacation, so I know - but I am just collecting again. Flower beds are also a good place for slightly damaged decorative figurines.

By Pam from L.A., CA

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To camouflage a pimple and heal it at the same time, mix your foundation or concealer with a drop or two of acne treatment. I use CVS brand benzoil-peroxide. This way you won't cause it to get worse by putting foundation alone over it, but it can be healing while it is kept "under cover"!

By Carol from Lancaster, PA

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My husband had chewing gum on a pair of his nice dress shoes. I suggested he try rubbing ice on the gum-it didn't work. Then I thought about using peanut butter. It worked!! He rubbed the peanut butter on the gum, then with a paper towel continued to rub gently and the gum came off with the peanut butter!

By Ann from Dublin, GA

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Tips for saving money on SOS pads.

I like to use a clean SOS pad every time I need one but often find that they are too large to really use up each time. I pre-cut all the pads in the box into quarters, using scissors. Each piece is a good size for my needs and I can toss the used quarter away without feeling it is wasteful.

By Robbie from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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I've used coupons and have done rebates and sweepstakes for years, even before my husband and I got together 20 years ago, this next month. I got started by seeing a show on TV and thinking, I could do that, too. I did, even when I was single and still living with my parents. They weren't too thrilled when I started keeping UPC codes/qualifiers in my bedroom closet (out of sight). By the time, my husband and I got married, I had a good sized stack of free product coupons accumulated. This helped out tremendously, as we started up housekeeping, trying to get on our feet for the first couple of years.

Hubby got laid off shortly after we got married. Lean times, that coupons/rebates really helped out. We were too proud to ask for help from family members. I was working the grave yard shift. In the day time, we were able to go together and pick up aluminum soda pop and beer cans to redeem for cash. The exercise we got also helped. We didn't get rich, but it helped to stretch our money.

I've been so frugal sometimes that my Mom says she can hear Lincoln squealing from my pennies that I'm pinching. Mom also says that she started it all by giving me coupons when I was a small girl to keep me busy when she had to do housework and cooking. Who knows, maybe so!

We stock up on groceries, when there's a good deal on the items we use. I've done lots of sweepstakes and won several. My biggest sweeps prize was when I won with Kool-Aid (just from putting my name and address on a coupon that I redeemed at the grocery.) The prize was a family reunion or $5000 cash. This was right after we moved to NV. So I took the cash and we paid off our land here in town. Another winning sweeps was a year's supply of dog food from Friskies. Other items I've won: a bicycle, stuffed animals, free product coupons, gift certificates, cookbooks, t-shirts, etc., all from sweepstakes and contests.

I've gotten lots of stuff from surfin' the web: free full size products, free product samples, coupons, rebate forms, cookbooks, t-shirts, key rings, magnets, etc. I can't begin to tell you all the things I've gotten online for free either from surfin' the web, or thru rebates and other promotions from companies for buying their products or through sweepstakes. I keep all we can use for ourselves, or give as gifts, then I donate the rest to charity.

If I had to pass on one bit of info, for the person just starting to rebate. Never waste a chance to purchase an item for a TMF (try me free) offer if you have the required form for at home. If you have to stop by the store to get milk and bread, buy that specified brand and size of toothpaste (or what ever brand of product) you have the form for. Get it ready to mail off as soon as you get home, because you might lose the cash register tape, if you wait. I especially like the fact by doing the TMF offers, that a company is paying you to try their product, even if you know you don't like this product already, go ahead, it's something that you can give to someone else, maybe someone in need.

We've grown our own veggies several years (canning and freezing). In the past, we've received venison from several family members, that didn't need the meat (all we had to pay for was the butcher's fee). This made for some really cheap meat, that couldn't have came at a more important time! I used to shop at yard sales (don't now so much, due to the price of gas), but I furnished most of my home with yard sale finds. When I sold the ones that I was tired of, I made back the money I spent for them, while having my own yard sales. I shop thrift shops, when I can. I always check out the discount racks and marked down items in shopping carts in the stores I frequent.

If you subscribe to some refund magazines, you can send in new finds for freebies, and new offers, to get credits. These have to be in the magazine or website owners hands in order for us to earn credits. So accumulate all you can, but also remember you have to be the first one to get the specified info in. If it's new to them, you'll receive credits. That you can redeem for cash, merchandise from their website, ads you'd like to place in their print magazine. One certain refunding site that does this is Refunding Cents. Use this link to go see for yourself: http://www.refundcents.com/

Always remember, nothing works as well as the power of prayer, in good times or in bad.

Terri from NV

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This works. Forget dawn dish soap and whatever mixed with it, forget bug spray.

Here it is.

Take one of those little pre-made meals in a cup like, chicken ala king, chili, etc... with the 4 little holes in the plastic top. Eat the contents then rinse clean, including the lid. Inside the empty container, place some skins from an apple or cantaloupe. Fill it and put the plastic lid back on. Wait a few days or more and then tape the holes shut. SUGGESTION: DON'T OPEN THE LID FOR ANYTHING. THEY ALL FLY OUT. I FOUND THAT OUT. Believe me, they're in there.

No more gnats. Works for me like a charm. Just started doing this over the weekend and I can't believe the difference in just a few days.

With all the tomatoes, cucumbers and other produce I have in the house, it's a miracle. "Try it, you'll like it".

By Penny from Ipava, IL

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Since Halloween is just around the corner I thought I would share this tip. When making an animal costume with paws for hands,(great if its cold on halloween like it is here) take a glove in the size you need and cut it apart.

Once apart pin it to the fabric you want to use for your paw and mark out edges. make sure to pin or mark where your sewing allowance will be. (you can leave the glove in when sewing if you want it to be more comfortable for your hands. You will just need to leave more allowance so that they don't get too tight.) Then just sew them up.

One thing to remember with fur is that you need to brush the fur in the opposite direction than its natural flow pattern when you cut. Otherwise you will cut the hair and have odd shapes. You will lose some little bits of hair in the cut, it's just inevitable.

I always use different colors for the pads of the paws and those are easy to sew in before sewing the gloves together. Just make little circles out of the different fabric and after trimming the fur in the area you want to place it down sew them on top.

By lifewithmadman from Little Rock AR

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I saw this tip on Emeril. If you are cutting corn off the cob, place a clean dish towel on the counter under the cob, then cut down the cob. The corn doesn't scatter all over because it lands softly on the towel. Then you can just lift the towel and empty it into a bowl.

By Lynn from Conway, Arkansas

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Dear Webby's Humor Letter

Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter.

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Does anyone have a recipe for the Cape Verdean dish JAG?

BEV from New Bedford, MA

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Is there a specific way to measure your torso before making clothing? Also your legs and arms?

Becky from Charleston, WV

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I have this super, super friend that has relocated to Florida. He
is so hard to buy for, so my daughter and I have been taking turns
making him snowmen. This year is my turn and would love to have a crochet pattern for a melting snowman. Can anyone out there help me?

By Rosa

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I see many requests here and many tips. Often while reading responces to the tips people will say they too tried it and either liked or disliked it. However, when browsing through the requests I find that the original poster never comes back to say what did or did not work.

I still enjoy reading through the entries, but I often find myself curious as to whether or not you got that stain out of your shirt, or if you figured out what kind of melon that was, or if you got those bugs to stop bugging your garden...

So how about it people... could you give us an update?

By Qryztufre from Athens, TN

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I am looking for an inexpensive way to have a lovely wedding in January in Southern California. Any thoughts?

Joy from Santa Monica, California

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We had our Kitchen cabinets painted white 8 years ago. Needless to say, they need painted again. I would like to do something different. Maybe, black with yellow walls accented with my red pieces? Any ideas or pictures would be helpful. Also, could I strip the existing paint off and get back to wood and stain? How?

LoLo from TX

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How can I remove sticky label residue off leather? My new leather shoes had a paper label inside, on the leather insole, with the sale price on, but when I tried to peel it off it has left a really sticky patch. The leather is soft, almost like nubuck and very pale colour

Gailsmum from UK

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Does any one have the recipe for homemade chocolate? I had it years ago and it's lost. It contains powdered milk, icing sugar (perhaps called powdered sugar in the USA) ,cocoa, and solid shortening (called 'Copha' here). You can also add coconut. Those are ingredients but the proportions I've quite forgotten! Obviously its not as smooth as commercial chocolate, but it tastes good, is fairly economical, and satisfies that "Must have chocolate" urge.


Thank you,
Ellie from Melbourne Australia

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How do you wash a adult cat, besides very carefully? I've never bathed her, but she has had baths at the vet's. She's not declawed.

MsDee from Lillian, Alabama

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How can I make a CHEWY granola? Does somebody have a delicius recipe?

Cecilia from New Mexico

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I'm looking for a place to have my wedding reception in Dallas, TX. I'm also on a very low budget. Is there anywhere I can make this happen with my own catering?

Thanks,
LaToya from Dallas, TX

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How do I get wax out of clothes?

Julie from St. Helens, OR

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I'm trying to make a headboard for my son's bed that looks like a big comfy chair. I'm lost on how to make the rounded arms!

Meichelle Gee from Maumelle, AR

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I am shopping for window coverings and am curious as to what is the 'unique' fabric that Hunter Douglas uses for their Privacy Sheers (Luminette). Any knowledge that you would have to guide me to a similar purchase at a fabric store would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Tobie from USA

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Does anyone have directions on how to make a Baby romper/onesie from an old adult t-shirt?

Bell from Oil City, PA

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I'm looking for side by side ice cream cones. It's one cone with two cone cups. Any ideas where I can purcahse them online or in the Southern CA area?

Thanks in advance.

Lawanda From Pasadena, CA

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How do I get a silly putty stain out of a 100% cotton shirt that is already set in?

Melissa from Mt. Pleasant, SC

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Our leadership class is having trouble thinking of ideas for our homecoming. We need ideas for dress up days, lunch time activities, fun skits about our opponent, and float ideas. We are the Indians and we are going to be playing the fisherman. We are also in need of some good fundraising ideas to help us with goals we would like to achieve this year in our leadership class. Anything would help!

Christina from Scappoose, OR

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I'm looking for a cross-stitch pattern with an exasperated looking woman, a fairy godmother, and the saying "I've had it with reality, where's my fairy godmother?"

Gwen from Elizabethtown, KY

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How do I remove cat urine stain on sheets when I'm not sure exactly where they are located? I can't use the enzyme remover on the spot because I'm not sure exactly where it is. Is there someway to mix the enzyme remover with water before I wash the sheet? I already know about white vinegar.

Ann from Arlington, VA

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I am looking for tips for paperwork organization at home.

Thanks,
Carol from Strongsville, Ohio

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Does anyone have a recipe that has the Portuguese sausage Linguica in it? Have you ever used it in rice?

BEV from New Bedford, MA

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I would appreciate recipes for using canned beef.

Jayhawk from Lawrence, KS

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I am looking for tips for fixing a squeaking leather shoe.

Jimmie from Chicago, IL

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Does anyone have ideas how to get a job in a school? I have done a Classroom Assistant Course last year but have not been able to find any jobs in schools. I would not even mind being a lunchtime supervisor to start with just to get experience but even these sort of jobs are not easy to find. I am working part time for a charity but would really like to pursue my wish to work with children in some way.

Does any one work in a school and how did they get their jobs.

Thanks,
Angela from UK

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I would appreciate recipes for using canned pork.

Jayhawk from Lawrence, KS

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Are cash gifts less than $10,000 taxable?

Clint from Baltimore MD

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I have a fox fur coat with a musty basement smell. How do I get rid of this smell?

Trina from Nova Scotia, Canada

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I put a 1995 kitchen aid side by side in my house after being disconnected for about a month. Now the ice maker is not working. I read it might have air in lines. Should I just wait a while?

Thanks,
Don from NPB, FL

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Why are the green oranges on my tree splitting open before they ripen. The tree is Valencian orange.

Hardiness Zone: 11

Hav from Spain

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Please tell me how to keep fried chicken crisp. When I take fried chicken to work for lunch in my tupperware bowl and lid it gets real soft. I hate soft fried chicken. Any suggestions?

Onesummer from GA

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