Daily Thrifty Tips - October 27, 2006

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One more Halloween idea. This makes cute treats for the trick or treaters. This cute little guy is made from Candy Orange slices. Start with a piece of Plastic wrap. Gather together 6 to 8 orange slices, forming a ball. The sizes vary, so use whatever is the most comfortable to work with.

Stick a short piece of Green Chenille Stem into the center and twist the excess wrap tightly around at that point. Using a piece of green curling ribbon, tie this tightly...you may need a second set of helping hands here....trim ribbon to about 5 inches, cut off the excess plastic wrap carefully and curl both ends of the ribbon.

Draw the face on with a sharpie permanent marker.

By Harlean from Arkansas

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Materials

• 2 glass bottles such as beer or soda, no plastic
• black spray paint
• acrylic paint
• ribbon
• candles

Directions

Spray paint bottles, you may need 2 coats, let dry completely. Paint on your halloween picture, paint anything you want, let dry. Tie ribbon on, put candles in.

It's that simple!

By Sandy from Bluff City, Tn

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Materials needed:

• Big mayo jar
• paint and brushes
• ribbon
• glass candle holder to put in top of jar
• candle

Directions:

Paint jar with primer coat of paint, let dry. Paint again with orange paint then add features of pumpkin, let dry.

Tie your choice of ribbons around top of jar. Add glass candle holder and candle. This takes about 45 minutes to complete.

By Sandy from Bluff City, TN

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These two local blue jay's visit my picnic table bird feeder daily. I took an old picnic table and turned it into a feast table for the birds. I only lay a few handfuls a day for the local birds to eat.

I am also harvesting my sunflower seeds to give them a special treat along with giving them a suet cake.

By ~Wendola~ from Highland, MI

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Scruffy is a 1 year old Terrier mix. We adopted her from the San Diego County Animal Shelter in June, 2005 as a pal for our other dog Barkley.

Scruffy is a most social dog. While my other dog Barkley lives to chase the tennis ball, Scruffy is utterly disinterested in playing ball. Her sole purpose in life is to meet new doggie friends, large and small at the beach or dog park. (For pictures of Barkley and Scruffy Click Here

She is a sweet, loving pup who thinks she's a furry little person, always climbing up in my lap or making herself at home on my bed. I get quite a kick out of dressing her up, and as you can see, she's a pretty good sport. Here she is modeling her Halloween costume. We call her "Scruffy Crockett."

By Donna Napolitan from San Diego, CA

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Mr. Pants is a 2 1/2 year old Tiger/Maine Coone mix. He was given to a neigbor with 7 of his brothers and sisters and his mom when he was just 3 hours old. We helped look after then and fell in love with him and his sister!

He likes to knead in my head and chase his sister. He also loves to talk using every sound imaginable. He is a BIG mommy's boy!

By Renee Klevenhagen from Slatedale, PA

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When ever we have pizza, we get it with onions,green peppers, olives, pepperoni, sausage, ham, cheese,and tomatoes on it. We save the leftovers to use the next morning in omelets. We beat the eggs with a little milk, salt, pepper and a dash of paprika. Pour this into greased skillet, then remove pizza toppings from the crust and add on top of egg mixture. Let bottom cook then fold over and we usually flip a couple times to make sure center is cooked through. We never actually measure any of the ingredients, so just go by how much you need and your own taste as to what and how much to put in.

This is something my husband came up with and even our little ones love it. They call it Pizza Eggs.

By Betty from VA

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Use adult socks. If baby doesn't like having her feet covered, use older sox and cut the toes off them first.

I like these because leaky diapers can cause pants to be changed many times. Legwarmers are more reusable between washes, as a result.

By Nicole from Chicago

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If your shower drips long after someone's finished showering, unscrew the screw that holds the water control handle and the pin that holds the shower diverter (for hot or cold water), so you can pull the shower diverter off to clean. Clean everything thoroughly and reassemble. This procedure worked for us and no more drips continuously and no need to call a repairman for the job. (no need to shut off outside water to house when attempting this procedure.)

By Terri from NV

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Halloween is Coming! Here are some inexpensive costume ideas and a recipe for face paint. Hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween.

• Ghost: This is always an inexpensive costume. Just cut holes in an old sheet. If you don't have an old one, I found a twin size one at a discount store for $3.00. We cut holes in it, drew on some chains, spider web, etc. with a permanent marker.
• Angel: Use a sheet like for the ghost, spray it lightly with some clear spray paint and toss glitter on it before the paint has a chance to dry. Make a halo and the wings out of clothes hangers covered with aluminum foil.
• Nerd: My son won first place last year with this costume. Too small pants, shirt buttoned up wrong, hair slicked back, old pair of glasses with tape, white socks, BIG book to carry under his arm. Cost was ZERO.
• Bum or Hobo: Old clothes, dad's garden or old work clothes are great, old hat, use watercolor paint to put beard on him.
• Clown: Use mismatched oversized or too small clothes from everyone's closet. To escape the cost of a wig, make a hat from construction paper or use an old one, decorate it outlandishly with flowers, pins, etc.
• Ninja: Black clothes, Make a ninja mask out of a small scrap of black cloth. Instead of buying make believe weapons, make them out of cardboard and color and cover with aluminum foil: easy to make Ninja stars or knife. Use long stick or old broom handle for a bo, take two paper towel rolls, connect with piece of twine, cover them with black construction paper and you have num-chucks.
• Tourist: Loud clothes, camera, hat, maps sticking out of every pocket, use your imagination.
• Princess: Use one of mom's old slips, hem and take up enough to fit little girl. You can get sparkley netting at a discount store for between 75 cents and $1 a yard, 2 or 3 yards attached to the bottom half of the slip will make a billowy skirt. Use a long length of it doubled and wrap around the shoulders, clasp it with a pretty pin. Mom's jewelry and makeup add the finishing touch.
• Soldier or Hunter: Everyone we know has camouflage clothing, just piece together what ever combination you want, apply some paint to the face. We borrowed a canteen, compass and backpack from a friend we was a boy scout.
• Rock Star: Torn clothes, spike their hair using hair spray. Make jewelry with safety pins, clip on earrings, the dog's collar paint their face with makeup. Only thing we bought was some spray-on hair coloring.
• Hippie: Old clothes, sandals. We dyed our own shirt by using some old fabric paint that would not squeeze out of the bottle good, cut the top off and mixed it with water and dipped the shirt in then drew symbols on it with a permanent marker. Top off the outfit with a bandanna, sun glasses and a pack of cigarettes (deck of cards) rolled up in the sleeve.
• Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz: I scoured the local thrift shops for a blue and white dress, took two lengths of doll hair for hair extensions, emptied the yarn out of my knitting basket and stuck a stuffed dog toy in it. Not authentic, but it suggested the character enough that everyone knew who I supposed to be
• Sea Urchin: Green Army T shirt and rummaged old green material. I tore the material in strips, and either tied the strips on or attached them with safety pins. I smeared green make-up on my face and arms, put my hair in little pigtails, and I was a sea urchin.
• The Energizer Bunny: I borrowed my roommate's huge Tupperware cake holder for a drum, and used my cat's harness and leash to hold the harness. I made drumsticks using two pencils and two wooden beads. My only purchase was the bunny ears.
• Skeleton: They wore black sweatsuits and white gloves. I cut bones out of white contact paper, peeled the back paper off and just stuck them on. Painted their faces white and black, and off they went! When they were done, I peeled the "bones" off the sweatsuit and they wore the suits all winter! I also used the same "bone" pattern to cut bones from paper plates (the cheap, 100 plates for 99 cents kind) and taped them to our front door to make a skeleton. I "laminated" them with clear contact paper just because I don't like to cut them out every year, but they are so inexpensive, you can consider them disposable.
• A Present: The easiest costume (and cheapest) I ever made was when my daughter was about seven. I got a big box, took off the bottom, cut holes for arms and head, and wrapped in in gift wrap. Then I taped ribbon around it, and tied lots of curly ribbons in her hair. She went as a present. Everyone raved about how cute and clever the costume was. I was thrilled that, after years of sewing, one with so little effort got such a result!
• Witch: Here's a quick and easy tip for a cheap Halloween costume that I learned years ago. To create a witch: Mix a drop or two of green food coloring with any light to medium shade of base makeup and mix. Apply to face. This also works well when creating an alien face. To finish the witch cheaply, you can use a black plastic garbage bag with a hole cut for arms and legs and cinched at the waist. Add your own witch's hat, a broom, some black boots and you're ready.
• Alien: Add any glittery shirt to leggings or use a one piece jumpsuit. Add alien ears of your choice.
• Dr. Seuss: We got a "Cat in the Hat" hat from a local carnival (friends may have these laying around), used a black sweat suit as a base, add white gloves and a white piece of felt attached to the neck area: all done at a reasonable price and we can reuse most of it.
• The Little Ghost: Another cute costume I made to fit a toddler. I took a white piece of cloth, cut a neck hole and used fabric Halloween appliques and fabric paint to make a friendly ghost. The costume fit over a winter coat, a plus in the unpredictable mid-west, and fit for several years
• Evita Peron: Blonde hair slicked back into a tight bun, twin set sweater, simple skirt, high heels and make-up. Feign a Spanish accent.
• Fidel Casto: Army fatigue, salt-n-pepper beard, cigar, army boots, green cap. A copy of an appropriate book by Marx or Mao is helpful.
• Crayon: Dress in matching leotard and tights. Get a piece of poster paper and create the paper "wrapper". Spray paint a flower pot as the crayon "point" to wear as a hat. The only down side of this outfit is that you can't sit down in the crayon once you put on the wrapper!!!
• Unicorn: I am making a yarn "mane", "tail" and a fabric horn to wear on her head (kind of like a skinny party hat!) Total cost: $5 for yarn and remnant for horn, and a new pair of tights.
• Three Blind Mice: Got some old gray sweats? How about baseball caps? Sew long tails on the sweatpants, glue a couple of ears on each cap and get 3 pair of cheapo dimestore plastic sunglasses, and voila! Three blind mice! If you do any hiking, you can use your staff for a "cane".
• Tony the Tiger: Two years ago when my son was three, he said he wanted to be a tiger. I went to the local consignment store and bought a yellow shirt with hood about 5 sizes too big (it went past his knees). I sewed ears on the hood and made a yellow tail which I stuffed and attached in the logical place. I also sewed on a white muslin piece on his chest. I took black permanent marker and made tiger markings over the whole thing. He wore a black turtle neck under it and black sweat pants and was too cute!
• Batman: Use either a black or blue sweat shirt and add Batman insignia and a blue or black cape
• Parrot: I am starting with a yellow sweatshirt and will sew on "feathers".
• A Snowman: I bought a white sweatshirt and pants. We painted his face white, black around eyes and an orange nose.He wore mittens and a matching knit hat. For "coal" buttons, I cut circles of sticky backed black felt that could be removed easily off of his sweat shirt after Halloween. This costume worked well because he stayed warm all night while trick or treating and then we were able to use everything all winter.
• The Baby New Year: All you need is a diaper and a banner with the current year.
• A Baby: A pair of footie pajamas, a baby bottle and a pacifer on some ribbon around the neck.
• The Ace Of Spades Or Dice: Two pieces of poster board held together by a piece of String. Draw on and color in the Ace or a pair of Dice. Underneath, you can wear a white sweat-suit.
• The Tin Man: Some cardboad tubes to fit around legs and arms. A tube large enough to fit around the body, all of these should be painted silver. A funnel for a hat and some silver face paint and there you go. Don't forget his heart, paint it right on the front of the body tube.
• Mad Scientist: Old lab coat, pocket protector, hair that is teased untill it stands on end, calculator. The effect is better is you wear a dress shirt and tie and dress pants. Also mis-match socks and dress shoes.
• Hula Dancer: Take an old sheet and dye it green or if you have a green sheet, even better. Cut the old sheet in strips and tie strips onto a piece of rope. If this costume is to be used for a child, make sure that the strips are only long enough to cover the ankle. A tie-dyed tee shirt and a flower lei complete the outfit.
• Graduate: Shop your local thrift store or talk to your latest graduate and get their cap and gown. Add your own tassel if you are an adult or make one out of yarn for a youngster. A scroll made out of a piece of paper rolled up and tied with a ribbon completes this costume.
• Pirate: A cut off pair of jeans a bandana or bandana type fabric to tie around the head, A white long sleeve shirt (girl tied up, boy tucked in), a pair of high topped boots, a piece of fabric to put through belt loops to use as a sash. A sword cut out of cardboad and painted silver and brown.

Leotards

Use leotards for girls as a costume base.

• Black: cats, cow, dogs, panther
• White: cat, horse, unicorn
• Brown: puppy, rabbit, butterfly or moth, caterpillar

Face Paint

• 2 Tbsp. white shortening
• 5 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. white flour
• 3-4 drops of glycerin (see note below)
• a few drops of food coloring

Use a rubber spatula to blend the first 3 ingredients on a plate to form a smooth paste. Add 3-4 drops of glycerin to make a creamy consistency. Divide mixture into batches to color as needed.

For dark beards, moustaches, etc. add 2 1/2 tsp. of cocoa to above mixture. Heat is an enemy for this type of face paint as it will melt if child gets sweaty, but it *is* fast, easy and cheap. Remove with a little soap and water.

NOTE: Glycerin is available in pharmacy departments. It's in a small brown bottle, often located in the first aid section. It's quite inexpensive and can be used to make a very good homemade bubble solution.

*** I checked with Poison Control about the "lickability" of the glycerin in this recipe and they say that though glycerin has a laxative effect in quantity, a few drops wouldn't hurt a child even if he/she eat the entire batch! It's smart, however, to avoid the area around eyes and mouth.

By Debra from Colorado Springs, CO

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One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store.

When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Lori, you've cooked a pregnant bird!" At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry.

It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!

By Laurie from Nevada

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I have an extremely active kitten and could swear she has ADHD! She is in need of frequent changes in her "toys" to occupy her time. That can get a little costly. I found an easy solution without the expense. Using left over butter bowls or small plastic containers (I found this out because she kept "stealing" my small plastic craft containers!) place a few beans inside and tape closed with duct tape. Voila! She now has a new toy to occupy her and no cost to me! She also enjoys the aluminum foil balls, but loses those easily. I have found my dog also likes to bat these around the house, too.

By Cheryl from Peebles, OH

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Save old belts to use when storing or moving large area rugs. Roll up the rug and wrap a couple belts around it, using the belt buckles to secure the belt in place. The belts are great for preventing the rug from unrolling and also work as handles for moving the rug.

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Christmas stocking stuffers can be purchased all througout the year and saved for Christmas Eve. I keep a bag under my bed of "treasures" I find throughout the year. When the Christmas season comes, I already have most of the stocking stuffers and don't need to spend money on those at a time when money is already getting tighter than usual.

By glowgirl from Watertown, WI

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Incorporate sandwiches into your weekly menu and one night's entrée can become tomorrow night's sandwiches. For example, have meat loaf one night and meat loaf sandwiches the next night. Some other ideas: Spaghetti and Meatballs and then meatball sandwiches. Turkey and then leftover hot turkey sandwiches with gravy. Roast beef and then french dip.

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Dear Webby's Humor Letter

Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter.

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Does anyone know how to get hairspray off your bathroom wall without stripping the paint off too? I never realized how bad my wall looks from me using hair spray to get my hair ready in the mornings!

Mandi from Erie

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I am looking for tips to keep the morning frost off my windshield.

Rendezvous from Brainerd, MI

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My washer is clogged and I don't know how to get it unclogged. If someone could tell me how to get it unclogged so that I do not have to get a handy man to come and do it, that would be great.

Thanks,
Amanda from Jeff City, MO

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My daughters playground uses tire chips instead of sand or pebbles. My daughter comes home everyday with black marks all over her clothes, especially the knees of pants and even on her coats. I am not having luck getting these stains out. I've tried lots of items from the store! Any ideas? I am tired of all her clothes being stained!

Becky from IL

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How do I go about starting a Food Co-op?

Brenda

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My granddaughter got into the petroleum jelly and got it on a new little sweater on the edge of her sleeves. I have tried dish soap, fabric spot cleaners and washed several times without getting it all out. I now am trying hair shampoo. If anyone else has any suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks!

Sally from Dayton, Ohio

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I have gnats lots of gnats in my kitchen it seems like they are coming out of my kitchen sink drain. I clean my kitchen every day. I don't leave dishes with food or standing water in my sink. I have tried ammonia and vegetable oil. It seemed to work for a minute but as soon as I stopped they came back. We only have one plant in the house but the gnats where in the house before the plant. I clean the litter boxes and animal cages twice a day. What am I doing wrong. I have even tried bleach,down all my drains.. If anyone has any advice please let me know.

Thank you,
Andrea from East Windsor, NJ

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How do you get a musty smell from kitchen cabinets?

Theresa from Ashe Co, N.C.

Tips for cleaning kitchen cabinets. Post your ideas.

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My hair is medium blond already, but will hydrogen peroxide lighten my hair if i mix it 50/50 with water and spray on? Do I need to add heat (blow dryer) expose it to the sun? Has anyone used Hydrogen peroxide with good results? I've used Sun-in before, but the 2nd ingredient listed is HP.

Anna from Costa Rica

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I have burgundy speckled counter tops, oak cabinets, and hardwood floors. What color should I paint my walls?

Sherry from St. Johns, NL

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How do I remove old stains from carpet?

Summer from Ava, MO

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What kind of small dog has a big head and a long but small body?

Heather from Fredericksburg

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What is a substitute for sherry in a recipe?

Donna from Miramichi Canada

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I need some ideas on decorating a new deck that we are building. Anyone have any ideas to share? Furniture, plants, flower boxes, etc.

Glenda R from Richland, MS

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What can I use to clean silicone on glass?

Fai

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I have access to a quantity of beeswax that I want to use. What are some uses other than candles please?

Purple Daisy

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I would like to bake salmon and then freeze it for use the next day. Is this OK?

I.Brichta from N. Palm Beach, FL

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How do you get ink off seatbelts in a car?

Winne from Biloxi, MS

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Has anyone tried Lipozene? Did it work for you?

Thanks,
Jan from OKC

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I am looking for Kennel Cough home remedies.

Trinity from CA

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I am thinking about purchasing a Honda fit. Does anyone have one, any feedback to share?

Thanks,
Gene

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The dye from my new denim jacket rubbed off on my off-white pants. What can I do to get it out and not make it worse?

Peg from Berkeley

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My refrigerator is less than 5 years old but it is starting to get some rust spots on it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to remove what is already there and to prevent any further rusting?

Kry from Caribbean

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The craft store in my area doesn't carry flocked birds. The only craft store around here is Michael's. I am looking for a place that I might order some from. I bought some a long time ago from a store in California, but have lost the name and address. The birds need to be at least 2 1/2 to 3 inches long in size. The ones I did get were cardinals, wrens and bluejays. I don't know if there are any other kinds of birds available.

Joyce from Sumter, SC

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I am looking for 16 - 24" Eiffel Tower Vases.

Suzy from NJ

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I have a hibiscus tree, or a rose of sharon. When is the best time to cut it back? It got infested with aphids and the leaves are not pretty. It has a little new growth on the tips. Should I just leave it alone?

Hardiness Zone: 9a

Thank you,
Lorraine from Zolfo Springs, FL

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How do you get moth ball smell out of old books?

Shane from Phoenix, AZ

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My son and I would like to make a wallpaper border with a drawing of his. My question is do we need a special paper or would contact paper be OK?

Janice from Murfreesboro, TN

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My school is going on a trip to New York from Montana and it is going to cost about $1,835. How can my class get together and make some money?

Bailey from Kalispell

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If you don't already keep one, fall is a great time to consider starting a garden journal. Now that things are winding down for most gardeners, you may be able to find a little more time to organize your thoughts and reflect on the successes and disappointments of the past season. A garden journal doesn't need to be complicated, but you'll find that keeping a few records from year to year can be rewarding as well as saving you a lot of time and frustration.

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Voter participation in the United States is dismally low. In the 2002 mid-term elections, only 42% of eligible voters went to the polls to decide who would lead our country and make our nation's laws. Research continues to show that a lack of information about the voting process and the candidates is an overriding cause for low voter participation.

To address this issue, the League of Women Voters, has launched an unprecedented Web site for voters Vote411.org - The One-Stop Shop for Election Information.

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Halloween has become a huge holiday. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, consumers spent $3.29 billion dollars on Halloween in 2005. Of that $3.29 billion, $840 million was spent on decorations-second only to Christmas in holiday home decor. Talk about frightening! Even with all newfangled lighting effects, fog machines and animatronics designed to create hair-raising effects, a carved pumpkin is still the best and least expensive way to create a haunting Halloween scene.

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