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Today's Tips
How to Shell Hard-Shelled Nuts
You can either freeze really hard-shelled nuts like black walnuts or soak them in water for several hours before cracking. Stand frozen nuts with their points facing up and hit them with a hard object like a hammer to crack them open.
For soaked nuts, crack them with a nutcracker. Place the nut in the grip of the nutcracker so that the seam of the shell meets with the direct force. Use as little force as necessary to split the shell when squeezing so that you avoid crushing the nut kernel inside. Rotate the nut while squeezing so the shell cracks slowly.
Remove the kernel from the shell and allow it to dry out for a few hours before storing. If you do not use the nuts right away, make sure you store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Nuts contain very healthy oils that can become rancid. Keep in mind that the best way to store nuts long-term is unshelled.
By the way, you can toast those shelled black walnuts in a 350 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they smell toasty. Keep your eye on them so they don't burn.
By Kathy
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Mylar balloons are expensive; so don't throw them out. You can use them again. Here's what I do when a Mylar balloon gets tired. I use a plastic drinking straw with one end trimmed into the shape of a fountain pen nib to help me let every bit of air escape. I insert it into the balloon through the base and up through the rubber gasket. Then I press out as much air as possible, remove the straw, and fold and store the balloon. My local grocery store will refill used balloons with helium for a quarter. Sometimes I inflate them like ordinary balloons, and other times I use them just partially filled as packing material when mailing boxes. They easily fill empty space in a box. No more Styrofoam peanuts!
By Kathy
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Use shoe polish (paste or wax-based) to touch up nicks and scratches on door frames and furniture. It's quick and easy to use, and when rubbed in really makes the scratch seem to disappear.
By Kathy
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It is easy to cut bulk sausage into slices with an electric knife. Even if it is partially frozen, the knife slices through the plastic packaging and the sausage with ease. I like to cook the entire package all at once, wrapping and either freezing or refrigerating the cooked sausage patties for future meals. I simply pop them into the microwave for a few seconds. Easy!
By Kathy
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Do you have any ideas for using playing cards other than their intended use? Quite often, a few cards get lost, what can you do with the rest? Post your ideas.
Don't Throw Away Cards
If you have an incomplete deck of playing cards, don't throw them away! Use them as bookmarks! You will never again have to buy those expensive bookmarks at the bookstore!
By Kimberly
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New Bike Tip - Theft Prevention
When you get a new bike (or new to you), write your name, address and the bike's serial number on the card. Roll it around a pencil, secure with elastic bands and drop into the frame. (The frame can be reached my removing the seat post.) If the ownership of the bicycle is ever in question, you will have proof that it belongs to you.
By ElectricChameleon
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Keeping Children's Art from Fading
Spray your child's art work with hairspray to keep it from fading or getting dusty.
By ElectricChameleon
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Making a Climbing Plant Trellis With a Clothes Hanger
Make a trellis for your climbing plant (indoor or out). Shape the triangular part of a clothes hanger into any shape you like, then straighten the hook. Stick the straightened hook into the soil then train your plant around the the wire.
I also use tomato cages for my ivys and either wrap them up and down or around and around.
By ElectricChameleon
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Stop throwing money away, there is more in the tube.
My husband had precancerous spot on his face and hands. The doctor prescribed a tube of medicine which cost over $100. He thought he had used it all out of the tube? I cut off top, slit the side and got several more uses. This also applies to tubes of toothpaste, hand lotions, almost any thing that is in plastic tubes and some containers.
By Gladys Hill
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Plan your trip route. Make a list and stick to it. Never shop aisles which have no items on your list. Think those end displays are just there on accident? Nope, they are planned to get you to buy items you don't really need on impulse. You would be surprised how well this works in favor of the store. Never buy on impulse and you will save big time. Before checking out, stop and recheck your cart, See if there is something you don't really need.
By Gladys Hill
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I learned this tip or hint out of desperation. We live in an old house and it has old screens that have developed holes. I tried cotton balls and duct tape but they didn't stay on for long. This year when I put the screens in I grabbed my hot glue gun and filled the holes. Well summer's over and it's still holding!
By jeangnome46
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I found this tip at make-stuff.com, it is a great site.
"Fill an empty roll with dried leaves in the fall. Wrap it with newspaper, 4 inches longer than the roll, and twist the ends of the paper, for easy lighting. If you wrap them with decorative paper and put them in a basket they make a nice accessory to a fire place. They can also be covered with Christmas wrapping paper for the holidays. Contributed by Claycrazy."
By Racer
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Consider Moving to a Less Costly Area
Move to a lower cost of living area. My family moved recently and we are saving at least $15,000 a year on our budget.
By selling a small house in a big city at a good profit, we were able to buy a bigger and nicer house for cash in a rural town in the next state.
By Genny H
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Always work next to the stove. You can chop and drop items in pots as you cook them. Saves time and steps.
By Robin
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Have a stinky microwave? Just quarter a lemon and put it in a microwave-safe dish along with some water and cook on high for 2 minutes.
By Robin
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Tips for organizing sheets, blankets and other linens. Post your ideas below.
A Place for Extra Sheets
Keep extra sheets folded between your mattress and box spring for easy access.
By Robin
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Remember to change your furnace's filter once every month. A dirty filter means your furnace has to work harder than normal and that uses much more energy. Also, if you have allergies, it can alleviate them getting out of control in the winter from the dust in the ductwork building up and being blown into the house.
By Robin
Editor's Note: Check your furnace manufacturer's instructions for how often your filter needs to be changed. If you don't still have your manual, the manufacturer probably has a website, just type the manufacturer name and "furnace" into Google and you should find the right site.
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This year I haven't worked very much so I've been trying to get creative. One idea is for my granddaughter Bailey, a recipe book. She just got married this year so I'm going to get a photo album and some clear protective pages at the Dollar store. I am going to go through my recipes, picking out a bunch of good ones, I will make copies on the computer. Then I will punch holes and use dividers for "sections" like casseroles, desserts, soups, etc.
By Pat S.
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My dogs are very destructive and manage to tear blanket, cushions and conventional dog beds by 'digging' to make themselves more comfortable. They have also destroyed 2 lounges, (sofas/settees), and 3 single mattresses I gave them as beds. I was looking for a sturdy dog bed and was quoted $102 (Australian) for a hammock type bed on a tubular steel frame.
Instead I collected 3 medium, (2' x 3'), wooden pallets, (the type that goods are delivered on to warehouses), from the local rubbish dump. I priced some made to measure foam pads - $40 each! I also found some old carpet pieces at the dump and substituted some foam cushions from the two previously destroyed lounges for the bought foam.
I placed the carpet face down on the ground, placed the foam cushions on top, and then the pallet. I cut the carpet to size with a Stanley knife - the area of the pallet plus the depth of the sides, taking a square from each corner so the carpet could be folded up and tacked to the base of the wooden pallet with no bulk at the corners. Once turned over I had a neat padded bed which, despite much scratching, is unmarked. They are insulated from the cold ground with a layer of air and my old arthritic dog finds them very comfortable. I'm very pleased with them for just the cost of a couple of packets of tacks! Regards.
By Jo Bodey
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Conventional storage in many cupboards in the home leaves a lot of wasted space. To maximise this space I have added 'intermediate' shelving.
For example - my office area is a bench 20' deep along the end of the kitchen. Underneath I have a 12' shelf to hold A4 files and A4 printer paper boxes used to store stationary, receipts, gift wrapping, computer supplies, etc. Because the shelf is set back it doesn't get in the way when you sit at the desk.
When I had new kitchen cupboards built I felt there was a lot of 'head room' wasted so I got the builder to make removable mini shelves which were half the height and half the depth of the top shelf. These were basically just melamine 'n' shaped boxes which could be placed on the top shelf and have items placed on top and underneath which made much more storage space and also everything was much more accessible. Larger/taller items can still go on the bottom shelf.
The builder is making me a pantry at present so I have incorporated this idea into the design - there will be broad deep shelves with intermediate shallow shelves. Even a shelf the depth of a food can on 3 sides of the pantry will allow a much better view of what is in stock and make everything much more accessible - no more foodstuffs going out of date because you didn't know they were there!
This idea can also be incorporated into any closet, garage or storage area in the house, to already existing cupboards, at very little cost.
Regards
By Jo Bodey
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This is a quick, cheap, adaptable recipe. You can add in extras (corn, etc) or make substitutions (ex: corn chips instead of crackers). Amounts of ingredients and cooking time will depend on size of casserole dish.
Layer the following in a casserole dish:
Repeat layers until dish is full, top with crackers. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through. Top with sour cream, if desired.
By Leann D
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Tips for conserving water. Post your ideas.
Have A Couple Items You Need To Hand Sponge Out?
Keep a bottle of Woolite or liquid laundry soap by the lavatory. While you are waiting for running water to warm for a shower, sponge out those panty hose or other item. Makes good use of water that would just go down the drain.
By Gladys Hill
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In our newest contest we are giving away a $30.00 Gift Card at one of the following stores: Home Depot, Jo-Ann's Crafts or Amazon.com. If you are the winner, you get to choose which gift card! We figured it would be more valuable if you pick out your own prize, that's why we have decided to go the gift card route. This contest will end on November 15th.
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New Requests:
I have a suede shirt I got at a thrift store. It's a beautiful blue color but stiff as a board. Any ideas about how to soften the suede? Flora from Boston
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COBRA Plan Running Out - Need Health Insurance Advice
Help! Our COBRA is about to run out. I would like some advice as to where I can get info on some "reputable" private health companies or alternatives. Thanks. - pbcml
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Blackberry Vines are Consuming my Backyard!
I'm from Oregon and we have thousands and thousands of blackberry bushes. However the ones that keep coming up year after year are threatening to take over my yard and my sanity...
Does anyone know of a homemade (preferably) or even a store-bought cure for these? I am on a limited income and not in the best of health, so paying a professional is out of the question along with digging them out (which was tried several times over the years). Please help..and thank you in advance! - Anna Moon
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Hi, I recently bought a desk. I was fixing a hinge that had been put on incorrectly. When I went to put the screws back in I put a long screw in the wrong hole and ended up putting the tip of the screw all the way through to the front of the desk. I was able to put the wood back down, but the bump is still noticeable. Is there are good way to fix a mistake like this? Thank you so much!
Kelley
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Steamer Trunk With Mothball Smell
I have an old "steamer" style trunk. It belonged to my mother and even though it hasn't had moth balls in it for over 30 years it still stinks!
I use it for some storage, but had not gone into it for over a year, and was just overwhelmed by the smell. I do have cedar chunks in there and have tried Fabreeze but to no avail. If I can't get rid of the smell I am going to have to get rid of it and I don't want to do that.
Any suggestions?
Please help!
ElectricChameleon
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Fish Sandwich Tips and Recipes
Does anyone know what kind of fish restaurants use for fish sandwiches? The little fish cakes you buy frozen taste terrible and I'd really like to be able to make my own, even if they aren't exactly "square". Also, what do they coat them with?
Lynn from Arkansas
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I have a sofa in great condition, but the sleeper mattress is pretty worn. Is there any simple or cheap way to replace the sleeper mattress?
Nicole
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As part of my ongoing research to find more money saving tips for the Simple Debt Free Living plan, I came across these super low cost recipes at Easy Veggie Meals Under $1.50 - Cheryl Johnson
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Potted Christmas Trees - Is It Worth It?
By Monica Resinger
Each holiday season, I think about getting a live, potted Christmas tree. I keep thinking that it would sure save a lot of money because we should be able to use it as a Christmas tree for a few years -- as long as I can keep it alive. Then when it grows too big to be a Christmas tree, we could either plant it in the yard, in the community or in the forest. But could I keep it alive?
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Good as New
By Rachel Paxton
If I've learned anything from my husband, it's to take care of what you've got. It's so easy to let things go--to let everyday household items deteriorate to the point where they just aren't useful anymore and you end up just throwing them away. My wedding ring is a perfect example.
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I found this enlightening article on the internet:
Feeling down in the dumps and having the blues is not reserved just for big holidays like Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July. There are many anniversary dates that remind us of something or sometime in our life that made us feel depressed. The death of someone close to us, our divorce date, our marriage date, a birthday, etc. We may not be able to wipe out the memory of these events but we can take charge of how we feel about them.
Recommended by Racer
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Frugal living. More than a lifestyle. It's a passion.
By Cheryl Johnson
Why, who wouldn't love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday? Here's how I do it. I purchase an item that has a rebate offer (either a store or manufacturer rebate) while it is on sale and use a coupon during purchase. That's it!
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These are softer than regular gingerbread cookies.
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