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Volume Six, Number 82, April 26, 2007 (Read It Online) We have some exciting news. One of our editor's filmed a segment today with our local PBS station about saving money on entertainment. For people who live in Pacific Northwest check your local listings for "About the Money With Christine Chen". The show should air Tuesday, May 1, 7:30pm. Here's today's featured request... Drapery Rod Finials Ideas Does anyone have crafty ideas for drapery rod finials instead of the bought ones? Thanks!
Thanks for reading, Susan
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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:
These cards are easy to make and lovely to give. It's a fun project I think you will enjoy doing. Crafts are a great way to unwind. Crafting Time: 30 - 45 minutes plus drying time for water What You Need:
Directions:1. Collect leaves with interesting shapes. Use a fine tip permanent black marker to trace the leaves on coffee filters. 2. Lay the coffee filters on several sheets of newspaper. Drip food colors, combining either red and yellow, blue and yellow, or red and blue, onto the leaf drawings. Spray the coffee filters with water to spread and combine the colors. Move the coffee filters to fresh newspaper and allow them to dry. 3. Cut out the leaf shapes. Use rubber cement to glue the leaves to the front of blank note cards. Outline the cards in corresponding colors of marker. You can write a line on the front of each card in a corresponding marker color, or just write a note inside. By Marie E. Cecchini from West Dundee, IL
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Rate It: This is CoCo, she is 7 years old and a Beagle/Corgi mix. We rescued CoCo from the SPCA on December 19th 2004. Our local SPCA rotates the dogs back a row each day until they reach the last row and then they are taken to be destroyed. CoCo was next in line and the guy came out to get her and we told him to stop so we could pet her and she stole our hearts! Coco loves to run and wrestle with my husband and Daughter. She is extremely tolerant with my daughter who tortures her with her version of LOVE...that can mean anything from putting a cap and sun glasses on her to making her camp out in her tent with her. Coco is a beautiful blessing to our family! She is very intelligent, faithful and protective. She shows she loves us as much as we love her! This picture is a favorite of mine, it is CoCo with her girl taking a nap!
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Rate It: This is the love of my life!
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Rate It: Homemade Flower Press
Spring is here and so is spring flower planting. Most of us know that to make our annual plants bloom more and to continue blooming we must pinch back our spent blooms. So why not do this pruning a little early and have that bloom for our craft projects. There are so many things you can do with dried flowers. Basically, you can decoupage them to any flat surface. You can decorate tables, candles, candle holders or make some beautiful one of a kind stationary. So here are the plans for an easy to build flower press that only require a saw and a drill and a pair of scissors. Materials
DirectionsCut your 1 inch boards in to two squares 7 by 7 inches long. Since these are small pieces of wood you may be able to get a small board from your lumber stores cut off bin. While you are there, for .50 to a 1.00 you may be able to get that cute lumber guy to cut your squares for you. Now drill holes 1/2 of an inch from the corners. Make sure your long bolts will fit through the holes if not sand with a pencil covered with sandpaper. Now you are going to cut your cardboard. You need to cut 8 cardboard squares that are 5 by 5 inches square. Then you are going to cut 8 pieces of blotting paper that are 5 by 5 inches square. You are going to cut the newspaper into 16 squares that are 5 by 5 inches square. The newspaper is used as filler. So that your blossoms are cushioned some what by the pressure exerted by the wing nuts. To assembly your flower press: Start by putting your bolts through the holes with a washer on the bottom then put a square of cardboard positioned between your bolts. Two squares of newspaper, two squares of blotting paper, two squares of newspaper, one piece of cardboard. Continue layering until you put the last piece of cardboard on top. Next put your top on running the bolts through the top. Put your washer on the top and close with your wing nut. To dry flowers: Pinch off your blossoms. You want them as close to full bloom as you can get. Layer the blossom between the blotting papers in your press starting at the bottom and working your way up. Depending on the size of your blossoms you can usually get between 3-5 blossoms per blotting square. I have many antique rose bushes in my yard that burst forth with amazing blooms in May. I have even taken small rose buds and pressed them in my press. Now close your press and let the flowers dry for about 1 week. To store: I had a small index file that I made small envelopes out of waxed paper to store my dried flowers in. I made them the same size as an index card but with a little more to serve as a flap down. I stapled the sides so that I could still have air circulating around them. On the index divider cards I wrote what kind of flower was behind them. You can dry any kind of flower but you need to know that some of the more delicate flowers may crumble when dry if you are not very careful with them. I have even dried lilac sprays in mine and they have come out pretty good but I need to use them right away. I also ask the neighbors if I can have their spent blossoms to dry if they have annuals that I don't have. They are great about letting me pinch back their plants. I also made a flower press that was a little bigger so I could take it with me when we go hiking or camping. This way I can preserve blossoms of wildflowers that I love that grow in the wild but I am not tearing up the whole plant for a bouquet. This can teach children good conservation of our natural surroundings. Don't forget to dry some leaves and ferns. These are great bases for layer your dry flowers on when you start making your projects. I find that drying the leaves separately speeds up drying time on my flowers. Now what to do with these flowers? I have gone to my local dollar store and bought clear glass candles holders and with a little white glue have glued the flowers around the base on the outside of the container. I then let this dry after getting them positioned. I then have taken a paint brush and coated all the flowers with white glue to seal them. These make wonderful gifts for friends and family and could give you a head start on Christmas. They look gorgeous with the candle light shining through them. I had some white lampshades I did the same thing with glued them where I wanted them and then sealed with white glue. You could glue some to small wooden TV trays for out door garden parties. Just lightly sand the TV tray to give the finish a little bite and then glue your flowers on and polyurethane the tops. I make stationary by getting some plain white colored or pastel colored invitations (Walmart has these) I glue on the flowers and then cut a piece of clear contact paper to a little larger than the front and lay that on pressing real good to seal and then I cut off the excess. A friend saw what I was doing and she came up with this idea. She had a couple of old lace curtains that she only had two of and decided she did not like. She cut them into place mat sized pieces. She then cut some white cardboard the same size one for each placemat. She then glued on flowers and leaves. She then sandwiched the whole thing between two pieces of contact paper and I have to say they were stunning. You could also glue these to the back of a clear glass plate and seal with Alene's clear glass decoupage. I would not run these in the dish washer but with clear glass plates running a dollar at the dollar store, these would be cheap enough to give as a gift filled with home made cookies. If you let your imagination run wild I am sure that you could come up with lots of ideas of where to use these. This is also a good group project that could be used by the scouts or a church group.
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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: Watch Where The Money Goes As a single mother, money can get very tight at times. I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck so I knew things had to change. One of the most productive changes I made was in using coupons. I emailed every corporation I knew and asked them to add me to their mailing list. In doing so, I now receive excellent coupons as well as free samples all the time. I also found a newspaper that is free every Sunday that has the same coupons as the paper you have to purchase. I compare and match the coupons with the store flyers. By doing this, I once got ten tubes of toothpaste for free! I have learned that most department stores will put their clearance items on endcaps. When I go to a store now, I hardly ever enter the middle. I browse through the endcaps and pick up great sales. If a clearance price is exceptionally good, I will buy all of the products. By doing this, I have been able to stock up on at least a year's worth of supplies for a fraction of what it would have cost normally. We now rent movies from the library, which are free. I get passes to the museum there also. This is a huge savings. If we want to treat ourselves to a movie, we go before noon. The ticket price is half off and we usually have the theatre all to ourselves. I pack our snacks and bring juiceboxes. I also find I am no longer addicted to brand names as well. Did you know that Cains mayonnaise and the Market Basket brand are the same exact product, just different packaging? And it costs a fraction of the price. Laundry detergent works just as well if you only use half a capful rather than the full capful they suggest. I recycle my dryer sheets by putting them into bureau drawers and shoes. Everything smells great. By making these small changes, I have been able to save more money than I ever thought possible. I find I spend more quality time with my son now. Instead of him asking me for the newest video game, he asked me for a picnic at the park. It's free and we have a blast. It's the small changes that really shape your life in ways you never though possible. Lynne from Lynn MA Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf88413562.tip.html
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Rate It: A short while ago, someone submitted a tip about using a cheese slicer for slicing eggs. I thought that it was a good idea, but I had to laugh because I do the opposite. I use an egg slicer to slice cheese. I have made many cheese and cracker trays and this saves so much time cutting up the cheese. I take the egg slicer apart and just use the slicer part. Cut off a chunk of cheese and just press down and it is sliced in a few seconds. I have also found an old egg slicer at a garage sale that has the wires on the slicer closer together so I can slice the cheese thick or thin. Just rinse the slicer in hot water and dry, easy clean up. Don't put it in the dishwasher though, it will rust. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf56823088.tip.html
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Rate It: You can prevent oil stains on cabinet shelves by wrapping the oil bottle with a band of paper towel, secured with a rubber band. The band of paper towel will prevent drips from running down the sides of the bottle and can be tossed when dirty and replaced. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94588181.tip.html
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Rate It: Know How To Manually Open The Garage Door Make sure you're able to open your garage door manually in case your electricity goes out. That way you can leave to go to a restaurant, hotel, or shelter, until the power comes back on, if need be. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90018092.tip.html
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Rate It: It's so easy to replace screws in those eye glasses. I keep a repair kit in an old Altoids tin. Remember you need different sizes of screws, it's not one size fits all. You can save old sun glasses for the screws and, if you lack a little screw driver, you can use the wing of a brass paper brad! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf67359822.tip.html
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Rate It: Personal Wedding Reception Touches For an added personal touch to the reception, we had plates of many kinds of home made cookies, in addition to the wedding cake. We also made our own Spice Pecans instead of regular nuts. The crowning touch was the personalized M and M's with our names on them in our wedding colors. We had many, many compliments. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf74504334.tip.html
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Rate It: If you, or someone you know, are looking for a job, please visit your local staffing agencies! These agencies help to find you jobs that you are qualified for free! So many people hesitate to use these agencies, thinking you have to pay. The employer pays the agency to help them find qualified employees. My husband did this and they helped him find a great job. Some may find you temporary jobs, or temp to permanent jobs too. Please use them as they do all the work for you! All you do is show up for the job :) Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27482496.tip.html
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Rate It: Clean Lint Trap With Hot Water Do you use fabric softener sheets in your dryer? Every once in awhile, take your lint trap and wash it in hot water and dry. Dryer sheets can clog your lint trap. To see if your lint trap is getting clogged, just run water through it. If it doesn't run through and the water sits in the trap, wash it with hot water. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf14165206.tip.html
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Rate It: As a mom of two boys under two years, I swear by the Shout Color Catcher sheets to save me when laundry doesn't get sorted that well (try red socks in a load of whites). To save money on them, I started cutting them in half, and they seem to work just as well. I figure that the cost of buying them more than offsets the cost of replacing clothes I may ruin otherwise. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf88847355.tip.html
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Rate It: Alternative Uses for Dryer Sheets I keep my used dryer sheets in an empty Clorox Bleach Wipe container. They come in extremely handy when you need to knock the dust off of baseboards or your car interior. They're also great for taking the dust off of mini blinds. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf742433.tip.html
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I have back pain and would like some homemade remedies. Please share your ideas. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf30941727.tip.html
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Rate It: University of Phoenix Online Reviews I really want to go back to school to get my master's degree. having a 10 month old makes it really hard to go to an actual physical class. I was thinking of applying for the University of Phoenix Online Courses. My fear is that they are not reputable and in the end I will be wasting my money on getting a degree from them. Does anyone have any insight as to how this Online University is perceived by the professional world. I know they are accredited I just don't Know if they are respected. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81858039.tip.html
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Rate It: Where can I get socks bags for the lauadry, as we lose socks? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf46833346.tip.html
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Rate It: I want to make a planter out of work boots. Do they have to be lace up ones? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf60368704.tip.html
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Rate It: I am looking for a Pork Back Ribs recipe where you bake them for 1 hour and then turn off the oven, but you leave them in there all day. I don't know the name of the recipe or any of the ingredients to make this request more helpful. I would appreciate any help you can give! Thank you and have a great day. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf24269085.tip.html
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Rate It: My hibiscus was severely overwatered! I left on a business trip after I put my plants outside in their drained pots and we had an awful week of rain. Upon returning my plants had yellow leaves and they fell off. Will my plants come back or is it too late? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf30992762.tip.html
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Rate It: My bathroom needs to be updated. I have a small bathroom and it has milky brown and white tiles and the tub, toilet and sink are also milky brown. Any ideas on how to update without ripping out all the tiles? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf36466099.tip.html
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Rate It: Long John Silver's Fish Batter Recipe What is the recipe for Long John Silver's fish batter? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf92846763.tip.html
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Rate It: Does anyone have crafty ideas for drapery rod finails instead of the bought ones? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf49332725.tip.html
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Rate It: Dog Regurgitating After Eating Grass My puppy has been regurgitating a lot after eating grass from the backyard. What should I do or is this a sign of parvo? Please help. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf83523056.tip.html
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Rate It: I live in a small apartment that has no room for a dining room table so I bought a bar and two bar stools, but the set is ugly and doesn't match my decor. Can you creative people help me come up with a cheap way to make it attractive! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf46418375.tip.html
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Rate It: Decorating a Pond for a Wedding Reception What can I use to decorate our 1 acre pond for my son's wedding reception in July? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf64741895.tip.html
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Rate It: Keeping The Ground Under a Bird Feeder Clean How does one keep the ground below a bird feeder clear of the cracked seeds? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf88432792.tip.html
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Rate It: I need to vent about my son's private school parent teacher group and school board. The school burned down about 20 months ago. We are trying to raise funds to rebuild and get out of our temporary building. I spearheaded a contest to win our school 100 "coupon savings books" which when sold will net our school $3500. Only 10 people from the whole school submitted forms to the contest, including 3 from my family. We won the books! But, now the president of the group says we should sell the books for $30 each rather than the $35 value, because we have competition from some other groups selling the same books. I want to tell her tactfully, "No, we need to sell them at their value", but how do I do this? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf61848519.tip.html
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Rate It: Cigarette Burn on Wood Furniture I am in dire need of a burn repair. My friend was helping me sort closet clothes and she laid her cigarette on my stand up jewelry armoire. It's quite a nice burn. The armoire is made of better than normal tannish oak veneer. And it's right in the front. I could just die! I know it will never be perfect again, but is there anyway to make it less noticeable? Any suggestions would be so appreciated! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf31905471.tip.html
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Rate It: What would be the fastest way to try to sell a package that I won from the california lottery american idol 2nd chance drawing? This package includes 2 nights hotel party before the final show on may 23 plus viewing from the kodak theatre. plus more. i can't go and i would like to make some money for it. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf85933534.tip.html
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Rate It: Does anyone know of a way to remove pen marks from a leather purse? I've tried a couple of ideas with no luck. Thanks! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf508696.tip.html
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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:
Acer America Corporation Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Previous Fires WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Acer America Corporation, today announced a voluntary program for the replacement of certain notebook computer lithium-ion batteries containing Sony-made cells. Consumers should only use the notebook computer using AC power until a replacement battery pack is received.
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Rate It: Creative Container Gardens
Container gardens are so much fun, because the possibilities are endless, and the entire family can participate. You don't have to commit a lot of time to plant:
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