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Vol. 8, Num. 53, March 17, 2009 (Read It Online) Do you have a question for the ThriftyFun community? Feel free to submit it here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_request.ldml?email_source=newsletter Here are the contest winners for last week. Pet Contest Winner Lily (Border Collie/German Shepherd Mix) We are so glad Lily adopted Becky. Photo Contest Winner Craft: Basket Lampshades An attractive way to turn a basket into a lamp shade. Tip Contest Winners Mark the Top of Fitted Sheets Little tips like this add up to make life a lot easier. Being a Parent During Tough Economic Times Carol shares some tips for parents and stresses the importance of maintaining good dental care even during tough economics times. It can save you a lot down the road. Recipe Contest Winner Bahamian Boiled Fish Deeli shares her easy fish recipe. Thank you to everyone that took time to share something! Thanks for reading, The ThriftyFun Team
Edit Your Subscriptions: To edit your ThriftyFun subscriptions, click the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter.
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:
Gardening: Flowering Container This was my favorite planting last summer. I enjoyed all of the vibrant colors mixed together. The mix contains geraniums, begonias, a blue salvia, petunia, and dahlia, with 2 spikes for interest. This planting was in a partial sun area and the dahlia did not do well.
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Rate It: Craft Project: Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath Salts I love this scent combination when my body is feeling tired. But buying it at the store is much too expensive. So I figured out how to make my own Eucalyptus Spearmint blend. I placed the salts in a jar I painted with dots. It's all green, in honor of my spring fever.
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Rate It: Dazzey is a one year old mixed breed dog that we adopted from the Napa shelter when she was 10 weeks old. She loves to run and play with her sisters, an Irish Wolf hound and a three legged Chihuahua mix, and special friends at the dog park. She is unique in many ways from the long hair, short hair all over, to her crow like a rooster bark and her strange tail length.
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Rate It: Kala is an 8 month old Newfoundland. She was a birthday gift for my daughter's 13th birthday. According to my Mom, she likes to shed, whine, eat and sleep, but she also does some amazing tricks. She also likes to visit with the rabbit and Tucker, the horse.
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Rate It: Beethoven (German Shepherd Mix) Beethoven is a 3 months old German Shepherd mix. I got through a friend about a month ago. He likes to go on walks with my other dogs and he is very shy.
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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!
Because we have many family birthdays throughout the year, I have tried to always purchase ahead to defray the cost of several birthdays that fall in one month. This year I decided to give three of our family members "a year of gifts". After each holiday, I purchased items for 50-75 off, such as Valentines towels for 75 off, fall placemats, hand lotion, and put them away. I also collected useful but inexpensive items such as paper notebooks, candles, and ornaments as I saw them for sale. I wrapped each item in tissue paper, labeled them with a month and gave them to the recipient to begin the year of opening one gift per month (an item that would be used in that month). Overall, the gifts were appreciated and actually cost less than we usually spend! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf70530352.tip.html
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Rate It: Link: Free Irish Lessons From Rosetta Stone Rosetta Stone is offering a free trial of Irish lessons for the next week or so around St. Patrick's Day. By Pam from Los Angeles Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf84982002.tip.html
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Rate It: Pin Dryer Sheet to Piece of Laundry to Make It Easy to Find I always hate it when I can't find the dryer sheet in my load of dried laundry. It is embarrassing to go out and find a sheet hanging out the bottom of your pants, or shirt sleeve. I resorted to turning every piece inside out before folding until I found the used sheet. One day I found a large safety pin in a pocket. I decided to try pinning a sheet to one article I was going to dry. Worked great, and no more "lost" sheets! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf15517671.tip.html
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Rate It: Install a Carbon Monoxide Detector A tip which saved my life and maybe yours. Our house was just a couple of years old when my husband accepted a job which required him to be out of town most weekdays. Our budget could allow either new mulch in the natural areas or a security system installed. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90471004.tip.html
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Rate It: The recession has taught me the difference between wants and needs, and how grateful I am to have a warm home, loving family and friends. Some things money just can't buy! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96453549.tip.html
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Rate It: I've been reading the moving advice here and have one more thought to it. When I moved I went to Kinko's and bought 20 sheets of red, blue, green and yellow paper etc each, from their Copy Center. You can also get colored paper from the Copy Centers at Staples and Office Depot. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58804367.tip.html
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Rate It: Refill Child's Cute Lip Gloss Case with Homemade Gloss My daughter is 5 years old and loves all of the sparkly and colorful lip glosses that come in cute cases with her favorite characters on them. The problem is that these glosses are terrible for her lips! They are very low quality and drying to her lips. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58635183.tip.html
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Rate It: Don't Like the Smell of Cooking Cabbage? To all of the cooks that don't like the smell of cooking cabbage, here is a very good tip I have used for several years. After you have started sauteing the cabbage lay one or two slices of lite bread on the top of the cabbage. Replace the lid. When you stir the cabbage, lift out the lite bread very carefully as it will tear. After you stirred the cabbage to your satisfaction, replace the light bread. This will absorb the odor of cooking cabbage very effectively. I discard the light bread slices by putting them in a disposable sandwich bag. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf32305110.tip.html
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Rate It: Continually Add to Your Shopping List With the escalating cost at the grocery, we need an accurate list to conserve time, gas and, most of all, not buying something we already have at home! Hang one of those market lists with a magnet on the back right on your fridge. When you prepare a recipe and empty a container (say a can of corn, for instance), go to your fridge and write "can of corn" on your list. If you are consistent with this, you will have most of your groceries already listed when you go to the store next time. Even our children add to the list when using the "last one"! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf13257257.tip.html
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Rate It: Reuse Plastic Meat Trays Around The House I wash and save the white plastic trays I get my meat in from the super market and use them all around the kitchen, bathroom and even on my computer table. In the kitchen, I sit one under the oil bottle(s) near the stove and one is used for sitting any utensils on that are being used while cooking or prep work. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf61205748.tip.html
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I have recently moved and my microfiber chaise will not fit into my new space. What do I need to do to prepare it to be put in storage? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf85159028.tip.html
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Rate It: Serving Size for Pasta with Meat Sauce What is the suggested serving size for cooked pasta with meat sauce? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf59034678.tip.html
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Rate It: Inexpensive Wedding Reception Locations in Grand Rapids, MI I am looking for cheap reception halls in Grand Rapids, MI. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf85651286.tip.html
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Rate It: The shrubs in front of our house have a lot of dead limbs in with the regular ones. I thought about cutting the whole thing down to about 6 inches. Or should I just go through them and pull out the dead ones and trim back the tops? Thank you. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf37662928.tip.html
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Rate It: Costume Jewelry Christmas Wall Hanging I am looking for a Christmas tree wall hanging made of costume jewelry. If any one has one I would appreciate a picture. Thanks. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf45599651.tip.html
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Rate It: Donating Embroidered Crib Blankets I embroider crib blankets, and would like to donate them. Does anyone in the Kearny, NJ area know where I can bring them? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65707849.tip.html
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Rate It: I was hoping for a tall indoor plant like Forsythia and Curly Willow. I'm not set on flowering or not, but I am aiming for easily manageable, thin twigs, and decorative. I usually transfer plants outdoors for the summer to get some light. Does anybody have favorite indoor plants in mind? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf73435422.tip.html
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Rate It: Crafts Using Thick Vinyl Material Does anyone have any craft ideas for using up vinyl covered fabric, like you would use for upholstery. I have lots of this stuff, I meant to recover my couch cushions with it but I don't have enough in the same color to do that. I'd love to use it up, in crafts, even sewing crafts. Any ideas? I have black, orange-red, and brown. It's really thick material. Thank you. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97652748.tip.html
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Rate It: Terra Cotta Saucers Stained Vinyl Floor I left a plant with a terra cotta saucer on our vinyl floor for a few days. When I moved it, there was a milky mark left by the saucer. Does anyone know how I can remove this? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf31159460.tip.html
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Rate It: Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent How do you make liquid detergent for cotton and wool fabrics? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf34694090.tip.html
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Rate It: Restoring Shine to No-Wax Vinyl Tiles I am looking for cleaning tips for restoring the shine to no-wax vinyl maple tiles. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97594054.tip.html
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Rate It: Larger Nest for Baby Zebra Finches I have a breeding pair of Zebra finches who have recently hatched a brood of 3 chicks. They are in a very confined small basket nest. Should I move them to a larger nest? They are about 8 days old and I'm afraid that as they grow one will fall from the nest or be accidentally pushed out. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf68553024.tip.html
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Rate It: Homemade Eco-Friendly Appliance Cleaner I recently purchased a special cleaner for my stainless steel appliances which works like a charm! I have tried lots of those specialty cleaners but none of them worked as well as this one. Sadly, the price tag is a little high for me ($12) for a small bottle. Does anyone know an eco-friendly cleaner that I can make myself to clean my appliances? Thank you. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71400512.tip.html
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Rate It: Applying Polyurethane to Painted Countertop What is the best method to apply polyurethane to seal a painted countertop? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf73272202.tip.html
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Rate It: What kind of snake is this? I have looked, but I can't find what kind it is. I'm hoping someone can help me. I live in the Florida panhandle.
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Rate It: What kind of snake is this? I have looked, but I can't find what kind it is. I'm hoping someone can help me. I live in the Florida panhandle.
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Rate It: Cabbage, Rice and Beef Casserole Recipe I need a good recipe for Cabbage Casserole that has ground beef and rice included in the recipe. I can't seem to find the really good recipe I had. Thanks! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98342059.tip.html
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Rate It: Installing Needle Threader on Home Sewing Machine SX2122 I need instructions on how to install a needle threader on the New Home Sewing Machine model SX2122. It is the type you pull down. I just got a new one but no instructions came with it. Please help. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78916910.tip.html
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Rate It: Making Patio Umbrella into Half Umbrella Can I make my patio umbrella into a half umbrella? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79675014.tip.html
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Rate It: I have some really small flower pots that I would like to make a wind chime out of. Does anyone know how? Thank you. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94468702.tip.html
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Rate It: I live on the 11th floor of an apartment tower facing Lake Erie (North) but we get an incredible amount of sun. Last year I had a fabulous container garden. I know than anything in terra cotta must be brought in to avoid cracking. Besides that, what is the best way to winter-over the perennials so that they can still get a little water? We get snow on the balcony about 4 times during the winter. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf64926162.tip.html
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Rate It: Paint Color Ideas to Brighten Kitchen I have a kitchen that doesn't get much natural light. It has quite a large window but the previous house owners blocked the natural light by building a sun room on that side of the house. What are good color choices to paint the kitchen to brighten it up? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79124339.tip.html
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Rate It: Suggestions for Birthday Party Locations What is a good place to go for a birthday party? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71855512.tip.html
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Rate It: Suggestions for Perennial Flowers I have two large, brick flower beds. What can I plant that will come up every year. I plant every year about Mothers Day! The cost is just too much anymore. I love pretty colors and no work. After twenty years of planting I need help. Thank you for any help! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78241671.tip.html
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Rate It: I have a 6 year old Yorki and he has OCD's. Can anybody help me? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf14545840.tip.html
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Rate It: Is Hulu.com legal? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf50752528.tip.html
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Rate It: Can I start holly hock and columbine seeds now and plant them when they start sprouting this spring? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf85156799.tip.html
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Rate It: We drink dirty martinis on a regular basis, so we are constantly having to buy jars of olives to use the juice. However, we are having to spend tons of money on olives, and not using the whole jar. We end up throwing away whole jars of olives because we used all of the juice and have all of the olives leftover. Does anyone have any idea how to make more juice? Could we add vinegar to the jar, or water and some spices, etc.? Thanks. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf24870266.tip.html
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Rate It: When do dogs have their baby teeth? How long do dogs have baby teeth? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93265407.tip.html
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Rate It: Moisturizer for Dog's Dry Skin Can you use dry skin moisturizer or dry skin lotion for a dog that has dry skin? Thanks. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf74825423.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:
Tips and advice for saving money on cheese.
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Rate It: Maytag Recalls Refrigerators Due to Fire Hazard Hazard: An electrical failure in the relay, the component that turns on the refrigerator's compressor, can cause overheating and pose a serious fire hazard.
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Rate It: Infantino Recalls Infant Toys Due to Choking Hazard Hazard: The infant toys have blue metallic fabric that can detach from the toy, posing a choking hazard to young children.
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Rate It: Hair Dryers Recalled By Big Lots Stores, Inc. Due to Electrocution Hazard Hazard: The hair dryers are not equipped with an immersion protection device to prevent electrocution if the hair dryer falls into water. Electric shock protection devices are required by industry standards for all electric hand-held hair dryers.
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