Daily Thrifty Tips - March 21, 2007

Bunny Hat from Cereal Box

Here's a fun project for every "bunny".

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Elvis Has Not Left The Building

This is a picture of my youngest Grandson, Andrew, 19 months old. He found a pair of children's sunglasses and would not take them off. He wore them around all afternoon! Also his hair is all pouffed up from his nap!

We named The Picture; "Elvis Has Not Left The Building"

By Jackie from Norton, Massachussetts

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Bunny Napkin Ring

This project is sure to put a smile on the face of each and every dinner guest.

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Remembering Faith (Australian Shepherd)

Faith was a 2 1/2 year old Australian Shepard. My son got her as a puppy.

She loved to fetch balls and run through the field. She was such a sweet dog and wonderful companion. She was hit by a car about 3 weeks ago and our whole family misses her so. Pets are such a joy and the shelters are full of dogs and cats that would love a new home of their own. Please give a new pet some love and appreciate the ones you have!

By Sharon Young from Benton, AR

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Sugar For Facial Scrub

Instead of paying for expensive facial dermabrasion scrubs, I use fine granulated sugar! Pour your usual amount of your favorite facial cleanser into the palm of your hand, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar, rub hands together, then wash/scrub your face gently. I also add sugar to my bath gel and voila, a full body scrub. Plus, use it each time you wash your hands. Your skin will feel wonderfully soft and smooth!

By Fran

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Use Colorful Stickers On Luggage

Since so many bags look alike nowadays, we put colorful stickers from a local store (a marine supply one, actually) on our luggage to identify them on the luggage carousel.

By Pamphyila from Los Angeles

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Pets and Emergencies

Many of us live in areas where there are earthquakes, floods and tornados. I live in an earthquake/flood/lahar zone. Sometimes, we may be forced to evacuate to a safer place. If you have a cat like I do, and need to grab them quickly to take them to a safe place or shelter, they usually have a mind of their own. Most times they won't come when called (especially if they are afraid). Recently I was on a website that has ideas for dealing with pets in an emergency. Here are 3 that I found especially useful for dogs and cats:

1. Every time you feed your pet: Make a special noise or whistle. This way he will remember that "special noise" and know he's going to receive food. This way, if you need to grab your pet in a hurry to remove them from danger, you simply make that same noise and he will come running and you can take him to a safe place, away from danger! (Also: Remember, the electric can opener will not work if there's no electricity, so if your pets come running when they hear it, use another sound!)
2. All of us should have a Pet Carrier. Many pets think they are going to the Vet when they see us get out the pet carrier, this can really scare them! To re-condition their minds to think "happy thoughts" when they see the pet carrier, do this: When you feed them, make the "special noise" (from above), then put their bowl of food in the pet carrier and walk away (so they won't think you are going to shut the door on them). If you feed your pet in the pet carrier daily, they will begin to feel good about the carrier and it will make it easy to get your pet into their carrier in an emergency with minimal trouble!
3. Every pet should have his or her own pet carrier. If you have cats that usually get along well with each other, you might be able to get by with buying only one medium-large size carrier. (but remember, we never know what they will do in an emergency!) It's best to have a carrier for EACH animal we have in our family. They always say to get a carrier that's just big enough for the animal to "turn around in". But after reading up a bit on pets in emergencies, I found that it's important for cat's have a carrier that is big enough to also fit a cat-box in it.

We saw what happened to pets during "Katrina"... So, don't wait until it happens! Read up NOW so you'll know what to do BEFORE it happens! The top URL is the best, it has information not only about what to do afterwards, but also, what pets do to warn us before an earthquake.

If you leave for a shelter and can't find your pet. Be sure to leave lots of water for it and post an emergency phone number on your front door, in case someone finds your pet and check back at home daily if possible.

Remember, in a fire, Just GET OUT, and get your family out. Leave a door open for your pets to escape. They will know what to do! Be sure to post a sicker on your door or window so the fire department will know you have pets and how many. (these are available at most fire departments)

Here are several Great URL's for dealing with animals in emergencies:

• www.cyberpet.com
• www.millennium-ark.net
• www.govlink.org/3days3ways/pets

If you have any stories or tips that could help us animal lovers know what to do in emergency situations. Please post them here!

Cyinda from near Seattle

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Can I Bake Bacon?

A reader asked if you could bake bacon. Here are the responses we received from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own bacon techniques below.

Cooling Rack in Cookie Sheet

This is the correct way. Take a cookie cooling rack the same size as a cookie sheet. Place cooling rack on top of the sheet and cook the bacon at 350 to 400 degrees F about a half hour. 400 degrees F seems to cook it too fast and you still end up with a lot of oil in the meat. I've done it at 325 degrees F for an hour and it comes out nice too. Good Luck!

By Barry

Start With Cold Oven

Bacon should be put in a cool oven and brought to 400 degrees F, then baked until desired crispiness. The reason is this will help bake the fat out first, then it's simply a matter of cooking the meat that's left.

Jelly Roll Pan

For one pound of bacon: Use two foil lined jelly roll (15 1/2 x 10 x 1 inch) pans (easy clean-up), bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Depending on the type of bacon, the time will vary.

I lay the bacon close together since it does shrink as it cooks. Remove from oven, when bacon is cooling off in pan, I tilt the pan, by carefully using oven mitts or pot holders. I double up with the mitts or pot holders on one end of the pan so the pan is tilted. This way the bacon grease will drain off somewhat. I do this with whatever needs draining from the oven.

Just be careful when handling a hot pan. Remove bacon and drain on a dish lined with paper towels. Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers. Also, whenever I use this method, my smoke alarm will go off. So, I have to crack my kitchen window, and turn on my ceiling fan.

By mkymlp

Check Package Directions

You can bake bacon. That is the only way I do it because I hate being burned by the splattering grease. Usually the directions are right on the back of the package but if not, 350 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes usually does it.

By Corinna

Use Broiler Pan

I put the slices of bacon on my broiler pan, cook at about 300 degrees F so all the grease will fall through the slats in the pan.

By dsbaby14

Cooking Tips

It's simple. 400 degrees 15 minutes. Remember it keeps cooking once you pull it out of the oven. That's the way they do it in restaurants.

By Gary

Sugared Bacon

I place a metal cooling rack (for cookies or cakes)into a foil lined jelly roll pan, and bake my bacon on top of the rack. Fat drips through. For extra yummy "sugared bacon" sprinkle brown sugar liberally on top of bacon before baking at 400 degrees F for 20 mins. Sweet, yummy and delish!

By Theresa

Jelly Roll Pan

Bake in a 400 degree oven on a jelly roll pan. A whole pound will fit on the pan. Keep moving it to not let it stick together. It will cook in about 20 minutes. Works wonderful. Left overs I put in a ziploc bag in the freezer.

By quickcooker

Cookie Sheet Technique

Squish up some aluminum foil, put it on a cookie sheet. Lay out the bacon on the foil, bake at 350 degrees F until it is the crispness you want. The leftover bacon can be put in a ziplock bag for other uses or breakfast the next day.

Enjoy!

By Jose

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Preparing Your Soil to Avoid Tomato Blight

If you have a problem with tomato plants contracting a blight that starts at the bottom and works its way up until the plant is dead, or even the beginning of a blight, you need to cook your garden bed. Once tomatoes are infected, they cannot be helped. The key is solarizing the soil to kill the bacteria before they get to the plants. As soon as you can work the soil, turn the entire bed to a depth of 6 inches, then level and smooth it out. Dig a narrow 4 to 6-inch deep trench around the whole bed and thoroughly soak the soil by slowly running a sprinkler over it for several hours.

Cover the bed with a clear, heavy plastic painters drop cloth. Lay the edges of it in the trench and cover with soil to keep heat from escaping. The sun should heat the area for at least 6 weeks. The longer you leave the cover in place, the better. In the meantime, try growing some of those new verticillium and fusarium-resistant varieties in another location, or in containers of sterile potting soil, as you let your infected tomato bed cook.

This gardening information comes from Veggie Grow How, by Glen O. Seibert, "The Greenman". http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/podcasts.aspx

By Connie from Oden, Arkansas

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Sugar Under Your Pillow - A Joke

Question: What do you get if you put some sugar under your pillow?

Answer: Sweet dreams!

All the best.

By Abdul from India - Andhra Pardesh - Hyderabad

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Make Your Own Balloon Clown

You take one pink coloured balloon, one card sheet and some colorful paper and things for decoration. Cut eyes and nose out of black paper and lips of red coloured paper, paste on (blown up) balloon and wait to dry. Take your card sheet of any colour and make one cone shape hat for your clown and decorate it. Paste it on the balloon head and your own clown is ready.

By Suffah from Karachi

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Getting Schools Supplies When School Gets Out

When school is out, it is a great time to stock up on folders, spiral bound paper or ring binders, if you don't mind dumpster diving. The last day of school a lot of kids don't want the burden of things to take home and all kinds of resusables go into the trash.

Why shouldn't you or I benefit from it? :)

By Veronica from Sedalia, Missouri

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"Pinch a Penny Till It Screams" Reviews

I would like to ask if anyone has read the book "Pinch a Penny Till It Screams" and if they could give a recommendation as to whether it is worth purchasing or not. My very small public library doesn't have a copy to rent, and in order to buy it, I would have to buy it from the internet without being able to look at it first; I don't want to waste the money buying this book if it won't be helpful.

Paula from Christmas, MI

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Covers for Baby Wipe Containers

Where can I order those covers used to cover baby wipe containers. I have Clorox Disinfectant wipes in each bathroom and I would like to cover the outside?

Onesummer

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Advice About Peeing Cat

I have a 7 year old female Seal Point Himalayan. She has been fixed. She is constantly peeing on my couch and near my wooden furniture. She doesn't seem to have a UTI. She does use the cat box. I was wondering if any one knew what could be wrong with her.

Dawn from Lisbon Falls, Maine

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Hot Water Cornbread

I would like a recipe for hot water cornbread that makes it crispy (not hard) on the outside and cooked on the inside. Please be specific with cooking directions. I have tried to make this several times and I am doing something wrong. Thanks so much!

TexasDarling from East Texas

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Solutions for Slippery Vinyl Tile

The floor in our new townhouse has some slippery spots. Two people have already fallen and we were hoping to use this space as a rec. room, so we need to stop the slipping! I've tried cleaning it with soap and then with vinegar, but it's still incredibly slippery. The floor is vinyl tile. Does anyone know how to make my floor less slippery?

Trix from Toronto

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Decorating a Powder Room

I am trying to decorate my guest powder room. It is kind of small with a pedestal sink, toilet and 1 towel bar. I am looking for a little floor cabinet or etagere, something simple, to store things in i.e. cleaning supplies, lotions, toilet paper, etc. Do you have any suggestions?

Onesummer

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Removing Permanent Marker

Permanent Marker on Car Upholstery: We purchased a "new to us" car this past weekend and one of our foster kids accidentally marked the seats and the back of the seat with a permanent marker. (I did not know she had the markers). We have read a lot about getting permanent markers out of clothes the top runner appears to be hairspray. Which we are going to try. Does anyone have any other suggestions since we can't just throw it in the wash after treating it?

Thank you,
Heidi from Port Orchard, WA

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Selling Empty Juice Pouches

I have Capri Sun pouches that are cleaned and ready for craft use. Do you think I could sell them? I would only want a little money for them plus the postage. Is there a market?

Bonnie from Martinsburg

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Bugs on Geisha Girl Plants

I have 2 geisha girl plants that seem to have got what looks like tiny black bugs on its leaves. How do i get rid of them and will it spread to other plants? How do I get my heabes to flourish, they just don't look like they are growing.

Skye from South Australia

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Water Spots on Bathroom Fixtures

How do I get water spots off shower handles and faucets?

Kimberly

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Deodorant Stains On Clothing

Deodorant Stains on Black Fabric: How can I remove underarm deodorant stains from black fabrics without fading or shrinking? The shirts in question are cotton (although there is one that is more of a poly/spandex) and have been washed several times with residue still remaining.

Jeannette from Rexburg, ID

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Cleaning Microfiber Furniture

A microfiber couch is being given away but has been in a barn for a few months and the previous owners cat threw up on it. How hard is it to clean and remove smells from microfiber furniture?

Barb from Hot Springs, SD

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Substitution for Self-Rising Flour

Can I use plain flour and baking powder instead of self rising flour?

Patsy from Tilsworth, United Kingdom

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Weed Killer for Flower Beds

Can I use a weed killer in my flower bed?

Hardiness Zone: 5a

Dave from Kansas City

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What is Matzo?

Can anyone tell me, what is matzo?

Nicole from Canada

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Making Canvas Wine Bags

I've seen some canvas wine bags with handles. Does anyone know how to make them or any suggestions?

Milena from Canada

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Yellow Dust In My House (Update)

I have yellow dust throughout my whole house. It even turns my carpets yellow. If you spray the carpet with water it makes it white. But it is not just on the surface of the carpets. It took me 13 hours to scrub 2 rugs until the yellow was all gone. I scrubbed them with a brand new steam cleaner that heats the water and I put hot water in the machine. My hot water gets to over 130 degrees. I don't usually open my windows. I really do not think it is pollen.

I cleaned everything in November and have not opened my windows since then, and everything still is turning yellow again. No one wears shoes in my house, so it is not from outside. The dust is on everything. My heating vents have been cleaned twice in the past 5 years. It didn't help at all. I have also had my rugs professionally cleaned and that didn't help either. I want to know what it is and what causes it? It drives me crazy that I clean the whole house so well and no one wears shoes in my house, yet the white carpets I have look dirty because of this yellow stuff - whatever it is.

I have enclosed a picture of my white carpet when I moved my couch. You can see it is white where the legs of the couch sit, and where i went over it with a steam cleaner. where most people walk it not so yellow because it comes off onto peoples socks. I do not have any plants in my house. I am a very bad gardener and can not keep anything alive.

SHERRYLYNN from Hamburg, NY

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Oak Cabinets With Hardwood Flooring

I have oak cabinets and oak hardwood flooring the kitchen. What color paint would look good on the walls?

Robin from Litchfield, Ohio

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Scuff Marks on Pergo Flooring

What do I use to remove scuff marks from Pergo flooring?

Cheryl from San Diego, CA

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Lilac Bush Near a Septic Tank

I had planted a beautiful lilac bush 3 years ago 4 feet from our septic tank not really thinking about how big it would get. This bush had gotten huge and growing twice as fast as all the other beautiful lilac's I have around the house, my only concern is what is the root system like? I am concerned that the roots have gone into our septic tank. How do they root? Can I move such a big bush now?

Hardiness Zone: 6b

Kelly from Vancouver island, BC

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Boiling a Perfect Egg

How do you boil the perfect egg? I never can do it, either I don't boil them long enough, or to long and the shells peel off easily.

Lisa from Sheboygan, WI

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Weeping Cherry Tree Not Flowering

I've had a weeping cherry tree for about three years now. It was transplanted, and it was about 8 or 9 feet tall then. There were leaves on the tree, midsummer, I believe. She's done well ever since then except for the fact that every year up until this year she's bloomed about 5 blooms total each season. Last year she only bloomed 3 flowers. This year she's not bloomed at all, but she's putting out big beautiful leaves like always and growing like crazy. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hardiness Zone: 6a

Kelly from Greeneville, TN

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Cleaning CD and DVD Players

I need to know how to go about cleaning DVD's and DVD/CD players. I am afraid dust or some kind of particles may have entered mine since it does't want to play. It is not very old.

Thank you,
Joan from CT

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Claiming The Child Tax Credit

With the Child Tax Credit, you may be able to reduce the federal income tax you owe by up to $1,000 for each qualifying child under the age of 17.

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Inexpensive Easter Baskets
By Tawra Kellam

Easter is a great time of the year to celebrate. Here are some ideas for Easter gifts. Try some of them and if the creative juices start flowing, make up some of your own!

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Credit For Retirement Savings Contributions

If you make eligible contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan or to an individual retirement arrangement, you may be able to take a tax credit.

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5 Great Books For Gardeners
By Ellen Brown

With gardening comes a learning curve that can never be surmounted so long as you keep gardening. It doesn't matter how much you know, there's always something new to learn. As an avid reader and junior scientist (all gardeners are amateur, if not reluctant scientists), my bookshelves are overflowing with dozens of books devoted to various gardening-related subjects, including a handful of field guides on insects and trees, and several dusty botanical textbooks left over from college. There never seems to be any absolute truths when it comes to gardening (at least not for long), so we can always look forward to a constant stream of new books filled with new and better ways to garden. Here are a few of my favorites-some old and some new-in no particular order.

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