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Hello!
Happy Friday the 13th :-0. We have a good article by Terry Rigg for those you who are afraid of budgeting. You can find it in the More Reading section. We also have a lot of great feedback today. Thanks for all the contest entries and feedback. Our contest will end on Sunday at midnight, so if you have any tip ideas be sure to submit them on the contest form.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend,
Susan
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Today's Tips
Dawn Power Dissolver for Colored Stains
To get those horrible red koolaide, ketchup or any color stain out of your white countertop - spray on Dawn Power Dissolver - let sit a few minutes, if stubborn use Dawns twirling dish brush and wash up. That easy. It has been wonderful find. Love Dawn. By Prov31Wise
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Save money on Zip lock bags by reusing them. I do not care how big or how small the bag is, I always save them. I make sure I wash them really well, dry them and use them again.
By Renee Bowman
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Removing Paint Stains from Clothing
With any stain, you want to treat it as quickly as possible. If paint is allowed to dry on your clothing it will be more difficult to remove all traces of the stain.
Read the Paint Container
Nearly every paint container is going to have instructions for removing and thinning that particular kind of paint.
Tempera Paint Stains
Carefully scrape off excess paint, being careful not to make the stain much bigger. Pre-treat the stain with cold water and a detergent. I usually use a little Dawn liquid dishwashing detergent and blot it into the stain, being careful not to spread the paint. Then let the garment soak for a while, apply detergent again if the stain persists. Once the stain is removed, wash the garment in warm water (assuming this is washable fabric).
Latex Paint Stains
Latex paint can be really tough to remove once it dries, so try to get to it early. It is water soluble, so if you get to it before it dries you can have some success with just detergent and water.
If there is excess paint, carefully scrape it off with a dull knife. Then blot the stain with a mild detergent (like Dawn) and luke warm water. Then rinse with clean water and repeat the first step if necessary.
Oil Based Paint Stains
Carefully scrape of any excess paint. Blot the stain with a sponge with a small amount Turpentine or whatever solvent the paint can recommends. Then mix one teaspoon of a mild detergent (like Dawn) with a cup of luke-warm water. Blot the stain with this solution. Lastly, sponge with clean water.
Commercial Product
I have had some success using Goof Off for removing paint stains from clothing. Follow the instructions on the container.
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=brandPageProcessor&brandpage=goof
Tip: Remove paint splatters from your hair by rubbing the splatters with baby oil.
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Here's the famous recipe, from the Los Angeles Times California Cook Book:
Ingredients:
Directions
Steam zucchini over a little salted water until crisp-tender. Combine eggs, milk, salt, red pepper, baking powder, flour and parsley. Mix well to remove lumps (I just a balloon whisk to make sure it gives a smooth batter but it mustn't be whipped). Mix well to remove lumps. Add chiles, pimiento and cheese and stir thoroughly. Add steamed, well-drained zucchini and stir gently. Grease a 2-quart casserole and dust with some of the breadcrumbs. Turn zucchini mixture into casserole and sprinkle with remaining crumbs (I also keep some of the cheese back for the top). Dot with butter and bake at 350° for about 55 minutes. Makes 5 (generous) servings.
Enjoy,
Gill
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Homeschooler's Tip: Save Money on Workbook Pages
Instead of making copies of workbook pages, which often infringes on copyright laws, use a page protector. Cut off the left border (with the holes) a little smaller than the page, and slip the sleeve over the page. Use dry-erase markers for mess-free work. This also saves on paper mess and expense, and you don't have to tear the pages from the book. Any text book can be made a workbook in this way! By Elizabeth Cardell
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Prevent Grease From Building Up In Your Oven
You can prevent major over cleaning by periodically wiping the inside of your oven down with straight white vinegar and removing any debris. Then you don't have to introduce nasty commercial oven cleaners or homemade oven cleaners (like ammonia) into your house. In general, a spray bottle with straight vinegar is good to have handy in the kitchen. It's also effective for cleaning grease off the range top.
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Add Your Pennies to Your Savings Account
This will add about $30 every couple months to your savings account: Start saving all your pennies. After you're used to doing that for a while, start saving ALL your change. Then save all your $1 bills. I save all my change and (well okay only some) dollar bills and end up with about $30 (give or take)every couple months to put into my savings account. Where does it come from? I guess it's magic! By Jayne
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Featured Feedback: Uses for old sheets?
1. Use for quilt backing. My husband's favorite quilt is one his great-grandmother made using an old sheet for the backing. All the squares (mostly polyester knit hee hee) were used from worn out clothing. His mother can point to the squares and tell who wore what outfit! ha ha
2. I use them to take to the park to use for a tablecloth if we are eating on the picnic tables or to lay on the ground to sit on.
3. We also keep several in our camping containers to have on hand for whatever need may arise.
4. When I was a kid I remember me and my sister tacking a sheet to the ceiling to divide our room so that we each had our own "private" space.
By Tawnda
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Featured Feedback: Home Remedies for Fleas
A friend of mine sent me this about fleas...we both are having problems with our dogs and cats. Hope this helps!
"Eucalyptus
If you live in an area that has eucalyptus trees growing, you're in luck! Go out and gather some leaves and some of the little nuts that they drop. Crush some of the leaves a little, and put them and some of the little nuts in strategic places around your home (ie behind furniture). Save the rest in a ziploc baggie so they will retain as much of their scent as possible.
Fleas will leave your home. If they come in on your pets, they'll leave because of the eucalyptus. They can't stand it!
Some eucalyptus oil rubbed into your pets' fur helps them, too"
By Marianne
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Featured Feedback: Cleaning My Room!
Oh, do I remember this! Put on some hi-energy music! Break down this task into do-able pieces. Make the bed. Then pick up all clothes and put away properly or put them into laundry. Put shoes in their proper place. Pick up and put away everything school related. Pick up and put away all books or magazines. Take a break (10 minutes) and and have a snack. What is left out in your room. All trash goes in the trash can. Put away any cosmetics where they belong. You should be pretty clutter-free by now. Pick up and put away anything else out of place. Dust. Vacuum. You should be done! Reward yourself! Sometimes it helps to have a checklist of the steps so you can either physically (with a pen or whiteboard marker) check steps off, or mentally check them off. Make copies of your list on the computer or on a small whiteboard.
By Linda
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Featured Feedback: Uses for Laundry Soap Scoops?
1. I saw in a magazine once where they hot glued ribbon, lace, tiny silk flowers, etc. around edges of scoop and some down the handles and filled with treats to hand out at birthday parties as a treat, for kids to give to teachers on holidays, baby shower for mints, etc. Your family could decorate a bunch and take to a senior center or pediatric long term care hospital for kids in the hospital at holidays.
2. I put my beans, rice, flour, sugar, etc. in air tight containers and these scoops work great and I don't have to leave a measuring cup in there.
3. Use to leave in your potting soil bag, plant food, etc. I have recently replaced the old scoops with the newer ones that come in the large Tide boxes that looks like a Pyrex cup.
By Tawnda
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Featured Feedback: Throwing a Baby Shower
Some fun baby shower games that we played at my own shower and my sister's baby shower were:
- Guess the girth - whoever comes closest to guessing how big around the mother-to-be's belly is, wins.
- Baby food tasting contest - this one is especially fun for the men, if you're having a co-ed shower. Get a selection of baby foods, cover up the labels, and do a blind tasting. Whoever guesses the most kinds, wins.
- Mystery words - this is a great ice breaker if most of the guests don't know each other. Write baby-related words on name-tag labels, and as each guest comes in, put one on each person's back. Then that person needs to figure out what word is on his/her back, by asking yes-or-no questions of the other guests about the word. The key is that you can only ask any one person a maximum of three questions. This makes sure that guests have to circulate and ask questions of multiple people.
There are lots of other ideas for baby shower games. There are even books on the subject, but ideas can also be found just by surfing the web (try a Google search on baby shower games).
Oh, and the prizes for the games don't have to be anything huge. We bought some cheap, small baby bottles and filled them with Jelly Bellys, M&Ms, or mini candy bars. Gussy them up with some curly ribbon in the appropriate colors and away you go!
Good luck and have fun!
By Lynne
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Today's Recipe: Baked Meatballs
4 Servings, about 3 meatballs each, plus 4 servings for another meal
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preparation Time:15 Minutes
Cooking Time:10 To 12 Minutes
1. Preheat oven 400 F. Grease baking sheet lightly with oil.
2. Add 1 tablespoon oil and onions to small skillet. Cook over medium heat, until tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Mix remaining ingredients together in bowl; add onions. Mix until blended, using a large serving spoon.
4. Shape beef mixture into 1- to 2-inch meatballs; place on baking sheet.
5. Bake until thoroughly cooked, about 10 to 12 minutes. Note: Serve with spaghetti sauce and in the meatball sandwich.
Per Serving:
Calories 345
Total fat 21 grams
Saturated fat 7 grams
Cholesterol 142 milligrams
Sodium 224 milligrams
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Tip Contest
Submit a thrifty tip or recipe and you could win a prize. Odds of winning are based on the number of entries we receive and you can submit more tips to increase your chances of winning.
Our current prize is: Home Coffee Roasting Kit
This kit includes everything you need to get started roasting coffee at home on your stove, in your oven, or in a hot air popcorn popper. Includes the book Coffee Roasting at Home by Susan Sanders and Fletcher Sandbeck, 1 lb of green, unroasted coffee beans, and coffee bags to store your roast.
New Requests:
Wilton's Candy Melts - What to do with them?
I had the opportunity to purchase several package of Wilton's Candy Melts from the craft store in milk choc, white, lemon flavors at a reduced price. Now I'm not sure how to bake with them. Can they be used like choc. chips etc. or are they more firm and less likely to melt. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you Evie
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Preventing Bed Bugs From Moving Too
I am experiencing the biting also and have been looking up bed bugs. That could be the problem. I am moving into a new place soon and was wondering if anyone knew how to get rid of bed bugs so I don't take them into the new house. Any suggestions? Jennilynn
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Burnt Out on Urban Living, Looking for Advice
We have been living in the NW (Gresham,OR near Portland) but have really wanted to make a drastic change. We live on one income and the pay is really nominal. We are burnt out on urban living and are looking into what other states have better cost of living and real estate prices. For example, here the average 3bed, 1&1/2 bath home will cost about $160,000.00. On our income, we cannot afford that. We know about Habitat for Humanity, but so far they are only building deep into the inner city in bad neighborhoods, just what we don't want, furthermore they are townhomes with no yards. Right now, we can't even afford a single car. I am looking for fresh ideas and suggestion, as well as what other parts of US is like economy wise. Hope I hear from someone. Thanks Elizabeth
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Does anyone have a solution for getting the dye stains that the insides of shoes can leave on nylon hosiery? I've tried so many things--even Clorox, which, of course, was a disaster! I'm tired of wasting money on hose that haven't "run" yet because of icky stains on the feet. Thanks! mommy2ian913
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More Reading
How I Made Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies In Simple, Super Easy Steps
By Kori Puckett
I was sitting there watching one of my favorite tv shows when a cookie craving hit me. As I watched one of the main characters take her chocolate chip cookies off the baking sheet, I drooled at the prospect of some freshly baked cookies.
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The Most Costly Expense of All
By Terry Rigg
Do you think you have a lot of bills? If so, you are probably right. But have you considered the bill that costs you the most each month?
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Golf Club Covers for Dad
By Mary Wilkins
Any golfer would appreciate a new set of golf club covers. They protect the clubs and keep out moisture as well. These directions are easy and quick. You could have a whole set made up in an afternoon.
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"Clean clothes are important to everyone. Getting clothes clean is not hard if the correct methods and laundry products are used. Water and detergent are the basic ingredients for getting clothes clean, so the types of water and detergent used are very important - College of Agriculture and Home Economics New Mexico State University
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Thanks
Susan
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