Daily Thrifty Tips - May 17, 2006

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Fill a barrel with lava rock and use that as your filter for your pond. Your water will stay cleaner longer.

By Teresa from Spencer, WI

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Jett is a 1 Year, 3 Month old German Shephard, Shar-pei, Pit Bull, Chow and Rottweiler. He's our Gerpeibulchoweiler. ;)

I got him at the local Humane Society. Last April. He likes to chase dogs at the doggie park, and hog the pool!

He has every (alleged) mean dog breed in him, and he is the sweetest dog! He loves everyone and everything!

By Sam Gray from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.

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Daily is 14 months now. I went to a pet store to get cat food when she caught my eye.She was so playful and always purring. So I decided to take her home.

She likes to play with her mouse, I throw the mouse and Daisy brings it back to me so I can throw It again and again. Daisy also loves to cuddle in my hair when its time to go to sleep.

By Margarita from Greentown

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I don't know if this one's been posted before but I had another funny joke to share. (It's always funny to hear good ones again...)

Three men on a train noticed that three women had only one ticket between them. They said, "How are you going to travel on one ticket?" One woman said, "Watch and learn."

A bit later, the three women all crammed into a bathroom and when the conductor came around, he knocked on the door and said, "Ticket please!" One single arm extended from the bathroom and he took the ticket and went on his way.

The men thought it was a clever idea after all. On the return trip, the men bought only one ticket for the three of them and noticed that the women didn't buy any.

One man asked, "How are you going to travel without a ticket?" One woman said, "Watch and learn," A while after the trip started, the three men crammed into one bathroom and the three women crammed into another. A few seconds later, one woman came out of the bathroom, knocked on the door of the other bathroom and said, "Ticket please!"

By Stacey from Orem, UT

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Cheap paintbrushes are nice to use to dust hard-to-reach spots like between computer keys, creases in lampshades and so on.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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In order to make full use of the dibs and dabs of food you freeze for later use, it is vital that you label the container with what it is. This seems like the simplest advice in the world, but too often we don't do it, thinking we will remember what it is, but unfortunately, we don't if any time has lapsed at all. Bottom line is that you can't put too much information on a label of a foodstuff you are freezing, particularly if it is a single ingredient. When you make this a habit, your budget and your sanity will appreciate your effort.

By Ronsan from Southwest Missouri

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Make up a CD with songs with where the singer sings a phrase with the word Baby such as "Baby Come Back!" or "Hit Me One More Time." Try to choose songs where the lyrics aren't a dead give away for the title. Have the guests guess what the title of each song is in turn - if they are stuck then they are eliminated from the game. The guest that can name all ten song titles wins.

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Give your guests a piece of paper and a pencil. Ask them to come up with ten songs that have the word "Baby" in them. The guest that comes up with ten songs first wins a prize.

By Hope

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I substitute equivalent amounts of sour cream for milk or other liquid in corn bread recipes. The sour cream makes the finished product taste so much richer and moister.

By Ronsan from Southwest Missouri

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There was a story on out local news about a young lady who thought she was buying a telephone on Ebay and when she received the purchase, she had purchased a box without a phone inside. Shopping on the Web is not always all it's cracked up to be. Sure, it's convenient and you can find some great deals, but that doesn't mean you should let your guard down.

There is a lot of misinformation out there that may seem like it's coming from a reliable source. Take shopping bot sites, for instance. They compile a number of products from different Web sites, and some of these services take payment for listing a product.

How can you protect yourself? As a rule of thumb, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary if the price is extremely low; consider it a red flag indicating that not everything is on the up-and-up with the merchant. In the event of fraud, your credit card will protect you for everything but $50 of your purchase, but $50 is more then I want to like go off with nothing to show for it.

By Bobbie G from Rockwall, TX

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No camping trip is complete without an old, green Coleman stove. This propane-powered stove has kept generations of campers well fed in the most adverse weather conditions. Because they are so common and virtually indestructible, it should be quite easy to find a used one in a second hand shop or the classified section of your local paper.

Now that you've got the stove, the question is, what to cook? The answer is, anything you want as long as it fits in a pot or two.

For the traditional camping meal, nothing beats wieners and beans with toast made on the campfire. Simply open the beans, cut up the wieners and heat them up in a pot on the stove. The toast can be made on the campfire, or if it's raining and you're really desperate, you can use the other burner on the stove to brown the bread a little.

Other easy camping dishes include bacon and/or sausage and eggs, soup, chilli, stew, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese, stir fry and rice, spaghetti and macaroni with cheese.

When planning a camping menu, the thing to keep in mind is the number of perishable items required for each dish. For example, macaroni and cheese requires both milk and cheese, mashed potatoes take milk and grilled cheese needs, well, cheese. In contrast, spaghetti doesn't strictly require beef and stir fry can be made with just vegetables and rice. Stew, chilli and soup can all be heated up out of a can but making up batches yourself and freezing them beforehand makes a better tasting meal, and also means you can eat them later in the week after more perishable meals.

Planning the menu for a week of family camping can be a bit tricky but putting the time in before you set off means you don't have to worry about what is slowly spoiling in the less-than-cold cooler. Instead you can concentrate on the snake your eight year old in intent on "rescuing."

By Marcia Adair

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Apple Face Mask I

Ingredients:

• 1 apple cored and quartered
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of sage

Directions:

Chop apple up in blender. Add in honey and sage, and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Pat the mixture onto face until the honey feels tacky. Leave on 30 minutes and rinse. (for normal skin)

By Ellen Brown

Apple Face Mask II

Mix together the following natural ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 3 T. applesauce
• 2 T. oatmeal
• 1 T. wheatgerm

Directions:

Apply to face. Let dry for 5-10 minutes. Thoroughly rinse and pat dry.

By Patti McKenna

Note: Some recipes are not suitable for sensitive skin. Each person is different, so test on the inside arm or wrist for any possible allergic reactions before using these recipes.

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I need a recipe for a dishwasher cleaner to replace Sun Light Gel. It had dry borax I think.

Thanks,
Corita from Homewood, IL

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I have searched for a "manwich" recipe. My dd loves this, and the other homemade sloppy joes i have tried, she didnt care for. Thank You in advance for all suggestions for these.

jmz2005 from Illinois

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I put white vinegar, baking soda, hot water, ice cubes, etc. into my kitchen sink garbage disposal. The black rubber "fins" covering the unit get grungy with a greasy, dirty-looking film. I've tried cleaning with a vinegar soaked rag which helps some. Does anyone have an easier way to keep this area of the garbage disposal clean? Thanks for help and for a super website.

Mairmie from Alberta, Canada

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I am looking for an easy cream cheese frosting recipe. My family loves cream cheese frosting and I would like to save money on buying it every week. Thank You in advance for all suggestions.

jmz2005 from Illinois

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My husband and I just purchased 2 sets of new luggage, and we need to use them to go on a trip in less than a month and I am wondering how do you get that icky new smell out of them? I don't want our clothes to smell icky when we get there and have to either spend time doing laundry or stinking the whole time. I have tried fabreeze, and i have tried to let them sit with bounce sheets in them, they still smell bad. Can someone please help me so I don't have to return them or not use them?

Thanks,
jennma521 from Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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When I moved into my house in 2000, I had a flawless St. Augustine yard. I choose not to use chemicals so I am looking for a natural recipe or product that will kill weeds and not my grass. The grass is thatchy and has browning spots with more and more weeds every year. I only have used Hasta Gro Lawn Feed so far. It helps some but my yard is getting uglier every year.

Hardiness Zone: 8a

Saradise from Waco, Texas

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How do you rid a dishwasher of a sour type smell? I have tried running it empty with DW soap but it still smells. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Barb from Deer Park, NY

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I've just discovered those wonderful printables for dollhouses. I would like to know what adhesives and sealers to use with the paper flooring.

Pat from Cumberland, MD

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My husband has a pair of white cotton pants that had red wine spilled on them. We tried to put club soda on them which helped some. After 2 weeks (we were on a trip), I put on Spray and Wash and washed them. The stain is faded but still there. Any suggestions?

Taryn from New Zealand

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My husband recently pulled a suit out of the closet (he hasn't worn it in years) and there were many moth holes in it. We noticed a few of the other suits were attacked as well. How can this be prevented? I would prefer not to use moth balls because of the smell.

Taryn from New Zealand

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I really need to buy a new queen size mattress and box springs and have not done this in awhile. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best mattress to buy and where to buy? Thank you for any help!

Debbie from Charlottesville, VA

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I have a fertilized duck egg which I found, but don't no whether it is alive or not. How can I tell?

Holly from England

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My recipe for making chicken broth says to refrigerate the broth and then to remove the fat from the top of the broth when the fat has hardened from being in the refrigerator. I would think that removing the fat would also be removing a lot of the flavor. What do you think about leaving the fat on the top, or just removing some of it? Thanks!

P.J. from Delaware

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Where can I place savings that are safe from creditors?

Mel from Ft. Worth, TX

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My daughter graduates from high school this Sunday and I need to shop for the party. We are serving individual sandwiches, tossed green salad, potato salad, vegetables and dip, a fruit tray, relish tray, assorted chips and cake. Should we include anything else in the menu? And how do I determine how many dollar-roll sandwiches we need for 40 guests? How much chicken salad, ham and turkey should I buy? Of course, I would rather have too much food than not enough... I will be grateful for any suggestions, as I am getting frantic!

THANKS so much!
MissouriMom from Elsberry, MO

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I am wanting to paint my old white Formica Countertops. What do I need to do to prepare it for painting and what are the steps I need to take to have a smooth and shinny finished product. Thank you.

Jennifer from Pensacola, Florida

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How do you fit skirtings to a wall?

Gurth from South Africa

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I am trying to update my wardrobe for winter a bit and have a reaction to wool and wool blend garments. What else can I get besides the fleece lined stuff that just doesn't seem to be smart enough.

Sharylesley from Australia

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My question is pertaining to medicare supplemental insurance. Even though a person has medicare part A and B, a supplemental insurance is necessary (called medi-gap). There is also something called medicare advantage HMO and PPO. I don't know if it would be better to select the medicare advantage plan (whether the HMO or PPO) along with medicare B, or if I would be better off selecting a supplemental plan (medi-gap) like AARP, or what plan to choose. Of course, now there is also medicare part D? What a decision. Does anyone have any advice on what supplemental plan they would choose? Also, I don't really know how the medicare advantage plan works? Thanks for any replies.

P.J. from Delaware

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Our house is about 8 months old and we are having a problem with small grease spots appearing in the water that comes out of the master bath bathtub faucet and sometimes in the shower. It appears floating on the bath water and sticks to the side of the tub. In the shower, it will speckle you and you notice it after you get out. We haven't noticed it in any of the other bathrooms or kitchen. We have two separate water tanks and wonder if it is in the plumbing leading from the one tank to this bathroom. Does anyone know what it could be?

Paula from Dalton, GA

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ThriftyFun is looking for frugal travel guides for destinations all over the globe. Is your home town a good travel destination? Where do you love to travel? Please take a moment and submit a travel guide. By sharing our travel experiences we can help each other travel for less. At the end of September, we will give a $100 prize for the best travel guide we receive and 5 $20 gas cards to the runners up. To submit a frugal travel guide, visit the link below.

Submit a Travel Guide!

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Nobody enjoys the hassle of medical insurance and its paperwork, claims, and denials, yet it's one of those things that one appreciates most when it isn't there. There are ways to save money on those parts of the claims that aren't paid, however. Follow these tips and make the cost of healthcare less stressful. After all, stress isn't good for your health either.

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Great as an appetizer or main meal, these beef-filled cabbage rolls are sure to please.

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Breed Description: The Persian is perhaps the best-known and most easily recognized of the cat breeds today. In appearance, it is a medium-sized cat with a short, compact body, deep chest, muscular shoulders, short, strong legs, and a short powerful neck. The Persian's head is massive and round with small ears, large, expressive eyes and a short snub nose. The cat's coat is dense and long, forming a full mane and a bushy tail.

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Spring is here and that means runoff. Precipitation from melting snow and spring rains that does not naturally soak into the ground flows across impervious surfaces like our rooftops, driveways, sidewalks and streets and picks up a variety of potentially polluting materials along the way. The water then makes its way into our storm sewer systems and is eventually discharged into nearby lakes, rivers, wetlands and waterways. Because stormwater isn't treated before being discharged into these bodies of water, the best way to prevent runoff pollution is to eliminate it at the source.

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