Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Three, Number 123, September 8, 2004
http://www.ThriftyFun.com
Hello,
We now have over 4,000 tips, articles and recipes at ThriftyFun.com! Which is pretty incredible considering we had under 2,000 at the beginning of the year, and that is after 7 years of publishing. It has been a lot of fun moderating and adding to this site over the last few months. Thank you so much for your contributions.
Looking for Quick Recipes
We have received a few requests from people looking for quick but tasty recipes that don't cost a lot of money. If you have any recipes that are speedy to put together that your family loves, please submit them on our contest form:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/contest.ldml
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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If you are looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem,
submit it here: Click Here
Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Tips:
- Command Cord Organizers
- Oil and Grease Stain Remover
- Memory Jar Gift
- Bleach Sets Rust Stains
- Honey Facial Mask
- Cucumber Dip or Spread
- Preventing Gas in Beans
- Laundry Basket Planters
- Low Calorie Jello Dessert
- Feedback: Keeping Your Home Prepared
- Feedback: How To Save 1/3 off Your Grocery Bill
- Feedback: Looking for Camping Tips and Recipes
- Feedback: Lemonade Iced Tea
- Feedback: Keeping Kitchen Food Staples Stocked
- Today's Recipe: Tasty Cornbread
New Requests:
- Drying and Saving Toadstools
- Migraine Headaches
- Construction Drawing of a Bearchair
- Making a Cake in the Shape of a Car
- Volleyball Craft Ideas
- Recipes Suitable for Diabetics
- Cowboy Western Boat Racing Banquet
More Reading:
- Asparagus Rolls
- Lost Opportunities
- Is Your Water Needlessly Washing Down the Drain?
- Just Peachy Yogurt Soup
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Today's Tips
Command Cord Organizers
I believe frugality is also to be used for time and space as well as money. I live in a mobile home and space is very precious. I have my computer in my living room area and on my computer desk I have put the "Command" Cord Bundlers that has 2 bundlers with medium strips and each holds 2 lbs.
I put the two on the inside of my desk just far enough apart to hold a grocery plastic bag. This way I don't have to have a separate waste basket around. It doesn't come off the loops until you want it to because the loops slide into itself. The command hooks and bundlers are a great buy because you can move them without damage to the wall or wherever you put them. They usually come with at least one set of tabs that make them removable; and they do sell replacement liners.
By Sheila S
Editor's Note: You can find more information about Command products on 3M's website:
http://www.3m.com/US/home_leisure/command/
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Oil and Grease Stain Remover
Here is a homemade stain remover recipe for washable fabrics.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon glycerin
1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing soap (I like normal Dawn dishwashing liquid)
8 tablespoons water
Directions:
Put ingredients in a jar or plastic squeeze bottle and mix. Apply this mixture direction to grease and oil stains on washable fabrics. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and rinse it out. Wash as usual once the stain is removed.
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Memory Jar Gift
You can create a "Memory Jar" for a special friend or relative. Take a pretty jar and fill it with small cards on which you have neatly written (or typed) your memory of a shared experience. Add photos, ticket stubs, etc. if you have any. By Lisa Trudeau
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Bleach Sets Rust Stains
Do not use bleach to get out rust stains. It sets rust. Watch those cleaners with bleach additives. By Diamondee
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Honey Facial Mask
Use honey as a facial mask for moistuizing and tightening pores. You could warm it slightly in the microwave, but I don't. I just pat it on, leave on for about 10-15 minutes and rinse off. It smells good and you can lick your lips for a nice treat while you give yourself a facial. By Gloria
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Cucumber Dip or Spread
-2 (8oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
-1 large cucumber (minced)*
-1 medium onion (minced)
-1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
-3/4 t. salt
Beat cream cheese till smooth. Stir in rest of ingredients. Chill. Serve with cut veggies, crackers or on breads as finger sandwiches.
* Peeling the cucumber is optional. I've had it both ways. I personally think it's a prettier dip/spread with the cucumber peeled and with 1-2 drops of green food coloring added.
By Terri H.
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Preventing Gas in Beans
To prevent gas formation from dried beans, add fresh ginger slices to the soaking water. Discard the water and ginger before cooking. Also helps to add new fresh ginger slices to the cooking water. (adds a nice snappy taste also). By Carolyn Choi
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Laundry Basket Planters
Today I was driving by someone's home and saw what I thought were pretty white "pillars" down the side of their driveway with gorgeous plant boxes sitting inside of them hanging down over the sides of the "pillars". As I got closer, I noticed that these were all just plain white laundry baskets with the decorative air holes in the sides. The planter boxes sat perfectly inside of them and hung over the sides. A neat idea! I am sure they placed stones on the bottoms to weight them down as well. By Tawnda
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Low Calorie Jello Dessert
Here is a nice, inexpensive, low calorie dessert. Use any flavor sugar free jello and instead of the cold water add one 8 oz. container of non fat yogurt (any flavor will do). I usually try and coordinate the jello flavor with the yogurt flavor, for example: strawberry jello with strawberry yogurt. You can also add any fruit like fruit cocktail, canned pears, peaches, or pineapples. Add the called for amount of hot water and refrigerate till ready.. Happy eating. By joesgirl
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Feedback: How To Save 1/3 off Your Grocery Bill
When you have a retail store, you look at your space and what is stored there as cost of capital - meaning, if it's not on the sales floor being sold, it's money you've already spent but not earning anything from. The same goes with food you are going to eat this week and food you are storing for two months down the road.
We have looked at the cost of owning, running, and filling a freezer compared to the cost of actual fresh food. We have found that we only spend about $300 a month for a family of four buying and cooking fresh foods. We are two adults and two teenagers.
A freezer and all its foods and running costs were far more in the end - too much cost of capital for us. When we lived in Alaska, an extra freezer was a great idea because going to the store was a hassle and you needed to stock up for a season at a time. Also the freezer never turned on about 6 months of the year, saving electricity costs.
We now live in Arizona so it's not so feasible. Folks need to really look at the costs and they also need to decide whether they really want to eat a lot of old food or eat fresh food.
By rabbithorns
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Feedback: Looking for Camping Tips and Recipes
Two things I love to take camping is a Coleman gas camp stove and a Coleman lantern. The ones I've used take Coleman fuel, much like unleaded gas for autos (but don't try to cheap out and substitute). Also a decent manual coffee pot, a couple of good sharp knives, a couple of pots and a skillet. If you plan to hike to your campsite these things may not be useable for you.
One suggestion is to carry a notepad and pen in your pocket for a day or two at home and jot down things you use that you just don't want to be without. Also consider where you plan to camp and what you can expect to be available there. Is there a good water source? If not either carry your own or bring some purification tablets with you. Alternately you can boil available water before use if you're not sure about it.
There are lots of variables depending on where you are going, how you get there, and how long you plan to stay. Two things I always bring are containers (plastic bags, etc.) to take my trash away in, and a good pistol. If it was an area one might expect to encounter bears and such I'd also have a good rifle.
By Alph
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Feedback: Lemonade Iced Tea
Joesgirl is so right, this is such a delicious beverage! Something else you can do that is similar is make your own "snapple" drinks, 1/2 iced tea and 1/2 any other kind of fruit juice. Yum Yum!
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Feedback: Keeping Kitchen Food Staples Stocked
This is a great idea, and can also be a big money-saver. My Mom used to catch certain things on special and load up on them. When a local store had a really good deal on her brand of coffee, chicken broth, mayonaise, bathroom tissue, etc. she'd usually buy their limit. If they were already out of stock she'd get a rain check and load up when they restocked.
I picked up the habit and it saves money and keeps me from running out of the essential stuff. It's extra nice when you win twice!
By Alph
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Other Active Topics
Be sure to check out our active topics page to follow the discussion.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/board.html
Today's Recipe:
Tasty Cornbread
Nothing better than hot cornbread with soup or chili.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
Preheat over to 400F.
Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan
Sift flour, cornmeal, baking powder, surgar and salt into a mixing blow. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk and oil.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients until they are blended
Pour mixture into the baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. It is finished when the top is slightly browned with the bread is seperated from the side of the baking pan.
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Tip Contest
New Contest! Submit a tip and you could win:
Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
By Deborah Taylor-Hough
Frozen Assets is small in stature, but jam-packed with meal-planning advice. It contains recipe ideas, plus detailed instructions on how to get the maximum value from your food dollar, while also slashing meal preparation times.
Enter the contest!
New Requests:
Drying and Saving Toadstools
Hi, Does any one have any ideas on how to dry and save toadstools? I am working on baskets made from twigs and I thought the toadstools would make a nice decoration. Pauley
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Migraine Headaches
My daughter has very bad migraines. Has anyone found any thing that helps? Thanks
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Construction Drawing of a Bearchair
Hello, I'm trying to find a construction drawing of a bearchair. Over here, in Holland, I can not find one. Can somebody help me out? Peter
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Making a Cake in the Shape of a Car
I want to make a cake that is in the shape of a car or race car for his 1st birthday party! I am going to use the little diecast cars as the theme and I am needed some ideas on how to make a cake in the shape of a car! I have never done this before and I would love to have any ideas that you have to give me! Thanks!! Erricka
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Volleyball Craft Ideas
Does anyone have any neat craft ideas regarding high school volleyball? Either to make or bake, whatever!
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Recipes Suitable for Diabetics
I'm also interested in recipes suitable for diabetics. Anyone else? Many Thanks, Susan from Edmonds
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Cowboy Western Boat Racing Banquet
We are having a year end banquet for our boat racing association and our theme this year is cowboy or country western. Is ther eany fun and inexpensive ways to decorate using both the speed boat theme and the western theme? - Candice
View Article: Click Here
Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit
your request here: Click Here
More Reading
Asparagus Rolls
Have you ever fried several bacon strips just because you needed the grease for seasoning? This is one of my favorite recipes and it will utilize any unused cooked bacon. These rolls go especially well with red-sauced Italian food. -jonid
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Lost Opportunities
By Gary Foreman
Sometimes it's helpful to take a concept out of it's original environment and see how it fits someplace else. Today we're going to examine an economic theory and see how it might apply to our personal lives.
View Article: Click Here
Is Your Water Needlessly Washing Down the Drain?
By Debbie Dahmen
If you take one five-minute shower a day, wash one load of clothes; brush your teeth twice a day, shave your face or legs once, use the dishwasher once, and flush the toilet 8 times in any given day you have used nearly 50 gallons of water. Multiply that by 365 days and you have used over 18,000 gallons of water in a year. That doesn't include what you use to water your garden.
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Just Peachy Yogurt Soup
Here is a delicious recipe I found in the book "Desperation Dinners!". This would be such a refreshing dish on a hot summer day!
View Article: Click Here
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Thanks
Susan
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