Daily Thrifty Tips - July 1, 2009

Vol. 8, Num. 128, July 1, 2009 (Read It Online) What do you do for frugal entertainment? Post your ideas here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_contest.ldml Be sure to give a "thumbs up" to tips and photos that you like. Thanks for reading, The ThriftyFun Team Send to a Friend! Share a Tip (You could win $25!) Share a Photo (You could win $25!) Have a Question? Submit a request... Link to ThriftyFun.com View Active Topics! Edit Your Subscriptions: To edit your ThriftyFun subscriptions, click the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter. Today's newsletter contains: Today's Photos: Scenery: Castle House (PA) Garden: Tiger Lilies Bumper (Himalayan) Today's Tips: Dispense Bleach Slowly Remembering Usernames and Passwords Corn Starch for Dog's Hot Spots Product Review: Krud Kutter Spray Bottle With Diluted Dish Soap Sharing Garden Flowers New Requests: Ideas for a Law Enforcement Themed Birthday Party Repairing an Air Mattress Lighten Your Hair With Lemon Juice Opening a Sealed Envelope Alternative to Unity Candles Cleaning Your Steam Iron Removing Flarp Putty from Carpet Hard Water Spots on Granite Counters Using Pine Sol as a Disinfectant Getting Antifreeze Out of a White T-shirt Treating Dogs for Worms Buying Friend a Moving Away Gift Writing a Will Without a Lawyer Cigarette Odor on a Microfiber Couch Wiring Requirements for a 30 Amp Dryer Circuit More Reading: My Frugal Life: Recession? What Recession? Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! 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: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml Today's Photos: Scenery: Castle House (PA) This picture I took is near my house. We call it the Castle house. I passed it the one day and got this weird feeling, but the sky and everything was perfect. I changed it up gave it a vintage/old/scary theme. By AlexisVH39 from East Mckeesport, PA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf26907488.tip.html Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Garden: Tiger Lilies Every year my lilies pop out and help my yard look beautiful! By eyes1952 from Western MA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47656907.tip.html Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Bumper (Himalayan) Bumper is a year old Himalayan. We took Bumper in at 8 weeks old, from a breeder. She was going to be euthanized because she was born with no eyes. The breeder felt she would not be sold, or have a quality of life. We felt that she should be given every chance of a fulfilled life. She's our babe! She likes to curl up under the blankets, and cuddles with her big brother Earnhardt (Yellow Lab.) If you would like to know more about cats born with no eyes, please visit a site that is very dear to us. This is a Blind Cat Sanctuary in NC. http://www.blindcatrescue.com/ By ilovegourds from Cheraw,SC Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78215746.tip.html Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Contests: Tip Contest Submit a Tip or Recipe! Photo Contest Submit a tip with photo! These contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25! My Frugal Life Submit a My Frugal Life Essay! Today's Tips: Dispense Bleach Slowly It's so easy to make mistakes with chlorine bleach! So I poke a little hole in the foil on top of the closing of the bottle to give me more control over the flow of the bleach. It makes you more conscious of how much you are using, too. By Pamphyila from LA, CA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf22980749.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Remembering Usernames and Passwords It is hard to remember passwords. When possible (when you are able to select your password), choose a very short word that is easy to remember + a few numbers. For websites, put those numbers within the word. Most websites require 4-6 numbers and/or digits. Then when you go to a website that you have not used in a while you will know about what password you used. For instance take the short word zip + (4 random numbers) you could do something like z45i11p (zip + 5411). I even use this plan with my debit cards and all. The ones that require you to change on a set basis then reorganize the numbers. By notwrong Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf703250.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Corn Starch for Dog's Hot Spots I took my Chow Chow to the vet and he said, she had a hot spot. $102.00 later, and some spray that stung and drove her crazy, and a naked shaved spot she had for months later. I found out I could do the exact same thing with corn starch. Use the regular "make the gravy thick" corn starch from the grocery store. Baby powder with cornstarch works, too, if your doggie suffers from hot spots. Try putting some corn starch on it four or five times a day, or every time you check and it looks a tiny bit wet, for a couple of days. It will dry and scab and heal without your baby suffering, and it`s way cheaper. My Girl has had about 6 of them in the last five years and for every one of them, all we did was use, for a couple of days, Good ole corn starch and she is good as new. Try it, you`ll like it. Source: Experience and a heat rash survivor. Can't live without corn starch. By jantoo1 from Kemp, TX Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf54318240.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Product Review: Krud Kutter Get yourself some "Krud Kutter" all purpose pressure washer cleaner from Lowe's. I purchased it based on another reader's recommendation for cleaning the tub (did a great job, too!). I burned some caramel into a plastic cereal bowl while warming up caramel corn. I let the bowl soak overnight in a solution of Krud Kutter and water. Completely gone! There was still damage to the bowl from the heat, but the stain was gone. I'll be trying this stuff for everything! It's safe for humans, plants and animals. Thanks reader, for the tip. By GrannyGoff from Concord, NC Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94170575.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Spray Bottle With Diluted Dish Soap Use a Spray bottle for diluted dish soap. Need to wash one dish or cup, etc? If you put a little liquid dish soap in spray bottle and fill the rest with water. When you need to wash one dish, give it a couple of sprays. You have enough to do the job, without wasting a lot of soap. Source: We use one in our office kitchen. By Ann from Philadelphia, PA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf88577529.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Sharing Garden Flowers I will call this a friendship tip. My aunt is home bound after being in the hospital and nursing home after several falls. No broken bones thank goodness. She loves to come to see my flowers once each spring or summer. I reported to her how lovely they are this year and took her a bouquet. She really loved the flowers. Last year before the flowers bloomed I went around to every bush, scrub, plant and tree and took pictures of the different color and texture of foliage in my garden. Then as things opened and bloomed, I snapped pictures of the beautiful flowers. And as all of us gardeners know, each flowers has it's own time to be the perfect bloom. Wouldn't it be a great idea to show these to someone, as my aunt, who really loves flowers, on a digital picture frame set up as a slide show? They could see all the plants as they progress throughout the year. If someone is unable to get out of the car and walk around the yard they can still see the pictures of flowers, trees and scrubs as they bloom. You could buy the cheaper memory cards and let them keep one while you are using the other one to snap more pictures. Simply mail or take the new card with new pictures on and exchange them. By Little Suzy Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf83325507.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | New Requests: Ideas for a Law Enforcement Themed Birthday Party I need some tips on planning a law enforcement themed birthday party for my husband. He is a corrections officer. Thank you ahead of time. By Happilymarried2005 from Albuquerque, NM Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77528019.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Repairing an Air Mattress How can I find a leak in an air mattress? By TA townie from Hershey, PA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98370913.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Lighten Your Hair With Lemon Juice My hair is a very dark brown. It is not thin, but not thick. I am thinking of dying my hair with 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 water in a spray bottle. I would spray it all in my hair, stay in the sun for a hour and wash it out. What are my chances of it turning into a disaster or it becoming orange? By nicolexcheer Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf431619.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Opening a Sealed Envelope I forgot to insert a check into an envelope after I sealed it up. Does anyone have any idea on how to loosen the glue? By dejah from Chowchilla, CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf892112.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Alternative to Unity Candles My nephew is having a 4th of July wedding. It will be outside and he wanted to know what to use instead of unity candles because the wind will blow them out. Any other ideas with the same concept? By LisaKay from Stanford, KY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf346316.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Cleaning Your Steam Iron How do I clean the bottom of a steam iron? By tazlady47 from Jackson, MI Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf391237.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Removing Flarp Putty from Carpet How do I get Flarp out of my new carpet? By Ljkirven from Plainfield, IL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf40793823.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Hard Water Spots on Granite Counters We have hard water. How can I remove a narrow hard water ring on the granite around my soap dispenser, as well as in the crevices of my polished nickel faucet? The faucet and granite are two years old and except for cleaning the granite, I haven't done much of anything for their upkeep. I would like to learn how to maintain them, as I also have noticed a hard water stain at the back of my soap dispenser as well. Thanks. By Claireanne from Irvine, CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf16718203.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Using Pine Sol as a Disinfectant When you mop the kitchen floor with Pine Sol and water, does it disinfect the floor of germs and bacteria? By jazzy774 from Pasadena, CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf72384325.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Getting Antifreeze Out of a White T-shirt How do I get antifreeze out of a white t-shirt By HJones74 from MO Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65154142.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Treating Dogs for Worms Is it necessary to treat dogs for worms with Ivomectin, even when they don't have worms or signs of worms? By dogo from Vancouver, WA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf42501106.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Buying Friend a Moving Away Gift My close friend and her husband are moving out of state for the first time. I would like to get her a little moving away happy. Does anyone have any ideas? By brenda23 from Starkville, MS Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93300296.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Writing a Will Without a Lawyer I am looking into making a will. Has anyone had experience with wills, without a lawyer. I'm referring to alternatives such as online wills and forms at Staples, etc. Thanks and God bless. By bb6845 from Summerville, SC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96423148.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Cigarette Odor on a Microfiber Couch How do you remove cigarette smell from a microfiber couch? By debby1957 from NY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf15904701.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Wiring Requirements for a 30 Amp Dryer Circuit Which gauge electrical wire should I use for 220 volt 30 amp? It is about 35 feet from the switch box to the plug for the dryer? By tawakonijohn from TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf30026504.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! 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: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml More Reading: My Frugal Life: Recession? What Recession? It is almost funny to us, to hear these people on the news talking about the recession and how they are losing their homes and can't buy the things they want anymore. I just don't have the sympathy for them I guess. I grew up with money, my parents always keeping up with the Joneses. But we were so unhappy as a family. I decided to do it completely different. Read More: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97730345.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Interactive Coupon Swap! Swap coupons with other ThriftyFun.com users. Seed Swap! Swap seeds with other ThriftyFun.com users.