Daily Thrifty Tips - June 20, 2007

Volume Six, Number 120, June 20, 2007 (Read It Online) I hope everyone is having a nice week. The weather has been beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest. Here's today's featured request... Sharpening a Can Opener I have a hand held can opener which has gotten very dull. Does anyone have tips for sharpening the blade? TIA. Laine from Boston, MA Post Feedback Here Thanks for reading, Susan 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: The Aroma of a Fragrant Tea Rose Venom (Toy Shih-tzu) Paper Bag Puppet Hamburger Cake Today's Tips: Replace Vent Covers Right Away Use Shredded Mail For Packaging Material Copying Recipes or Articles from Waiting Room Magazines Spider Dogs For Campfire Cooking Recycle Junk Mail Immediately Pack Away Camping Supplies Together Liquid Bait Ant Killer (Happy Update!) Keeping Bunnies Cool Pen Around Your Neck for Shopping A Remedy for Ants in the Hummingbird Feeder New Requests: Using Sheets as Curtain Liners Where can I buy rolls of quarters? Deformed Cucumbers Sara Lee Coffee Cake Recipe Recipes Using Mashed Potatoes Movie Memories Float Ideas Watering Tips for Flowers Using Bleach as a Weed Killer Sharpening a Can Opener Mouth Retainers Dropped in a Trash Can Kittens With Diarrhea VCR Not Working on a TV/VCR Combo Making Good Brown Rice Ink on a Matte Finish Wall Ink Stain on a Sweater Keep Racoons Out of Your Pond More Reading: How to control Ants Without Poison 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: The Aroma of a Fragrant Tea Rose This is a picture of my first rose blossom; it is an exquisite tea rose that has a fragrance that surpasses any perfume fragrance. After a rainfall, the fragrance of the rose permeates the air of our deck and is so pleasant to step out on the back porch and smell the sweet aroma of roses. I also have lemon mint in a pot and the fragrance of mint in the air after a rainfall is so refreshing and soothing. By WandaJo from Tennessee Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf64813737.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Venom (Toy Shih-tzu) Venom is 1 year and 1 month old. He is a Toy Shih-tzu. We got him a year ago, he was the runt of the litter (of a toy shih-tzu breed, you would never know it though, the little monster is 11 pounds!) And no one wanted him :( He likes to attack the kitty cat, and play in the bath tub. He loves being dressed up in his security jacket. :P He is a spoiled brat, he refuses to sleep on anything but satin, and he is vicious. By Annabelle from Gilbert, AZ Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf51424858.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Paper Bag Puppet By Mara Rivet Supplies: Your imagination Paper lunch sack Paper Pencil Pens And or crayons Glue stick or glue Scissors Instructions: Outline or draw your head (you can trace the basic shape from a picture book too.) Outline or draw a basic body shape and or feet. Cut these out and color them in. Paste them to the paper bag putting the head on the bottom of the bag. You can experiment cutting your face in half so that the mouth opens at the fold of the bottom. By Mara Rivet from Seattle WA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12514149.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Hamburger Cake Here are instructions for making a cake that looks like a giant hamburger! View Instructions: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77382939.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | 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: Replace Vent Covers Right Away We recently did a bunch of work on our house. We moved in about 5 years ago and needed to replace the kitchen floor and paint the main rooms. We also had the windows and doors replaced, including the sliding glass patio door in the dining room. Well, after a couple of weeks of having the house torn up, we were finally able to get it all put back together. We were looking for new heater registers for our floor vents in the dining room and didn't keep the old rusted and ugly one. Well, long story short, I put the leg of our dining room chair too close to the vent and it fell in. This caused the chair to collapse (with me in it) and the back was shoved with some force into the sliding glass door. Thank goodness for safety glass! I went out and bought a new register that evening. I was able to call the company that had just installed the new door and they sold me the replacement slider for about $200.00. An expensive mistake. My husband made sure the smoke alarm went up later that night too, just in case. Jess in Portland, OR Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41242759.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Use Shredded Mail For Packaging Material Instead of throwing out your mounds of shredded mail and documents, keep them in plastic trash bags (which will keep them dry and clean) and use as shipping package stuffing when needed. The plastic trash bags will still be reusable :-) "Pay It Forward" By Deeli from Grand Rapids, Michigan Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf37163485.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Copying Recipes or Articles from Waiting Room Magazines Whenever I'm in an office that I have to wait and there are magazines to look at, I check them out, usually the ones that have money saving ideas or recipes. If there's something I would like to read later or a recipe I would like to have, I kindly ask the receptionist if they could copy the page for me. (haven't received a no as of yet) That way you're not taking something that isn't yours and you can walk out with it in your hands. By LRP from LWL, MA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27257165.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Spider Dogs For Campfire Cooking Don't make plain old hotdogs over the fire when you are camping, make SPIDER-DOGS! Place hot dog on a flat surface. At one end, cut lengthwise all the way through to about 1/3 of the way up the hot dog. Give a quarter-turn and cut all the way through again (if you looked at it head on, you would see a cross-cut). Do the same to the other side. Put the stick through the uncut centre of the dog and roast over the campfire. The 'legs' will cook first and curl up making a 'spider dog'. Kids love these! By Catherine B from Ottawa Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf37083206.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Recycle Junk Mail Immediately Take all junk mail directly to the recycle bin. Saves you time and mess. Also put any catalogs or magazines which you no longer want in the recycle bin as well. By Carol from Massachusetts Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf31554630.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Pack Away Camping Supplies Together I place all the little things for camping in marked totes and keep them packed so that I am not trying to hunt everything down when needed. This also keeps me from paying for things again when they can not be located. Any items that do need replenished can be done before putting the totes away before it is forgotten that it is needed. By Lisa from Clarksburg, WV Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48878830.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Liquid Bait Ant Killer (Happy Update!) I've been looking for the ant poison that is a liquid in a small bottle - price is $2.00 (Liquid Bait Ant Killer). Finally found a store that wasn't sold out. OMG! This stuff works. You put a couple of drops on a small square of cardboard, and put it where the ants are located. It's like feeding time at the zoo 'round here. I've been replenishing as the ants have been draining the drops. I don't know if it needs a fresh application daily, as that is exactly what I've been doing 3 times per day because of the usage rate. I am sure glad I finally found it at a store. Got it at Minyard's grocery - and I know, there aren't many of them around any more. I have seen it or something similar (and should've purchased, but didn't need to at the time) at Dollar General, Home Depot, and Kroger. A friend of mine used it years ago and always keeps it in the house 'just in case'. Not for fire ants nor carpenter ants. Too bad. By Holly from Richardson, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf17006280.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Keeping Bunnies Cool The post "Pupsicles for dogs" gave me an idea I'd like to share. Rabbits cannot take the heat too well in the summer, especially those in hutches located in areas where the shade does not cover them all day. Move them to a full shade location or make a bigger piece of plywood to place on top. Have enough to overhang, just about 6- 12 inches over the edges to create more shade. Also to keep your bunny cooler and treated to a treat you might use this method, freeze some alfalfa and hay in some water in ice trays or small freezer bags that have been place in a container to freeze. When frozen, you can remove from container and stack in freezer. In summertime, you might think about offering it daily or often as possible. DO NOT feed rabbits iceberg lettuce unless you want to have a very sick bunny! There are other types of lettuce that you should use, so read up on this online via rabbit groups or at the library. I love to keep a bunny rabbit healthy and cool. By Dianna from Garland, Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41831089.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Pen Around Your Neck for Shopping I purchased a special pen which attaches to a lanyard around my neck. I bring it with me when I go shopping to make sure I (a.) cross everything off my list and therefore do not miss anything, and (b.) never lose my pen. By Nik Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf840007.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print A Remedy for Ants in the Hummingbird Feeder Since summer is here, I'm sure a lot of people have hummingbird feeders. Well here's an idea of how to keep ants out. If you have the feeder hanging from a small pole, go out and buy the sticky paper that catches flies and wrap it around the pole. It works great. You could also use contact paper, it is much prettier. Just put the paper on with the sticky side out. No more ants. By Sandy from Bluff City, TN Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf548947.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Friends of ThriftyFun Dear Webby's Humor Letter Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter. Webby now has a blog, read his latest newsletter as well as back issues here: http://webby.com/humor/blog/ More Information: http://webby.com/humor New Requests: Using Sheets as Curtain Liners I need help with exact method of using white sheets as lining for curtains made from bedsheets. Janet from Delaware Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf11420165.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Where can I buy rolls of quarters? Can anyone tell me where I can buy a roll of quarters for the laundromat? Bhole from Houston, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf54285725.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Deformed Cucumbers What causes deformed cucumbers? Hardiness Zone: 8a Linda from Charlotte NC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf43837147.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Sara Lee Coffee Cake Recipe Does anyone know how to make a coffee cake like one you can buy from Sara Lee in the frozen section? The pecan coffee cake is so good, but they are expensive with never any coupons for them and of course never big enough for my family of 6. Cheri from Garland, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97721900.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Recipes Using Mashed Potatoes What can I do with left over mashed potatoes? I always seem to have plenty left over (I guess I make too many) and I hate to just throw them away. Cheri from Garland, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48441440.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Movie Memories Float Ideas I work for a not-for-profit organization and we are currently working on designing a float for the community day celebration in our town. The theme is "Movie Memories" and we are having a bit of trouble coming up with a float idea that will look fantastic but won't cost a lot. Any ideas? Nik Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf76887032.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Watering Tips for Flowers Any good ideas on how to help my garden and flower retain more moisture? I live in KY and we are in desperate need of rain. I am watering things as I can but I wondered if anyone had any more ideas. I've got mulch on everything that I can. Trish from KY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93574064.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Using Bleach as a Weed Killer Can you tell me about bleach as a weed killer? David Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81760161.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Sharpening a Can Opener I have a hand held can opener which has gotten very dull. Does anyone have tips for sharpening the blade? TIA. Laine from Boston, MA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf14517045.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Mouth Retainers Dropped in a Trash Can I lost my retainers and later found them to be in the trash can. It was wrapped around in a napkin. What should I use to wash it? Would regular soap be OK? Carro Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf39940406.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Kittens With Diarrhea I just adopted two kittens. I am feeding them IAMs kitten food and a little goat's milk and plenty of fresh water. Both have developed diarrhea. Is there a natural remedy for this? Michele from Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf84850750.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print VCR Not Working on a TV/VCR Combo I have 3 TV/VCR combos. None of the VCR's in these units work but the TVs are still in great working order. Is there a way to connect a VCR or DVD to these or is there a special cord that I can purchase in order to do this? Michele from Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf17360795.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Making Good Brown Rice I don't make very interesting brown rice. It always comes out overcooked with water at the bottom of the pan. Organic brown basmati. Suggestions? Holly from Richardson, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf24869556.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Ink on a Matte Finish Wall How do you get ink off a matte finish wall? Jamie from Covington, LA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf28903506.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Ink Stain on a Sweater How do you get rid of an ink stain? The sweater is a mixture of wool and synthetic. Love Cat from Arlington, VA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81058235.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Keep Racoons Out of Your Pond I have a 2x1/2 ft deep pond in my backyard and am looking for some ideas to keep the raccoons from eating my fish. I would prefer not to put an electric wire surrounding the pond. Can anyone suggest another method? Thanks, Bev. from Langley, BC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94371285.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print 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: How to control Ants Without Poison By Marilyn Pokorney Ants are pests in the house. In the home common ants aren't harmful but they are a nuisance. Read More: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf446297.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Interactive Coupon Swap! Swap coupons with other ThriftyFun.com users. Seed Swap! Swap seeds with other ThriftyFun.com users.