Daily Thrifty Tips - June 2, 2006

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Teeter is 3 years old and is an American Shorthair cat.

She was a kitten and was hiding in my grown son's yard from being chased by neighbors, He found her and brought her to Mom in the country. She was so afraid, at first, that she would climb the curtains. I petted, sang to her, fed her and gave her lots of loving care. Now she is my sweet baby.

She loves to go to the field for playtime with the dogs. She is happiest walking the fence and meowing for Mom to scratch her chin.

She is a little mother to my dogs. She especially likes one and always corrects her if she is naughty. Then she will wash her face. You have to be there, it is priceless.

By NellieMary from West Virginia

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When my granddaughter was born she was nicknamed the princess well here she is on her 1st birthday, and the entire party was the Princess Theme. So when you are doing a theme party do it all the way and watch your results. Tiara and all.

By Donna from New Port Richey, Florida

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If you have dog fur problems, buy sticky rollers and roll it on the dog. It does not hurt them, and it cuts down on vaccuming up fur.

By Lynda from Warrenton, MO

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If you bought lemons in bulk and they are close to going "bad", squeeze all the juice into a bowl, remove all seeds, and pour into empty ice cube trays. Freeze and voila, when you need fresh lemon juice take the tray out and pop a cube. Let it melt and you've got fresh lemon juice! They're very refreshing in a glass of ice water.

By Lynn

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Squeeze Only the Desired Amount

Many recipes call for a squeeze of lemon juice. Well, after wasting many lemons in cutting them open, I found a more thrifty way for a dab of lemon juice. Here it is.

For a small amount of fresh lemon juice, poke a hole in the lemon with a toothpick and squeeze out the desired amount.

Just put the lemon in a plastic bag in the fridge and save for the next time.

By Carolyn from East Northport

Getting More Juice Out of Lemons

Submerge lemons in hot tap water before squeezing and it will yield almost twice as much juice.

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I'm a pretty avid crafter and always seem to have my hands in things that are not good for them. Lately I've been applying chapstick to my cuticles a couple times a week before going to sleep, and it's worked miracles on the condition of my hands. No more hangnails or cracked cuticles. If only the stuff worked as well on chapped lips.

By Lisa from Tampa, Fl

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My memory and I have trouble keeping up with each other, especially regarding appointments, and other important dates.

My Solution: Since I have a yahoo email which I check everyday, I use the calendar feature to remind me of appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, library due dates, etc. I set it to send me a reminder twice: 1 hr before and either 1 day or 1 week before the event. I also enter it in my cell phone calendar and it also beeps me a reminder. I have yet to miss an important event since I started doing this one year ago.

By BK from Milpitas, CA

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To add a special touch to a pasta dish take a star shaped cookie cutter and press it into the flesh of slices of red or green pepper. Then place the stars on the plate of pasta to add visual interest.

Tip By Hope Mason
http://www.lulu.com/spiritbooks

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If you are planning on growing water lilies in your back yard pond make sure the pond is situated in place where it receives at least five or six hours of sunlight a day. A pond that receives most of its light from a southern direction attracts lots of hummingbirds and butterflies.

Tip By Hope Mason
http://www.lulu.com/spiritbooks

If you have any more tips for growing Water Lilies, feel free to share them below.

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I've always been pretty smart with money, but three very special little boys have taught me that simplifying all areas of our lives is one of life's sweetest lessons learned.

When I was pregnant with my twins (Surprise!), I became so ill that I had to quit my job... this was the beginning of learning to do more with less. I was fortunate enough that my husband had a decent income and that I could stay home, but things like dinners out a few times a week and my shopping habit had to be curtailed. (A "horrible" thing for a mama expecting TWO babies!) When my boys were born, prematurely and with a genetic disorder (Surprise again!), it was decided that I was now a stay at home mom for the long haul (which was OK with both of us!) This required long term lifestyle changes that I was not entirely prepared for, but was willing to learn. I've since had another child, he too, has the same genetic disorder. My frugality is based on a whole lot of practical things, some of my ideas follow.

• NEVER go without health insurance. Even if it is high deductible with catastrophic coverage, this will protect you from the "what ifs" that sometimes happen. If we don't have health coverage, we would be under in just one illness from any ONE of the boys. There is low-premium catastrophic coverage available for purchase.

• I don't use lights, dishwasher, do laundry or a whole lot of electricity during the daytime hours. This is an extremely tangible thing that you can do to cut costs. We go outside and play, do outdoor chores, swim in the kiddy pool, read, whatever. I have lots of laundry (three boys, a husband who goes through two or three outfits a day (basketball clothes, work clothes, softball clothes...), plus my own clothes. I do one load per day. I throw the laundry into the washer around 11 pm, when electricity costs go down. I have a cup of tea and try to relax for a bit and then throw the clothes into the dryer when they are done washing. I then get them out of the dryer before the baby gets up in the morning.

  I don't iron, I don't have anything that needs ironing. If hubby needs to wear a dress shirt (usually a couple days a week), I hang it on a hanger after washing it and just hang it up somewhere to dry. This took some getting used to, as I'm not really a night owl and by 10 or 11 o'clock, I'm exhausted, but it really frees me up during the day to spend my time with the children as well, and it became routine quickly. I also run the dishwasher right before bed, it can be loaded anytime and just run during the cheaper hours.

• I use coupons for everything I can. Often the coupons in the sunday papers coincide with sales at our grocery store during the week. Sale price + coupon = BIG Savings. I use the coupons and sales prices to buy "snack" stuff that I would not otherwise buy, but for such a reasonable price, my boys love to have a snack once in a while. Example: Pizza Rolls... there are always coupons for 50 cents off and often sales for 94 cent boxes of pizza rolls. So the sale price + coupon gets me a box of pizza rolls for 44 cents. Not a bad price! I also use our local Aldi for staples: flour, sugar, milk, eggs and cream of ... soups. This saves more than 50% than if I got these items at our regular grocery store. There are some things I prefer not to use the generic brand for (peanut butter, yogurt, pasta sauce) so I am careful to use coupons for these things.

• I frequent garage sales and our local Salvation Army Thrift store. I am pretty picky about any clothes I buy for the kids (not picky about play clothes! I can always find lots of play items for them at these places!) but sometimes find excellent prices for great stuff for the children. I always buy my clothes second hand or through bartering, I don't need many clothes, so this works well for me. On Saturdays, clothes at the Salvation army are 50% off (!) and that's off of already great prices! So, when I go, its always on a Saturday. My best find to date at the Salvation Army? A full "Hooked on Phonics" set ($299 retail!) for $7.99. More on that later. The deals are out there... you just have to look.

• I barter for other things I need. I belong to an online barter group and the only thing I pay for is shipping for the items I have to send out. I've received clothes for myself and the kids, natural toys, musical instruments, essential oils for my lotion making hobby, some GREAT books, movies for the kids on a rainy day, lots of other stuff... all in exchange for things that I no longer need but are still functional and someone else can use.

• We are a new home schooling family. My boys have special needs and the government schools are simply not meeting their needs. (Here is where the "Hooked on Phonics" comes into play... it saved me $291!) Home schooling will save us money because we don't have to buy special "school clothes", don't have to waste gas driving to and from school when someone forgets his snack or lunch, school fundraisers (I think school pictures are awful. I take my own when I want an annual photo of the boys or I can get my own taken for far less), all of this adds up to something far more valuable to me: spending time raising my boys.

• I try to cook very healthful meals. Veggies and protein at every meal. Cooking healthfully is much more economical than a fast food diet is. It DOES take planning and time to cook, but is very worth it. My boys are not picky eaters in the least and it is because they were introduced to fresh foods very early on. Right before my youngest son was born, I was at a farmers market with my boys, my husband and my parents. The twins were 4 and were so excited about getting fresh asparagus and were eating it raw as we were browsing. Fresh, raw veggies are an excellent snack food for little growing bodies as well as for moms and dads.

• We have decided to look for a small farm. We still need plenty of room for the children, but being a home schooling, homesteading family, a lot more of their time is going to be spent outside helping with chores and playing than their current "I wanna stay inside.". We've decided on raising chickens (eggs for us, extras will be sold or bartered, meat for the family), a few goats (milk for us, pets for the kids... errr, children, and we can sell or barter any additional goats (goat babies). We will add rabbits to our animals after the first year, as chickens and goats will be enough to get used to!

• Entertaining friends and family is a very important part of our lives. This can be done very economically and still be very nice. I rarely cater a party, I make food fresh for our guests. I remember a couple years ago, we were invited to lunch at the farm of a family we had just met. The fellowship we had around that table, my youngest was only a few weeks old, being passed from one set of loving arms to another, constructive conversation, discussions about home schooling, exotic animals, the children had a part in the conversation, not just the adults, sharing food (home cooked venison stew, creamed potatoes, fresh vegetables and fresh dates... I will never forget that meal!) was just the most uplifting experience ever. It was not a fancy house, we weren't in the middle of an upscale subdivision, and I wouldn't want either of those in place of the love that was present that day. Its not about the "house". Its not about the "money", you don't have to spend a lot of money on a lovingly prepared meal for your friends. You being who you are and spending your time lovingly preparing for your guests shows through and is so much more appreciated than a quickly thrown together "anything".

• Breast feeding is the economical choice... and the most healthy for your baby. Many, many babies have grown up to be just fine on formula, so lets just look at it on a purely practical level (although there's probably not a nursing mama in the country who will not tell you about the million and one other benefits!). In the first year of baby's life, not purchasing formula will save well over $1,400. That is a LOT of cash! Extrapolate that over two or three or four children (or more) and that is just an astronomical amount of money.

• My children enjoy the outdoors. (HA, they have no idea how much more of the outdoors they will experience in the near future!) They have nature bags and take those bags with them on hikes. They collect pine cones, rocks, leaves, nuts and other items they find when we hike. They use these items in craft projects or to put in their collections. We enjoy reading, playing games as a family, having popcorn and watching a movie once in a while. These are inexpensive and positive forms of entertainment. Children don't need to sit in front of the television for hours a day. I sometimes think I'd love to sit and watch TV, but I get bored if I even try to so I read or clip coupons or go outside for a walk instead.

• I make and sell (and barter) lotions, bath salts, salt scrubs and baby slings (for moms to wear their babies as well as for kids to wear their dolls). This is a healthy and constructive hobby for me and helps with having spending money for the extra things we might like.

These are some pretty basic things that we do to same money and time. The greatest thing that my frugality has given me is more time with my children. I can't put a price on that and it is worth every bit of sacrifice on my part to build a better life for them.

Crunchy Mama (Jen) from Maple Park, IL

Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml

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When you use a lemon, don't throw away the peel. Put it in a baggy and toss it in the freezer. Then you will have it handy if you encounter a recipe that needs lemon zest.

Ideas for reusing Citrus Rinds. Post your ideas.

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I use creamora and water instead of milk or cream. This is in recipes or chowder, mac and cheese, etc. No fat, less calories and tastes as if used cream, not milk (a little richer tasting).

By Linda from Lowell, MA

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Save that bubble wrap you get in packages! It's pricey if you have to buy it and it really does come in handy for all sorts of packing things to mail, and packing up little delicate objects. I use it to pack away my sensitive pickup for my autoharp when I am not using it, so it doesn't get knocked. You also can use squares of it to temporarily stop up the drainage holes in your bathtub to have a fuller bath!

By pam from L.A., CA

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I have recently stored some furniture in a shed and was told to use moth balls to keep mice away. Well that it did but now I am stuck with furniture that smells! Any suggestions on how to remove moth ball odor?

Daisyyy from Ohio

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My daughter got a big (and i mean big) mustard stain on her favorite kitty princess t-shirt, and i didn't notice that it did not come out until after i dried it. I need to know if there is anything that i can use to remove this. The kitty seems to be an iron on, so i need something that will not harm that. My daughter and I thank you in advance for any suggestions.

jmz2005 from Illinois

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Is there any simple, cheap way to get cigarette odor out of a car air conditioner system? I have already tried spraying air deodorizers into the system while it is running.

Craziejane66 from Bee Branch, Arkansas

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My son is getting married in October. While we are thrilled about the upcoming events, I may have the rehersal dinner in our backyard. I sure would appreciate any suggestions for plants that would be blooming that month so that it would look as pretty as possible. By the way - the mums I got last year in Oct as potted plants I planted and they are about to bloom - is this right? Will they bloom again in October? Thanks to everyone for the input!

Hardiness Zone: 8a

BBB from Greenville, AL

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I have been finding a lot of slugs in my flower grarden and on my flowers and they are destroying my plants. Can anyone suggest something I can put on them that will kill the slugs but not my flowers? I know there are products (chemicals) in the stores I can use but I would like to use something natural that I might have around the house.

Thanks,
Michelle from New York

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How do you store watermelon? My refrigerator is small and I dont have room to store a whole watermelon. Sometimes I cut it in half and scoop out the middle with an ice cream scooper and put it in a ziploc bag but that is very time consuming? Do you have any great ideas?

Onesummer

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I just got a puppy on May 28, she wouldn't eat or drink on that following day. Then out of the blue, she drank milk, it caused her too poop and vomit. Then the next day on May 29 she drank water. She puked out clear water and a little bit of white stuff. This morning on may 31 she drink water and vomited. She hasn't touch her food. The person who had her before told me she ate that food but why she wont eat it now. What could be wrong? I'm scared, I loved this puppy she is a small breed. Only three months.

Lyn from Stockton, California

Editor's Note: You are right to be scared. This could be a serious problem. You should get this dog to a vet as soon as possible. It likely is very dehydrated from vomiting and only a vet, seeing your dog in person, can diagnose what is causing the problem.

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We have interest in buying a mobile home, or a manufactured home, and live in a mobile home park permanently. The homes we have looked at are very nice as are the various parks. Can anyone give me their opinion on what to look for in a home or a park? What should we ask before we move in to a park? Is there a particular manufacturer of these homes that are better quality that others? Thanks for all your help.

Mike from Northeast PA

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How can I clean a straw handbag?

Lighthouse from Winston - Salem, N.C.

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I have a geranium that is three years old, I keep it inside. It is very large! One of the branches broke off when I was watering it and I was wondering if ther was anyway of getting it to root. I put it in a vase of water as soon as it happened, this was 2 weeks ago and it is still doing very well. The buds have opened and no leaves have died. Should I leave it in the water or should I use a rooting compound and put it in dirt? Any suggestions? The pink one is the plant it broke off of.

Hardiness Zone: 5b

Thanks,
Michelle from New York

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I'm looking for an ice cream recipe for use with an electric machine that uses condensed milk but doesn't use eggs.

thursday_next from Fort Wayne, IN

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I use a wheelchair to get around in my home and out in the public. I need ideas for housekeeping and shopping in department stores (Wal-Mart, ect.)

Thank you,
Evily from Cross Plains, IN

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This may seem like a stupid question, but in response to deep conditioning hair, I have read many times that you can use mayo for this. My question is this: do you put this on wet hair or dry hair? I really want to try this. Thank you in advance for any and all responses to this.

jmz2005 from illinois

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Does anyone have a success story about using Boric Acid or Borax for pest control and or cleaning tips with it?

Thank you,
Lighthouse from Winston - Salem, N.C.

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I want to grow roots on Privet Hedge branches that I have cut. Any ideas on how to do this? I cut some and put them in water but they did not root.

Hardiness Zone: 5a

Ricky from Lansing, MI

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Can anyone tell me "fun" things to do with an infant? I know peekaboo but I don't know where to find the "fingerplays" or anything like that. There's also got to be more that you can do with them before they start to walk or even crawl. How young is too young to give them a piece of paper and crayon and let them have fun with that (closely suppervised of course)?

If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Jeggie from Elberton, GA

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I was also wondering about travel tips for newborns. I know that we will have to stop a lot more often but we want to visit with family over Christmas and give everyone a chance to see the baby. The down side is they all live 9 hrs away. I was thinking of getting a portable playyard and letting the baby sleep in that. I'll also be breastfeeding so we wouldn't need bottles.

If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Jeggie from Elberton, GA

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Does anyone know where to purchase melamine paint, as shown on HGTV-Debbie Travis show, in either Loveland or Ft Collins, Colorado? I've searched and haven't located a retailer.

Thanks,
Emilyxmay from Estes Park, CO

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What is the average age for a girl to start shaving?

Kittyclaw from Hendersonville, TN

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I am a middle-aged woman. Does anyone have tricks to camophlage thinning hair on the top (crown) and front hairline? I know this can be a hereditary condition, but has anyone ever heard of it being caused by wearing a baseball cap a lot? In the summer I've been wearing a cap to ward off the sun and in the winter to keep warm, even in the house. It just got to where I would feel so cozy with the hat on, I just left it on. I have tried Toppik, a fiber-type substance you shake on the scalp and hair and it blends the scalp and hair. It works well, but can be messy. Making the hair itself look thicker is no problem.

There are shampoos and products to add volume that work really well. It's when you can see the scalp in such contrast to the hair. I was wondering about using a self-tanner on the scalp where the hair is thin. Do you think it could work? Any other tricks? My hair is brown - would blond hi-lights, especially in the thin areas, disract the eye and give the illusion of hair? Please help with your ideas or experience.

Thanks,

Clevergirl from Westchester, NY

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I was wondering if I could get some information on how to remove mushrooms from my lawn, they seem to appear the past few years.

Thanks for the advice!

Hardiness Zone: 6a

~Wendola~ from Michigan

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Some foods that are perfectly safe for humans or other pets can be dangerous for your kitties!

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I spend $250-$300 a month on groceries for my family of five. One of the best things I do to keep my budget is to do most of my food shopping at Aldi. You can get a good price, get in and get out fast and you don't have to mess with using coupons.

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Whether served for lunch or dinner, these roasted turkey calzones are a treat fresh or from the freezer!

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You may have heard that certain people foods are dangerous, even deadly for your dogs.

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