Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Four, Number 66, March 9, 2005
http://www.ThriftyFun.com
Hello,
We received a suggestion from a reader that we publish the Easter issue of the TF News this week instead of next week so that it is well in advance of the Holiday. That sounded like a sensible plan to us so we will be publishing the Easter issue this Friday and the Parenting issue next Friday. If you have any Easter tips or ideas to share feel free to send them in. You can send them by email or submitted them on the contest forms.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Photo Contest Entries:
- Tuscan Garden Bathroom Decor
- Walter (Miniature Schnauzer)
Today's Tips:
- Lint Brush for Stairs
- Saving Change
- Clearance Racks
- Clean Your Mousepad
- Trading Plants With Friends
- Polishing The Tub
- Quickly Cleaning Silver
- Instead of Disposable Face Cloths
- Some Generics End Up Costing More
- One Cleaning Project Per Day
- Keeping Books From Becoming Musty
- Fabric Napkins Pillows
- Brown Sugar Scrub
- Making Your Own Dog Leash
- Calcium and Chocolate
- Freezing Marshmellows
- Salsa
- Tuna Dip
- Pay Credit Cards Off Each Month
- Party Dip
- Cheese Dip
New Requests:
- 20 Year Class Reunion Ideas
- Saving Money on Material
- Urgent Wedding Cake Decorating Ideas Needed!
- Life Sized Doll Pattern
- How to remove coffee stains from coffee maker.
- Hard Bumps Appearing On Leather Boots
- Problems With MyFreeCheck
- House Breaking A Pitbull Puppy
- Ants in dishwasher?
- Furniture and Decorating Suggestions For a House With Rose Colored Carpet
- Leaky Sink Damaged Carpet
- Cereal Box Purses
- How Far Apart to Plant Willow Trees
- Changing a Fluorescent Light Ballast
- Uses for Stale Ice Cream
More Reading:
- Cheaters Brownie Bags - Easy Gift Idea!
- Surprising Health Benefits for Pet Owners
- Canine Distemper
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Today's Photo Contest Entries
Tuscan Garden Bathroom Decor
Use a Colorwash paint effect on the walls.
Darken wood trim:
a) paint trim chocolate brown
b) two coats of red mahogany stain (oil based) mixed with oil based clear poly (50/50 mix)
Use outdoor garden accessories for accent. I used a square wrought iron planter for a towel holder and wrought iron window box for the tub caddy.
Silk ivy adds the final touch.
By Angie Carr
View Photos and Post feedback: Click Here
Walter (Miniature Schnauzer)
This is Walter, our 10 year old Miniature Schnauzer. We got him at a local pet shop, and who says you can't buy love! He waits patiently for my husband to come home from work so they can play "tug of war" with his rope bone. He is the apple of our eyes and he shares our nightly popcorn with us.
By
bratzy1
View Photo and Post feedback: Click Here
Submit a tip with a photo or a pet description with a photo and you could win a prize. You can enter the photo contest here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/photo_contest.ldml
Today's Tips
Exercise For A Preschooler At Home
Lint Brush for Stairs
Use a lint brush on carpeted stairs to remove fuzzies and pet hair instead of dragging out the sweeper
By Davey
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Saving Change
Save your change in a jar at the end of each week and soon you'll have a jackpot to go out on the town or on a trip or whatever you desire.
By Beth Henderson
Editor's Note: Jeffery Strain recently submitted an article with an interesting take on the pitfalls of saving your change, especially if you use a service like CoinStar to cash in your coins. Basically, don't use CoinStar machines, you will end up getting less than face value for your savings.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/finances/tf976624_fin.html
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Clearance Racks
Take advantage of the clearance racks in buying for your child the next season's clothes. It will save a ton of money, and they can look like a million dollars. Sears, Children's Place provide a lot of additional coupons.
By Beth Henderson
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Clean Your Mousepad
I thought my mousepad was worn out and ready to be replaced, until I got the idea of cleaning it with a piece of masking tape. I rolled the masking tape inside out, around my fingers, and proceeded to use the sticky side to pick up lint. Now the mousepad is good as new!
By zballoongirl
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Trading Plants With Friends
Instead of buying new plants - trade plant starts in the spring with friends that way everyone saves money and gets new plants for free!
By Kelly Wakefield
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Polishing The Tub
I have found that using ORANGE GLO Wood Cleaner and Polish works great if you spray a little on a clean dust mop to put a polish finish on the bathtub, shower stall and sink - it prevents soap build-up and makes the area much easier to clean. The dust mop also works great for the hard to reach doorways and kitchen cabinets. Wooden floors look great and and this product prevents spots left from wet shoes and such.
By JoAnne Barnett
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Cleaning Silver
Quickly Cleaning Silver
My daughter would spend hours cleaning the silver service in our home. I decided one day to surprise her and clean it all in a few minutes. Here is what I did.
Take a deep pan of water and heat it quite hot. Add a piece of tinfoil with the shiny side up and pour a blob of salt in the middle along with a blob of Cascade Water Softener. Stir and just dip your silver for a few minutes and wolla, all clean. Rinse with warm water and dry.
She was quite upset with me! =)
By Giagemgal
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Instead of Disposable Face Cloths
Instead of using expensive disposable face cloths, I use diaper wipes with aloe. It does the same job if not better and costs a lot less than the fancy name brands.
By MonCherie
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Some Generics End Up Costing More
Certain things will end up costing you more in the long run if you buy generic. Stay away from paper towels and toilet paper. You will use more, because the sheets are thinner, and end up costing you more than a name brand.
By MonCherie
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One Cleaning Project Per Day
Instead of spring and fall cleaning, which overwhelms me and doesn't get done, I'm working my way through the house with one cleaning project per day. Each day, I choose one shelf, drawer, window, or section to super-clean. It only takes about ten minutes, and I'm keeping track of the list, so I can start at the beginning again, once I get it all cleaned.
I feel so good about accomplishing something each day that makes my life cleaner and brighter! Can't wait for spring!
By zballoongirl
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Keeping Books From Becoming Musty
To keep books from becoming musty, pull them out, away from the back of the shelf. Line up the spines along the front edge of the bookshelf. They'll look better, and the air will circulate behind them, so they'll smell fresher. Remember to dust behind them! And remember to READ them, too, so they'll bring you lots of pleasure.
By zballoongirl
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Fabric Napkins Pillows
Buy fabric napkins on sale. You can usually find some in Bed Bath & Beyond for 99 cents to a dollar, sew them to make pillows. Reuse old pillows around the house for the stuffing.
By RRementer2003
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Brown Sugar Scrub
Make your own sugar scrub with brown sugar and baby oil. These household items are almost always around!
By RRementer2003
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Making Your Own Dog Leash
Those padded dog leashes are great, and easy on the hands, but expensive! So I made my own version, using clothesline rope. I cut three lengths of clothesline, each four times as long as the finished leash.
I purchased a clasp from the hardware store, and ran all three lengths of clothesline through the opening of the clasp, so both ends were even. This gave me six pieces to braid. Then I braided the entire length, holding two pieces together as I braided. I turned back about ten inches at the finished end to make a handle, and taped around the raw ends for about four inches to reinforce the handle.
I love this leash! It's sturdy, soft, and gentle on my hands.
By zballoongirl
View Article: Click Here
Calcium and Chocolate
Chocolate ties up calcium in the body. A lack of calcium is estimated to cause many diseases. I like chocolate soooo... I add sesame seeds to my chocolate cake and carrot shavings from when I make carrot juice. My chocolate cake or cookies are now full of calcium, hopefully more than it ties up.
By Jill
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Freezing Marshmellows
Buy marshmallows on sale and freeze freeze them in bags until you are ready to use them. They defrost and work quite nicely in recipes and keep longer.
By pistolwhip
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Salsa
Ingredients:
- 2 cans tomatoes
- 1 small can green chilies
- 1 medium onion
- 1 Tbsp. cilantro
- 1 Tbsp. garlic salt
Directions:
Blend all together in blender and put in refrigerator.
By Robin
View Article: Click Here
Tuna Dip
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1/2 cup salad dressing ( Miracle Whip)
- 3 Tbsp. chili sauce
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. minced onion
- 1 can tuna (drained)
Directions:
Blend first 6 ingredients. Add the tuna. Blend. Refrigerate. Serve with chips, crackers, or veggies.
By Robin
View Article: Click Here
PPay Credit Cards Off Each Month
Don't charge more on your credit cards than you can completely pay off that month. Eliminate high interest charges and you will have lots more money to spend on yourself.
By Cynthia Conley
View Article: Click Here
Party Dip
Ingredients:
- 2 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- Seasoning salt and pepper to taste
- Few drops Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp. horseradish
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 3 Tbsp. dairy sour cream
- 3/4 cup milk
Directions:
Put into blender and blend. Very, very good on crackers, veggies, and potatoes.
By Robin
View Article: Click Here
Cheese Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Velveeta cheese
- 1 can undiluted cream of tomato soup
- 1 can undiluted cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 lb. hamburger (browned and drained)
- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
- Tortilla chips
Directions:
Cube cheese in crock pot; add soup and stir. Let melt a little, then add rest of ingredients. Cook on low until cheese melts or at high, but stir frequently. Use tortilla chips to dip. This makes 1/2 a crock pot full. Recipe may be doubled.
By Robin
View Article: Click Here
Other Active Topics
Be sure to check out our active topics page to follow the discussion.
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Tip Contest
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New Contest! $30.00 Gift Card
In our newest contest we are giving away a $30.00 Gift Card at one of the following stores: Home Depot, Jo-Ann's Crafts or Amazon.com. If you are the winner, you get to choose which gift card! We figured it would be more valuable if you pick out your own prize, that's why we have decided to go the gift card route. This contest will end on March 15th.
Enter the contest!
Syndication Spotlight:
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Dear Webby's Humor Letter
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New Requests:
20 Year Class Reunion Ideas
I'm on the planning committee for our 20 Year Class Reunion. We are looking for things that we can create ourselves to help save some money. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
The theme for our Friday night event is a Family Tailgate/Picnic at our high school's Senior Day game. On Saturday night, we'll be having a dinner/dance night. We'll be focusing on an 80's theme here since the 80's was the highlight of our high school days.
Thanks in advance.
Marla
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Saving Money on Material
How do you save money on buying material for crafts?
Help me please.
Sarah
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Urgent Wedding Cake Decorating Ideas Needed!
We're getting married in 5 WEEKS! Everything is sorted in true thrfty style (thank you all for your ideas!).
All that is left is the decoration for our wedding cake. (I have the cake - homemade!. But I am completely stuck for ideas on decorating it!
Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated!
Our colours are white and silver. I'd like it to be fun and quirky but attractive!
The picture is one I did for our invitations !-) Also homemade!
Julie (Nr London)
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Life Sized Doll Pattern
I'm looking for instructions to form the body of the life size (3 or 4 yrs old) doll which has one arm hiding its face or standing in a corner like they have been in trouble. They were real popular a couple of years ago at the craft shows. I have old clothes from my grandaughter that I would like to use but I don't know how to make the doll stand up. Is there a form to buy or what?
Rosie from Indiana
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How to remove coffee stains from coffee maker.
I have a Brew Master 12 cup coffee machine by Hamilton Beach, it has a hazed plastic front so you can see the coffee level but through time it has been stained by coffee so now you can't see how much coffee is left in the machine. I have used comet, vinigar, baking soada, bleach but no luck.
I appreciate any feedback.
Enza
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Hard Bumps Appearing On Leather Boots
Does anyone have any information about how to care for this leather boots? I have gone through 2 pairs, (one cheapie & one really good name brand that I found at a thrift store) and I can't seem to figure out what's causing the strange, hard bumps that appear in the material around the bottom of the shoe (mostly around the front of the foot). I sometimes sprinkle a little baking soda in my shoes, could there be a chemical reaction going on? I'd love to know before I invest in a more expensive pair. Any ideas or suggestions for me?
Greta from Oklahoma
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Problems With MyFreeCheck
I just bought a program called MyFreeCheck. I registered it on line. I bought this program in order to write checks on my computer but everytime I tried to print a check it says no check marked for payment. Then I get an e-mail about hoq I have an account with MyFreeCheck. I have a bank account, do I need this account to give another party my personal information? I am a Notary Republic a we fight Theft fraud in a hard way. This leaves me to wonder about this. Anyone have any experience with MyFreeCheck. Anyone have any Ideas?
God Bless All,
Larry (CBTaters)
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House Breaking A Pitbull Puppy
I have a pitbull puppy I've only had her for a lil over a week. I have newspapers layed down close to wear she sleeps. She has no problem with going pee pee on the paper but every once in a while if she's too far away from it she'll go somewhere else.
When it comes to pooping sometimes she'll go on the paper and most of the time she'll go poop under one of my tables in the living room. I don't hit her or anything, I just put her infront of her poo or pee and tell her bad girl. If she does it on the papers I go and pet her and tell her good girl a couple of times.
Does anybody on here have any suggestions to help me potty train my pitbull puppy. If so, please help me....
Steff
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Ants in dishwasher?
I have ants in my dishwasher. Has anyone else ever had this problem? How can I solve this problem?
Brit21
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Furniture and Decorating Suggestions For a House With Rose Colored Carpet
First, thanks to all who sent me ideas on how to get black shoe polish out of my dark rose carpet. Although I couldn't find Goo Gone or Shot Spot, I found Oxy Kick which worked great.
Now to my new request.
Our house in brand new and with signing the mortgage, we are being given money for furniture as a bonus for signing with this particular bank. My problem is what goes good with a dark rose carpet. Our living room is very narrow. I was thinking about a navy blue loveseat and chair with the curtains having pinks and blues throughout. What do you think? Any other suggestions? I will be getting the bonus soon so would like some ideas before I go shopping.
Also, the walls are white and we can't paint because of the possiblity of nail pops. If they occur the builder will only paint the wall white again where the nail pop occurs. It has been suggested that we wait up to 2 years before we paint because of this. I guess the same would be true about wallpaper (waiting for a while before doing that)
Any and all help greately appreciated.
Darlene in Mississauga
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Leaky Sink Damaged Carpet
My sink overfilled and continued to do so as I was asleep which caused an absolute mess. I need help in getting water stains out of a ceiling and a horrible wet smell out of my carpet. Any feedback or suggestions would be appreciated!
Kristin Conlin
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Cereal Box Purses
Does anyone have a pattern or directions for making the cereal box purses that they will share? Can find them on the web, but with no instructions. Do you glue and or sew them?
Thanks for any help.
Donna Kelsoe
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How Far Apart to Plant Willow Trees
Could someone give me advice on how far apart I should plant willows? Thanks for your time.
SKYEANGI
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Changing a Fluorescent Light Ballast
Where can I find information on changing a ballast? I've tried www.google.com and typed in the appropriate words. No luck! Until now, I hope!
I know it isn't the tubes. We changed them a short time back.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Robert B. Orris
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Uses for Stale Ice Cream
Sometimes I forget about ice cream in the freezer, and it gets stale -- or develops ice crystals, which make it unappetizing. Does anyone have an idea for ways to use the stale ice cream? I hate throwing it away.
By zballoongirl
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More Reading:
Cheaters Brownie Bags - Easy Gift Idea!
By Kelly McCausey
Do you know how everyone is making those fun "brownies in a jar" gifts? Well they're great! But I can do you one better! The next time that the grocery store puts a good brownie mix on sale, grab a bundle of a special flavor, like peanut butter cup or caramel nut.
View Article: Click Here
Surprising Health Benefits for Pet Owners
By Patricia Wagner
Did you know that there are key health benefits that can result from owning a pet? Having one can enhance your physical, mental and social wellbeing.
View Article: Click Here
Canine Distemper
By Ron Swerdfiger
Canine distemper is a highly contagios disease caused by a virus (paramyxovirus) which attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervus systems of dogs. Although dogs are the most commonly affected, Canine Distemper is also seen in foxes, ferrets, mink and many other carnivores. These infected animals are often the cause of the spread of this disease to domesticated dogs.
View Article: Click Here
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