Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Three, Number 198, November 30, 2004
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Holiday Travel Tips Ebook
Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Tips:
- Make a Christmas Tree With Junk CDs (with photos)
- Better Than Campbell's Soup
- Cranberry Bread
- Holiday Bread
- Monkey Bread
- AnySoldier.com
- Beach Buckets for Gifts
- Feeding the Ants
- Halloween Bags From Clearance Items
- Replacing Toothbrushes After You Are Sick
- No Sweeter Gift Than One Made By You
- Stocking Up - Storing Dry Goods
- Cup Saucer Decoupaged Picture Frame
- Makeshift Bathtub Stopper
- Therapy for Toenail Fungus
- No Amber Alerts For You
- Painting Heating Radiators
- Storing Your Paint Brush Between Coats
- Altoids for a Stuffy Nose
- Achy Muscles From A Bout Of The Flu?
- Sore Throat? Try Vinegar and Honey
- Outdoor Decorations - "Paper" Chains
- Christmas Treat for Feathered Friends
- Gift Exchange Idea
- Frugal Gift Bags
- Step-On Light Switch for Tree Lights
New Requests:
- Whiteboard Marker that Won't Come Off!
- Removing Nicotine From Mustache
- Cleaning Dog Hair From Furniture and Carpet
- How Do You Flavor Regular Ground Coffee
- Homemade Detergents and Performance Fabrics
- Asking Someone to a Formal High School Dance
- Sanding an Old Wood Floor
More Reading:
- Holiday Idea: Easy Chocolate Bonbons
- Selecting Men's Formalwear For The Wedding
- Hanukkah Craft Ideas
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Today's Tips
Make a Christmas Tree With Junk CDs
Last Christmas I made a tree out of the old and advertising CD's and bought a string of lights and taped each bulb in the center of each disc. The reflection was pretty and we had a neat yard decoration. Just be sure to use outdoor lights and cord.
By Great Granny Vi
Editor's Note: Vi sent in these great pictures of her CD Christmas Tree. It's always helpful when people can send in pictures of their projects so everyone can see what they look like finished. Thanks Great Granny Vi!
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Better Than Campbell's Soup
Keep a large plastic container with a lid in your freezer. Into this, put excess juice (full of vitamins!) from canned vegetables; meat or poultry juices, diluted with hot water from fry pans or broiler pans.
Also add small amounts of leftover vegetables, from peas and green beans to stewed tomatoes!
When the pot is about 2/3 full, remove it and hold it under hot water to loosen the contents. Remove fat that will have risen to the top and pop this glob into a deep kettle.
Add diced onion and possibly green pepper. Let thaw over medium heat and simmer well to blend flavors. Add instant potato flakes, a handful or two of macaroni or rice. You can also micro brown 1/2 lb. or more of hamburger meat and add that. Always add a tablespoon or so of sugar. Campbell Soups beware!
By Janet Hounsell
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Cranberry Bread
Ingredients:
- 4 c. flour
- 2 c. sugar
- 3 t. baking soda
- 1 t. salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 T butter
- 1 1/2 c. orange juice
- 2 c. whole cranberries
- 1 c. chopped walnuts
Directions:
Sift together: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl mix eggs, butter (melted), orange juice, cranberries, and nuts. Mix well. Add liquid mix to dry mix and stir until blended. Place mixture into 1 regular size bread pan or combination or smaller pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven, cool and serve. Can be frozen after baking.
By Robin
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Holiday Bread
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 eggs (well beaten)
- 2 mashed bananas
- 2 c. flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/4 c. nuts
- 1/4 c. chocolate chips
- 1/4 c. maraschino cherries
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a greased bread pan for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. This freezes well.
By Robin
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Monkey Bread
Ingredients:
- Frozen bread dough
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 T. cinnamon
- 1 stick butter or margarine
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put frozen bread dough in microwave on high for about 3 minutes to thaw. Put sugar and cinnamon in bowl and mix. Put stick of butter or margarine in bowl and melt in microwave. Take out now thawed bread dough. Pull off small pieces and roll into a ball. Dip ball into melted butter and then into cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place into bread pan. Do this with all bread dough. After that mix leftover sugar and cinnamon mixture and butter together and pour over bread in pan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown or toothpick comes out clean.
By Robin
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AnySoldier.com
Do you get the Christmas cards in the mail an don't know what to do with them? Go to http://anysoldier.com/ and get names of our service people who do not get much mail. Also cost is the same as sending mail here in the states. This is very rewarding also and just a small way of letting them know we have not forgotten them.
By JODI
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Beach Buckets for Gifts
If there are still any end of summer sales going on snag beach buckets for kids, they make great cheer me up buckets for little ones in the hospital anytime of the year. Fill with a box of crayons, coloring book, jar of bubbles, candy etc. Tie a balloon to the handle if you want. These also work good for birthday presents.
By Melanie
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Feeding the Ants
I lost the battle to ants this year - I couldn't beat them so I joined them! I "fed" my ants all summer and they left me alone. I took an old plastic butter container lid poured pancake syrup, or sugar syrup on it and placed it on the floor beside my dishwasher and out of the way. As long as this was there the ants stayed off my counters and out of my stuff. I knew it needed refilled when I would see them again. Sometimes I'd mix in yeast with the syrups, but that only took care of the big ones, the little sugar ants just hung out at the lid. I think this idea is basically what the little ant hotels are.
By Melanie
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Halloween Bags From Clearance Items
For next years Halloween bags use on sale halloween printed material to make little pillowcase loot bags to carry candy in, or make smaller rectangular ones to give candy out in. Most fabrics are on sale now for $1 or less and one yard will make several bags.
By Melanie
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Replacing Toothbrushes After You Are Sick
With cold and flu season coming along make sure to replace everyone's toothbrush after a bout of cold or something. (not overly frugal to keep replacing a toothbrush, but that is still cheaper then ongoing Dr. bills) some people say to just boil the toothbrushes also.
By Melanie
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No Sweeter Gift Than One Made By You
I would rather have a gift made from the heart than any gift from a store. Just make any object and tuck it in a gift bag you have made from gift wrap. One thing I have always treasured is a card. I know that person sending it has chosen it just for me. And if it is hand crafted it is even more precious.
By Gladys Hill
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Stocking Up - Storing Dry Goods
Living in the country we try to keep a ready supply of food, especially when winter's coming. For more space to store foods we use new 5 gallon paint buckets cleaned and dried really well, then store our sugar, flour, oatmeal, dry milk, rice etc. in these stored under our raised bed. We add in about 5 oxygen pads for longer storage.
By Melanie
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Cup Saucer Decoupaged Picture Frame
Have Saucers Without A Cup? take the saucers and cut a family picture to fit and glue it in the middle. Decorate around the picture in some form and let dry. Then give it a coating of decoupage. Let dry and re-do. Slip it in a decoupaged box, decorated by you. Add a pretty bow.
By Gladys Hill
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Makeshift Bathtub Stopper
If you can't find the stopper to your bathtub, the clean lid of a butter dish works well.
By Camilla
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Therapy for Toenail Fungus
Listerine therapy for toenail fungus. Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.
By Kathy
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No Amber Alerts For You
When my sons were younger, we had rules for them.
1. Always tell us where you are going and with whom.
2. Tell us the names of your friends and a phone number to reach you in case we need you.
3. Follow your curfew. I.E.: Movie is out at 9:00 be in by 10:00.
4. Never allow strangers to offer to take you where you are going, nor bring you home.
5. Here is two dollars. Put it in your shoe for emergency calls. Never spend it for anything other than that. If you need to call home you will have money for the call.
6. We will show you respect and expect the same from you.
7. Very important: Always know we love you with all our hearts.
Hold to these rules and you and your child will be safe and you can sleep better knowing where they are. "It's 10:00 P.M. Do you know where your children are?"
By Gladys Hill
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Painting Heating Radiators
Painting old radiators can be tough. Try using an inexpensive, small window squeegee: the type that has a small rubber strip on one side and a sponge strip on the other. The sponge side on these squeegees holds paint pretty well and can slip into the smallest spaces.
By Elizabeth
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Storing Your Paint Brush Between Coats
Put your paint brush in a plastic bag and place it in the refrigerator when you take a break. Make sure the plastic is completely sealed or your food could pick up some weird odors. This tip really saved me a lot of time when refinishing my wood floors with polyurethane. I had to wait several hours between coats. Cleaning the brushes and rollers would be a real time-consuming chore. The cold storage sure saved time.
By Elizabeth
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Altoids for a Stuffy Nose
Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffy nose.
By Kathy
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Achy Muscles From A Bout Of The Flu?
Mix 1 tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.
By Kathy
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Sore Throat? Try Vinegar and Honey
Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.
By Kathy
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Outdoor Decorations - "Paper" Chains
Make everlasting outdoor decorations by cutting plastic containers (like soda bottle, yogurt containers etc) into strips and stapling them into "paper chains". Parents will need to cut but even small kids can staple!
By Linda
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Christmas Treat for Feathered Friends
Paint pine cones with peanut butter or a mixture of peanut butter and suet. (Ask your butcher). Then roll in birdseed. Hang from colored ribbon in the trees to give our feathered friends a Christmas treat.
By Linda
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Gift Exchange Idea
Got some $10 gift exchanges to do? Hit the dollar store for ingredients for a theme basket, like same scent toiletries, hair accessories and a hairbrush for a girl, art supplies for a young artist, flavored coffees, teas, cocoa for someone who likes them. Put them all in a 50 cent gift bag and finish with a bow of your choice.
By Linda
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Frugal Gift Bags
Give the kids a stack of brown paper lunch bags to decorate. Use them for small gifts. Add a ribbon tie, a raffia bow or staple shut and add a stick-on bow and you're good to go!
By Linda
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Step-On Light Switch for Tree Lights
A step-on light switch for your tree lights is worth every penny and saves crawling around on the floor to plug in lights!
By Linda
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Other Active Topics
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Syndication Spotlight:
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New Requests:
Whiteboard Marker that Won't Come Off!
Hi, I just bought a whiteboard/blackboard for my son and had got a bunch of whiteboard markers at a garage sale, they are definitely marked as "whiteboard marker" but after I let him loose with one of them (black colour) on the whiteboard I was horrified to find out that they wouldn't come off with water. I have not tried anything else yet....HELP! I only bought the board a couple of days ago and now it is covered with a 2 year olds scribbles (as much as I do love his artwork LOL), they won't come off :-(
TIA
Katrina
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Removing Nicotine From Mustache
I wonder if someone has an idea of how to remove nicotine out of a moustache other than shaving it off or quitting smoking.
Guss from Amsterdam
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Cleaning Dog Hair From Furniture and Carpet
I have a question for anyone who deals with pet hair stuck to the furniture/carpets. How do you pick it up? I have tried the sticky rollers with no luck, I have tried a brush on the carpet and no matter how much I pick up, there are still a lot of hair....EVERYWHERE. I have a 6 month old who will be crawling shortly and I am afraid that she will get hair in her mouth. Not to mention, it's embarrassing when you have company and they get up to leave and all you can see is your dogs hair all over the back of their clothes. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Angela from Michigan
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How Do You Flavor Regular Ground Coffee
I love flavored coffee and was wondering if anyone had an inexpensive way to flavor just regular ground coffee. I know you can add cinnamon but I don't know how much to add or if you can add other stuff. So if you know please let me know, I would be ever so grateful.
Soulegal
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Homemade Detergents and Performance Fabrics
I see many recipes for homemade laundry detergent, and I am wondering if they work with performance fabrics (e.g., Nike's Dri-Fit).
Liquid soaps and fabric softeners clog the fabrics, destroying their sweat wicking properties. Does anyone know whether the homemade detergents would also clog the fabrics?
TIA!
J.R.
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Asking Someone to a Formal High School Dance
I am a 16 year old girl and I am asking a boy to a Christmas dance we are having in two weeks but I don't have any creative ideas of how to ask him, and I need to ask him soon before he gets asked by another girl. If you have any ideas please respond!
Casey
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Sanding an Old Wood Floor
We recently pulled up a vinyl floor and underneath was plywood over rough old wide pine boards. We are wondering what is the best way to sand them to make them smooth and what is the best polyurethane for them?
Susan from Maine
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More Reading:
Holiday Idea: Easy Chocolate Bonbons
By LeAnn R. Ralph
From the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm)
When I was a kid growing up on our dairy farm in Wisconsin 40 years ago, my big sister would make Bonbons for Christmas. Back then I thought they might just be about the best thing I had ever tasted - and I still think so.
View Article: Click Here
Selecting Men's Formalwear For The Wedding
By Rose Smith
Have you ever noticed that weddings seem to be all about the bride? There's information available for the wedding dress, shoes, makeup and accessories. But...what about the groom and his ushers? After all, they need to wear something to the wedding too!
View Article: Click Here
Hanukkah Craft Ideas
By Deborah Shelton
Design your own wrapping paper for Hanukkah gifts. Use
craft paper or newsprint and stamp Hanukkah symbols such as
a menorah or a dreidel onto the paper. Or draw symbols with
glue and sprinkle with blue and silver glitter.
View Article: Click Here
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