Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Three, Number 74, July 1, 2004
http://www.ThriftyFun.com
Hello,
We now moderate feedback submitted by non-registered users. We have had some offensive posting in the last few weeks of a pornographic nature and we don't want those on our website, even for a minute. We still encourage posts from guests, we will just review them before they are posted on the website to make sure their is no pornographic content. It's a tribute to all of our great users that we haven't had to do this until now.
In other news, we have a contest winner... Deborah is the winner! Thank you to everyone that submit a tip, even if you don't win the contest, the information you submit is sure to help someone else out. I wish we could give away more books but we have to stay within our budget.
In our new contest we are giving away "Elegantly Frugal Costumes: The Poor Man's
Do-It-Yourself Costume Maker's Guide". To enter, submit a tip, food recipe, craft recipe for even a request for information at: Click Here
Note: We also are now allowing more than one contest entry per day. Feel free to submit up to 5 tips per day. We have had people request this change because they don't have time to visit the site more than once or twice a week.
Thanks for reading!
Susan
Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Tips:
- Removing Permanent Market from Wood Furniture
- Borax for Fleas
- Use a Tea Light in Pillar Candles
- Make Your Own Produce "Keeper" Bags
- Eggless, Milkless and Butterless Cake
- Vinegar as a Dishwashing Rinse
- Beware Baking Soda in Drains
- Non-Greasy Fried Fish
- Make Your Own Car Air Freshener: Hypoallergenic Garni Bag
- Multi-tasking: Crafting on the Phone
- Featured Feedback: RE: Adding Up the Savings from a Frugal Life
- Featured Feedback: RE: Help Getting Spots off Flatware
- Today's Recipe: Recipe for Elephant Ears
New Requests:
- Pans for My Daughter
- Outdoor Craft Ideas for Kids
- Cleaning Sticky Label Residue off My Jacket
- Cleaning Well Water Stains From Tub
- Getting Rid of Cat Spray Odor on Carpet
More Reading:
- Are You Afraid Of A Budget
- Clothing Can Create an Optical Illusion
- Good or Bad
- Heating and Cooling Your Home
- 10 Great Kitchen Gadgets for Healthy Cooking
- Tips for Lowering Your Monthly Energy Bill
- 4th of July Recipe Links
Search ThriftyFun Using Google: Click Here
Today's Tips
Removing Permanent Market from Wood Furniture Do you have permament marker on your wood furniture? Well don't worry. Go to the store get Mr. Clean magic eraser. Apply it and wipe the marker away, it doesn't hurt your wood. By Desiree Woodward
Post Feedback: Click Here
20 Borax for Fleas To rid your home of fleas try this. Buy a box of Mule Team Borax (available in your store's laundry soap isle), spread it over your carpet (I use an old colander). Use a broom and sweep it into the carpet. Wait a couple of hours then vaccuum. The residual borax that remains in the carpet will kill the fleas and their larvae simply by drying them out! Works like a charm. By Lucia
Post Feedback: Click Here
Use a Tea Light in Pillar Candles If you like to decorate with large pillar candles, but don't like it when they get short, just let them burn down to the height you like, pouring out the extra wax each time to form a hollow inside of the candle. Slip in a tea light and then you can just change tealights each time you want to have candlelight. By QueenBeeCrafts
Post Feedback: Click Here
Make Your Own Produce "Keeper" Bags Instead of buying high priced produce keeper bags to keep my lettuce fresh, I make my own. I cut out the hard center of the lettuce and discard outer leaves. I then put the lettuce, unwashed, into a cheaper resealable bag and then make tiny slits with a small sharp scissors or poke holes with a sharp large 3 pronged fork on both sides of the bag. My lettuce stays fresh and I save save save! By Tiny Bop
Post Feedback: Click Here
Eggless, Milkless and Butterless Cake This is a delicious and inexpensive cake, that all my children loved. Give it a try. I am sure it will become a favorite of your family's too!
EGGLESS, MILKLESS, BUTTERLESS CAKE
In a saucepan put: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup raisins, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1 cup hot water. Bring to a boil.
Cool, then add: 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in a little warm water.
Mix well, put into small baking pan, and bake at 350F, 25 to 30 minutes, or until done in the center. You can serve it as is, or sprinkle with powdered sugar or add a thin glaze.
By Jen
Post Feedback: Click Here
Vinegar as a Dishwashing Rinse You can use plain old white vinegar in your dishwasher as a rinse agent, it works well and costs only pennies. As an added benefit it helps fight build-up in the dishwasher itself. By Suzanne
Post Feedback: Click Here
Beware Baking Soda in Drains
Baking soda is touted as an amazingly frugal cleaning product and it is. But be careful when you rinse it down the drain or the toilet. Baking soda, especially when mixed with hot water, solidifies. I once had a plumber come in after my husband and I could not unstop a kitchen sink which backed up and would not clear. (We lived in New York at the time.) The plumber broke one snake and had to get another and it took 2 hours to cut through the rock that the baking soda had become in the pipe. I had been using just a little baking soda once a week or so to clean the sink and counters for only three months when this happened!
Allison from Arizona
Editor's Note: Wow! I have used baking soda for more years than I can remember and have never had this problem but then we always use it with vinegar and the vinegar turns it into foam. Anyone else experienced this? Maybe it has something to do with the climate and water in Arizona?
View Article: Click Here
Non-Greasy Fried Fish Non-Greasy Fried Fish
Last year a friend of ours recommended a product called Panko. It is located in the Asian food section of the grocery store in a small green box. It is similar to a bread crumb mixture and is excellent in taste and your fish is not greasy. I have been told that it works great with chicken as well, but have not yet tried it.
You dip your skinned fish in milk, then lightly roll in flour. Then roll into beaten eggs then into the Panko. We have even just done it in milk and Panko. If you are lactose intolerant you could just run the fish under water as if washing it, but shake the drips or they could cause grease to spatter.
We have cooked our fish and put it in the fridge overnight and reheated the next day and it is NEVER soggy! It is so good!
You can even season your flour before rolling the fish into it.
Tawnda
View Article: Click Here
Beware Baking Soda in Drains Baking soda is touted as an amazingly frugal cleaning product and it is. But be careful when you rinse it down the drain or the toilet. Baking soda, especially when mixed with hot water, solidifies. I once had a plumber come in after my husband and I could not unstop a kitchen sink which backed up and would not clear. (We lived in New York at the time.) The plumber broke one snake and had to get another and it took 2 hours to cut through the rock that the baking soda had become in the pipe. I had been using just a little baking soda once a week or so to clean the sink and counters for only three months when this happened!
Allison from Arizona
Editor's Note: Wow! I have used baking soda for more years than I can remember and have never had this problem but then we always use it with vinegar and the vinegar turns it into foam. Anyone else experienced this? Maybe it has something to do with the climate and water in Arizona?
View Article: Click Here
Non-Greasy Fried Fish Last year a friend of ours recommended a product called Panko. It is located in the Asian food section of the grocery store in a small green box. It is similar to a bread crumb mixture and is excellent in taste and your fish is not greasy. I have been told that it works great with chicken as well, but have not yet tried it.
You dip your skinned fish in milk, then lightly roll in flour. Then roll into beaten eggs then into the Panko. We have even just done it in milk and Panko. If you are lactose intolerant you could just run the fish under water as if washing it, but shake the drips or they could cause grease to spatter.
We have cooked our fish and put it in the fridge overnight and reheated the next day and it is NEVER soggy! It is so good!
You can even season your flour before rolling the fish into it.
Tawnda
View Article: Click Here
The following two tips are from our archive.
Multi-tasking: Crafting on the Phone I never seem to have enough time to do everything. So I keep a basket next to my TV chair containing everything I need to do hand sewing, mending, sewing on buttons, hemming, and so forth. When the phone rings I can grab my basket and still not feel guilty about talking a long time. - Barbara
Post Feedback: Click Here
Make Your Own Car Air Freshener: Hypoallergenic Garni Bag I am allergic to a lot, and with my pregnancy, smells drive me crazy-- even ones that make life a bit more pleasant; like air fresheners in cars, which I don't normally smell but are needed due to occasional trips with the dog. My husband filled a tightly woven bouquet garni bag with baking soda and hung it from the rearview mirror. I am not overwhelmed with smell now, and the baking soda keeps things fresh! - Alouette
Post Feedback: Click Here
Featured Feedback: RE: Adding Up the Savings from a Frugal Life I save by budgeting according to our income. We are a family of four with two teens living on about $32K a year. We actually need about $36K a year and that gets met with tax refunds and such. I can tell you that I save by shopping for car insurance, not using credit cards for anything, and other things. How I determine how much we save is by seeing to it that we don't need to work more to pay for more stuff. Bottom line: I'm saving my family $10K to $18K a year by all of us agreeing to live simply - because that's much I would make if I had a paying job. And the kids and husband want me at home where I want to be.
If you plan to spend only a certain amount, then you probably will. If you leave it to trying to count your pennies in the end you won't see much success, because you had no plan, for spending or savings.
Also being frugal isn't about being cheap. It's about choosing where you really want to spend and where you don't. We don't want to waste energy and spend too much on it so we are careful with electricity, water and gasoline. On the other hand, we like Apple computers so we spend more (midrange, really) for a good one. We drive a used car but we keep it repaired and in good shape so the overall life cost is much less than a new or newer one. We buy or are given used furniture and clothes, but our shoes are new and fit us well. And an on-sale new denim slipcover set makes it all match! (still hundreds less than new furniture)
Frugality is about having a choice and not being an economic commodity. The news doesn't call us citizens anymore. We're called "consumers". How insulting is that!
By Rabbithorns
Post Feedback: Click Here
Featured Feedback: RE: Help Getting Spots off Flatware Water spots are generally left when your dishwasher doesn't dry enough after a cycle. Most people use Jet Dry to help this but I used to have an old dishwasher that did not have a place for the product. Take all of the spotted flatwear and put in a shallow pan or drain pan. Pour white vinegar over all covering all pieces. Leave on at least five minutes. Rinse well under hot water and dry well with a clean towel one at a time. When you wash dishes in future, pour 2 cups white vinegar in the rinse cycle and remove flatwear when the dry cycle ends. Dry well and you should not have any more problems. Good Luck.
By Julie
Post Feedback: Click Here
Today's Recipe: Recipe for Elephant Ears Numerous tasty recipes for Elephant ears were submitted in response to a recent request. Check out the recipes at the link below.
Post Feedback: Click Here
Submit a recipe on the contest form: Click Here
Need a particular recipe? Submit a request: Click Here
Lots of wonderful feedback is generously posted by readers each day.
To read all recent feedback, visit:
Click Here
Tip Contest
Submit a thrifty tip and you might win...
Elegantly Frugal Costumes: The Poor Man's Do-It-Yourself Costume Maker's Guide
This wonderfully practical book literally shows you how to make costumes for plays, pageants and musicals at the lowest possible expense! Over 150 detailed illustrations work with the easy-to-follow text to walk you through every step of the process. Just about every basic period is covered: Biblical to Medieval, Renaissance, Angels, the Fabulous Fifties, 1800s to World War I, The Roaring Twenties and more. Many helpful hints on making or buying realistic period theatrical costumes on a shoestring budget from cast-offs, donations, scraps, and other easily-obtained materials. Also included are "special effects" costumes, helpful hints for getting into and out of costumes, and a glossary of costuming terms A book that will pay for itself with its first use.
Click here to submit a tip.
Click Here to Enter!
New Requests:
Pans for My Daughter Hi! My daughter is getting married and I want to buy her some pots and pans that will last for as long as humanly possible but also resist food sticking. Any recommendations? I have some old cast iron pans and some newer teflon pans (cheap). What's worked well for you guys? I don't mind spending money as long as I know they are good. Thanks! Cat (Proud Mom) from Min.
This article has 0 Feedback. Post Feedback: Click Here
Outdoor Craft Ideas for Kids I am working at a camp this summer with kids of various ages, 3rd grade to middle school. I am looking for some craft ideas that they can do outside. Thank you, NJ
This article has 0 Feedback. Post Feedback: Click Here
Cleaning Sticky Label Residue off My Jacket I had a sticky label stuck on my jacket, and my housekeeper accidentally put the jacket in the wash without first removing the label. Now the white residue of the label remains on a dark colored jacket and I would like to know how to safely remove this sticky residue without harming the jacket. The jacket is made from synthetic wool. Can anyone help? Thanx Lynette from South Africa
This article has 0 Feedback. Post Feedback: Click Here
Cleaning Well Water Stains From Tub Please help, I am looking for something to clean my bathtub from our well water stains. I have tried everything I can get my hands on, nothing seems to work. Please help. Tell me I don't have to replace my tub. I have tried CLRand all those products they claim to clean it, "IT don't" Thank you. - Sweets
This article has 2 Feedback. View Article: Click Here
Getting Rid of Cat Spray Odor on Carpet HELP ME PLEASE. I just discovered that a neighborhood cat has been spraying in my cellar window onto my carpet. OMG, the smell is enough to gag you. What can I do to get the pee out of the carpet? I have closed the window, so he won't be able to continue to do it. Any help you can give me I thank you for already.
This article has 1 Feedback. View Article: Click Here
Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit
your request here: Click Here
More Reading
Are You Afraid Of A Budget
By Terry Rigg
There's that horrifying word. The one that makes so many people cringe at it's very utterance. It seems like they could make a very good spooky movie with the title "You Have To BUDGET!".
View Article: Click Here
Clothing Can Create an Optical Illusion - Good or Bad
By Sarah J Doyle
Too frequently, even the most accomplished sewer finds the results of her efforts simply hanging in the closet or being worn self-consciously.
View Article: Click Here
Heating and Cooling Your Home Heating and cooling systems are some of the most important investments you'll ever make in your home. Whether you're buying a new house, renovating an old one or making an emergency purchase because "old faithful" finally conked out, there's a lot riding on the choices you make: Your comfort and safety are at stake, but so is your wallet.
View Article: Click Here
10 Great Kitchen Gadgets for Healthy Cooking
By Erin Rogers
Be prepared. Boy scout or not, this is a great motto. Being prepared can often mean the difference between being able to whip up a simple, healthy meal or resorting to fast food or the delivery man. The desire to eat healthy food makes quick preparation a bit more difficult than simply boiling up some macaroni and cheese with hotdogs and frozen peas. But, with a little planning, you can make it much easier to quickly prepare a delicious and nutritious meal.
View Article: Click Here
Tips for Lowering Your Monthly Energy Bill Being an energy-smart consumer means getting the most from the energy you use.
View Article: Click Here
4th of July Recipe Links Some great links for 4th of July Recipes from Desserts to Picnics
View Article: Click Here
Let others know that you like this Ezine:
Vote For the Daily Thrifty Tips
Support ThriftyFun
Three ways to support us:
1. Be sure to visit our website and check out our advertisers
from time to time. They keep the lights on.
2. Post feedback and send us requests for frugal solutions to
everyday problems.
3. Tell a friend about the Daily Thrifty Tips.
Click Here
Thanks
Susan
http://www.thriftyfun.com
| 
