Daily Thrifty Tips - July 10, 2006

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Shadow is my 3 year old cat. I got my cat from a neighbor 2 weeks after she was born. She likes to chase leaves. She is very sweet and likes to be held and have her ears rubbed.

By Hannah from Cumming, GA

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Honey is our 12 (the dear old thing!) year old Labrador X Border Collie.

Honey was a tiny little ball of black fur with sticky-up ears on the day I got her. We had to catch 3 trains to get home. It was the middle of summer and over 30 degrees (celsius). By the time we got near to home, she was so tuckered out I had to carry her the rest of the way in my handbag with her little paws and face sticking out the top!

She likes to go in the car. She talks and talks and talks - non stop :)

By KJP from Melbourne, Australia

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My daughter Gracie on her 2nd birthday, shes had 2 open heart surgeries. Shes a miracle baby! Thanks to God and prayers she still with us today.

By Misti Breuer from Carthage, Tennesee

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Tips for storing celery.

If you like celery be sure to wrap it up in foil when you put it away in the fridge, it'll last for ever, weeks anyway!

Janet from Bangor ME

Post your ideas below.

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Tips for reusing those plastic containers that tic tac breath mints come in.

Other Small Candy:

By Syd

Travel Containers:

• Bobby pins, hair pins and hair clips.
• Travel case for aspirin, Tylenol, etc. (Be sure to label the container).
• Tooth picks.
• Small sewing kit

By Syd

Cocoa Powder:

By melody_yesterday

Sewing Kit:

By melody_yesterday

Medication:

By melody_yesterday

Diving Blocks:

By Anna

Carrying Your Sweetener:

By maggiemay

Seashells and Pebbles:

By may-fairy

Small Snowglobe:

By may-fairy

Tree Decorations:

By may-fairy

Travel Containers:

By may-fairy

Salt and Pepper:

By may-fairy

Seeds:

By may-fairy

Small Scrapbookign Supplies:

By Amber

Toy "Radios":

I will always remember that!

By Madison

Holding Small Items:

In some WalMart Supercenter's craft section you can buy the Tic-Tac containers in packs of eight.

By gator10tx

For Your Workshop:

By Fisher

Feel free to post your ideas below.

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To make our kitties kitty litter last longer and to keep that clean, fresh smell around longer, I mix baby powder in with the litter.

By Marnita from Cumming, GA

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You can make shopping around a lot quicker if you have cellphone. Before you go shopping, write down the numbers of other stores that carry the products you are interesting in purchasing. That way you can call around to get competing price quotes and not have to drive to every store. Even if you don't have a cellphone, some stores have courtesy phones you can use.

By Fisher

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My chiropractor told me that, when my back was hurting, to put an ice pack on the aching pain. If I didn't have any ice packs, I could use a bag of frozen veggies, such as corn or green peas. Place a towel over the bag and lay on the bag of frozen veggies to get the best angle on the pain, rather than laying down and putting the bag of frozen veggies on top of the ache. The same bag of veggies can be used more than once like this, by refreezing them. But be sure mark them so you'll not grab them out of the freezer to prepare for your meal as you'll have to toss them out once you're finished using them due to bacteria build up.

My chiropractor said a bag of frozen veggies was cheaper than going to the store and buying an ice pack, or in case you didn't have any already at home. Ice is better for pain sometimes than a heating pad, especially when it comes to aching hips and backs.

By Terri from NV

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You don't have to have a pet to get fleas. Drop a mothball or vacuum up some moth crystals in your sweeper bag to prevent any 'buggies' you may pick up in your sweeper. This will prevent them from 'nesting' in your sweeper bag.

By Cathy from Englewood, FL

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Use this tip this summer when your feet are so hot and tired. If you have any ice packs in the freezer, cover them with a towel and place under or on top of your feet for a few minutes. Your feet will thank you.

By Terri from NV

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Just cut up an uncooked potato into strips that look like fries. Toss them in olive oil and flavor with salt and pepper.

Put them on cookie sheet to bake for about 6 minutes and check. It may take a total of 10 to 15 minutes but you have good and cheap fries.

By Sandy

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I purchased a one drawer plastic container (from Wal-mart or a dollar store) I filed all my patterns for sewing clothes, crafts, projects, plus my quilt patterns. You can also file your fabric swatches (glue on a piece of construction paper, you can then tell what you have on hand.) I made an index so I would know where to find each pattern or material I have on hand. I put on my file where my fabric or project is located (in tote a, b or c.) I found this is helpful if you need space. I was forever hunting things in my Craft Sewing room.

By Pat from Unicoi, Tn

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If you ever get White-Out (also called "Liquid Paper") or permanent marker on clothing; dab on a small amount of sunscreen over the stain and rub off with a paper towel. Repeat until stain is gone and then wash normally.

By Marnita from Cumming, GA

Read more ideas below.

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Dear Webby's Humor Letter

Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter.

More Information:
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Do any of you allow or even encourage your children not to wear shoes. For the last year my seven year old daughter has only worn shoes to school and the rest of the time she is barefoot. We have been in shopping centres and supermarkets, cinemas, restaurants, hotels and through customs at airports without any problems. So anyone else? We are in the UK by the way

Gillian from UK

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I did a silly thing (unknowingly). I put my gold rings in alcohol to clean them and it changed their color to a bronzish color. Any hope for me to them back to normal?

Sophie from Westborough, MA

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I would like to know how to remove contact paper from walls and stove hoods.

Thank you,
Tricia from Verona, NJ

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I need some advice and I found this website while looking for some info and I'm hoping you can help me. My parent's are celebrating their 50th anniversary next month and we are having a big party for them which we have been planning for over a year. My daughter-in-law told me today that she and my grandchildren may not be coming because her God daughter's birthday party is being held the same day. My son will be coming to the anniversary party. When she told me this I was very upset and basically told her that I thought she should be at the anniversary party since this was a once in a lifetime event and her God daughter would have many more birthdays. She did not respond and left the room. She came back in later and acted as if nothing had been said and we did not discuss it further. Am I wrong to feel this way? Do I have a right to expect her to be a the anniversary party? My parents have been very good to her and my grandchildren and have made special efforts to be at their birthday parties, etc.

Lorri from Streetsboro, OH

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One of my daughter's shirts got mildew on it from being put in the basket wet, and i was wondering how to remove this. Thank you for any and all suggestions.

jmz2005 from illinois

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My cat keeps peeing on the floor. I clean her kitty litter but she just keeps going for the floor! HELP?

katie from Ferryland, NL

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How can I potty train stubborn 3.5 year old? My nephew had been raised in a less than desireable environment. He knows when he needs to go but CHOOSES not to go in the potty. I have tried EVERYTHING. The only thing that got a reaction from him was taking his pull ups away and letting him roam bare bum, he thew an absolute fit and told me that his mommy put diapers on him and so I should. Later when he was getting ready for bed I put his night time pull up on him and 2 seconds later he had a poop in his pull up, so I made him clean it up and he was very upset because it was yucky and he didn't want to clean it up, he wanted me to because his "mommy does". Am I being too harsh?

Danielle from Kelowna, BC

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I've got a new crepe myrtle tree, and I believe japanese beetles are eating the leaves. Can anyone offer suggestions? I need an easy remedy. Thank you!

Hardiness Zone: 7a

Maggie from Virginia

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Vacuum cleaners are getting to be too much of a hassle. Are there any good manual carpet sweepers for removing crumbs, threads, etc.?

JOE from PHILADELPHIA

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How do I go about freezing strawberries?

Jeannie from Stuarts Draft, VA

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Does anyone know if nail polish (such as Sally Hansen Hard as Nails) will damage a cell phone? I really want to paint my green phone red, but I don't know if it will do something to the phone and I definitely don't want that!

Heather

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How do I get rid of carpet odors?

Carol from Davis, CA

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We found a St. Bernard / Chow cross he was in terrible shape. We clipped him and found maggots in his fur! After bathing and shaving what else can we do to heal this adorable big boy?

Arlene from Saskatchewan, Canada

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Does anyone have a recipe for making a small number (e.g. 4) of bread rolls quickly in a microwave? We would want to eat them straight away, so a non-yeast method would do.

Thanks,
Mary

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We are growing 16 corn plants in an earthbox. I don't know what to expect. Right now, the plants are at different heights 4-5 feet, but gangly and a pale green. Flower stalks have formed, but I am wondering when and if they will form corn with the silk tassels, and if I am giving it too much water. Today, I plan to give it a sea weed drink. What do you think?

Hardiness Zone: 9a

Annie from Sacramento

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I need to retile my shower and I want to find the largest selection of tiles at the cheapest price. I thought discontinued tiles would be my best bet. Where can I find this combination. Also the best place to buy a shower pan. Any advice welcome.

Denise from Woodbury, NJ

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We recently had a bad rain fall and had a little flood of about 6 inches. We live in a trailer park where many of the trailers got flooded about six inches or so. A couple days after the rain had dried up we began to smell mildew or a mold like scent. I removed some skirting and the smell comes out strong and the dirt is wet wet still. I don't know what to do to get rid of the smell. Why is it there and is it coming from the dirt being wet? Please help me, I don't want any of us to get sick.

Thank you,
Senaida from Albuquerque, NM

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How can I remove crazy glue from eyeglasses?

Carolyn from Grove, OK

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Do you know how to repair the finish on the base of a Tiffany lamp? A small section appears white, almost like it's oxidized and corroded. Thank you for your help!

Janine from St. Louis

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I was looking for information in trying to find a place to help with getting kids school clothes, nothing fancy. In march My Husband lost his job, we had to move to a different place, However school is approaching by July 27th and we have no extra money to get the clothes the kids need. We currently are on assistance for food and medicines and insurance. But not for getting what the kids need. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank You.

M from Georgia

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Tips for cooking in hot weather.

I Use a Gas Grill

I live in Phoenix and I refuse to turn on the oven in the summer. But I use our gas barbecue grill a lot. Not just for grilling. I use it as an oven. I bake casseroles, cakes, cookies, pizzas, corn bread, biscuits. Last night I made stuffed peppers. I do have a top rack that is up off the flames. I have thought if I didn't have that I would try to do a double boiler of sorts to keep the bottom from burning. Just experiment a little. An added benefit from not heating your house is that a propane bottle lasts for a long time for a few dollars.

By Anelson

Salad and Grilling

What I find is a really big help in hot weather is this: after tidying up after breakfast I prepare my salad greens by cleaning them in the salad crisper and then refrigerate them. Then all I have to do is add the tomatoes, cukes, salad dressing, etc. at lunch time. Add some cold meat, cheese, etc. By doing this early in the morning, you will beat the heat.

Sometimes we barbecue on the grill; i.e., chicken, beef, fish, etc. Along with the meat, take some aluminum foil and add veggies like potatoes, peppers, onions, whatever you desire. Serve on paper plates to cut down on spending extra time in the kitchen cleaning up. Splurge once in a while and order pizza. On a hot evening, you deserve a break. Hope this helps.

By Bunny

Cooking a Roast Outside

I do have an idea for providing meals for your family during the hot weather. It's been hot in my area as well, and, I too, have a family to feed. I have been using my crock pot outside on my front porch. I have a plug in outside, so I just plug my crock pot, and let it cook outside. It does not heat up my house and I can provide my hungry husband and family a nice meal. Today I put in a roast, with some dried onion soup mix, carrots and potatoes. The soup mix makes a nice broth for gravy if desired. Two days ago I prepared chicken, dumping in some barb-b-q sauce. YOu can do a lot with a crock pot!

Sincerely,
By Brenda

Solar Cooking

You might consider solar cooking. Here's a link to a website with information and plans to make a solar oven. We don't usually have enough sun here to do that but it sounds like you do.

http://www.solarcooking.org/

By Susan

Hot Weather Meal Planning

We live in South Central Washington state. The temperature has been running in the high nineties. Usually we have a cold breakfast, then for lunch we have egg or meat sandwiches, potato salad, macaroni salad or tuna salad. For dinner, which we eat around 7:30 after the heat of the day is off, I usually just have leftovers or cold chicken and serve colorful fruit (melon, etc.), ice cold. My husband works very hard in the field and yard, and I make sure he is well supplied with iced tea, milkshakes or fruit juice all day long. Sometimes in the evening if he is still hungry he will have some cheese and chips with a cold drink. If I have to cook a big dinner, I put a crock pot outside in the shop and make a big piece of meat with vegetables. That serves us for at least two meals. I prepare my salads early enough in the morning before the heat of the day comes on, and that seems to work really well. Good luck!

By Pat

Beat The Heat With a Crockpot

I use my crockpot a lot in the hot weather. I don't want to heat up the house so I put it outside on the deck and let it cook out there. I have even brought the toaster/oven out there an cooked in that.

By Karen

Toaster Oven Cooking

I know what you mean about it being to hot to cook. The heat index most days is over 100 here in Houston. What I did was went to the store and got a cookie sheet and took it to where they have the toaster ovens and found an oven that could fit the cookie sheet. The toaster oven both bakes and broils. They are great to have to bake cookies, cakes, pies, casseroles, etc.. This really cuts down on the heat in our apartment and did when I had a house as well. Just make sure to check to see if a cookie sheet will fit into the toaster over as some do not.

By JSRS443

In The Oven Stew

• 2 lb. stew meat (can be frozen)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 envelope of onion soup mix
• 1 can of water
• mashed potatoes or rice

Put all of the ingredients in the crock pot on low. No need to mix; it all blends nicely as it cooks. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over potatoes or rice.

This is also a great recipe for working parents. Put it together in the morning before work, and when you come home it is ready to eat.

By Brandi

Find Cold Recipes

When it's hot, I don't even want to eat hot food half the time. I have lots of salads and milkshakes. Don't forget about fruit salads. Put chicken salad or tuna salad on bread, crackers or celery. Put yogurt and fruit in your shakes. I like to put canned pumpkin or sweet potatoes in the blender with milk, ice cream, and pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg, cloves) and maybe some wheat germ. You can also make a cold "fruit salad" from canned sweet potatoes, pineapple, maybe some tofu, pumpkin pie spice, and something crunchy like walnuts or water chestnuts. I've also had cold fruit soups in restaurants which taste like frozen berries and water in a blender, with maybe some mint extract. Just think of things you like that are good for you and how you can eat them cold.

By debo_mill

Feel free to post your ideas below.

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Selecting High-Quality Cheese: When selecting cheeses for freezing, avoid those with dry or cracked edges, mold that doesn't belong or cheeses that appear greasy on the surface. Check the date of prepackaged cheese to make sure it hasn't expired. Cheese keeps best in the refrigerator and freezing it will sacrifice some of its quality. Hard or semi-hard cheese can be frozen, but it may become develop a crumbly or mealy texture during freezing. However, it will retain its flavor and work just fine for cooking.

Best Cheeses to Freeze: Camembert, Cheddar, Edam, Mozzarella, Muenster, Parmesan, Port du Salut, Provolone, Romano, and Swiss. Blue Cheese will retain its flavor, but become crumbly. Soft cheeses should be frozen when they reached the desired ripeness.

Worst Cheeses to Freeze: Container cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese do not freeze well. Blocks of cream cheese can be frozen for later use as an ingredient in recipes.

Preparing for Freezing: Hard and semi-hard cheeses can be grated, sliced or cut into blocks for freezing.

Suitable Packaging: Wrap wheels, blocks or slices of cheese tightly in plastic or heavy-duty aluminum foil. Separate slices of cheese with wax paper before freezing. Grated cheese stores well in airtight containers.

Maximum Storage Time: Freeze soft cheese and cheese spreads and dips for 1 month, and hard and semi-hard cheese for 3 to 6 months.

Thawing: Thaw the amount of cheese needed for consumption in the refrigerator, then serve it at room temperature. Cheese used for cooking should also be thawed in the refrigerator.

Tips & Shortcuts: Hard cheese grates well when it's frozen.

Refrigerating Cheese: All natural cheese continues to age and change when stored. As a general rule, the softer the cheese, the more quickly it will spoil. If a small amount of mold appears on cheese, remove it and save the rest. Refrigerate soft cheese for 3 to 4 days, hard to semi-hard cheese for 2 to 3 weeks and cheese spreads and dips for 1 to 2 weeks.

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Selecting High-Quality Meats:

Preparing for Freezing:

Suitable Packaging:

Maximum Storage Time:

* opened

Thawing:

Tips & Shortcuts:

Refrigerating Meat:

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