Daily Thrifty Tips - August 18, 2006

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My daughter has two four years old boys. One was born in January and the other in April. These two can find more stuff to get into. One day she was on the computer and thought all the children were playing quietly. One of the other children came and told her that the boys were throwing eggs in the kitchen. They had gotten into the eggs and threw four dozen of them all over the place. One was found the next day not cracked.

They had eggs all over them and under the stoves and on the cabinets. That was the day they were going to see the movie "Cars" but they didn't get to go. It is funny now but at that time it wasn't.

By Pat from Bayard

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This is another picture of Alvie with the 'Puppy Mumps'. For everyone that wrote to me, thank you. He did go through quite an ordeal. Here's a picture of him all grown up. He looks pretty good for what he went through.

By PENNY from Ipava

As a puppy...

Here he is now...

You can view the previous post about Alvie here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf21373777.tip.html

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Odie is our 2 year, 10 month old Yorkshire Terrier. Our 12 yr old yorkie died in my arms so we had to get another pet. I was crying for 3 weeks over Toby. We got Odie a month later. Nov 21, 2003. He was 7 weeks old.

He loves to play with our cat Sammie, he loves to go outside and chase bunnies. He likes for us to chase him with his squeaky bone.

Odie is like a small child, he understands everything we say to him. He has to help us no matter what it is. We really enjoy having him with us. He even sleeps with us.

By Darlene from Perry

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During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"

By Terri from NV

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Walla Walla sweet onions are a delicious seasonal treat. We like to add them to our BBQ's, but they can be a singular entre or side dish with salad.

Peel them after cutting the top and bottoms so they are flat (important) and wrap them in regular, not heavy duty, aluminum foil.

I generally place them on the grill first when I am barbecuing other meats since they may take more time than other BBQ, but sometimes only do the Walla Walla Sweets.

Turn them about every 10 minutes being careful not to rip the foil (e.g. use gloves and do it by hand), for a total cooking time of 30 minutes depending on size. They should be slightly "squishy" when done.

Serve by unwrapping whole into a desert dish per individual and eat with a steak knife and fork.

Goes great with steak, chicken, salad or on its own.

Vidalia onions are also good prepared this way, but nothing beats Walla Walla.

By Jack Inman from Tigard, OR

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All four of my kids take packed lunches to school. To save money on the snacks that go in, I buy big bags of chips, cheeses, whatever, and bargain sandwich bags, then pack the snacks in them. Saves a lot over buying the individual snack packs that are made to fit into the lunches. I make my own peanut butter crackers too, with saltines or Ritz-type. It takes a few minutes extra in the morning, but it does save money.

Marjorie

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I, too, have been living very frugally. My husband and I have been married 15 years. We have 4 kids. Needless to say, some times have been rougher than others financially. I have done just about everything to make sure that my family's needs have been met.

I use freecycle both to offer and receive. I, with some hesitation, do use some of the government programs that are out there for me: WIC, food pantries, etc.

I never pay full price for anything. I find the low price grocery stores. My kids can't tell the difference between Cheerios and Toasty O's.

My kids' friends think we are rich because of all the things that we have. They just don't realize that I have not paid full price for 90% of the things in my home.

Tracyflo from Phoenix, AZ

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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In most cases, store brand kitchen staples such as pancake mix, canned vegetables and pastas are exactly the same as the more expensive "brand name" items. I had a friend that worked in a packaging factory and he told me that they would pack exactly the same product, one in a brand name package, several in different chain store brands. There are exceptions but it it worth considering trying the bargain brand before shelling out the big bucks for the fancy name.

Jess in Portland, OR

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You can make your own lipgloss for a fraction of what you would normally spend on make up.

Take some vaseline and mix in the right amount of food coloring.

For reddish tints mix lots of reds. For a purplish, maroonish color mix in red with a hint of blue. Mix in yellow food coloring with a lot of red for a light peachy orange color. Get creative!

Keep this mixture in the fridge for 2-3 minutes to make the colors set.

Buy some small round containers with lids from the dollar store for your creations.

Another way to store the lipgloss is to clean out an old water color paint set. Keep each color in the water color paint container and use a brush to apply to your face.

Voila! Now you have some stylish lipgloss.

By Neha from Dayton OH

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If you don't have a biscuit cutter, a ring from a canning jar will work just as well.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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When making a casserole, double the ingredients and make two. Cook one and store the other in the freezer. Cover the casserole in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing. Use a marker to write the date on the foil. You can re-use the foil to cover the casserole when cooking it. Casseroles can be frozen for 3 months.

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Dear Webby's Humor Letter

Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter.

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How to get rid of ants and ant hills on a paver walkway?

Hardiness Zone: 5a

Buttercup from Michigan

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What do I use to starch a tablecoth?

Evelyn from Edmonton, Canada

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I was wondering if you refrigerator pickles can be canned? If so, how do you do it and do you have a recipe? Any help would be great. Have a Blessed day.

Thanks,
Debi from New York

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What are the shoots that grow out from a honeysuckle bush this time of year? Hardiness Zone: 5a Buttercup from Michigan

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How do you clean all the "yellow" cooked on oil on saute pans and old burn stains, etc.? The pan has been stained for a while.

Sally from Northern Virginia

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Can you make french vanilla coffee creamer at home?

sherry from Wilmington, NC

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Where do you dump bamboo stalks in Montgomery, PA?

Hardiness Zone: 6a

Chanel from Floutown, PA

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I'm looking for a macaroni salad recipe my grandma made. She's gone now and it isn't in the family cookbook. It had twist noodles, chunks of ham and I think Velveeta cheese. I have no clue about the sauce. Does anyone have something close to this?

Thanks for any recipes.

Tami from Byron Center, MI

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We live in a basement apartment. Two weeks ago, the person above us had a toilet overflow, which leaked into our entryway through a light fixture in the ceiling. We cleaned out the light fixture and the stone floor under the leak, but since then there has been a damp, musty smell in the room. We can't tell where it's originating from exactly, but we suspect the some of the overflow might have stayed in the ceiling and be causing the smell. Any ideas on what to do to get the smell out or on what else we should do.

Also, the ceiling is painted over but small bubbles have appeared in the paint, about 4 feet from the light that had the visible leak. We don't know when these bubbles first appeared, but we beiieve the ceiling was newly painted when we moved in six months ago. Should we be worried?

Mary from Brookline, MA

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For some unknown reason, two of my favorite newsletters haven't come in for at least a week. No idea what happened to them. I deleted the last ones, so I don't have an email to check and see. One is FunnyCleanJokes and the other is Topgreeting. These titles won't bring them up. If anyone has the addresses for them I would appreciate getting them.

Thanks,
Jean from MI

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What is the best way to save Zinnia seeds?

Hardiness Zone: 7b

Becky from Hernando, MS

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I have three dogs, two labradors and a collie spaniel cross. Two are normal weight but the middle labrador is 66kgs which I think is too big. She is quite a muscle bound dog but has no interest in exercise other than gentle walks. Can someone recommend her ideal weight and what and how often I should feed her to get her down to an acceptable level as I have found conflicting advice on all the sites i have been to.

Thanks,
Mags from Swansea South Wales

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I have a spice rack that I don't use. can someone please give me an idea as to what i can use the wooden cabinet for? I also still have all the spice bottles. any ideas on what I could use the cabinet for? It has 2 drawers on the bottom and three tiers of shelves.

Thank you,
Sherry from Dixie, West Virginia

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How do you know when you are low on potassium?

Glinda from Glendale, KY

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Will a hummingbird vine die if I cut it back?

Hardiness Zone: 6b

Wanda from Church Hill, Tennessee

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I am looking for ideas for cleaning or repairing scratch marks left behind after snaking the toilet.

Gigi from FL

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I bought an antique rocking horse, and would like ideas of how to decorate it for my grandson. It is dark wood.

Tombets91 from Sanford, FL

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Has anyone else noticed or mentioned a problem with the Poll page on ThriftyFun? When I go to that page, select my answer, and then click on the "Submit" button, nothing happens. The "View Results" button is not working either. (I use Firefox for my web browser.)

Lynn from Chico, CA

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What do you use to tether you cats outside? I tried using a cat collar and leash and Grayce won't move. She just stares at the leash. She loves to go outside.

Barbara from Trenton, TN

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I need to get grime off my shower caulk and walls.

Kellie from Rock Falls, IL

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What are some fun games for 2-5 year olds can play outside at a birthday party?

Lou from Ontario

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Selecting High-Quality Snow Peas:

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Did you know that gardeners and home owners spend millions of dollars each year trying to rid their gardens of weeds? We keep spraying them and they keep coming back. I don't know about you, but Minnesota summers are short, and I prefer not to squander what little summer I have by spending my time trying to combat weeds. Here are some easy ways to keep weeds to a minimum while enjoying summer to the maximum.

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