Daily Thrifty Tips - December 5, 2006

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Use brown paper grocery bags, or the piece of brown paper you often find rolled up after the gift wrap is gone to make these personal Gingerbread People with faces that your child knows. These may be used for tree ornaments, package decorations, or card enclosures for relatives far away. Great teacher gift, too.

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Maybe this will inspire some of you painters out there for next Christmas, I always paint the envelopes of my Christmas cards, this is what I did for this last Christmas, I have been doing this for about 6 years, it is fun to come up with something new every year.

By Phyllis Powell (Originally Published 1/30/2005)

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Prince Ming is 3 years old and a Flame Point Siamese cat. I got him in October 2004 at the Animal Shelter.

Ming likes to sleep with me every single night and play with Baby Jane our dog.

Ming suffers from allergies and had to get steroid injections every 3 months. It is easy for people to say 'you should just have him put to sleep' but I love Ming and Ming loves me. If it only costs me $20 bucks every few months to prolong his life so that he is comfortable and by my comapanion then so be it!

By Theresa Nichols from Chicago, IL

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Here is a photo of a large wreath I made for our back porch. I used a big hula hoop then attached branches from our old artificial Christmas tree. I went around one direction using the branches from the bottom 2 sections of the tree and alternated them.

I attached them with duck tape I tore into 1 inch by 7 inch wide strips. I then went back around the other direction with the branches from the upper parts of the tree to cover the duck tape and wire prongs. I poofed it out as I went and then added the bow.

I do plan to get a much larger bow when the after Christmas sales hit, but I think it turned out nice for basically free:) well other then replacing my kids' hoola hoop!

By Melanie mom2_5 from IL (Originally published 12/14/2005)

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I used to live in England and they drink lots of tea there. The way that they clean the stains is to wet the inside of the cup and rub salt over the stains. It works easy and fast. This also works for coffee stains.

By HEATHER from WHITMAN, MA

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Like mint tea? I do. And I drink it all day if I want to. If you don't like to pay the high price of it at the store, save $200 for just 2 or 3 hours work. I was able to collect 3 lbs of mint and it lasts me 6 months.

Grow mint in a 3 ft by 5 ft garden. If you don't want to start it from seed, it grows all over. Believe me, you see it in your neighbor's yard and they usually want to get rid of it. If they have not used chemicals, I go and harvest it there. And then I transplant two or three uncut plants into my own garden because I can have fresh mint for other things like salad. Just make sure you dig up enough of the root.

Harvest before blooming, winter or ANY TIME AT ALL! I use a curved vinyl flooring knife to cut the stem of mint above the ground and gather the cuttings in my hand at the bottom. Then when I have a handful, tie them together and hang them in a dry place in the house or shed (where there are no smells). Let the leaves dry out until they are brittle. 1 hour of work so far. I collected half a bale in 1 hour. You can cut some every week in 5 minutes, hang them up and have some every week.

Later, strip the leaves off the branches into a big clean galvanized pan or bowl. Throw away the stems and save the leaves. Put the dried leaves in a blender and chop them into a coarse powder.

Put them in a airtight container and save for your favorite tea time. Use only 1 teaspoon to make two quarts of tea. It is concentrated because there is no junk or stems in it so "1 teabag" go 10 times further than store bought bags.

By cd4life from DFW Texas

Related:

• Growing: Mint

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To peel a tomato very easy, using the back of your knife, rub it all over with a gentle pressure like you would if you were actually cutting the skin off. Then when you cut into the skin you can just pull it off.

By Eletha

Put tomatoes in a bowl or pan and then pour boiling water over them. Then wait 4 to 5 minutes and the tomatoes should peel easily.

By ThriftyFun

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If you are chopping nuts with a knife, you can make them easier to chop by putting them in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 300 degrees F (149 C) before chopping them. A quick way to chop nuts is to put them in a plastic bag and hit them with a mallet or roll over them with a rolling pin. It's even quicker than using a food processor since you have nothing you need to clean afterwards.

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Every year I cringe as I straighten the living room on Christmas morning. With every crumbled wad of wrapping paper my mind tallies the dollars and cents that those rolls cost a few weeks earlier. The idea is impractical - purchasing paper only to throw it away. Recycled paper is a nice eco-friendly alternative, but why buy something I already have? This year, I'm going to personalize my wrapping and save some paper, the kind with Christmas trees and the kind with presidents.

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It's cold/flu season, and I am prone to bronchitis. But I have found an inexpensive herbal mixture that loosens up all that gunk in my lungs before it starts to be really troublesome. Take a teaspoon or so of the Chinese 5 Spice mixture that you find in the grocery store and add 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme in a large cup. Add boiling water and let steep to create a tea that tastes awful, but works like a charm!

By Pamphyila from Los Angeles

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Nothing says Christmas quite like walking into a room filled with the fresh scent of pine needles. To keep your holiday tree fresh and looking its best throughout the New Year, follow these simple tips for Christmas tree care.

Care Tips For Cut Trees

1. Think of your Christmas tree like a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers. Once you get it home, you need to trim the "stem" and get it into water as soon as possible. Before placing it in the stand, remove a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch disk from the base of the trunk. Don't angle the cut or you'll only make it difficult to secure the trunk to the stand, and avoid removing the outer layers of bark. This is the layer that takes up water most efficiently.

2. If you can't get your tree into a stand right away, place it into a large bucket of water (room temperature is fine) and store it in a cool room like the basement or garage for a few days. This is also a good idea if your tree came home snow covered and you need to let it thaw out a bit before bringing it indoors.

3. Choose a stand with adequate water capacity that is the right size for your tree. Stands should be able to hold a minimum of 1 gallon of water. The rule is to provide at least 1 quart of water per inch of trunk diameter.

4. Check the water level of the tree stand daily. Don't let the water line fall below the bottom of the trunk or it may seal over and be unable to take up water. If this happens, you'll need to saw off a new disk from the base of the trunk.

5. Don't add anything to the water. Christmas tree producers will tell you that the best way to keep a tree fresh is to give it plenty of clean water. Skipping the additives will also prevent Fido or Fluffy from getting sick if they happen to sneak a drink while you're in the kitchen baking cookies.

6. Use a tree skirt. This will help slow water evaporation from the stand and help keep needles, sap (and Fido) out of the water.

7. Position your tree so that it's away from heat ducts, wood stoves, fireplaces and space heaters, which can not only be a fire hazard, but can dry out your tree prematurely.

8. Use low-heat lights to help prevent needles and branches from drying out.

Care Tips for Living Trees

1. Before you purchase a living tree, make sure to select a species of tree that will grow successfully in your zone.

2. Until you bring your tree indoors, store it in an unheated basement or garage or an area that is sheltered from the sun, wind and freezing temperatures.

3. Keep the soil consistently moist during the tree's stay indoors.

4. Keep the root ball secure. Do not unwrap the root ball or remove the tree from its container. If the tree has been secured with plastic straps, they may be safely removed.

5. Carefully decorate the tree only using lightweight ornaments and lights that do not emit any heat.

6. Don't keep the tree indoors any longer than necessary. Most experts recommend that living trees be planted outdoors after 8 to 10 days.

7. Allow the tree to transition back to outdoor temperatures and light by moving it to a cold garage or basement for a few days before planting it outside.

8. To reduce transplanting time, try to pre dig the hole before you remove the tree from its container. Use dirt dug from the hole as backfill and mulch heavily over the top of the planted root ball to prevent it from freezing.

9. If necessary, protect the tree from damaging winter winds by anchoring it with stakes for the first season.

Important Safety Tips

1. Don't burn pine boughs in your fireplace or woodstove. They can cause creosote buildup quickly in your chimney.

2. Shut off Christmas tree lights before going to bed at night and when leaving the house.

3. Hang fragile and breakable ornaments on higher branches out of the way of pets and children.

4. Do not leave pets home unsupervised with the Christmas tree. If necessary, crate them or keep them in a separate room while no one is home.

5. Avoid artificial snow and sprays, which can be a lung irritant when inhaled.

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I have a friend, both she and her husband like to cook and are always trying new recipes. Instead of having a regular size recipe box or keeping their recipes on their computer, they use a full size desk drawer complete with category dividers, etc. She said this way, recipes are easily located and it will hold more recipes than the average recipe box.

By Terri H. from NV

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I was taught the 10% rule and still do this to this day!

NO MATTER how much you make a week or bi-weekly, ALWAYS put 10% of it in your savings account, "out of sight, out of mind". You will be surprised how much you can save and in such a short period of time. Example would be IF you earned $250 a week in take home pay, you would put $25 of it in your savings. What's the measly little amount going to accomplish, you might think? Well, if you did this weekly for 1 year, you would have $1300 a year in your savings account, earning interest for you. If you did that little measly amount each week for 60 months, which would add up to 5 years, you would have $6500, not counting the interest you'd be earning on it. That would make a very good down payment on a house or buy a used car. Get new wardrobe, new furnishings for your home or just keep the money in the bank for more interest.

This works I know as I/we still do it to this day. I am now in my 50's with a paid for 16x80 ft.(1216 sq. ft) mobile home,(2 bedrooms 2 baths). A 2005 Crown Victoria car, and a 2002 Dodge Ram short bed pick up truck and still have money in the bank.

When it comes to saving money, remember the 10% rule in all that you earn! Remember to always pay yourself first - the rest will follow in time.

It worked for us, Good Luck!

By Paula Jo Carr from Mebane, NC

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Buy foods that are in season and save money in December. The food best buys for December are:

• Apples
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Chicken
• Cranberries
• Grapefruit
• Lamb
• Oranges
• Oysters
• Pork
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tangelos
• Tangerines
• Turkey
• Turnips
• Winter Squash

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If you run out of baking powder when you need some, use 2 level teaspoons cream of tartar to one teaspoon baking soda. This is equal to 4 teaspoons of tartrate baking powder, the kind you usually have in the kitchen.

By Evelyn from Greeley, CO

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Dear Webby's Humor Letter

Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter. Webby now has a blog, read his latest newsletter as well as back issues here: http://webby.com/humor/blog/

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I have never had hardwood floors before. Ours have a polyurethane coating, high gloss. It appeared that the floor was smudged with footprints. Using a Bona product. Another similar product was recommended but it still has dull smudges. I tried an Orange Glo product but it was streaky. Then tried a Swiffer product for hardwood floors, now it's really streaky! Can anybody tell me how to get back to the high gloss, smudge free, shine we first had?

R.P from Purcellville, VA

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I am looking for reviews of Mr. Freeze Portable Ice Makers.

Mercedees from Norfolk, VA

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What color should I paint a kids room who has ADHD?

Chyna from New Iberia, Louisiana

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My room smells like cat spray, not pee, spray. I don't know where it's coming from. The people who lived here before me must have had a cat. What do I do?

Ana from Toronto, ON

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I have mint plants and they almost got frozen last week. Some stems died Are they evergreen or should I just harvest them now before they go dormant? There is no indication except for the frost damage that they would go dormant.

Hardiness Zone: 8a

cd4life from DFW Texas

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What is the best way to sew velcro? I'm trying to sew velcro on neoprene and it keeps clogging up on the needle.

Thanks,
Bryan from Los Angeles

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I have stains in a wool sweater all around the leather elbow patches. The leather has stained the wool. How can I remove them?

Barb from CA

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How do you paint metal kitchen cabinets?

Michele from Kingsport, TN

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We have white cabinets and a beautiful light wood flooring. Currently the countertop is white as are the appliances. What color would be a good choice for the counter tops and appliances since we cannot afford new cabinets.

Monica from Rockford, IL

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How can I keep my shower curtain from mildewing?

MBE from Wilmington, DE

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I am trying to make some extra money by selling items on ebay. So far I have not had a lot of success. Can anyone give me some pointers as to how I can make my items stand out and create real interest? TIA

Cookiepom from Owensboro

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My former mother-in-law, who I dearly loved, made the best Christmas treat. She called them "snowballs" and they were made using vanilla wafers, some type of pudding filling, and then they were covered in coconut with a halved cherry on top.

If anyone has the specific recipe, I'd love to have. It is a special Christmas memory for me.

Thanks!
Kayray from Plainfield IN

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How do I activate a new profile?

Kristin from Portland, OR

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Does anyone know where to find those Christmas countdown calendars with the chocolate figures in them for each day? I looked everywhere but still can't seem to find them! Thanks so much!

Tauni

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I have been give a wooden screen and the rice paper is torn and discolored. I want to know what inexpensive paper i can use to refurbish it.

Mel from SA

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I am trying to remove a stain from vinyl flooring. I had an almost empty bottle of Oatey Purple Primer for PVC, CPVC turn upside down on a cloth which then ended up on the floor. There is a purple spot about the size of a 50 cent piece. Any ideas?

Bill from Virginia

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I am looking for natural help for sore arthritic fingers.

Mel from SA

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I would like to know a natural homemade cleaner or household product that is a neutral cleaner that I can use for my linoleum floor. I want to make sure I'm using something that won't strip the finish. Yet, I don't want to have to use a commercial product with all the harmful chemicals. I read in one place to use club soda, but I don't know if it is neutral
Thanks,
Peggy

Peggy Rose from Fremont, CA

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I am having a holiday party/ornament exchange for my daughter that is turning 13. We will make ginger bread houses and have a projector show a movie. Do you have ideas for party favors or activities that will keep them occupied?

Helga from MN

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Is there a alternate "homemade" recipe for Cascade 2-in-1 ActionPacs with Dawn (which are great but expensive)?

Baagmom from Manitoba, Canada

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Does anyone have a list of the many uses for dryer sheets? Can I find such a list on this site? Thanks!

Caramel from New Jersey

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What is gathering in sewing?

Kevong from Bordon

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I got my hair dyed at a salon today but it looks awful. Can I go and get it re-dyed a different color tomorrow or will that totally damage my hair?

Angela from Bradenton, FL

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Where do I buy the velcro that works on kool aid purses?

Thanks,
giftsandbags.com

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I need low cost life insurance for preexisting illness.

Barbara from Oklahoma

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I cleaned my whiteboard with a Scotch pad and water and now the markers just sink in and won't erase. This cleaning procedure was demonstrated to me on another board and it worked well. What do I do to fix my board?

Hannah

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How do I get a stain out of my wedding dress? It is white satin and lace. The stain is along the bottom, It's probably grass and mud stains.

Andreadjulian from Kettering, OH

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I need help removing stains from baths and toilets. The bath has stains are near the taps, and the toilet has what looks like rust marks on the bottom.

Mel from SA

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We have a white pine dresser and there is a glass ring on it from a glass of red wine, i.e., a red circle on the white top. The pine is stained white.

Carol from England, UK

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How to Create a Linoleum Block

Linoleum blocks can be used to print cards, make your own wrapping paper or simply for art.

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