Daily Thrifty Tips - August 10, 2006

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Nando is a 7 month old cat. I fostered in kittens and cats. I got the rest homes and kept him. He like to watch me on the pc. He is great with any new kittens I bring in for fostering. As he loves to clean and play with them.

By moonshadow from Northern Ireland

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This is my first grandchild. He was born July 29, 2006. His name is Tresaun (pronounced tray shawn.)

By imaqt1962 from illinois

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My son just turned 3, and he's a big Blue's Clues fan! The official licensed party supplies are expensive though. An 8 pack of plates alone costs $2.99, and I was expecting about 24 guests at his party--the cost for plates, napkins and cups would've been about $33! We also had food for our guests, so our costs would've been pretty out of control if we had bought all the licensed products!

We're on a tight budget, so what I did was make a lot of my own party supplies. This is an example of one of the items for the treat, or goody bags. I just printed labels with a picture of Blue and my son's name on a sheet of regular blank address labels, then put them on the front of mini Hershey's bars. I did something similar for bottles of bubbles. I also bought regular paper cups in shades of blue, added Blue's Clues stickers to the fronts, and ta-da! Blue's Clues cups at a fraction of the cost!

NickJr.com also has free printables, so I printed off pictures of Blue, big pawprints and other characters for decorating. Streamers and balloons in shades of blue helped complete the theme, and my mom made a homemade Blue's Clues cake. All in all, the only "real" licensed products I used were a package of small plates, a package of small napkins (about $6), and a couple of mylar balloons with Blue on them (a steal at only $1.08 each!). The rest of his Blue's Clues party was "homemade"--at a great savings to us!

By Lisa from WI from Kenosha, WI

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Our beloved Border Collie, "Heidi" was one of the most gentle and loveable souls I have ever encountered. She has passed on, peacefully from old age.

I found her at the local supermarket, starving, ignored and abused (kicked and hit with rocks) by some local residents and their children.

Heidi loved to take quick dips in a nearby pond. She smiled, always, and loved to nurture other strays we took in, be it cat, kitten, dog, puppy, even injured birds my children took home to me.

Heidi, I believe was the re-incarnated soul of my be-lated daughter who died 19 1/2 years ago after being born 4 months early, weighing only 1 pound. She soon passed away, at 7 and 1/2 months of age. Yet years later after much grieving, Heidi came into our lives and we were awed by her presense, to say the least.

By Ursula from Navajo Reservation, Az.

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Use dry milk for baking, even if you don't like to drink it. It's cheaper than buying whole milk. Also, dry milk tastes better if you refrigerate it after it's mixed.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Clean out and re-organize your refrigerator and cabinets the day before you go to buy groceries. That way you can see what you have and what you don't have and you won't spend unnecessary money on items that you already have.

By Robin from Washington, Ia

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Save freebies that you get at hotels/motels, like soaps and shampoos, etc. Also save condiment packages that you get at restaurants. If they are going to offer them, you might as well take them and use them in your home. Especially the condiment packets are great for picnics, lunch boxes, etc. The soaps, etc from hotels are great for guest bathrooms.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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An excellent "quick-fix" for when you lose one of the tiny screws in your glasses: use a staple! Put it into the two screw holes, then use tweezers or some other "squeeze thing" to clamp it together to tighten it. You can easily bend the ends until they are not sticking up. It works great in an emergency!

By Becky from Watertown, WI

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My 11 year old daughter came up with another great idea. Take a thawed out Totinos pizza and roll it into a log seam side down on your pizza pan and bake according to manufacturers directions. When done, slice into 1 1/2 - 2 inch slices and enjoy! (They will look kinda like those sushi rolls.) I think they would make a great appetizer. They are the right size. The pizza actually tastes better and they are super cheap!!

By Laurie from Watertown, SD

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My father was my example when it came to being frugal. He lived through the "dirty thirties" and the depression had a life long effect on his frugality.

We ate well. However, when my parents shopped, they were conscious of what they were getting for their money. When we left a room, the light was turned off. We had nice cars and stereos and were the first in our town to have a TV. This is because Mom and Dad were frugal and did not get the family into debt. Our furniture lasted for years.

We dressed well. I was amazed at the way our parents dressed us as there were four of us. I did like to wear my brothers' oversize sweaters. For dress clothes, my Mom and I had a seamstress make our dresses. Less expensive than store bought even if it was made of high quaility brocade or wool.

When I got married, I wondered how I would manage our finances. What I realized is that I had been learning all along!

Bev from Chilliwack BC

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This tip is for organizing store rainchecks and coupons. I try to get rainchecks each time I visit the grocery store, so I may purchase these out of stock products at my convenience, and maybe I have also found coupons by then.

Sometimes the items on sale for this week are not what I purchase. So I get out my rainchecks, and I purchase what used to be on sale. If you get good at it sometimes you can purchase all your groceries with rainchecks and some coupons to save even more.

I always pick up instore coupons off the shelf, a couple each visit even if I'm not going to buy them that day. I choose the coupons for products I consistently buy or might buy when they are on sale for a good price. Especially if they don't expire for 6-12 months or more.

Doing this I have accumulated a large supply of coupons and rainchecks, and have had to come up with a different system to organize them. I had a photo album I wasn't using, the one that has plastic inserts that hold four pictures per side (eight pictures per insert).

I put my rainchecks in the front couple of pages, and the coupons in
alphabetically after that. But you can put them in the album by aisle or any way that is convenient for you. These photo albums are too big to bring with you so one has to plan ahead of time before they shop, which means making a grocery list and referring to the flyers for the sales. Hope this system will help someone else.

By Bobbie G from Rockwall, TX

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Frugal For Life

A great blog with posts about frugal living.

More Information:
http://www.frugalforlife.blogspot.com/

I am looking for patterns for infant boy clothes. I am going to be a grandmother in the near future and want to help my son and his wife have new clothes that were made by grandma. If you have any suggestions on where I can get patterns, your help will be greatly appreciated. I am looking for web links also.

Leila from Lexington, KY

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I am looking for a discount grocery store in phoenix arizona, preferably in the sunnyslope area where there is a large mennonite community.

Thank you,
Paul from Phoenix, Arizona

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I have some baby items (stroller and swing cover) that have developed mildew. I washed them in a weak bleach solution, but it really didn't do much. These are my friend's and she would probably kill me if they bled or lost their color. Any suggestions?

Ashley from Conroe, TX

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Does anyone know if it's possible to cook ground beef in a crockpot? To save time and money I usually buy large packs of ground beef, cook it up, add seasonings, and then put single-dinner amounts into freezer bags. Right now it's just too hot to stand over stove to do all this cooking! I'd much rather put the ground beef into the crock to cook outside, but I don't know if it will do the job. Anyone try this before?

Trix from Toronto Canada

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I really love to read and enjoy buying old books but a lot of them smell really musty! What's the best way to get rid of the musty smell?

Rebecca from Iowa

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Does anyone know where I can find a recipe for Steak & Shake's Chicken Melt? I know the basic toppings and stuff but can't find the recipe for the Frisco sauce. I've checked all my usual recipe places online as well as checking on google and can't find anything.

Thanks for the help,
Jeggie from Corydon, IN

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I need inexpensive ideas for decorating my carport. We have a nice table and chairs and grill out there so we can cook and eat outside with friends, but the only space available is our carport (which we don't park in). It is very basic, pavement floor, very open... I would love to hear ideas on making my carport a prettier space to entertain!

Jodi from CT

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How do I get to my past requests?

Debbie from IL

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Free Photo Organizer From Google

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Cooked potatoes make the best candidates for freezing. Raw potatoes can be frozen with mixed results, but may develop a watery or grainy texture during freezing. If freezing casseroles or dishes containing unbaked potatoes, it's best to omit them during freezing and add them in fresh later. Cooked potatoes are excellent candidates for freezing and reheating.

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Even the simplest activities can have a substantial impact on the environment, including firing up the backyard grill. With outdoor activities in full swing, here are some tips for making those summertime barbeques green and guilt-free.

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