Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Four, Number 52, February 23, 2005
http://www.ThriftyFun.com
Hello,
Spring is just around the corner. If you have any Easter, spring cleaning or gardening tips, please submit them.
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Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Photo Contest Entries:
- Shadow, Daddy's Little Girl
- Brown Paper Bag Wall Treatment
Today's Tips:
- Cook Once, Eat Twice
- Using Newspaper Logs
- Color Coordinated Children
- Helium Balloons
- Shop Your Closets and Save Money
- Price Adjustment? Too Late? Not Necessarily
- Construction Site Scraps
- Quick Tea "STAIN" for Your Wood
- Erase Permanent Marker from Anything!
- Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets
- Ink Stains On Jeans
- Saving on Your Long Distance Bill
- Litter Box Odor
- Cleaning Bathroom Faucets
- Carpet Cleaning Tips
- Flea and Tick Repellant For Your Dog
- WD-40 For Frozen Locks
- Fancy Brussels Sprouts
- Apple Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
- Cinnamon Muffins
- Oatmeal and Raisin Cake Mix Muffins
New Requests:
- Help for Bed Wetting
- Anyone have uses for pillow shams?
- Residual Cookiing Smells After Frying Fish
- Family Room With Navy Sectional
- Quick and Easy Appetizer Recipes
- Cleaning Glass Shower Doors
- Looking For Wholesale Spam Supplier
- First Communion Party Ideas
- Frugal Diamond Dust Facial
- Decorating a Mothers of Multiples Banquet
- Bleach Stain On Shirt
- Need Helping Growing Dill
- Saving Money On Our Honeymoon
More Reading:
- Low-Maintenance Gardening
- Beyond Paint: Decorating Walls With Stencils
- Essential Tips for the Kitchen
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Today's Sponsor
Mvelopes Personal Budgeting Software
Find out how to get control of your personal budget
Click here for more information.
Today's Photo Contest Entries
Shadow, Daddy's Little Girl
This is one of our three cats, Shadow! She is so spoiled. She is 4 years old, we have had her and her sister Tigger since they were tiny little things. They were a gift from my in-laws for Easter! She is Daddy's little girl! I am 6 months pregnant, and when I got up to go to the bathroom, Shadow jumped under the covers and into my spot. As you can see here she stole my pillows and all. She was pretty upset that I wanted my spot back!
By Kellie McMaster
View Photo and Post Feedback: Click Here
Brown Paper Bag Wall Treatment
I sent this in already once without a picture
Here is the picture of part of my wall.
Materials:
- Brown Craft Paper (or used brown grocery bags)
- Wallpaper paste
- Paint brush (inexpensive)
- Bucket
- Newspapers
- Large damp sponge
Instructions:
1.) Tear the craft paper or grocery bags into pieces approximately the size of a large dinner plate. Tear away all straight edges. Crumple each piece tightly into a ball.
2.) Pour the wallpaper paste into the paint tray. Use the paint brush to apply paste onto the wall in about a 4'X 4' section.
3.) Uncrumple each piece of brown paper and press onto the wall. Do not smooth out all the wrinkles. This will give a lot of texture to the finished wall. Lay down the next piece slightly overlapping the first piece. Press down the edges with the damp sponge and remove the excess paste. You may have to periodically rinse and wring out the sponge. Continue rolling on paste and applying the paper until the entire wall is covered. Allow to dry 48 hours.
Makes it look like a leather or suede look. It's fantastic and if there is a spill or a piece is damaged later you can just add a piece : )
By Tracey
View Photo and Post Feedback: Click Here
Submit a tip with a photo or a pet description with a photo and you could win a prize. You can enter the photo contest here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/photo_contest.ldml
Today's Tips
Cook Once, Eat Twice
When fixing chicken breasts for dinner, I always cook double the amount we will need for that meal. The unused portions are refrigerated overnight, then chopped and frozen the next day for a future use. I always have chopped cooked chicken in the freezer ready for use with this method.
By Ronsan
View Article: Click Here
Using Newspaper Logs
Newspaper "logs" work great in the fireplace. Instead of buying expensive starter logs for the fireplace, roll and tie with string or twine newspapers. To start the fire, place several newspaper logs on the grate, then smaller kindling scraps, then the real wood pieces. I store mine in a large crock right next to the fireplace during winter. Gets rid of the newspaper mess and I can avoid going into the recycling center each week. The newspaper logs don't create a multitude of extra ash, either.
By ronsan
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Color Coordinated Children
Someone I know, that's a single mom, has her kids color coordinated. Each kid has picked their favorite color and they have their own bath towels and wash cloths, clothes baskets and their own clothing hangers. So when Mom's not at home, they can find their own laundry to take to their rooms to put up or to shower with. She said this helps her out a whole lot. Maybe this could help you out, too.
By Terri H.
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Helium Balloons
A pal, who has several parties a year, told me it's cheaper in the long run to buy a tank of helium and your own balloons, than to have the store blow up the balloons for you or to rent a helium tank. When you're finished with the tank, just sit it out on the curbside with your trash for pickup, as they're not returnable like the ones you rent.
By Terri H.
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Shop Your Closets and Save Money
One of the best ways to save money on clothing, accessories, and shoes is to avoid purchasing duplicates of what you already have. To do this, simply make it a habit to shop your closets and drawers, and anything you may have placed in storage first. Every time I do this I find a forgotten item or two that I would have purchased again. Most recently, I needed and found a belt, a pair of green slacks, and a pair of brown dress shoes. Another benefit to shopping your closet is that it helps to alleviate the shopping bug (a desire to shop).
By Jona Kessans
Jona has a website: http://www.simpleandfrugal.com
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Price Adjustment? Too Late? Not Necessarily
Most retailers have a published policy allowing customers a specific time frame to receive price adjustments and an unpublished policy that actually extends this time frame anywhere from 7 to 14 days. Even if you are outside the official time frame for a price change, make the request, most stores will honor the adjustment based on the unpublished policy and because they won't risk losing a customer.
By Jona Kessans
Jona has a website: http://www.simpleandfrugal.com
Post Feedback: Click Here
Construction Site Scraps
Look in the dumpsters at construction sites (with contractor's permission of course) for scrap wood/moulding for small projects. It's amazing what is thrown out these days.
By Cindy B
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Quick Tea "STAIN" for Your Wood
Brew very strong tea, 3 or 4 tea bags for one cup. Let cool and dab the wood with the tea or use the bags directly!
By Kathleen
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Erase Permanent Marker from Anything!
EDab the spot lightly with paper towel and pure acetone (beauty supply aisle will have it). It worked when my toddler used marker in my new kitchen.
By Kathleen
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Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets
Tips for cleaning kitchen cabinets. Post your ideas.
Refurbishing Kitchen Cabinets
Get kitchen cabinets looking new. Clean with 1:6 ratio of Dawn dishwashing detergent to water, sponge dry and apply light coat of boiled linseed oil (at any hardware store). Your cabinet (or any wood product!) will shine like new!
By Kathleen
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Ink Stains On Jeans
Tips for cleaning ink off Jeans and denim fabric. Post your ideas.
Removing Ink From Jeans
I have had ink on jeans before and took it off with suave spritz, and a little scrubbing action. I hope it works for you. This works on other materials also. God bless you and have a nice day.
By TLCRDR
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Saving on Your Long Distance Bill
To save on my phone bill I had the phone company eliminate my long distance capability from my phone. I then purchased a MCI phone card from Costco $19.95 for 600 minutes. This card allowed me to call at any time for the same price.The time that it took me to dial in my extra numbers took less than a minute.
I also saved on the taxes that would have been charged to me by my local phone company on top of the long distance charge. I was able to keep track of what numbers were or were not long distance.
I can recharge the phone card when needed for the same cost! I also gave my teenage daughter a card so that she can learn to budget her time. The savings have been tremendous for our family as I have been doing this for over a year. - christy
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Litter Box Odor
Tips for limiting and controlling litter box odor. Post your ideas.
Pet Doors
Install a pet door going out to your garage and put your litter box out there. Gets the smell out of your house.
By Tara
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Cleaning Bathroom Faucets
Tips for cleaning bathroom faucets. Post your ideas.
Razor Blade
A razor blade works wonders for stubborn build up around sink faucets. Then clean as usual afterward.
By tara
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Carpet Cleaning Tips
Tips for cleaning your carpet. Post your ideas.
Carpet Cleaning Products
When cleaning carpets use Bissell Fiber Cleansing Formula with scotchgard and have a bottle of Folex handy. Spray it on stubborn spots which are few in number that won't come out with the Bissell cleaner. It removes pet accidents, grease, grime, and most old stains. Excellent for upholstery is what the bottle says and it worked wonders on my carpet. I have a tan carpet and it had not been cleaned in over a year. With lots of kids and animals well you can't even guess what this carpet looked like. But between the Bissell carpet cleaner and the Folex my whole carpet except one spot became sparkling clean. I am very happy with with these two products. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect my carpet to look like this!
By tara
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Flea and Tick Repellant For Your Dog
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked hamburger meat
- 1 tablespoon brewer's yeast
- 1 clove of fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 raw egg
Directions:
Cook hamburger meat in skillet until browned, set aside to cool.
Combine egg, garlic, and brewer's yeast. Add to hamburger meat, stir until blended well. Feed to Dog.
Note: They love it! Use once a month to control fleas and ticks.
By DeAnn C.
View Article: Click Here
WD-40 For Frozen Locks
I spray a little WD40 in my locks when the weather man say it's going to be freezing and it will keep all locks from freezing. But if you do have a frozen lock, spray the WD40 in your keyhole and it will unthaw it quickly. Use around doors and anything that will freeze. It really works.
Love your Tips
Thanks,
Mary C Young
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Fancy Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. sugar or sweetener
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 pints fresh Brussels sprouts (halved)
- 1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts (drained & diced)
- 1 Tbsp. butter
Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water, parsley, sugar/sweetener & salt to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts. Cover & simmer for 6-8 minutes or until tender-crisp; drain. Add butter & water chestnuts, heat throughly. Serves: 6
By Terri H.
View Article: Click Here
Apple Muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening
- 2/3 cup sweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup milk
Directions:
Sift dry ingredients together. Make a well in center and add remaining ingredients. Stir only enough to mix. Spoon into muffin pan cups that have been lightly greased on the bottoms only. Sprinkle with mixture of 2 Tbsp. white or brown sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
By Robin
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Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 2 cups Bisquick
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup blueberries
Directions:
Beat egg and mix in all ingredients except blueberries. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 18-20 minutes. Makes 18-20 muffins.
By Robin
View Article: Click Here
Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Directions:
Cream sugar and margarine. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in sour cream and milk. Add dry ingredients. Combine 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Top muffins with mixture before baking at 350 degrees F, bake 20 minutes.
By Robin
View Article: Click Here
Oatmeal and Raisin Cake Mix Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 box light yellow cake mix
- 1 cup raisins
- 3 cups oatmeal
- 1/2 lb. carrots
Directions:
Mix cake according to directions on box. As soon as cake is mixed put in oatmeal, raisins, carrots (grated and cooked in microwave), 1/2 cup water. Mix with the spoon only until ingredients are blended. Put into muffin papers in tins and into oven immediately. Bake according to box directions.
By Robin
View Article: Click Here
Other Active Topics
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Tip Contest
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New Contest! $30.00 Gift Card
In our newest contest we are giving away a $30.00 Gift Card at one of the following stores: Home Depot, Jo-Ann's Crafts or Amazon.com. If you are the winner, you get to choose which gift card! We figured it would be more valuable if you pick out your own prize, that's why we have decided to go the gift card route. This contest will end on February 28th.
Enter the contest!
Syndication Spotlight:
Here are some publishers that have chosen to publish our tips this week!
Dear Webby's Humor Letter
Webby publishes our tips daily! A very funny newsletter.
http://webby.com/humor
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New Requests:
Help for Bed Wetting
I have a son who just turned 5 year old who still wets the bed almost every night. We currently put him in Pull-ups, but he often makes so much pee that it even leaks out of the diaper onto his clothes, sheets, blanket, etc.
Does anyone have suggestions or advice on how to handle this? Do we just wait for him to hopefully grow out of it? We've been careful to give him lots of fluids during the day but not allowing him to drink anything for the last 2 hours before bedtime. He always goes to pee just before he hops into bed for the night. When we wake him up to use the toilet about 3 hours after bedtime, he's often already wet his diaper. I'm getting really tired of having to change his bedding every other night, those Pull-ups are expensive (even the generic brands), and our water bills are way high from all the laundry that results. Lynne
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Anyone have uses for pillow shams?
I have a number of pillow shams (some with zipper and some without) that are new or "almost new". Does anyone have any ideas on how I could use these shams other than putting them on my bed? Many of them don't match any longer.
Any and all ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Anjeena
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Residual Cookiing Smells After Frying Fish
When use of extractor fan or prolonged wide-opening of windows is not an option, just how does one effectively get rid of cooking smells after a big fry-up, particularly of fish?
YT in London
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Family Room With Navy Sectional
I'm in the process of remodeling and need some decorating help. I'd like to use a navy sectional in my family room and was thinking of painting the walls a goldish yellow. Any ideas on how to make this work? The room also leads to my kitchen, so I need a color there as well. The cabinets are maple, so continuing the gold is probably not a great idea - they might clash. Any help is appreciated.
Jill
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Quick and Easy Appetizer Recipes
I'm looking for some quick and easy appetizer recipes?
Donna J.
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Cleaning Glass Shower Doors
Does anyone have a tip on cleaning glass shower doors?
Louise,
Florida
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Looking For Wholesale Spam Supplier
I was wondering if anyone knew where I could find wholesale Spam, I am a caterer who specializes in retro-Americana cuisine and I have contacted Hormel numerous times and they have yet to get back to me. Buying Spam by the can is such a ripoff!
Thanks!
Adam
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First Communion Party Ideas
I'm having a First Communion party and I don't know where to begin. Theme, colors, favors, food, etc. I can't even find anything online for First Communion. I'm having about 60 people (adults & children). It's in May so there is a possibility of having an outside party. I really appreicate any help you can give me or point me in the right direction.
Donna
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Frugal Diamond Dust Facial
I want to know a frugal way of doing a facial with diamond dust. Do you have to live near a mine like West Virginia or Tennessee where they have mines, or what? Does it do the same thing,act grainy and, get rid of dry dead skin?
JoJo of DC
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Decorating a Mothers of Multiples Banquet
I am looking for some ideas to help decorate at our annual Mothers of Multiples banquet. We have a very limited budget, and will have just finished hosting a statewide Mothers of Multiples convention where the theme is to "pamper yourself". It would be nice to expand on that or go in a different direction. Thank you so much!
Raynell from Minnesota
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Bleach Stain On Shirt
I am going to France soon and my dad bought me a lovely Animal top baby blue with fauz fur inside it and i have got a bleach stain on it and he is quite upset because it was 80 pounds. How do i get this out and is it possible? Please help,
nis smith
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Need Helping Growing Dill
Happy Spring everybody! (well almost)
I have a dilemma. I **LOVE** dill and I HATE buying them from stores. I've tried many many times in the past 3 years to grow them myself, each time meeting utter failure. I've tried everything they tell you and have read every page regarding dill growing on the internet. Full shade, partial shade, lots of water, less water, fertile soil, ground soil, container and garden growing, etc etc. I've even tried the Chia Herb package that includes fool-proof herb gardening for dill (those never got higher than 1 inch). Even the already grown dill plants I buy from a store end up dying as soon as I bring them home and if I DO somehow get one to grow, it just ends up being a tall stalk with very little foliage (the yummy part). I thought this was supposed to be a "weed" and ergo, easy to grow and cultivate?
What am I missing??
Help!
Pookie
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Saving Money On Our Honeymoon
Hi fellow spendthrifts! Well after being married and saving for 9 years my husband and I can finally afford a honeymoon! (YEAH) We want to go somewhere tropical, ie Jamaica, Fiji, etc. I've been looking at prices and nearly had a cow. Any advice on where to save the money (hotel, airfare, eats, etc)? Or where to unclench the butt cheeks and let the cash fly? We thank you immensely in advance and we'll be sure to let everyone know how the trip was. After the reality of two kids and military life is done crushing our high! Love ya tons.
Suzanne S. currently from NC but will be NJ in about 3 weeks.
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Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit
your request here: Click Here
Today's Sponsor
Mvelopes Personal Budgeting Software
Find out how to get control of your personal budget
Click here for more information.
More Reading:
Low-Maintenance Gardening
By Judy Camp
A popular trend in gardening today is to go low maintenance. We want a beautiful garden, but a busy lifestyle means we don't have time to tend to it on a regular basis.
View Article: Click Here
Beyond Paint: Decorating Walls With Stencils
Painting walls in various colors is a quick and easy way to decorate any room in your home. But when you're looking for something a bit more artistic and unique, you might try your hand at stenciling.
View Article: Click Here
Essential Tips for the Kitchen
By GranMamma
Cupboards and drawers should contain items that are grouped together.
View Article: Click Here
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