Daily Thrifty Tips - July 3, 2008

We won't be publishing tomorrow or Monday. Our next issue will be Tuesday. I hope all our US readers have a wonderful holiday weekend. Please don't drink and drive and be careful on the roads, as sometimes other people do silly stuff.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for reading,

Susan

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

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Craft Project: Car Tag (License Plate) Flag

Make an American flag from an old car tag.

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Uncle Sam's Cold Keeper Bowl with Red, White and Blue Salad

I picked up this Uncle Sam hat in the dollar store. They had matching ice buckets, so it dawned on me that putting the two items together would make a nice presentation for the Fourth of July!

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Gracie the Cat

Gracie is my 5 to 6 year old cat. She adopted us after the neighbor that she lived with got another cat that was mean to her.

Gracie likes to hide in a yard plant that we call Uncle Chuck, because I got my first start of it from my Uncle Chuck. I have taken a start of that plant to every place I've moved to in the past 40 years. Gracie likes to crouch down so that no one can see her. She is looking grouchy because I found her hiding place. She likes to eat popcorn.

If anyone knows what the real name of my plant, I would like to know.

By kflocey from Gladwin, Mi

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Use Freezer Baskets In Coolers

I bought some freezer baskets at a garage sale to use in my upright freezer. I had a couple left over and thought of a great idea for them. I cut the corners off and then I folded the ends up and I use them in my coolers for camping.

I just put in the ice set the baskets upside down over the ice and as the ice melts it will keep your food out of the water. Nothing is worse than all your vegetables and meat floating in the water.

By PICO from ST PAUL, ALBERTA

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Craft: Gourd Witch

Things you will need are a small, medium, or large gourd, depending on how big you want her to be. Make sure you wash the gourd with warm soapy water and rinse clean. Let set and dry at least 30 - 45 minutes.

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How To Make Paper Beads

Making paper beads is an easy, fun, and timeless craft activity. You can use the beads for jewelry, decoration, or anything else you usually use beads for. This is a great way to recycle paper, especially all that useless junk mail that piles up. It's also fun for kids to learn, and easy enough that most catch on to the technique quickly.

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Seashell Christmas Globe Ornaments

I live at the beach and constantly pick up interesting shells and rocks. I have been wanting to use them in an interesting craft and decided I would start looking for very tiny shells and very tiny rocks. I am taking clear glass Christmas ornaments and putting a little sand in the ornament and a few small shells and small rocks. I fill to about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up the ornament. I glue the top on and tie raffia or small ribbon around the top.

I hope to use these for friends and relatives who live far away. I might add a small starfish to the front of the bow if I can find any that are small enough. I might also try some of these in a local craft fair, and might write the names of the local beaches on the bulb.

By Janet from Brant Rock, MA

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Window Cleaner for Red Carpet Stains

To take fresh red stains out of a carpet: My grandson spilled over half a glass of red punch onto my beige carpet. I immediately sprayed window cleaner over the stop and started blotting. I repeated the process until there was no stain left.

By Marty from Tell City, IN

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Making Shorts from Pants

When you want to cut the legs off worn or too-short pants to make shorts, lay a pair of shorts that are the perfect length over the pants, matching waist band to waist band. Allow about an inch and a half below the legs of the shorts (for the hem) and cut off the pant legs. Now you can turn up and stitch the bottoms to hem, and your new shorts will be the perfect length.

By Marie from West Dundee, IL

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Use Quotes to Search for an Exact Phrase

I see many requests sent in that would best be served by using a good search engine to answer. The people asking the questions obviously have a computer available, so why not use Google, Ask.com or dogpile - or any other search engine of choice - to get answers. You have the tools at hand to answer your own questions. If you use quotation marks on either side of your request, you will get more specific answers. Instead of writing knit baby sweaters, you should write "knit baby sweaters" to narrow the hits returned to you.

Source: My own experience in using search engines to locate what I need.

By Marilyn from Pasadena. TX

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Use Your Cereal Boxes For Patterns

Before throwing out that cereal box consider saving the pieces to uses as patterns for quilt pieces, purse patterns, etc. Simply cut away the 2 large front and back pieces and save in a ziploc bag. Next time you need to cut out a pattern, lay it over the cardboard and cut it out of that instead. Much more sturdy and keeps down the trash.

By Carol from Landisville, PA

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Homemade Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers

I buy Keebler chocolate covered graham cracker cookies to have on hand for a "pick me up" treat. One afternoon, I was desperate for chocolate and alas one of my grand children had finished the chocolate covered graham cookies, so I was on the search for chocolate. I found some semi sweet chocolate chips in the refrigerator. I measured out a 1/4 cup of the semi sweet chocolate chips, put them in a microwave safe glass bowl, covered them with a paper towel and microwaved them for 30 seconds, just until melted. While they were microwaving, I got out some graham crackers. I then spread them with the warm melted semi sweet chocolate chips. While putting away the graham crackers and putting the glass dish in the dishwasher, the chocolate had a chance to set and they were ready to eat!

They were so good and far better for me. The semi sweet chocolate is much better for you over the milk chocolate on the Keebler grahams, plus I was not eating as much chocolate, because I was only spreading the melted chocolate on the top of the graham cracker. I probably will not be buying the packaged cookies again. These will be fun to make with my grandchildren, too. In fact, I am headed to the kitchen to make some now!

By Bobbie from Rockwall

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Naturally Refurbishing Wood

I need to use a cane, but balk at the prices I've seen. I recently found a nice folding cane for $1.00 at a second hand store--the kind that usually costs $20 to $30. The cane is metal with a wooden handle. The handle looked terrible because the wood had been coated with a dark plastic finish that had partially flaked off exposing the white pine wood underneath. I used my Dremel to sand off all of the plastic and sanded the handle smooth. I then made some very strong tea and painted the handle with it. The tea stained the pine a nice golden brown hue. When it was completely dry, I used furniture oil as a finish.

I will NOT use a varnish or paint on it, several good coats of oil is all the finish it needs. I did not waste money buying wood stain and varnish, I simply used the same techniques our forefathers used and have a really nice cane for $1.00. There are many things you can use to stain wood or dye fabric if you think about it, I could have used coffee for a darker stain. My husband had actually suggested that I use blackberry juice to give the handle a reddish brown color. Using natural dyes is economical as well as being eco friendly.

Source: My own idea, but there are many books on natural dyes if you want to experiment.

By Dianne from Wilsonville, OR

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Using Dried Lavender For Your Wedding

My daughter is crafty and she was able to buy a huge amount of high quality - semi dried lavender, on eBay for less then $100.00 total. She was able to make table decorations with the lavender by binding a large bunch together with wire and then ribbons. They sat on the tables. Because they were dryish, they were able to stand up without vases. They looked good and smelled wonderful. The fresh flowers also included the dried lavender.

She purchased candle lanterns for the tables - made of wood, also from eBay. She also decorated these with lavender. People took them home as mementos. All this lavender "stuff" is still being used and it still smells wonderful.

She added a small sprig of the lavender to the invitations. For "green" weddings, I thought lavender plants would be nice, or lavender seeds.

By Janet from Brant Rock, MA

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A Little Dab Will Do

When working on craft projects, yourself or with your kids, place a small amount of glue into the bottom of a small bowl. When you need to use the glue, dip the end of a cotton swab into the glue and use it to apply the glue to your project. This will give you just the right amount of glue - no big glue blobs!

By Marie from West Dundee, IL

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Barbecue Party
By Valerie Giles

A wonderful way to entertain family and friends in an outdoor setting is with a backyard barbecue party. With proper planning and the right environment people will be talking about your party all summer. Important factors to think about when entertaining are things like the barbecue grill, seating, lighting, and of course the menu planning.

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Enzyme Cleaner Didn't Completely Remove Urine Odor

We tried the Nature's Miracle enzyme cleaner and steam cleaning to get dog urine smells out of our carpet. It helped but didn't take it away completely. Are we doomed to just tear up the carpet and start over? Or is there a last ditch effort we can try to banish the smell for good?

As it stands right now, you can only smell it if you have your nose right up to it but if we can smell it then the dog surely will and we don't want her to be tempted. Has anyone tried anything that got rid of the odor for good?

Debbie from Garden City, MI

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Nails Are Yellow From Nail Polish

How do I get rid of yellow nails, from nail polish?

Sharon from Winnipeg

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Remedies for Bee Stings

What is the best home remedy for bee stings?

Karen from Clemmons, NC

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Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas

I am already thinking about Christmas. I know it's early, but with my budget I need to plan ahead! My whole family buys for each other, even though I have suggested many times to maybe draw names, but this never seems to go over well.

They all want to buy for everyone. But my question is what can I buy different from every year? Mostly I end up buying clothing because I am at a loss as to what to buy. I would appreciate any suggestions. I am not too imaginative and would love to do something different this year. Please help!

Lisa from VA

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Color Suggestions For Kitchen With Hunter Green Cabinets

My kitchen is small, about 428 sf. There are not many cabinets, and they are painted hunter green. The counter-tops and back-splash are covered with white tiles. The appliances are basically white.

I want to keep the hunter green. The walls are currently a very light, light yellow, sort of a butter-cream. We are having the kitchen painted and I would like some suggestions for the color of the walls. I can always go with white, but I think it would be too much white. There are three good-sized windows plus a smaller one over the sink, so the room gets a lot of light. Any suggestions?

Suzanne from Ellicott City, MD

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Looking For Recipe For Thai Pork With Garlic and Peppers

While in Thailand recently, I tried an awesome recipe that they called 'Pork with Garlic and Peppers'. I think the pepper is Szechuan, as it was not the capsicum type of pepper. It was some sort of dusted pork fried up and was fantastic. I have not been able to find this recipe online. If anyone has it, please let me know. My friends want to try it as I have been raving about it.

Cathy from Townsville, QLD

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Recipes Using Bamboo Shoots

I was recently given a packet of bamboo shoots in brine. Apart from stir-fry, I have no idea what to do with them. If you have any recipes, please let me know.

Cathy from Townsville, QLD

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Well Water Tastes Bad

I was wondering if anyone had a tip for well water that has a slightly bad taste to it? I know our water is very hard also. I am so tired of buying bottled water, but I don't know what else to do. Please help!

Blossom from VA

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A Guide To Household Recycling

I'm interested in recycling my household plastics and cans. Where can I get a free guide sent to me to help me start? Also, any good websites. I have limited space so I can't have bins everywhere. Is there a compact sorting bin that works well and is attractive because it will be out in the open? Thanks for all your help in advance!

Haley from Centreville, MD

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Looking For Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Does anyone have the recipe for chicken fajitas?

Sabrina from Council, N.C.

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Birds Messing Up Newspaper Under Mulch

We have trimmed the area around our trees with wet newspapers covered with mulch. Now the robins are picking away at the newspapers and it's a mess. any way to get them to stop, or should we have used something besides newspapers?

Teresa from Woodstock, IL

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Lavender Plant Not Growing

I need help with my lavender plant. I bought it in early May, an already established plant, Munstead variety. I re-potted it together with rosemary in a nice size pot, because I heard that they are good companion plants. Rosemary is doing beautifully, while lavender has not grown a single millimeter, it looks exactly the same as the day I bought it!? No flowers, no new growth, nothing! It does not show any signs of disease or dying, but not growing either. Please help!

Hardiness Zone: 6a


Zoe from New York City

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Ideas For Arabian Themed Party Decorations

I need Arabian themed decoration ideas for a party.

Sankar

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Working With Thin Threads

How do you work with thin threads? How do you keep the thread tight?

Cozie from Breckenridge, Texas

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Computer Is Running Slowly

My computer has slowed down to a crawl. My virus fail safe keeps shutting down and can not get in contact with the program. Any suggestions? I'm not computer savvy in many ways.

Rita from Meadville, PA

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Storing Peach Seeds Until Planted

I want to plant some peach seeds that I recently acquired, but everyone says to plant them in the fall. So what do I do with the seeds right now?

Hardiness Zone: 8b


Nancy from Picayune, MS

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Advice For Backyard Patio

I am starting to get my back yard cleared out. About 15 trees will be removed, grass seed will be planted and I would like a small patio area to be exposed from the French Doors I hope to have installed.

Are there any websites or ideas you can think of? I am thinking of just an area big enough for a grill, table and chairs, to enjoy watching my child play in the yard. I so appreciate your input.

Amy from NJ

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Removing Odor From Dish Sponge

How to get rid of odor from dish sponge?

Nancy from Wood Ridge, NJ

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Recipes For Making Pizza On Gas Grill

Looking for grilled pizza for gas grill using pre-baked pizza crust (like Boboli crusts). I want to know how to bake and any other advice.

Pat from Churubusco, In

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Dealing With 3 Year Old's Tantrums

I have a 3 year old that has huge temper tantrums! How can I stop this?

C from Jacksonville, FL

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Getting Rid Of Mushrooms Inside House

How do you get rid of a mushrooms growing in a beam in your house? We never had them before and a couple weeks ago they started to grow and I can't get rid of them. Please help.

Flink

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Making Butterflies Out Of Soda Bottles

Does anyone know how to make butterflies out of 2 liter soda bottles?

Lamesia from Marked Tree, AR

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Removing Nail Polish from Microfiber

How do I get nail polish out of a new red micro-fiber couch?

Kailey from Des Moines, IA

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Removing Skunk Smell From House

My dog got sprayed last night at 1 a.m. and I brought her in to wash her eyes and now my house smells awful! Is the vinegar everyone puts out white vinegar or apple cider vinegar? I put out bowls of white vinegar last night and it is not helping! It doesn't help that it is very humid out and I don't know if I should open my windows or not!

Laura from MI

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Residue From Iron Left Mark On Shirt

My iron had some residue on it and then left marks a new cotton T shirt. Its left a black mark. Can I take the mark off?

dee14 from Ireland

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Using Soap Bar Remnants

What can I do with the small bars of soap from bar soap? Can I reshape them?

Louis from Chesapeake, Virginia

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Getting Whites Clothes White Again

I'm a poor college student, so when I do my washes, I tend to mix colors and do it on cold. That way colors have less of a chance of running. It works better than you'd think. After a while my whites start to get a little darker, I suppose because of the blacks in the wash, including a shirt I just got (first wash!). This shirt, among a few others that could use some whitening, have that plastic shirt logo/band names/design.

What's the best way to get these clothes blindingly white again, without ruining the logos and whatnot? Should I hand wash them with some home remedy and then, when they're good again, continue washing them with like colors? Thanks in advance.

Rylee from Hollywood, CA

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Advice About Pyrenees/Bernese Mix

My husband and I are thinking about getting a Pyrenees/Bernese mix and we would like some feed back. We are mostly concerned about temperament and exercise needs. We have a Bernese/Golden, now 10 mos old and we would like her to have a playmate, but we need a dog who is going to be great with little kids and isn't going to escape without a daily walk. We usually do one every couple of days with Saylah.

Sally from Denver, CO

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Removing Water Stain on Mattress

I had my roof leak during all of the wonderful rains we received for 4 weeks straight. The rain came inside onto a mattress on my daybed. Cleaning it is a mess! How do I get the water stains out of it? I have used a diluted bleach solution with one of the generic stain removers that you use on clothes before washing. It helped but I still have more to do. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks all!

Catharine from Woolstock, IA

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Odors on an Area Rug

I need to get the smell out of my area rug. The dog pooped on it.

Dawn from Baton Rouge, LA

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

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U.S. Flag Etiquette

Celebrate Independence Day, display your U.S. flag using the proper flag etiquette.

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Stanley Furniture Recalls Cribs Due to Entrapment Hazard

Hazard: The cribs could fail to meet a federal safety standard for crib dimensions. When the mattress support is in the middle setting, the space between the mattress and the crib could be too wide, posing an entrapment hazard to infants.

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Infant Garments Recalled by Rashti & Rashti Due to Choking Hazard

Hazard: The snaps on these garments can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

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Redcat Racing Recalls Remote Controlled Toy Vehicles Due to Remote Control Defect

Hazard: The remote control unit can lose its signal, causing the toy vehicle to lose control, posing a risk of injury to the user or bystanders.

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