Daily Thrifty Tips - September 30, 2008

Below are the contest winners for last week.

Photo Contest Winner

Glamorous Bathroom Wall Treatment
By Elaine from Iowa

Elaine shares tips on how she made this beautiful wall treatment.

Pet Contest Winner

Gizmo (Domestic Shorthair)
By Julie from Liberty, NC

Gizmo sounds like a wonderful companion to have on the farm.

Tip Contest Winners

Use a Can for Filling Freezer Bags
By Betty from NC

We love tips that use something recycled to make your life a little easier.

Advice from Surviving Hurricane Ike
By Diana from Prospect, KY

With hurricane season not yet over and winter drawing near, Diana's advice is timely.

Recipe Contest Winner

Homemade Soup Noodles
By Kim from Crawford, CO

We love cooking from scratch. Kim shares her soup noodle recipe and it's too easy not to try. She also gives some clarification about how much flour she uses in the feedback forum, about 1 cup per egg.

Thank you to everyone that took time to submit something. We had a lot of great entries. We really appreciate the diversity of recipes that we are receiving!

If you have a tip, photo or recipe to share with the ThriftyFun community, feel free to submit it on one of the contest pages.

Thanks for reading,

Susan

Thanks for reading,

Susan

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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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Craft Project: Coffee Filter Art

Easy and inexpensive, children of all ages can enjoy this craft. Use everyday household supplies to make lovely kid designs. This craft can also be used to teach colors and color blending.

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Reuse Pillow Shams On Your Sofa

Use pretty pillow sham covers as pillows on your sofa or as throw cushions! I see these all the time at Goodwill for a buck or two, and I decided to make use of them. My kids like to use them as floor pillows, as well. Plus if your sofa is kind of tired looking you can add a couple and give it a whole new look.

By Carol from Landisville, PA

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"A Christmas Story" Photo Card

We love the movie "A Christmas Story". So last year we decided to pay tribute to the scene the boys love best, which is where one kid dares the other kid to stick his tongue to a frozen flag pole. I used my photo software to change the picture to black and white and frosted the edges. The caption on the card read "WE TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU TO HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS". Everyone loved it!

By Selena from Columbia

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Reuse Healthy Choice Steamer Baskets

I recently bought one of those Healthy Choice Steamers, and because I recycle, cleaned the steamer basket and the bowl it was in. Almost immediately my brain went into overdrive.

I hate using and cleaning a large colander for just one can of olives or corn, etc. So, why not keep one of these in your house. I poured in a can of olives and lifted the basket, to find it worked perfectly!

All the juice went to the bottom (some will stay with the food till you pick it up), and I had a nice little "colander" that rinses clean in a jiffy!

You could also use it for your hook style earrings by hanging it bottom side out on your bathroom wall or unfold a small paperclip to hang necklaces from.

Any other crafty people out there who can think of cool things to use this basket for are welcome to chime in!!

By Sandra from Salem OR

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Jake (Miniature Beagle)

Here is a picture of my miniature beagle Jake and his favorite toy at the beach. Jake is a real character. He is fully grown. He thinks he is a person and not a dog. Jake has many neighborhood children who stop in to play catch with him. We call them his "fan club".

By Janet - Brant Rock, MA

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These contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25!

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File Your Computer Passwords

Since an assortment of creative passwords and other info is too much to remember when accessing your favorite websites, you might find the following tip useful:

I write the website name on a file card with the user name I'm identified under along with the password and any pertinent information relating to it (secret question and answer, support number, etc). All cards are filed in alphabetical order and hidden from anyone who shouldn't have access to the file box. Also, Yahoo now has OpenID so you don't have to remember but one password to gain access to a list of sites.

By Ceannze from North Carolina

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Look For Different Ways To Use Secondhand Items

When shopping garage sales or thrift stores, always look at other ways to use items. At my thrift store, I buy a lot of sales materials so that I can reuse the binder. They are usually bigger and more durable then the school binders. I throw the sales materials away or use it for scrap paper.

By Rebecca from Gadsden, Alabama

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Fill Your Gas Tank Often

Gas here has been in the three dollar range, $3.69 today. I don't let my gas tank get lower then three-quarters empty. It usually costs $20.00 or $25.00 to fill the tank, about every two or three weeks depends how much and how far I drive. I always have someone else get it for me. That hose is just too heavy for me and I don't want to drive away with it still in the tank.

By Rosebud from Long Beach, CA

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Use Dryer Lint For Stuffing Dolls, Etc.

When my daughter was younger, she made hundreds of miniature stuffed animals, dolls, personalized pillows, and so forth, using fabric scraps. Even with the fabric free, of course, cotton batting or fiber-fill would have cost money to stuff her creations. So, she stuffed them with dryer lint!

It sounds odd, but realize that the lint caught in the dryer has just been thoroughly washed in the washer. It's clean, soft, and free.

For a while, she sewed so many dolls that she even had our family's friends collecting their dryer lint for her. She repaid their favor with little stuffed mice and other novelty dolls, which they loved.

So, don't discard it. Use it! :)

Source: I had a stuffed tiger when I was small, whose original stuffing looked like dryer lint, whether it actually was or not. We got the idea from that.

By Sterghe from Pennsylvania

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Ideas For Drop Cloths

Don't throw away those old sheets or shower curtains. Use them as drop cloths when your children are painting, doing play-doh, helping you cook, or when crafting.

Source: Fellow crafters, Sunday School teachers, and parents in my community

By Michele from Landisville, PA

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Organizing Flat Kitchen Ware

To organize cookie sheets and other flat kitchen items, use spring tension curtain rods in the cabinet. Insert them vertically and place the items in between. I buy the rods at the dollar store. This also works for cutting boards, etc.

By GramCracker from Georgia

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Fill Letters to Santa from the Post Office

The best holiday stress reliever I found, was engaging the whole family in Christmas for others. I went to local Post Offices and asked for any Dear Santa letters, and they were very happy to let me take some. My kids and I spent a lot of time filling those lists as well as we were able. My boys learned it's not about what you get, it's about what you give.

We are not poor, but we're a long way from wealthy. We hunted thrift stores, flea markets, discount stores, etc. We even asked friends and relatives to help out with gifts. My kids, who often thought they were so deprived, learned that there is always someone who is in a worse place than they are. And with that, they learned to be grateful for what they received.

By Peg from Smithton, PA

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Scrubbing Bubbles for Walls

Scrubbing Bubbles is great for cleaning walls. It melts away the nicotine too. Spray on, wait 1 minute and wipe off with paper towels. A building contractor told me this, I was amazed how well it worked, even my hand held steam cleaner didn't get it all. He also said it won't damage your carpet if it drips on it. Some did and it never left any spots. Try it!

By Sharon C. from Maine

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Restaurant Coupons by Email

In the age of email we have the ability to get coupons straight from the restaurant we want to visit. Sign up for email clubs and birthday clubs that restaurants in your area offer. Red Lobster sends out a birthday coupon and other $ off meal coupons throughout the year. Budgets are tight so enjoy dinning out and saving.

By Cheryl from Everett

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Use a Chalkboard to Post Your Weekly Menus

I have a two-fold approach to saving money on food. First, always have a menu. I bought a very cheap chalkboard ($3) and decorated it to match my kitchen decor. I write up the week's menu on that chalkboard based upon all the things I have in the house (it's a good time to go through the kitchen cupboards, the chest freezer, and all other nooks and crannies to discover the food you've forgotten about!).

Making the menu first will cut your shopping bill greatly because you aren't buying things you already have, and you only buy those things you need. It has cut down on impulse buying and makes me look through all the sales papers for great deals.

Secondly, I reserve the bottom half of my chalkboard for the "Leftover Menu." After every meal as I'm packing up the leftover food, I write exactly what I have available, and I put the date next to it - "Green Beans (9/28)" This way everyone in the house knows what is waiting in the fridge (no more lookie-loos wasting precious energy staring into the fridge!) and we're all aware that there are plenty of things to eat. And if you include "Leftover Night" as one of your menu ideas, you can get rid of everything before it spoils.

I have been doing this for several months now and have reduced the amount of spoiled or old food that had to be thrown out to next to nothing!

By GalFriday from Rochester Hills, MI

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