Daily Thrifty Tips - December 20, 2006

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Here is a picture of a lovely double rainbow! We see quite a few over the Bay, and they always give us great delight to watch. They are ever-changing and move across the water, up the mountain and then partly hide behind it, as you will see in the second picture.

There is a channel of water between this strip of our Island and Saltspring Island, and that's why it can still be seen but disappearing over the top of the land.

By Betty from Cowichan Bay, BC

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Aisha is 2 years old and is a European Shorthair cat (Moggie.) I found her in a rubbish bin in Greece. She likes "Being cheeky!"

I have told you all Aisha's story before, about how I found and rescued her while I was on Christmas holiday in Greece and you can read all about her somewhere here on the site.

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18860312.tip.html

So she has, to be fair, already had her 15 minutes of fame here on ThriftyFun, but I thought this picture was just too cute not to share. I love this picture and it's one of my favourites because to me, it just embodies all that's cute and wonderful and cosy about cats. I hope it'll make you smile as much as I do, every time I see this photo. :o)

(PS) Aisha says to say Happy Holidays to all. She loves Christmas and especially ravaging our Christmas tree, which of course she's allowed to get away with. It get's especially decorated with cat friendly things she and her siblings can eat and play with. We have no two-legged kids to share Christmas with, so our pets are all like our little children and we spoil them rotten. Can anybody tell, that we are a little bit cat crazy here at our house? :o)

Merry Christmas everyone...

By Vicki from Copenhagen, Denmark

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Materials:

• Tote bags
• patterns to draw on purse or you can free hand it
• acrylic and fabric paint or fabric pictures
• no sew glue or spray adhesive
• fringe or ribbon

Directions:

For Rudolph purse:

Cut out any fabric picture you want to use. Spray adhesive or apply no sew glue and place on purse.

Let dry, then embellish with paint or fringe or whatever you have.

For Gingerbread House purse:

Just draw picture on and paint.

Let dry and then embellish.

Just use your imagination!

By Sandy from Bluff City, TN.

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All year long I look for pretty jars and bottles at flea markets and junk shops for making interesting gifts. I usually don't pay more than $1 for each one, usually a lot less.

Little bottles are great for beads. Put 3 or 4 together and you have a useful, decorative gift that organizes, too -- something the creative type appreciates! Use up some of your extra supplies, like foam stickers and tags for the scrapbooker. Nails and brads and other hardware are great for your man's workshop.

I was lucky enough to find vintage milk bottles from our local dairy that closed down 30 years ago. I filled them with candy, tied on red fabric tops and ribbon, and everyone loved it.

Time To Make:

Level Of Difficulty:

Cost:

Materials:

• Jars in various sizes, wide mouth are most versatile
• Contents: beads, buttons, foam stickers, candy, shortbread cookies, craft items, hardware items, etc.
• Lid trims: Fabric, doilies, wrapping paper, ribbon, tinsel, holly berries, stickers, etc.

Instructions for the jars shown here:

Button Jar:

Place vintage buttons in small jelly jar with gold lid. Tie on ribbon and gold cord and holly berries. Add Victorian angel sticker, more buttons on top. Other sewing ideas: tiny thred spools, thimbles in a tiny jelly jar, fancy straight pins, etc.

Marker Jar:

Place markers in tall wide mouth jar, top with wrapping paper, stickers, ribbon. Other ideas would be crayons, paint brushes, pencils, erasers, colorful binder clips, tiny paint pots, wrapped squares of clay, etc.

Cocoa Jar:

Layer wrapped starlight mints (to crush over hot cocoa), your favorite cocoa mix in a baggie, and mini marshmallows, also in a baggie, into a vintage wide mouth pint milk bottle. Tie on ribbon, add foam stickers of candy and cocoa mugs. Attach instructions for making one serving.

Bead Jar:

Fill little bottles with tiny beads. Cut a green satin fabric cirlcle to fit top and tie with red cord. Several of these in different sizes make a stunning gift for the crafter.

Sticker Jar:

Place foam stickers (a good way to use up your extra stickers, tags, diecuts, even scraps, etc. from previous projects) in a glass-topped canning jar. Tie on fancy ribbon. Decorate with stickers from jar. Several of these would be fun for the scrapbooker.

The possibilities are endless! Just remember to keep your eyes open from now on for fun jars!

By Cindy Bailey from Waynesburg, PA

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I've just come up with the best idea instead of buying a treat filled stocking. Make your own custom stockings!

Cut a stocking shape from a cardboard cereal box or similar and cover with alfoil. Carefully place the net (saved from buying oranges) over the stocking.

Tie the toe end with string, wire or cable tie then fill with your chosen treats or novelties. Tape them in place so they don't move around. Finish the other end with a wire tie and some ribbon. Add a gift tag if you wish.

These look so great that children won't even notice they are homemade!

By Kfromoz from Australia

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Many people don't have a Christmas tree at this time of year due to financial hardship.

Trees don't have to be the traditional pine tree. Be creative and inventive. Almost anything can become a tree of sorts and the more unusual the better. It will bring back floods of memories for years to come.

Here are some ideas to have a tree without going and buying one:

• Cut a branch with or without leaves from your garden and place in a pot of soil. Give it some water every few days if necessary.

• Draw a picture of a tree on a large piece of paper and decorate. Hang on the wall.

• Decorate an indoor plant, or bring an outdoor plant inside for a few days.

• Borrow a tree from a friend with a spare one.

• Stack empty cereal boxes etc (even Tupperware or plastic containers will do) from largest at the bottom to smallest at the top. Tape together and cover in green fabric or a tablecloth. Use safety pins to make decorations stick or attach an elastic band to bunches of the cloth( like when tie dying) Hang decorations from them.

• Make a tepee shape from tomato plant stakes and push into dirt in a pot. Wrap with string or wool randomly around the stakes and tie off.

• Decorate your extra special "OLDEN DAYS TREE" with cardboard cutout gingerbread men, snowmen, trees and stars, a homemade garland from popcorn, Christmas catalogue paper chains, wool or even coloured string. Small treasures belonging to each child can be hung on the tree to make it more special for them. Scrunch up some catalogue paper into balls and hang on the tree.

The point to all this is that is the thought that counts. Even having no money at all does not mean that children (or adults for that matter) have to forgo the tradition and excitement of decorating a "tree".

I wish all of you a merry and wonderful Christmas and hope this helps some of you in having a tree to celebrate the season with.

By Kfromoz from Australia

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Many of us go away for the holidays and have to board our pets. For dogs and cats, I suggest bringing along something you have had on your body. Not washed, you want your scent on the article. My dog always takes a sneaker into her bed if I go out, so when I board her, I will send along an old sneaker and a blanket I have had near me or wear an old shirt for a day before I go away. She will feel safe with a familiar smell.

By Valery Leonard from Cranford, NJ

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Does anyone make strings of popcorn to put on the tree anymore? I used to love helping my mother do this. It's inexpensive and traditional. (You can also use cranberries - but they have gotten so expensive!)

By Pamphyila from Los Angeles

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Hey - I just found out you can download FREE holiday cards/gift tags/letterhead and more from the Xerox site, all sorts of nice designs. Here's the link:

http://colorconnection.xerox.com/wwwco578/plsql/tkco_ghia.OnDemand?filename=live/holiday_home.html

By pamphyila from Los Angeles

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Have you noticed how much packaging they put on kids toys these days? With all the tape, cardboard, twist ties, and plastic, it can take most of Christmas day just to get the toys out of the package and then you still have to put them together!

To avoid the frustration on Christmas morning, we always take our kids toys out of the package before wrapping them. We assemble the toys and put any manuals/instructions/warranty booklets in a safe place so they don't get thrown out with the wrapping paper on Christmas morning. Batteries can be inserted and toys can be tested (or played with lol) to make sure you don't end up with a broken toy or missing parts on Christmas day.

The toys are sometimes a little harder to wrap this way (if they don't fit back into the box), but it always seemed odd to me as a child that Santa's elves - who I thought built my Christmas toys - would spend so much time packaging them. Having ready to use gifts just seemed more magical, like they were made especially for me, not mass marketed.

This also helps if your family can't afford all new toys and wants to pass along something they know a child will love, but may turn their nose up at simply because it's not new. If all the toys are out of their packages, then any toy in good condition will not stand out from the rest.

By Trix from Toronto Canada

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Instead of paying for boxes to wrap presents in, I save boxes from cereal, oatmeal, crackers, microwave popcorn...just about any kind of box and put my presents in them. They come in all shapes and sizes and it also helps to keeps my family from guessing their present, especially if it's clothing. My daughter will be surprised to find that the present shaped like an aluminum foil box is actually a shirt! LOL! We will never forget the one year when she was little, she got all excited because she took off the wrapping paper and thought she had gotten a case of Mountain Dew! Too cute! :-)

By Tammy from Bristol, TN

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Each of my baby girls had their own infant/crib mobile. When the baby outgrew her infant/crib mobile, I took the mobile apart and made Christmas tree ornaments out of the pieces by attaching some silk holly and a pretty ribbon. So to this day, my tree has the unique mobile shaped ornaments that my girls reached out for and touched as infants. My daughters, all grown now, will have their very first Christmas ornaments to hang on their own Christmas trees when they marry. Hope others try this idea, too.

By Tricia from Royal Oak, MI

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(Note: These are NOT to be eaten!) This is a very simple recipe and one that you will really enjoy!

Ingredients

• Large jar of applesauce
• 2 or 3 jars of Cinnamon (I buy them at the 99c store!)
• Christmas cookie cutters
• A drinking straw

Directions

Your kitchen will smell HEAVENLY for DAYS and the ornaments keep their wonderful smell of cinnamon well after the Holiday season!

By Sheila from Bayonne, NJ

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To avoid having to buy those adhesive shipping labels from the store try recycling old index cards or any other type of paper to put addresses on boxes you are mailing. You can use blank index cards or blank paper, write the return address on one piece or at the top of the card/paper and then the shipping address on the other piece or lower part of the card/paper. If I do that, I usually write "To:" and "From:" in front of the address to make it clear which is which.

Then use wide clear packing tape to attach the "label" to the box with the shipping address towards the middle of the top of the box or the one piece paper/card in the middle of the top of the box. I use two pieces of tape as one piece usually isn't enough to completely cover the label. It works best to completely cover the address label with tape so it doesn't come off in the shipping process. Just don't cover the entire top of the box in tape as the post office can't put its postage stickers or any other markings over the tape, just a small piece or two that just covers the label with about a 1/4 inch overlap will work.

I have not had to buy self-stick labels since I've been doing this and have never had any problems with the labels coming off in shipping. It also helps, just in case, to put a paper or card inside the package on top of whatever is in the box so that if the label should come off the post office can look for an address in the box.

By Diane from Helena, Montana

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Sometimes you have to add something extra, in the design trade they call it "fluffing". I got an Christmas wreath for a neighbor at a dollar store, but it looked bare. So I added some fresh pine branches, foliage and some bittersweet, tied on with some gold ribbon. Wow! it really turned out great! (So consider adding your own touch and "fluffing" ;.}

By Pamphyila from Los Angeles

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http://www.baskinrobbins.com/IceCream/coupon/1off2scoop_1106.html

This is for $1.00 off a 2 scoop sundae, Expires 1/14/07. Not sure how many you can print off. Enjoy! We're not sending Christmas cards this year. So consider this your Christmas goodie from us!
Terri & David

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My brother-in-law's family has a tradition of opening presents that works very well in large family gatherings. Rather than all tear into the wrappings, sit in a circle and each person going round can choose one present to open (until they are all open). That way everyone can share in the gift-giving. It livens up the conversation, too!

By Pamphyila from Los Angeles

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• 2-4 Tbsp. whole cloves
• 2-4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 bay leaves,
• 1/2 orange sliced
• 1/2 lemon sliced

Mix all together and put in a saucepan with 4 cups water. Simmer on low to release the fragrance. (or put in a potpourri pot.)

To give as a gift put ingredients in a decorative jar add enough water to fill the jar. If you wish for color, add a few drops of red food coloring.

Close securely and add a tag to explain how to use.

Store in fridge when not in use. Can be used over and over.

Note: I prefer to use the lesser amount of cloves so they won't overpower the other ingredients. Enjoy!

By PICO from ST. PAUL, ALBERTA

Editor's Note: This recipe could be changed by using other spices such as allspice, cardomom seeds and nutmeg.

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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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Do you think a child is too young to start going to the movies alone or anywhere alone at age 12 and a half in 7th grade? Should I wait till she gets older?

Rachel from San Antonio

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How do I get nicotine stains off my fingers? YUCK!

Sandi from Montreal

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I need a note or words for a note to write on a gift. I am giving an aynoumous gift (a shirt, wal-mart gift card and a few small items) to a student who is a foster child and is having some tough issues to deal with right now. I do not want her to know it is from me. So if you have some ideas what I could write, please share.

Mindy from Oregon

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Tonight was my grandsons Christmas program. The kids performed wonderfully altho we wondered how it would go off. Today, during practice a child passed out and was taken to the hospital. It was said that he buckled his knees causing him to *faint* . My husband said while he was in the Army there were times that guys would pass out on the parade field (this meaning during a parade or practice). I am wondering WHY or how buckling the knees (standing straight pressing back on the knees) can cause one to pass out?

Ariela from FL

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Are there any remedies, old or NEW that will help me from getting
bladder infections so often? I know the usual things, if you have anything unusual I would love to hear about it. I am trying to drink more distilled water and have less caffeine and such. Is there anything else I SHOULD be doing for this?

Sincerely,
PINK from Seattle, WA

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How do I get permanent marker off a white fridge?

Chris from Canada

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When I enter a recipe title in my computer, I like to indicate its method of preparation. For instance, I might do "Asparagus in Lemon Sauce, stove top". Seems a little wordy. When I think of stove, I think of both oven and stove. "Top" doesn't convey the message if recipe is shared. Any suggestions?

Holly from Richardson, TX

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Anyone have a TNT Pecan Pie Recipe. I want to make one for the first time this Christmas and I want it to be a hit. Thanks! Merry Christmas!

Paula from Portugal

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How can I remove construction dust from clothes left on site?

Linda from Cedarburg, WI

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How do you remove deep wrinkles on a microfiber couch back which has slumped. I am puffing back up the back cusion and want to get the slump wrinkles out.

Paula from Tucson

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How can I remove old food stains from a favorite wool sweater? The stains are front and center.

JC from Charleston, SC

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Does anyone have some good ideas for ornaments using beads?

Carol from Marshall, AR

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I have received the MOST adorable gingerbread men cookies with them in various Yoga Poses. I DO NOT want to eat them. I would LOVE to preserve them. Anyone have ideas as to how this may be done?

Greatly appreciate your insights!

Amy from Walnut Creek, CA

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I am looking for glass ornaments that are round, approx. 3" diameter and 1/2" deep. They are like the glass ball ornaments but are flat. I have seen them but can't locate, also would like to find square glass ornaments that are about the 3 - 3 1/2" size.

Thanks in advance.

Shirley from Everett, WA

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I have pierced earrings of various sizes and shapes. I keep my jewelry in a large jewelry armoire however, there's no good way to keep up with all of the sets of earrings. I've tried putting them in a small crystal heart with a lid, but they still get scattered within it. Does anyone have any ideas for keeping them organized in my armoire?

Tammy from SC

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How do I remove baby oil stain from clothing?

Vickie from Canton, Ohio

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I washed my sons comforter which says the filling is 100% cotton. (It said it could be put in dryer) I now have a clean comforter but the inside has big balls of cotton all formed in different spots rather than all dispersed throughout the blanket. What can I do? I purchased this from Target and they won't do anything about it. Please help.

Berni from Roslyn, PA

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How do I get burnt plastic off a stove top?

Pat from NJ

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How do you make fudge from a can of frosting?

Thank you,
Ann from GA

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I am seeking a coupon expert to come to our library and give a talk to other interested adults. Is there a person who does programming or public speaking events like this?

Ted from Hudson, MA

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I got Lysol spray on my burgundy leather ottoman. Now there a row of spray dots all across it.

Mandy from GA

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I am looking for information about post herpetic neuralgia, or PHN.

Thanks,
Judith from AR

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I was blowing out a candle and some wax blew on my light green microsuede sofa. How do I get it out?

Kim from New Martinsville, WV

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I am looking for a good recipe for a duck, this year will be the first time I have ever cooked one, so if anyone has a few recipes lying around it would really help me out.

Thank you,
SHERRY from WASILLA, AK

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I accidentlly spilled gasoline on my corduory jeans and cannot get the smell out. I was told NOT to put them in the washing machine as the gas could damage the machine. I have soaked them in detergent in my sink but it still smells. Any advice?

Mina

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I went to a Homemade Gourmet party (a home business that sells spice packets and mixes) recently where we used their spice packets to make "four meals in four minutes" - simple recipes where we put meat, maybe a can of tomatoes, spices, and the contents of a Homemade Gourmet spice packet into a ziploc bag to take home and freeze. Then all I had to do to make the meals was put it in the crockpot. Where can I get a bunch of quick "dump" type recipes to make from scratch to fill my freezer?

I do like to cook, but with two children under 5, there are a lot of nights where using my freezer is great! I do "double and freeze" meals to fill my freezer sometimes, but these "dump" type recipes were so simple . . . The Homemade Gourmet products are pretty expensive and too salty, so I would like recipes to make my own AND directions to use them to freeze simple meals. I've looked and looked for a website that will help pull this together for me, with no luck---anyone have a great link, or any other ideas?

Thanks!
Betsy from AL

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When the outside temperature gets cold enough condensation forms on the (inside of) windows. The windows will eventually 'dry' naturally. My question is... is it best to wipe the windows off? And is doing this better for my "indoor" health?

Ba Rok

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My computer has been stored away for about seven months. Within a month, I will be using it again. Can anyone advise me the best way to do all my various updates -- Microsoft, anti-virus, spyware, etc. without causing any problems? Thanks for the help.

Mike from NE PA

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I had a great side dish at a new chinese place here in town and would like a recipe for chinese potatoes. Does anyone know of one?

Thanks,
Sandy from Mountain View, AR

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How do I remove sap from my pants?

Cody from Georgia

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How many cups is 7 ounces of marshmallow cream?

Granny from Baytown, Texas

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What is the best epilator to use?

Taryn from Perth, Australia

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How do I shine Patent leather shoes? I rubbed them too hard with alcohol, and now the shine is gone!

Savana from Arkansas

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My lava bonsai plant in withering up, is it too cold?

Hardiness Zone: 8b

Danielle from Mesa AZ

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Now that Christmas is almost here, I've been thinking about ways you can use after Christmas sales to help make next Christmas and occasions throughout the year financially easier.

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