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November 27, 2004

ThriftyFun News November 27, 2004 - Christmas Gift Advice and TraditionsOnline version of the ThriftyFun News. Christmas Gift Advice and Traditions. Volume Six, Number 46 November 27, 2004

Friendship BallsI purchased a Friendship ball for my best friends several years ago to avoid the increasing costs of Christmas gifts while our own families have increased in size!

Thrifty Christmas GiftA thrifty Christmas gift I have given in years past is to buy bread dough shaped into dough balls. I arrange them on a baking sheet in the shape of a tree or a wreath and bake according to package directions. Then I drizzle powdered sugar frosting over the rolls and decorate with red and green cherries and small bows. These are well liked by everyone! By Robin

Composting Pine NeedlesPlease share your thoughts and "Do's and Don'ts" for composting pine needles. I have to circle the wagons and the troops and rake up all of them. I want to fill up the new 'wiz-bang' recycled plastics composter I purchased from the local landfill district office (It's about 42" high, and 4' across). Thank you! ~Ooo~ Bill in SE Mass.

Hamburger Jerky RecipeI saw an idea in here from about a year ago about how it was cheaper to make beef jerky from hamburger but there were no directions. Can anyone help?

Living GreenI would like to see a section on Living Green, for the environmentalists in our group. Being involved in an anti-landfill project as well as being on the local earth day committee, I'd love to hear what other communities are doing to keep their air, water and earth a pristine place to live. Lois Ann from New York

Christmas Gifts Using Dried MilkI have recently found myself with an amazing amount of dried milk. Being a person who believes that any food can be used, I am on a quest for Christmas gifts I can make with dried milk. I believe I have exhausted the hot chocolate or mocha recipes gifts. Does anyone have any other ideas?

Looking For Transfer Rub PaperI am trying to find (or figure out how to make) the transfer paper that we used as kids to rub on a face shape, then choose hair, eyes, ears, nose and mouth to complete the picture. I know it was a waxy type of paper and we could also rub the colored sunday comics and transfer them to another piece of paper. I know there are tracing books for kids that allow them to complete faces, but I really want to find that waxy transfer paper that we used as kids in the 40s and 50s. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Marty

Help, I dont have a whole lot of money and it's Christmas time!It's Christmas time and I'm low on cash. I've asked my mom if she will pay me a little extra money if I did odd jobs and she agreed but i still need more to cover my family. I was also thinking about making my own gifts for everyone but I'm not sure what everyone would want. I have the pickiest brother in the world, he asked me to buy him a 100 dollar chair for him, so far that's all he wants. I don't have that kind of money. Should I make him something? Any ideas? He's 19, we are an irish family, he likes rap music and progressive rock (OAR and Wheezer). He also has a white Ford truck. If you have any homemade ideas, let me know. Thanks, Molly

Felt Gingerbread Man OrnamentI'm looking for a pattern for a snowman ornament that was made out of brown felt with a gingersnap for the face and another gingersnap for the stomach area. The pattern fit store-bought ginger snaps and was a darling decoration for gifts and for a tree.

Discounted Paint at LowesWhenever I visit my local Lowes home improvement store, I check out the discounted paint rack. These are 1 gallon and 5 gallon pails of tinted paint that someone did not purchase.

Favorite Stores?What is you favorite store to shop at and why?

Feeding Big DogsWe don't like to buy the generic brands because they are full of nothing but filler. The higher quality brands are so expensive, though, that I have found a good alternative. Try buying your dog food from a feed store!

Building With Recycled WindowsGlass windows cannot be recycled commercially. They get destroyed. Stores replace their l l/2 thick double windows. I found 5 of them and used them to fill in my back porch. They were 300 to 400 lbs. Two men had a hard time lifting them.

Dusting Big Screen TVsWith the big screen TVs they have out now, it seems like dust is a magnet on them. To avoid dusting and cleaning the screen almost every day--use a bounce or some kind of fabric softener to eliminate the dust and cut down on how often you need to dust the screen.

Line Trash Can With An Extra BagIn our effort to stuff our trash bags to the fullest we can't always slide them out of the can without great effort or breakage. The solution to this is to put one bag in the can and then put one on top on the first one.

Gift Wrapping CenterI have an old dresser that I converted into a gift wrap center. The dresser has four good sized drawers to hold: tissue paper, cards, gift bags and bows. I keep my rolls of gift wrap in plastic boxes on top of the dresser with tape and a pair of scissors.

Store Addresses On The ComputerFor a fast, easy access to addresses, I keep an address book file on my home computer. That way, when Christmas time comes around or for birthdays, announcements, and such, it is there with just a click of the mouse.

Composting Pet HairPet hair is compostable! When you brush your cat or dog, save the hair from the brush in a bag, and put it in your compost pile; it's mainly nitrogen. People's hair trimmings can be composted too!

Baking Apples in the MicrowaveYou can make a nice "baked" style apple easily in the microwave. Use any type of apple except for Red Delicious. I like to use harder cooking apples like Northern Spy, Yellow Delicious, Crispin, and Jonagold, but softer types like Cortland and Macintosh also work well.

For A Frugal Face RoutineWash face with soap of choice then with a cotton ball use rubbing alcohol to cleanse the other areas prone to blackheads etc., follow this with a good lotion, then apply makeup if starting the day or if it's before bed add vaseline to the wrinkle areas:)

Free Cooking Magazine At KraftFoods.comFor a free cooking magazine sent several times a year go to http://www.kraftfoods.com/free It has great ideas and recipes. By Melanie

Firing Small Clay ItemsYou can use your self-cleaning oven as a kiln. Not as hot as a real kiln, so it probably would not work for serious potters, but great for firing clay beads and other small clay items. Run creations through 2 cleaning cycles, then paint with acrylic paints. Fun! By Mary

Light Bulb Santa OrnamentsHere's a great way to recycle light bulbs! Make a bunch of them to hang on the tree or give as gifts. This also is a great craft to sit down and do with the kids.

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