October 31, 2008 | ThriftyFun

Howl-O-Ween Sweater DressThis is a sweater dress I made for my tiny Yorkie, it is a cute dress, a sweater and a costume all in one.

How Late Do You Hand Out Candy?What time do you "close up shop" and turn off the porch lights for incoming Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween night? We get so few it is hard to tell when it is time. Many thanks.

Preserving Natural Items for CraftsHow can you preserve sweet gum balls, miniature pumpkins and small gourds to use in crafts? Also if pine cones are used in a center piece or wreath should or could the items be sprayed with lacquer to maintain the craft pieces? Thanks.

Pests Eating a Sweet Potato PlantI have a sweet potato plant that something is eating on, it has little holes. I looked to see if I could find what was eating the leaves but did not see anything. This is a border plant or used for hanging baskets.

Repairing Massaging Sectional ChairsHow can I fix my massage chair in my sofa? A week ago I purchased a used sectional sofa for my apartment. I was going to buy a new sofa at one of those close out furniture store when I saw, online, a great deal on a green sectional sofa. It is a beautiful 3 piece unit. To my delight the sofa came equip with two massage chairs and a built in phone.

Saving Money on Baby FoodTips for Saving Money on Baby Food as suggested by the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas here.

Puff Paint on Men's TieHow do I remove Puff Paint from a mens' tie? Thank You in advance.

"Spirit of Christmas" Themed ParadeI am participating in our town's Christmas parade and need some help. The theme is "Spirit of Christmas".

Displaying the 50 State QuartersI would like suggestions on how to display the 50 state quarters. Each one is on a flat decorative pewter mounting with a gray ribbon for hanging. Maybe some type of grouping, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Growing a Plant in WaterI am growing a plant in water. How do you keep the slime and mold out of the container.

Potholder Scissor CoversI am looking for instructions for making scissor covers from potholder.

Using Black Tights for Tying PlantsHave you ever used these for tying plants, Opaque Black nylon tights? These were my 17 yr old granddaughter's. I know tan color are used but what about black?

Party Favors For 20 Year Reunion Slumber PartyWe are having a 20 yr. class reunion Slumber Party (Girls Only!) of course! I was wanting to put some party favors together for fun and was looking for some ideas!

Passion Plant Has Sour FruitI have a very healthy passion fruit plant that is producing hundreds of fruit. Unfortunately, the fruits are sour, although the original parent plant had sweet fruits. Now my plant serves mainly as decoration as the fruit is too sour to enjoy. Is there a means, maybe by way of using specific fertilizers, that will make the fruits sweet?

Smears on Windows After CleaningWhen I wash my windows and later in the day the sun shines through, the window has smear marks. I have tried various cleaners and I still get smears which are hard to remove. Any suggestions?

Make Halloween Pumpkins Into Thanksgiving TurkeysRe-use your Halloween pumpkins for Thanksgiving by turning them into turkeys for just a few dollars. You'll need dowel rods, glue, and felt. Cut felt into feather shapes, two for each dowel.

FlavorWave Roaster ReviewsDoes anyone have a FlavorWave roaster? How do you like it? I want to know if it's worth buying and using my little counter space. Thank you for this info.

Diabetic Asparagus Soup RecipeI was wondering if anyone has a low-fat, low-carb asparagus soup recipe? I am diabetic so something low everything (it seems). I heard you can use the harder ends for soup instead of throwing them away and thought this would be great. Thanks for all your help.

Fabric Wrapped HangersMy grandmother, in Minnesota, use to wrap wire hangers with material approx. 1 in. wide, kind of in knots or a braid. Unfortunately I was not able to learn this craft from her. She's gone now and I was wondering if any one knows how to do this craft. Thanks.

Craft: Aluminum Ant FriendHalloween Candy recycling! Save your M and M tubes to make recycled art. My son won a contest at the library for his aluminum ant friend he created. We used silver spray paint and some pipe cleaners and paper clips for wings.

Halloween Recipe: Blood Clot (Cherry) PieMix brown food coloring into the cherry pie filling a little at a time until it is the color of blood. Then bake according to your pie crust directions or until filling is bubbly.

Individualized Carved PumpkinsThis is the jack-o-lantern that I carved for my 8 month old son. It is a real pumpkin and was hand carved using only wood carving tools and a rotary tool. My family and I carved an additional 4 pumpkins the same way, each to reflect on the persons interests.

Easy GoulashBrown the meat, onion and green pepper together and drain. Add the ketchup, barbecue sauce, salt, spaghetti or macaroni and the undrained tomatoes. Simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Aiden and Avery's PumpkinsHere are two pumpkins carved by Aiden (7) and Avery (4). Aiden carved a killer robot and Avery carved a rabid mouse. We used stencils that we purchased for $3 at Fred Meyer and it made it super easy to carve something neat.

Discouraging Mailbox VandalismOur neighborhood has vandals smashing our mailboxes. A friend shared an idea on how to not need to buy a new mailbox each time it is smashed, by reinforcing it. Purchase a large metal mailbox, and a smaller size that can fit inside of the larger mailbox.

Get Chocolate Morsels to Ease CravingsWhile I was shopping, I wanted some dark chocolate to please my craving. I decided to get the Hershey dark chocolate morsels instead of candy bars, one it is cheaper and two, it lets me just do a few at a time so I can control the calories. This bag seems to be lasting, and lasting. It seems to hit the spot and keeps the calories at a minimum.

Recipes Using PumpkinsYou can get great deals on pumpkins this time of year. Do you have any tips or recipes for using pumpkins? Also, do you have any tips for selecting pumpkins to eat?

Fudgy Bon BonsHeat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips and butter; cook and stir over very low heat until chips are melted and smooth. Add milk; mix well.

Cheap Halloween CookiesCombine all above ingredients to form a dough. Grease cookie sheet. Drop by teaspoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-12 minutes. Cool.

Saving Halloween CandySave any non-chocolate Halloween candy left over from your hand-outs or collected from what your children have received and will not eat.

Small Gift Cards Can Equal Big SmilesI've learned to limit my new year's resolutions. Too many is daunting, and it's too much like work. This year one of my two resolutions is to give better gifts.

Icebox Apple PieIn a large saucepan, combine apples, water, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until apples are tender.

Helpful Hints to Avoid an Upset StomachIf drinking soda is giving you an uncomfortable tummy, here is a tip I have found to be most useful. Once the carbonation is done fizzing (assuming it's in a glass), shake a couple shakes of salt on the top.

Ribbon FreezeChill a tube pan (like for angel food cake). Line bottom with 2/3 cup flaked coconut. Using 1 quart each of 5 sherbets, line the first with lemon, and freeze 30 minutes.

Bubble PrintsIn a 6 - 8 inch bowl, mix together water, drops of food coloring, liquid detergent and starch. Using a straw, blow bubbles into the mixture until the bubbles form a structure above the rim of the bowl.

Praline YamsHeat oven to 350 degrees F. Place drained yams in ungreased 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; blend well. Sprinkle over yams.

Use Battery Toothbrush for Water Stain on LeatherI got a large water stain on a leather top desk. I read the tip on using toothpaste, only I used an old battery toothbrush to work it in. It worked great and I finished with pledge. I also use the same toothbrushes to clean around faucets and sink edges, they are great for cleaning.

Belle (Doxie)Belle is 4 years old and a Doxie. We got her at 6 weeks old from a breeder. She loves to dress up and go for long walks!

Squash Side DishButter large casserole dish. Combine dressing mix and butter, and press half of mixture into prepared dish. In a saucepan of boiling water, place squash, zucchini, onion, green pepper and celery. Boil 5-10 minutes.

Scalloped Chicken with BroccoliCook sauce ingredients until thick. Cook broccoli and put in bottom of greased baking dish. Cover with chicken pieces; remove cooked sauce from heat and add Miracle Whip, lemon juice, and curry powder.

Saving Money on Your Power BillHow do I lower my power bill?