February 6, 2009

Garlic SpreadMicrowave the margarine until it's soft enough that you can easily stir it with a wooden spoon. Pour entire contents of garlic into margarine and mix well then place back in refrigerator. Margarine will harden back up and you'll have enough garlic butter easily for a month.

 

Peanut ClusterPut chips together in a heavy saucepan. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly. When chips are melted, add peanuts and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.

 

Cranberry Oat SquaresPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Measure oats, flour, margarine, sugar, and soda into a bowl. Mix together until crumbly. Pack large half into greased 9 X 9 inch pan.

 

Capital Bean SoupClean beans. Cover with water and 1 tsp. salt. (Water should be about two inches over the top of the beans.) Soak overnight. (You may have to add a bit more water in the morning if it is all soaked up by the beans.)

 

Apple and Pork Chop BakeBrown pork chops in butter. Do not let the butter scorch. Place apples in your favorite casserole dish. Dot the apples with butter and spices which have been mixed together. Put pork chops on top of the apples. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 1 hour.

 

Leeks in Cheese SauceTrim the leeks and cut into 2 inch pieces. Wash thoroughly under running water. Bring the water to the boil in the large saucepan, add the salt and leeks, cover and cook gently for 10-15 minutes.

 

Skillet Corned Beef DinnerIn a large skillet, combine onion, salt, pepper, cabbage, and carrots. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and boil gently for 15 minutes. Add potatoes, and corned beef. Return to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes longer or until cabbage is tender.

 

Sugarless Health CookiesCombine butter, sweetener and eggs, beating until fluffy. Soak raisins in enough boiling water to cover. In a separate bowl, sift flour and soda. Add dates and walnuts to the flour. Then add drained raisins, reserving the liquid.

 

Southern Dump CakePreheat the oven to 350 degrees F. This cake mixes up fast, so the oven should be about ready by the time the cake is ready to go in the oven. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with Pam or lightly grease with oil.

 

Cream Cheese Pumpkin PiePreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cheese, sugar, vanilla. Add 1 egg. Mix well, spread in 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Combine pumpkin, sugar, spices, salt, blend in 2 eggs and milk. Pour carefully over cheese mixture. Bake 65-70 minutes.

 

Try Something Different With Your Spaghetti SauceI made the mistake of deviating from my regular brand of spaghetti and was sorely disappointed. I was tired and wanted to spare myself an extra trip to another store so bought the pasta at a day old bread shop.

 

Getting Ready for Tax SeasonDuring the year keep a running tab on how much you have spent on all medical costs including prescriptions, doctor visits, dental visits, co-pays etc. I also keep my statements and receipts together with this list in a folder.

 

Bead SnowflakeSnowflake made from beads and pipe cleaners.

 

Mix Jams Together to Get Every BitI buy the name brand of sugar free jams and preserves. I usually keep at least three flavors in the fridge so the grandkids have a variety to choose from. Of course, eventually the jars are going to become almost empty.

 

Recycle CDs as Ice ScraperWe get a lot of snow here and my daughter discovered that an old CD works great as an ice scraper for the car windshield.

 

Saving Money on GardeningSpring is right around the corner. Here are some tips for saving money on gardening. Post your own ideas here.

 

Waste Nothing: Creative Recycled CraftingI moved out to the country and they do not provide trash-pick up as a part of the water bill. It costs $25 a month for that service. So I wanted to come up with more ways to reduce and reuse.

 

Shopping WiselyAs grocery prices rise, we wait and hope for this economic trend to reverse itself. However, in the meantime there are ways to shop wise and save money at the grocery store.

 

Paint a Village of RocksI no longer spend lots of cash on plants and flowers which get battered by the wind and burnt by the salt air. I add colour and fun by painting rocks and developing a village much to the delight of neighbours and friends who visit.

 

Saving Money on EntertainmentTips on budgeting and saving money on all kinds of entertainment. Share your own favorite tips with the ThriftyFun community.

 

Moocher (Domestic Shorthair)Moocher is an 8 month old domestic shorthair cat. We adopted him from the PAWS animal shelter in Philadelphia along with 2 of our other cats (Cleo and Leo) in August of 2008.

 

Evaporated Milk for CerealWith the cost of milk so high, you can save a little by using evaporated milk for cereal and cooking and saving jug milk for drinking. Also once the can is opened you can keep the rest fresh and ready by pouring into an ice tray and freezing into cubes.

 

Sock LocksJust read your newsletter with tips on organizing socks. i use a great product called sock-locks. A wonderful little gadget that fits a pair of socks together - we use them and I never have lost socks.

 

Craft: Recycled TrainMy son still enjoys playing with trains. We used a tin can and some Snapple tea lids for the wheels. We found a cardboard box from some sticks of butter, toilet paper tube and used hot glue to fasten it together.

 

Reusing Ceramic Soap Dispensers?Does anyone have ideas for reusing ceramic soap dispensers that cannot be used because the pump no longer works?

 

What Breed is My Dog?My dog is 4 years old and I was told he was a Maltese cross between a Yorkshire Terrier, but he definitely isn't. I've had him since he was a puppy, could anyone tell me what breed he is going by a the picture? I would be very grateful.

 

Homemade Nestle Quik?Does anyone know the proportion of cocoa to sugar in products such as Nestle Quik? Many recipes call for Nestle Quik as an ingredient and I won't buy it premixed. Thanks for your help.

 

Braided Clothes Hanger Covers?Does anyone have a pattern for braided clothes hanger covers made out of wool and/or material? Thanks.

 

Tankless Water Heat Advice?Anyone have an opinion about getting a tankless water heater as opposed to using an oil burner tank for all hot water?

 

MRE Wheat Snack Bread Recipe?Does anyone know how to make something like the Wheat Snack Bread that is found in the MRE's? It's a flat, shelf-stable (though that's probably due to the packaging) bread that is put in the soldier's MRE's.

 

Uses for a CD Stand?I recently bought a CD stand at a yard sale thinking my DVD movies would fit, but they didn't. What are some other uses I can use it for?

 

Saving Emails to Disks?I have been saving all my ThriftyFun emails in my mail folder and would like to copy them to disks. Does anyone know how I would do this?

 

Stripping and Re-staining a Table?I am needing directions on how to strip the old stain off a table and then re-stain it. Thank you.

 

Book Light Alternatives?Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I could use in place of a book light. I like reading at night with a book night light that attaches to the book so I won't disturb my hubby. However, the replacement bulbs are hard to find and I always end up buying another book light.

 

Installing an Undermount Kitchen Sink?I want to install an undermount kitchen sink. My current sink is on the top. Do I need to replace my countertops as well?

 

Reviews of Ifrogz Earphones?Does anyone own Ifrogz earphones? I want the over the ear kind and was wondering if they are comfortable for long periods of time and what the sound is like. Thanks!

 

Creosote Stains on Carpet?How do you get creosote out of carpets?

 

Using Baking Soda for Milk Odors?How can I use baking soda to get rid of milk odors in my car?

 

Betsy Ross Door Stop Pattern?Does anyone have a pattern for a Betsy Ross door stop from the 70's?

 

Removing Betadine Stains from Furniture?How do I get a Betadine spot out of a white cloth couch?