Thrifty Tip Contest (December 19 - 25, 2009)

Duration	Entries
December 19 - 25, 2009	36

Tip: Used Books Make Great Gifts

December 23, 2009

Birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc. All of our charity thrift shops sell used books, for children and adults, usually priced at $.50 for paperbacks and $1.00 for hardcovers. Our library does, too

Comment Was this helpful? 10

Tip: ThriftyFun Link as Free Christmas Present

John

December 22, 2009

I'm sending this website's URL as a Christmas present to all my friends who send me e-mail.

Comment Was this helpful? 7

Christmas Lights in a JarOne delightful decoration for the holidays is to stuff an inexpensive strand of lights into a clear vase or jar, and simply plug in the lights. Tie the jar with a bright ribbon.

2 Comments Comment

Cookie Tins for Quick Gift WrapGot some cute cookie tins? Looking for a shortcut to some gift wrapping? I always seem to be running behind and find myself furiously cutting and taping wrapping on Christmas Eve!

2 Comments Comment

Email Christmas Newsletters Instead Of CardsI drafted my annual family Christmas newsletter as always, but instead of printing it out, I decided to make it a Christmas e-newsletter. I explained, in the interest of reducing my carbon footprint, I am sending my Christmas greetings and photos via email.

3 Comments Comment

Gift Idea: A Year of RecipesEach month, I am going to choose one of our favorite recipes in each of several categories, print them out along with a picture of the dish as I make it; then tuck them into the pockets of a bound recipe book I found at our local dollar store.

2 Comments Comment

Keep Wrapping Supplies in a BasketThis year when I wrapped presents, I found a small basket big enough to hold tape, scissors, markers, gift tags and curling ribbon. I set the basket by my side and when I had used an item I put it right back in the basket.

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Make Your Own Christmas Ornament HooksHate those flimsy Christmas ornament hooks? A few years ago I decide to make my own. I went to a craft store and bought some the wire used for floral arrangements. It comes in several thicknesses, so you can choose the one(s) you want.

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Overwhelmed? Send New Years CardsIf you are just overwhelmed this Xmas and can't get to your cards- You have the eccentric option of sending cards in January as Happy New Year cards!

1 Comment Comment

Playing Santa ClausTo avoid all the clutter of the boxes that the Christmas toys came in, we took every toy out of the box, put a note from Santa to the child on the toy and placed it under the tree as if Santa had played with the toy and left it for each individual child.

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Reuse Family Holiday Gift Box Year After YearA great holiday tip that became a tradition. Make a family box, box with separate lid, wrapped separate, for easy opening, fill with movies, games, new ornament, books, anything your family will share. It's great for video games.

1 Comment Comment

Shop the Day After ChristmasThe day after Christmas is the best shopping day of year. I buy wrapping paper in solid colors, stars, plaids, anything that is not a Christmas Pattern and I get it for 50 to 70% off. This way I have wrapping paper all year long.

1 Comment Comment

Use Ziplock Bags To Organize Stocking StuffersTo make sure that the stockings are going to be equally full, I place each person's items in a gallon Ziploc bag, which is just the right size for our stockings.

1 Comment Comment

Chop and Store Whole Bag of NutsI use a lot of nuts for baking. I discovered if I chopped the whole bag of nuts at once and store in a clean coffee container, it saves a lot of time when baking.

2 Comments Comment

Christmas "Tea Party" with Donut Hole TreeAt a recent family party, I treated the children with a "tea party" with hot chocolate and donut holes.

1 Comment Comment

Free Calendars on the InternetDon't forget the wealth of free for the asking calendars out there. Do a quick search for "free 2010 calenders snail mail".

1 Comment Comment

Gourmet "To Go" Coffee at HomeHere is a great tip for anyone who loves mocha flavored coffee at home for a fraction that you will pay at Starbucks.

1 Comment Comment

Happy Gift Packages for ChristmasI am going to put together some activities for the kids this year. I want it to be special. A gift they will have a permanent record of and a little memory photo album with it and also a one use camera to record it.

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Rust Stains in a White Sink?We had to use a flexibly snake to clear a block with a party coming up. The rotation of the snake left a 6x3 foot coat of rust are at the entrance to the trap. Soaking in heavy Clorox solution overnight, no effect

3 Answers Answer

Substitute Wall Christmas TreeOne year I was unable to go to the Christmas Tree Farm with my children due to a broken foot. So I took long lengths of green garland and used it to zig zag a Christmas tree shape on the wall above a small bookcase.

1 Comment Comment

Tips For Vanilla ExtractWhen you open a bottle of vanilla, do not peel away the paper or plastic cover on the bottle after you remove the lid. Instead, poke a few holes or a small slit in it. You can measure more accurately and if the bottle turns over it will not spill out or leak in the cabinet.

1 Comment Comment

Use Cone Shaped Thread Spools for Tabletop Christmas TreeFor those of us who sew and buy the large cone shaped spools of black and white thread, keep the empty spools. They make great tabletop Christmas trees for the holiday season.

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Use Costume Jewelry to Decorate for ChristmasJust raid your jewelry box for decorations for a tiny tree and string necklaces and bracelets to ornament it.

1 Comment Comment

Use Miniature Decorations for PackagesI love to go to the dollar tree and browse the miniature decoration aisle during the holidays. These make fun and festive decorations to hang on gifts. A nice and inexpensive way to personalize a gift, I think.

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Wear Layers of Clothes in the WinterHello from Canada! Living under the poverty line makes life difficult for me to say the least, but I have many tricks to help me survive. One of those tricks is basic in winter.

1 Comment Comment

"Stir" with Pouring CoffeeDo you put cream and/or sugar in your coffee? If so, here's a tip: Put the cream and sugar in the empty cup. Then pour the coffee, using the coffee itself to "stir" it for you! Saves on dirtying a spoon!

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Attach Child's Picture to GiftWe have young grandchildren who live out of state so to make their Christmas gifts seem even more special, we attach a picture of each child to their gift.

8 Comments Comment

Galaxy Ball Christmas OrnamentUsing a Styrofoam ball (I'd start with a med. size one), take medicine cups and put a small hole in the bottom of the cup burning the end of a needle.

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Homemade Automatic Dish Washing DetergentHere is the recipe for automatic dish washing detergent.

2 Comments Comment

Keeping Beverages ColdMy husband used to be a mechanic at a major automotive repair center at the mall and during the summertime I always worried about him getting too hot in the garage there.

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Making Windshield Wipers Last LongerAdd longer life to car wiper blades. Winter time weather, ice and snow, cause a lot of damage to wiper blades as they tend to freeze to the windshield while parked outside in driveways and parking lots.

1 Comment Comment

Organizing Curling IronsWith teen girls in the house, it is a pain to keep curling irons, hair dryer, flat iron, etc tidy. I had an extra clean wastebasket (the small kind) and had an idea. It fits under my sink and I stand all of the above appliances inside.

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Organizing Families with Hectic SchedulesFor each child, hang a labeled mesh basket in ladder style to organize papers, permission slips etc.

1 Comment Comment

Plush Bag for Blessings at ChristmasAbout 6 years ago, I bought a little plush bag with the word "blessings" written on it. Every year, we write our top blessings for the year and the date on a small paper and put it in. We don't read each others until the next year.

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Ugly Holiday Sweater PartyHere's a fun idea for a holiday party. Invite friends to an "Ugly Sweater Party", where everyone is expected to wear the ugliest sweater they own.

2 Comments Comment

Use Paper Clips to Hang OrnamentsAre you trying to hang a Christmas ornament on the tree but you can't find your hooks? Take a paper clip and unfold it (lift the outer loop up as if you were opening a lid) so it is in the shape of a letter S.

1 Comment Comment

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