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Thrifty Tip Contest
(March 13 - 19, 2010)

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Duration	Entries
March 13 - 19, 2010	53

Tip: Common Ingredient Substitutions

(Guest)
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 846 Posts

March 18, 2010

There have been times I wanted to tear my hair out because didn't have an ingredient at the last minute so here's my list of common ingredient substitutions that have worked for me in a pinch.

Comment Was this helpful? 27

Article: Snowball Payments to Get Out of Debt

March 18, 2010

Years ago, a good friend of mine and I were discussing finances. I was a newly single mom, and was feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to pay my bills. By organizing and paying them as follows, you will be surprised how quickly they can be paid off!

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 27

Clearing Cloudy Soup StockIf you make your own consomme out of meat stock, boil egg shells in the finished stock for half an hour, and then strain. The shells clear the cloudiness wonderfully leaving you with beautiful, translucent liquid consomme.

Contact City, Not State For Birth CertificateI have found from experience, and happily so, that you can get copies of birth certificates quicker from the you were born in than from the state you were born in. Everyone thinks to go to the state office of vital statistics, and not the city.

4 Comments Comment

Light Candle to Remove OdorsI've discovered if I burn food by accident the quickest way to get rid of the odor is to light a few candles and within an hour the smell is gone.

2 Comments Comment

Make Pesto From Different HerbsI know pesto is traditionally basil, thyme, etc. mixed with olive oil. But the other week I had some parsley and cilantro that I knew was going to go bad by the end of the week.

1 Comment Comment

Online Travel InsuranceYou do not have to go through a travel agent to get travel insurance. There a several sites online that offer travel insurance. You can also google sites that offer critiques of different travel insurance plans so you can choose the best one for your needs.

1 Comment Comment

Product Review: Salton Yogurt MakerMy husband bought it for me for Valentine's Day knowing I love yogurt. It is so simple to use and the container that it incubates in stays a constant temperature.

1 Comment Comment

Punch Cards for Fitness Club VisitsMembership at our local fitness club is far beyond our budget. However, they also sell punch cards to nonmembers for fitness classes, such as aerobics, and mind-and-body classes, such as yoga. This works out to less than $10.00 per class.

1 Comment Comment

Recycle TV Dinner Boxes for Organizing MailI took a TV dinner boxes and cut the one end of the flips off. I am going to use it for bills. I am going to decorate it, and then try to attach three of them together to make a tiered mail holder.

2 Comments Comment

Reusing Gallon-Size Glass JarsWhen you buy restaurant size jars of mayo, salad dressing, hot sausages, pickles or pickled eggs, save the jars and use them to store your bird seed or other pet food. It keeps the mice from being drawn into your house and eating your expensive animal chow.

Saving Money on Prescription GlassesWhen it's almost time to change my prescription eyeglasses, I start looking for specials so I can save money. Last time I got glasses, the special was 2 pair for $99.00 If the prescription changes slightly, just have the old pair turned into sunglasses.

1 Comment Comment

Soap MakingI've found that all soap products have continued to rise in price for many years, so I started making my own. I was so afraid of using Red Devil Lye that it took me a long time to get enough courage to do my first batch of bath and beauty bars.

16 Comments Comment

Freeze Makeup to Prevent BacteriaRecently, a friend and I were talking about cosmetics. She wanted to know how long I thought some of them were usable before bacteria would set in and make them unsafe to use.

3 Comments Comment

Pencil Shavings in Plant SoilNext time you empty your pencil sharpener, toss the shavings around any any plants that might have bugs. Mix the shavings into the soil at the base of the plant. Most pencils are made from cedar, and the bugs don't like the smell.

4 Comments Comment

Senior Discount Day at the GoodwillI desperately needed some new sweat pants but can't afford them new so I stopped at my local Goodwill Store. I was so happy when the woman at the counter asked about my age and because I am 56, I received a senior citizen discount of 20%.

13 Comments Comment

Stuff Your Meatloaf With CheeseYou take string cheese and mold your meatloaf around it. You can also make mini ones.

Use Hand Sanitizer as a Stain RemoverOh my goodness! hand sanitizer gel removes eyelash dye stain from a cream coloured Jacquard curtain! I squirted some on and dabbed with a cotton pad. The curtains went in the wash and I had to repeat the process but in the end the stain disappeared.

3 Comments Comment

Use Plastic Cups for Food StorageI use the see-through (recycle code 5) cups with their lids (recycle code 4) to store food in the refrigerator and the cupboard. I put Scotch tape over the straw opening in the lid.

Work on Tips in a DocumentWhen writing up my crafts and tips for Thriftyfun, I do it all in my documents including listing the description and ingredients for recipes or materials for crafts right above the instructions.

1 Comment Comment

Count Down to the End of SchoolTo count down the last ten days till school. How about trying ten toilet paper tubes. Fill the tubes with treats and prizes that they get to open each day. Set them in a spot and each day the child can open one.

Deter Fungal Disease on HouseplantsAdd one teaspoon of powdered Jell-O to the soil of houseplants. The gelatin helps the plants to retain moisture, the nitrogen in the gelatin increases plant growth, and the sugar feeds microbes in the soil making more nutrients for the plant.

1 Comment Comment

Embellish Inexpensive Greeting CardsEmbellish dollar store greeting cards with bargains from the scrapbook or discount stores. I find items on clearance (recently 3 packs for $1.00), that can really dress up a plain greeting card; bows, emblems, tiny gems, flowers, words, the choices are endless.

4 Comments Comment

Extra Vanilla Enhances Brownie MixI wanted to make some brownies yesterday for a couple of my neighbors but just made them from a packaged mix. I decided to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mix and it was just enough to to give the brownies a nice, extra flavor.

Fabric Softener Sheet for Smelly ShoesTo freshen up smelly training shoes/sneakers, put a sheet of fabric softener in them overnight.

1 Comment Comment

Grammar Tip: "Stationary" vs "Stationery"To know whether to use "stationary" or "stationery" in a sentence, use this simple mnemonic: STATIONERY is PAPER. The "er" ending is in both. That means the other one, STATIONARY, means you or some object isn't moving.

12 Comments Comment

Place a Rubber Band Around the ShampooPlace a rubber band around the top of your shampoo for easily tell the difference between your shampoo and conditioner while in the shower.

2 Comments Comment

Renewing Blue Jeans ColorWhen my blue jeans become too faded, I add a teaspoon of Blue denim RIT dye to the wash load. The jeans come out looking renewed.

Reuse the Plastic Bags You Already HaveEven though I try to use my own shopping bags when I shop, I still wind up with a lot of plastic bags. I recycle them periodically with the various stores, but I also use them myself. I line trash cans with them and use them for storage and organization of suitably sized items.

2 Comments Comment

Starting a Food Storage SystemAs a young bride I went to the store weekly and bought what I thought I needed for the two of us, then the three, and the four of us. Toward the end of the week, we might or might not have, had much to eat.

2 Comments Comment

Use Wood Ashes for Clear DrainsTo keep your drains clear and your septic system working a little better, pour the very finest white or gray wood ashes from your fireplace or heater down the kitchen drain, the bathtub and sink drains, and even rinse some down the toilet from time to time.

2 Comments Comment

Warning: Emails Instructing WinXP Users to Press F1Microsoft warns NOT to press the 'F1' key if you have WinXP. This is not a rumor, this is real!

1 Comment Comment

Keep Scissors Straight When Cutting PaperWhen cutting paper with scissors, always turn the paper and keep your scissors straight for a much more controlled and smoother cut.

Marinating SteakI have a steak marinade that we love to use, and a special treat for us. I use a fork to make holes in a steak or two. I coat both the outsides of each steak with a black peppercorn dry marinade, that includes the plastic bag. I massage this into both sides of the steaks.

Never Store Plastic Containers in the OvenOnce, when I was younger I was having a small dinner for a few friends and didn't have time to wash all of my storage containers, so I stuffed them into the oven out of sight. The dinner was a success and everyone was happy with the spaghetti and salad.

6 Comments Comment

Organizing in Advance for TravelingGetting ready for a trip used to be such a hassle for me. Trying to gather up all the necessities, hoping I didn't forget anything, invariably finding out I did forget something. Then I decided to get organized.

4 Comments Comment

Separate Laundry by ColorWhen I do my laundry I separate the clothes by color. I put the greens with greens, reds with reds or pink, purple and blacks with black, etc. This way the colors of the clothes circulate throughout the wash and thus preserving the colors in your clothes.

1 Comment Comment

Starting and Keeping a Worm BinWe like to go fishing, but worms have become very expensive. We have built our own worm bed outside, and it saved us from running to the store. We can dig our worms any time we want. We took wood and made a bottomless box that sets on the ground.

1 Comment Comment

Store Cling Wrap In RefrigeratorThe best way to unwrap cling wrap (to wrap your food, etc.) is to store it in the refrigerator.

Use Clean King Copper Cleaner For BathtubsUse the Clean King, it's for scrubbing copper pans. It got my bathtub so white.

2 Comments Comment

Uses for Veggie Rubber BandsMy fresh veggies at the grocery store often come with nice reusable rubber bands binding the produce. I save them and one helpful way I use them is: Slip them on your refillable drinking bottles/mugs.

3 Comments Comment

Wash Potatoes and Carrots Before PeelingI've found when peeling carrots or potatoes, it's best to wash the veggie first and wet the peeler, that way it'll be smooth peeling from there on out.

2 Comments Comment

Add Sterile Water To SoapI keep reading about people adding water to their soap to be more frugal, but the problem is that when you add water to a bottle of soap, it breeds Pseudomona bacteria. If you want to keep from breeding germs in your soap. you will need to add sterile water to your soap.

6 Comments Comment

Ceiling Tiles for Quilt Staging WallWhen organizing my sewing room I decided to make a staging wall for my quilting projects. Take left over or used ceiling tile and attach to wall. Use straight pins or tacks to attach material. You can paint these tiles to add color.

4 Comments Comment

Frugal Gardening TipsI use all of my neighbors and my grass clippings to mulch my vegetable garden. I have few weeds, great organic vegetables, save money and time weeding.

Give Away Excess PhotosWhile going through old family photos recently, and downsizing where I can. I decided to give photos I no longer wanted to my brother and sisters.

1 Comment Comment

Have 2 Tracfones for the Extra BatterySince I don't have a need for a cell phone on a regular basis I use a Tracfone. I've had trouble finding new batteries, and when I did, they cost as much as or more than a new phone.

1 Comment Comment

Pressed and Starched JeansIf you want your jeans pressed and starched: after washing them, put them on jeans stretchers, heavily spray them with spray starch. Let them dry, remove them from the stretchers, dip a rag in white vinegar and run it along the crease of the pants.

Reminding YourselfHow often have you promised to bring something to work (or to a co-worker) the next day and forgotten to do so? And then you forget the next day, and the next day.

7 Comments Comment

Reuse Produce Boxes and PackagingIn the produce section, there are the large apple boxes that come with recycled layers of pocketed cardboard (like eggs) that protect the produce during shipping. They are kind of lavender in color.

1 Comment Comment

Stretching Butter With OilStretch your butter budget and make it a little healthier. Save money on buying butter spreads. Make your own and know what those ingredients are that are in it!

2 Comments Comment

Using Oven to Cook HamburgersI just didn't have time to fry hamburgers one day. I decided to make hamburgers in a hurry. I mixed ground beef, chopped onions, some seasonings, yellow mustard and ketchup.

1 Comment Comment

Write Expiration Dates on Your CalendarWhen you sign up for a special telephone or cable deal, it can be difficult to remember when your deal is about to run out before you get stuck with a much larger bill.

6 Comments Comment

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