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Thrifty Tip Contest
(March 19 - 25, 2011)

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Duration	Entries
March 19 - 25, 2011	60

Article: When Are You Being Too Frugal?

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

March 25, 2011

The definition of frugal is "Prudence in Avoiding Waste". We all should be wise and thrifty, and reuse or recycle where possible, but here are some indicators when you just might be going too far to be frugal and are simply being cheap or possibly hoarding:

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 43

Tip: Cheap White Washcloths for Everyday

Judy = Oklahoma
Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 509 Feedbacks

March 22, 2011

If you have young children or teenagers who wear make-up, purchasing a bulk package of plain white washcloths can be very economical! I used to have nice, thick washcloths with pretty designs until I began to have kids.

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 24

Article: Spending Money to Save Money

mom-from-missouri
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 255 Posts

March 22, 2011

My husband spent extra when he bought my new vacuum cleaner to get a bagless. It is now well over a year old, and I have probably saved at least $30 on not having to buy bags. That was the price I spent buying the HEPA filter bags from my old vacuum.

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 39

Cleaning Your MicrowaveTo clean the inside of your microwave of splatters of food without any chemicals, fill a soup bowl half away with water and put in the microwave on high power for five minutes.

1 Comment Comment

Keep Your Knives SharpWe keep all of our knives for cutting, peeling, filleting, and other uses in a butcher block style holder. They stay very sharp all the time. The trick to this is once they are used they are immediately washed and dried off and replaced in the holder.

2 Comments Comment

Newspaper Shield When Steam Cleaning - Newspaper taped up behind small bottles.

Newspaper Shield When Steam CleaningUse a little tape to hang a sheet of newspaper to the wall behind a sink to catch splatters when you steam clean small items. This will save having to also wipe up dirt or debris blown off the caps.

Reusing Tins

Reusing TinsIn the past, I've used zip closed bags to store things like powdered sugar, dry pasta, or bread crumbs, but it recently occurred to me that I have accumulated several (various sized) metal tins that are sitting empty in my pantry.

9 Comments Comment

Saving On Service RatesLooking to lower fees for your carriers, like insurance companies, TV, phones, computer, etc.? First, I bundled (calling one carrier such as AT&T to combine multiple services) which is a HUGE savings.

3 Comments Comment

Using Last Year's School SuppliesWe asked other families if they had some good school things from the year before, then gave them 1/4 their cost. This saves and helped the other family too.

Bread Plate as Pie Weight

Bread Plate as Pie WeightI was making a pie, but didn't have pie weights or beans handy. I discovered that my oven-safe bread plates (Fiestaware) worked perfectly. I just love finding a new practical use for something I already have.

1 Comment Comment

Rice Krispy EggsOn Easter, I take a plastic eggs, spray with oil, then fill with Rice Krispy treats. When set, I unmold them. Some of them, I fill by putting a hole with my thumb in the middle, filling with candy, then finishing with the other side. Kids love them.

Turn Leftover Bread Into CroutonsTo make bread crumbs, toast the heels of bread and chop in a blender. You can use any bread that has gotten dried out; just keep in refrigerator until you have enough bread to make something.

1 Comment Comment

Cleaning Sticky Mess in RefrigeratorIf something spills in your refrigerator and you have a sticky mess, put a couple pieces of wet paper towels on it (wet not damp). Let it set for 5 minutes, and just wipe the mess away.

1 Comment Comment

Cleaning the OvenTo clean your oven, spray with oven cleaner at night (I use Easy Off lemon scent). The next day, use a wet sponge to wipe off the oven. Use gloves and a bucket of water, as you'll have to keep washing the sponge.

1 Comment Comment

home fitness center

Fitness Center at HomeOur 2-bedroom apartment is quite unusual. Other tenants usually have their living rooms furnished with a couch, chair, end tables, and lamps. As you walk into our unit, it looks more like a fitness center.

1 Comment Comment

Homemade Hair GelTo make a homemade hair gel, dissolve 1 tsp. plain gelatin in warm water. Mix it very well, then keep it in the refrigerator in a small closed container. To use, smear it in your hair. It is pure protein and washes out easily.

3 Comments Comment

Keeping Bags from Falling into the Wastebasket

Keeping Bags from Falling into the...I try to recycle whenever I can and use the plastic bags that merchandise and food come in from stores for liners in my smaller garbage pails. I found that putting a rubber band around the rim, helps hold the bag from slipping when items get thrown in.

7 Comments Comment

Keeping Rugs Sweet SmellingAre you paying expensive costs to professionally clean your expensive wool area rugs? We used to bring them in once or twice a year and pay $50 - $100 each time. Now I sprinkle them with Arm and Hammer Baking Soda on Vacuum Day.

Lemon Juice For Flavorful FishLemon juice, rubbed on your fish before cooking, will enhance the flavor and help maintain a good color. Try this, it really works.

1 Comment Comment

Photo Of Gift For Thank You CardI make my own greeting cards. When someone gives me a gift, I will take a picture of it and make a thank you card with the picture of their gift on the front. It is always well received and fun.

1 Comment Comment

Picture Frame Jewelry Holder

Picture Frame Jewelry HolderNecklaces keep getting tangles? I just found an old picture frame, nailed in some hooks, and Voila! A new and attractive necklace holder for my jewelry that used to lay in drawers.

Plant Vegetables After EasterBoth of my grandfathers swore blue that to plant out any of the fruiting vegetables before Easter was asking for weird weather and replanting. Even though the date for Easter does move around, it certainly has been true for my garden.

1 Comment Comment

Potato Flakes to Thicken GravyTo make a thickener to go into gravies or other dishes that need thickening, add some instant potato flakes. I have done this for a year now and it does a great job thickening up homemade gravies.

4 Comments Comment

Product Review: Office 2010 TutorialsNeed assistance with Office 2010? I've found a couple of Tutorials:

1 Comment Comment

Program ICE Numbers in Parent's PhonesBy now you may all know about programming "ICE" in your cell phones, but have you also done something similar for your elderly parents?

Reuse Medicine Measuring CupsI make a lot of jewelry to sell. I was cleaning out my jewelry drawer and needed something to hold a few beads in. I had an old medicine cap, the one that you use to measure the correct dosage. The beads fit perfectly.

1 Comment Comment

Heart shaped candy box.

Reusing Candy and Chocolate BoxesTake the heart box you got for Valentines day and use it to store your jewelry. Those beautiful boxes are way too pretty to pitch in the trash when they can be reused. This recycles the material and keeps it out of our landfills. You'll also find you no longer have problems with chains being knotted.

3 Comments Comment

Reusing Spice ContainersRecycle those bigger shaker bottles that spices come in. I reuse them and fill with cinnamon sugar or flour. It is so much handier to have one bottle to grab while I'm cooking than having to go to the pantry for the canister of flour.

8 Comments Comment

Using a bottle to store wrapping paper.

Storing Rolls of Wrapping PaperHere is a new use for my empty 3 liter soda bottle, a frugal rolled paper storage solution. Just remove the top and bottom.

Tips For Living GreenInstead of worrying with the little plastic baggies, just rinse them and put them in with the plastic shopping bags that you can take to a re-cycling center.

6 Comments Comment

Vinegar as a Fabric SoftenerMaking your own fabric softener is so simple, just take a one gallon jug of white vinegar and add your own preference of essential oils. I add 40 drops of the oils to the vinegar and shake back and forth to mix up.

3 Comments Comment

Growing Big TomatoesIf you like big ripe tomatoes, stick your tomato or tie it to a garden fence to keep it off the ground. Then when it gets growing good, take all the small branches off, leaving the 4 biggest branches. When more suckers start to grow, pinch them off of the plant.

1 Comment Comment

Hairspray To "Fix" ArtworkHere's a nifty use for hairspray. Lightly spray a bit of hairspray (aerosol, not pump) onto charcoal, pastel chalk, or lead pencil art work to "fix" the medium in place until you can get it framed, stored, or permanently fixed with a commercial product.

2 Comments Comment

Links: Xylitol Toxic To DogsThought I should share this warning with fellow ThiftyFun Family members! I have never heard of this before so you might not have either! I checked out a few links about it and here are the two that seem to have the most information:

2 Comments Comment

Paintd faces of siblings.

Painted Pot HoldersI came across some plain potholders at a dollar store and thought they would go good with my denim child's apron. So I painted all the members in the birthday girl's family and called them her little peeps.

1 Comment Comment

Perfect Hard Boiled EggsWhen boiling eggs: after they come to a boil, turn the burner off and put a lid on the pot. Let them sit for around 30 minutes. They will then be done.

5 Comments Comment

Removing Ball Point Pen From Paper?How do I remove ball point ink from paper?

3 Answers Answer

Removing Salty or Scorched FlavorIf while cooking, you get too much salt in something or you scorch a recipe, take a potato, cut it into chunks, and cook it with the recipe. When ready to serve, remove the potato. You will be surprised at how much this will remove the salty or scorched taste.

Sanding a craft part.

Smoothing Rough EdgesLots of crafts have to have smooth edges. We cut glass and smooth edges. We cut plastic and other items and have a smooth edge. How do we do this? We simply take a piece of sandpaper and run the bottom at an angle along the ends, and like magic it is all smooth.

Whiter Mashed PotatoesA small amount of vinegar or lemon juice added to potatoes before draining will make them extra white when mashed.

Best Time for Deals on MeatThe best time to shop for meats is about 3 pm on Saturday afternoon, providing the store is closed on Sunday. Today, Saturday, for example I bought 3 roasting chickens at half price because the expiration date is Sunday.

Binder of Favorite RecipesI have a bookcase in my dining room filled with cookbooks that I have bought over the years. It is difficult, however, to remember which cookbook my favorite recipes are in. So I created my own cookbook with all my favorites.

1 Comment Comment

Bleach For Stained CountersI dyed a shirt a different color and placed the newly dyed shirt on my bathroom counter top. What a mistake! I tried using every day kitchen/bathroom cleaner. Nothing worked until I scrubbed the dyed area with plain household bleach.

1 Comment Comment

Designate an Out Of State Emergency ContactEver since my kids were small, we have designated my mother, who lives in another state, as the family emergency contact. All school forms had her name and phone number in the emergency contact section, as did any of the wallet emergency cards we all carried.

4 Comments Comment

Donate Clothes Not Worn After A YearHang clothes backwards and rehang them forward after each use. After one year, everything still backwards can be donated.

1 Comment Comment

Glue for EnvelopesAfter you've made your homemade cards and matching envelopes, here's an easy to make glue.

3 Comments Comment

Label Tops of Electric PlugsIt seems like every time I grab a plug to plug something in, I am holding the plug upside down. To make it quicker, I put a dot of red nail polish on the top of every plug.

11 Comments Comment

Planting Brussels SproutsPlant your Brussels sprouts in the Spring according to package directions and you will have some good eating. Plant them somewhere out of your way, maybe along the edge of your garden. They will produce in the late fall, even in the snow.

1 Comment Comment

Preventing Static ClingHere's a tip for all those ladies that have problems with static cling, especially in the winter time. If you use softener in your washer and dryer and still have static cling, take a small safety pin and pin it to the outside of your slip.

22 Comments Comment

Product Review:Dirt Devil Breeze Vision Canister VacuumI have laminate floors, a cat, and grandchildren. I used to use a Swiffer and it did an OK job, but I got tired of washing the pads and buying new ones because I feel the pads don't get clean enough. I bought the Dirt Devil Breeze Vision Canister and WOW what a difference.

1 Comment Comment

Reducing Cell Phone Data ChargesLooking for ways to lower cell phone bills? I have a generous Data Plan but my kids kept going over the megabytes allowed and increasing my payments. Since the text message plan we have is unlimited, my kids now mostly text message instead of BBM, lowering my costs.

1 Comment Comment

Save Old Makeup for CraftsDon't throw away any old or unwanted makeup and nail polish that you may have. They are a wonderful alternative to crayons, paint markers, or coloring pencils. I use mine when making cards with stamps. The eyeshadow blends very well in place of colored pencils.

3 Comments Comment

Saving Money on MagazinesI am addicted to magazines, but can't afford to buy them all. Now I do two things to feed my fix:

3 Comments Comment

Trash Bag For the CarI have been able to keep my car cleaned up, by hanging a plastic grocery bag on the back of the front passenger seat with a velcro cord holder. I put the holder around the metal head rest post and attach the grocery bag.

2 Comments Comment

Use A Toilet Brush For Bathroom ScrubbingToilet scrubbers are useful to clean far more than just toilets. Their bristles do well for scrubbing a tub or sink, especially when combined with a gritty cleanser like Comet.

Uses for Plastic Easter EggsReuse plastic Easter eggs by keeping change in them for parking meters. They can be used to store small wrapped pieces of gum, small toys, and crayons for unexpected waiting.

3 Comments Comment

Upside down wine bottle in flower pot.

Wine Bottle To Water PlantsMy indoor plants need frequent watering and often get wilty before I get a chance to water them. I found a great way to keep them more hydrated and water less often - wine! Well, wine bottles that is.

2 Comments Comment

Creamy Mashed PotatoesWhen making mashed potatoes for dinner, use Carnation milk in them. It makes them delicious and fluffy. They become creamier and richer in flavor.

3 Comments Comment

Incorporate Leftovers Into the Next MealWhen cooking a meal, look for ways that you can extend or incorporate that meal into other meals. For example, I boil my pork ribs before baking them with barbecue sauce.

1 Comment Comment

Homemade Chili with VariationsI make a huge batch of chili with no beans. I split the batch in half and add beans to one half, leaving the other half with no beans in it (don't add beans until after the chili is made). Everyone has their own favorite chili recipe, so I won't give mine.

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