Dry Laundry Soap for Twenty Dollars a Year
This is the same recipe that I use but add essential oils for the smell! Love this! By the way, the washing soda is found in the same section as laundry soaps in larger stores. The washing soda box will have other ways to use it around your home.
Pattern for Styrofoam Insulated Food Bag?
I have used rice and cherry pits in the bags that you are describing. This address tells you all about the uses of cherry pits: http://www.cherrypitstore.com/ Styrofoam pellets may actually melt if the heat is high enough. Your fabric choices for the bag itself...
Uses for Yogurt Containers
I collect and use yogurt cups for favors by covering them with batting and fabric. Your hot glue gun is your best friend on this project. I describe it on my blog here: http://psphyllissews.blogspot.com/2010/07/recycling-yogurt-cups.html
Where Can I Buy Inexpensive Muslin Fabric?
If you have an IKEA store nearby, they were selling plain white bedsheets (twin size) for 1.99. I needed a bunch to make a muslin insert for a product I am developing and I bought several. It is fairly lightweight so you might want to check it out. I hope that...
My Frugal Life: Adopted Angels
Wonderful idea! So often we think we cant entertain because it wont be lavish or pretty and you found a great way to entertain and do something so worthwhile. Congratulations!
Gift Ideas for Mother's 50th Birthday?
Buy her 50 of her favorite candy, i.e. peppermints, or chocolate kisses. Or find a penny from every year that she has been alive. Do other 50s like paper clips, pencils, pens, etc and put it all in a special basket to give to her. 50 flowers! For a friend of...
How Do I Start a "Once a Month Cooking" Plan?
I suggest starting with a half month, which is 2 weeks of meals and some of these kinds of cooking plans include making one meal a week, just for variety. You would be making 12 meals. So, make 1 casserole that covers 3 or 4 meals and then do other casseroles...
Ideas for a Psalm Reading at a Church Fall Festival?
How about Psalm 96 because the last several verses talk about a rejoicing earth. Fall with all of its beauty is praising God. You could have participants find fall leaves to add to an outdoor altar area and read the psalm every so often when people gather or...
Decoupage Glue Recipe?
I have used equal parts of water and regular white glue to decoupage paper to something else. For a recent project where I was adhering cloth letters to wood, I used the decoupage glue and did not water it down. I painted 2 layers to make sure they stuck! Tin...
Paper Embroidery Turkey Pattern?
Here is a great page of ideas: http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-printables/
Removing Old Wallpaper?
I have tried the scoring trick and spraying softener on wall paper. Both will work but when I had to remove wallpaper from the 1950s, I used a steamer that was meant for removing wallpaper. I liked being able to put stream directly on the wallpaper and once...
Crafts Using Plastic Bottle Caps?
You can spray paint them orange and use a black permanent marker to add the face. These can become pins or checkers for a game, etc.
Recipes Using Stale English Muffins?
They could also be used in breakfast casseroles with sausage, eggs and cheese that are easy and great tasting.
Inexpensive Wedding Reception Ideas?
Absolutely! I agree with everything that was said prior to this and I want to tell you thats what my husband and I planned over 27 years ago. It was great, fun and we paid for it ourselves! Best wishes to you.
Check Hospital Websites for Jobs
Congratulations! I hope that you will get the job. Some universities work that way, too. Thats how I have gotten my last 2 jobs.
Instructions for Binding a Quilt?
The use of packaged binding is probably the easiest way to go. The folds ironed into the binding help guide your sewing - first on the machine and then in folding it over the quilt to finish by hand. I also agree that you should be able to find a video tutorial...
Activities for Special Needs Seniors?
From what you write, she sounds depressed which would be a very normal reaction to the loss of her spouse being very recent. I suggest trying to get to that artistic side by borrowing books of artwork from a local library. For example, borrowing masterworks...
6 Year Old With Underarm Odor?
We have used the after shower powder when my daughter experienced early maturity and found that to be helpful so that she did not start using deodorants too soon.
Repairing a Swiffer Vac?
Could it be that something has gotten stuck in the hose? That would cause a drag on the engine because air can not go through and would sound like the battery is dying. Also, that would be why the suction is not happening. I hope that gives you some help.
Brett (Guinea Pig)
Your daughter has a cute pig. We had one we named Ginger and he traveled with us on 3 moves. We got him in New York and moved to Arizona and then from Arizona to Maryland. He was put to sleep this summer at the old age of 7! The house is missing our little...
Young Girl's Hair Styles?
I agree. Dont push for a hair length other than what she has already. You, as her father, have a very important role in validating your daughter as an emerging young woman. Enjoy her as she is and compliment her on all the maturity you see coming from her in...
"No Boredom Bag" For Car Trips
I have used something similar to this idea where I bought the small brown lunch bags and put a different new toy or book or puzzle in a different bag enough for every day that we were travelling. After lunch, our child would get to pick out a bag from the stash...
Heartfelt Thank You Gift Ideas Needed?
I make cloth market bags and quilted journals. I will donate 5 of one or the other or both to you to give to your friends. Friendship like that is wonderful and I would be honored to help you celebrate that. Contact me at phyllwsmith AT aol.com.
Getting Started with Quiltmaking?
I would get a pattern that is marked easy or for beginners and start by following the directions for that project. Is this going to a hand sewn quilt or one you piece together on the sewing machine? A class through your local Joannes or a fabric store would...
Too Many Unfinished Craft Projects?
I always have a list of projects waiting and thats posted in my craft area. Its a huge reward to cross off one of those projects. But I do have other projects that dont make the list because they are not compelling to me anymore. I will sometimes change the...
Guinea Pigs Seem Skittish?
We have had 2 little guinea pigs and loved them both. They, like most animals, need consistency. We always took our pigs out of the cage at night, held them for a little bit while their cage was cleaned and then we put them back in with their reward of a Vitamin...
Driving from Massachusetts to North Carolina?
I would recommend getting on I-81 to come down through PA. and you can even take it down through VA. I dont know how far out of the way that may take you but I love the scenic views and rarely are their major traffic issues.
My Frugal Life: Starting With Sewing
Thank you for sharing your story. I love sewing and enjoy repurposing fabric that other people have accumulated. I sell my stuff locally and the biggest hit right now is fabric grocery bags. I call them vintage market bags because the fabric that I use is from...
Recipe for Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls?
I use a recipe called Gobs that I cut out of a newspaper years ago. Cooks.com has several recipes for Gobs. These sandwich cookies have a cake-like texture and the filling is really, really creamy. My family loves them!
Recipes for Dried Blueberries or Cranberries?
Actually any baking recipe calling for blueberries or cranberries will work fine. I have put my dried fruit in a small bowl with enough water to cover them for an hour before I start mixing my ingredients. The water hydrates the fruit and makes them chewy in...
Flavoring Wilton Candy Melts?
Use only the flavor oils that are sold under the Wilton name. If you use anything that is not an oil (for example, vanilla flavoring from grocery stores), you cant be sure that they do not contain some water. Water mixing with these melts will ruin the candy...
No Cost Quality of Life Improvements
This post was a great way to start my day. I always have a list of things waiting to be done and it is so good to get something accomplished on those days when life is not very pretty. Nike coined the phrase Just do it, but for me, Just do the next thing is...
Tips for College Fairs
I work in an Admissions office at a music conservatory and I would agree with all the tips in your post. I would add that your child (as a sophomore or junior in high school) should start looking at college websites and making a list of all the schools they...
My Frugal Life: Stay Out of Stores
I loved your advice. I do sewing and quilting as my main relaxation (not TV Watching) and I am selling many of my creations locally. So I have been buying off of Craigslist for the items I need and try to make my creations from only the material that I have...
Tips For Dealing With Stress?
There are a lot of great suggestions here and I hope you find the right combination of ideas to try and that work for you. I would add this: start a list of all the things you can find to be grateful for. Even if all you can list is - I am breathing - start...
Keeping My Elderly Mother from Driving?
There are lots of great suggestions here and I agree with the understanding that she is unable to grasp that she is endangering everyone else when she drives and she has quite a strong will which can be good for staying in her home but bad when you are trying...
Use Nails To Bake Potatoes Faster
Another way of cooking baked potatoes in the microwave is in a potato bag - a cloth bag with a lining of material that holds the heat. The potatoes are soft and really great tasting in a short amount of time without having to be pierced.
Advice from Surviving Hurricane Ike
Thank you for posting your tips. My husband is in Houston, TX and was without power for one week! Not fun! We think the generator is the way to go for the next season.
Ideas For Small Quilting Projects?
You can make cloth shopping bags and lunch bags or purses with your scraps.
Saving Money on Packed Lunches
In the same way that Melissa did pudding in the little plastic containers, I do fruit and applesauce. I buy the generic brands of canned peachers, pears mandarin oranges, and applesauce. (we dont like fruit cocktail). Using the really small gladware or similar...
