Someting to Carry a Puppy In?
Why are you taking the puppy with you when you go out or visiting? Please ask before you just show up with the dog. He will make his mark on furniture and around the yard of other peoples places to mark his territory. If you still have to take the dog along...
Toilet Plunger
A planter quite often comes with a base to set the planter on. I use this base to set the toilet plunger onto. It is meant for holding extra liquid and has a nice rim on it. I also find that it is sturdier than lids from cool whip/yogurt/margarine containers...
Spaghetti Sauce - Tips and Recipes?
Here is my recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce: Valleyrimgirls Spaghetti Sauce In a large non stick pot put in: 25 c. raw tomato juice, no seeds 5 c. minced onion 2 c. minced deseeded zucchini, skin on 1 c. minced green pepper 3 cans minced mushrooms or mince...
The Gift of a Special Weekend
Be sure that if you are giving a gift of a weekend for two like Terri did that... your parents will use it. We bought a gift certificate like that for my parents and they never used it. Of course, the place we got the gift certificate for also put an expiry...
Use For Leftover Meat Loaf
Leftover meatloaf can also be used as the meat for a vegetable soup. In my meatloaf I already have chopped onion and tomato soup or vegetable soup. I just break the meatloaf into small chunks and add some cubed potatoes, peas, carrots, corn and leftover homemade...
Our New Neighbors (Doe and Fawn)
How much damage do they do in your yard in the winter? summer? Yes, they are cute...but they are also the biggest pests. I assume that you do not have a garden, annuals or perennials in your yard, just...a camera!
Sunday Dinner Ideas?
What about stew and biscuits or a thick beef soup with biscuits? Lasagna or meatloaf and potatoes/rice are 2 other options. Hey, even hamburgers on the barbeque and weiners/hot dogs for any kids you have over would be a change. Make it a potluck, sometimes...
Rats In My Yard?
I have a rubbermaid container, with a hole in the bottom corner that is just big enough for the mice or rats to get into but small enough that my cat and my two dogs cannot get into. I put rat poison inside it in a glass casserole dish... keeps the poison in...
Keeping Track of Plant Information
When I buy a plant (perennials, shrubs and bulbs) I record all its information in a data base in the computer and then print out a hard copy of the whole list for me to take shopping. These are the things that I record: -common name -real name -year I bought...
Killing Rhubarb?
At your garage sale sell rhubarb plants...it sounds like each year you could dig a piece out and each year it will regrow (because of deep roots). You will have a plant that will make you money. Selling the rhubarb stalks to people who live in apartments, that...
Clearing Ground with Household Chemicals?
Get someone with a tractor and a front end loader to come and clear out the trees and shrubs or rent a tractor/bobcat yourself. Fast way of cleaning it up. As for the poison oak and ivy, after the area is flattened, see that comes up and then ... round-up works...
Hiring a Housekeeper
I agree with you. My most frugal client gets me once every 2 weeks and all I do is vacuum and dust her 2 story home. She just leaves the house and goes visiting friends that morning and leaves the $20 on the table for me as a thankyou. It makes life so much...
I Need Help Identifying Weeds?
Is there a local garden club in your area? Ask at the local city hall if there is. Then ask one of the members if they wouldnt mind coming over to give you an idea of what you have in your yard. I have done so and it really helped them out. Be sure to have...
Question About Jeans Quilts?
I dont put a backing on my blue jean quilt. But I have seen anything from flannelette to a good quality cotton... in a country theme (mixture of colors) or a solid dark blue color. One ladys quilt was gorgeous. She used strips of country patterned material...
Smelly Kitchen Problem!
We installed a top end (quality wise) fan over our stove. Very quiet and very powerful. No more linguring smells in our home and also no more extra humidity in the house either. What do you have for a kitchen fan? Change it to a better quality, its well worth...
Raccoon Deterrents?
Could you move the hummingbird feeder onto a tall pole, thin enough for the raccoon to be unable to climb it yet strong enough for the raccoon not to be able to pull it down? If you live in the country, learn to use a gun, and get rid of it. We do and the skunks...
Removing Fat from Broth
Easier. Pour all into a container, put in fridge. As it sits the fat comes to the top and once it is cooler you can almost pick up the chicken or beef fat off the top of the juice/broth. Dont have to use any filter.
The Simplicity of a Single Floral Plant
I have the same identical white orchid flowering at home! The 3rd week of January 05, I was at a horticultural convention and we had orchids as centerpieces on the tables. At the end of the weekend they sold the orchids for $20 each. Mine had 2 flowers opened...
Gardening Challenge - Planting In Shade?
I dont know how the hostas would be under the pine in acidic soil. Check that out with your local plant nursery. They do like moist conditions, so unless you watered them they will grow but just grow very slowly. Have you tried bergenia? It has a thick stem...
Keeping Foxes out of Garden?
For those of us who live in the country, see foxes occasionally on the fields but have no problems with them in our yard....what are the foxes doing to your vegetable garden? to the dogs?
Refilling Spice Jars
At our local bulk spice and natural foods store I like the system they have. I bring in my empty spice container from home and they weight the container. Then I go and fill it and then pay the difference between empty and full. No little bag to fill (and buy...
Cleaning Up After a Shedding Dog?
I have put up with a cocker spaniel in our house for the last 11 years. Thankfully she was a few years old when we got her. But the black hair...light and fluffy, blows to the corners of the rooms, and on light colored kitchen and bathroom floors really shows...
Problems Finding Plants?
There is a web site called Garden Web. I am a member and have traded plants across Canada. If you live in the US then you could go onto that site, join for free, go into the exchange section and place your request. You will be surprised at the helpfulness and...
Pantyhose Race Bridal Shower Game
Holly, lose their dignity... The shower was put on by the mother of the groom with all her friends, she knew everyone (no strangers). The whole atmosphere was fun not negative. You have to remember that it was just a game. If this game was played with a bride...
Friends and Overspending
The same goes for shopping in the grocery store just to kill time. I do not remember the statistic for time vs. money spent but the longer we are in a store the more money we will spend. Do you notice the way that the grocery stores are set up...milk, meat...
Spice Jar Labels?
What about taking a Sharpie marker and neatly writing the name of the spice right on the bottle? I use little Tupperware midgets for my spices and most of them I cannot see through. Tupperware used to sell labels and may still do so, but now as the labels are...
April Flowers
Here, in Manitoba, Canada....we can only dream of beautiful flowers like you have now....or visit a local greenhouse...definitely not outside in my yard right now, though, not with temperatures at 32F. Picture #1 is a beautiful rose, for sure. Picture #2 is...
Bathroom Tile Planter
Does the epoxy glue hold together enough to keep the tiles together and not fall apart? What about drain holes? Would a wooden box tiled on the outside be more durable? We have leftover lestelli and tile from our bathroom shower that I just completed... it...
Discounts From Your Local Nursery
When I go to garage sales I watch for the 2 gallon and larger black plastic pots that trees and shrubs usually come in, quite often they are free at garage sales and then I return them for a credit to my local nursery. Our local nursery does not give any kind...
Recipes Using Turkey Thigh Meat?
After slicing the boneless raw turkey meat in thin pieces I place them in a plastic bag that has some flour and greek seasoning (I buy in the bulk food store) premixed in it. Shake and fry in olice oil. Very tasty and always a favorite here. Chicken breasts...
Painted Decorative Wood Stove
Beautiful job!!! Love the leaves you painted. The heart and birdhouse look like the kinds that are found in Jamie Mills Prices painting books. She is my favorite decorative artist... I have almost all of her books. I like doing pen and ink pictures with her...
Pattern For Capes For Beauty Shops?
I went to the fabric store and asked for material that would not let hair clippings cling to itself. Almost a plasticky type of material, very thin and lightweight. I bought enough to make a circle... however wide the material came in was the width of my circle...
Painted Decorative Wood Stove
Phyllis, The only book of Jamies that I do not have is #3. It was discontinued. Do you know of anyone who does not want theirs anymore? In the internet there are no pictures of the inside of the book so I dont even have a clue to what patterns it had.
Painted Decorative Wood Stove
Hi Phyllis, Ive checked e-bay but to no avail. Yes, book #3 is the one with the bear and bee and the welcome sign above the bear. That is the one I do not have. I DO have all 3 Christmas books. They are great!! Could you ask, if there is an extra book #3 floating...
Painted Decorative Wood Stove
I live in Manitoba, Canada. I just know a little about Jamie because I have actually called her office on another issue and I have been on and through her web site numerous times. I have used her patterns to do pen & ink pictures on cards. The little snowmen...
Recipe to Clean Mildew and Dirt Off Aluminum Siding
T.S.P. is a powdered cleaner that contains trisodium phosphate as the active ingredient. It is an all purpose heavy duty cleaner. I can buy it in the paint stores, but I am sure that the walmart and hardware stores carry it too. Since the older house we live...
Strawberry Syrup Recipe?
What did you use the Strawberry syrup for? In the stores here we buy chocolate syrup and strawberry syrup for adding to milk. Is that what you used it for?
Screening in a Front Porch?
What about asking at the local lumber yards for ideas, maybe bring pictures? You can get them to cut strips of lumber to use to make a frame around the opening, and you can buy screening to go over the area (use a staple gun to staple in place) and then one...
Strawberry Syrup Recipe?
moomama11 If the syrup doesnt store well...becomes too thick over time... Why could you not bring it back to a boil and add a bit more water. You did not mention a diminished taste so I am assuming that it would still taste great it just gets thick because...
Fresh Vegetable Saute
I make a similar vegetable dish. In the past I have only used olive oil and minced garlic in the mixture of vegetables. What I like about this kind of stirfry is that because I freeze the broccoli, cauliflower, peppers and mushrooms, I can grab any amount of...
Preserve Outdoor Summer Decorations
I totally agree. I always spray any new ornament at least a few times with Krylon spray or I will paint it with a clear non-yellowing varnish before it goes into one of my flowerbeds. It really does work!!
Tomatoes Until December!
Dee, If you mention the zone you live in ... If I, living in zone 3, were to try to pick my tomatoes in December off of the tomato plants that would be in the garden...I would be picking frozen tomatoes off a plant that might have 6 to 12 inches of snow on...
Donating Your Extras
Donations to a second hand store are NOT tax deductible if you live in Canada. Great idea to give to those organizations, which I do. But, we get no receipt.
Lost My Job, Need Frugal Advice?
Potty train your 2 year old...I like the idea posted a few days ago, using the water toys idea. Use cloth diapers with your 1 year old (if you can find some you can borrow from a friend) and only use store bought diapers when leaving home for a few hours or...
Working Long Hours - Dealing With Pain in Feet,...
I did buy the custom made insoles for my shoes and wow!!! no more pain. My feet were so tired by the end of the day before. Now, no pain. I didnt realize until after I got my orthodics how tired and sore I had been before. I do like all the other ideas in the...
Using Chocolate Pudding Mix For Cookies?
Thanks for the recipes, Judy and Gayle. Id like to try them since they both sound easy to make. I like the idea of making candy that you do not have to use a candy thermometer for to make sure it got to the right temperature.
Cleaning Tiller Tines
Was he tilling the garden just after a rain? Do you have gumbo for soil? A lot of clay in your soil will make the soil stick to EVERYTHING. Or is this just a new toy and it is to be clean before it is now to be stored? We have a sandier soil and I have never...
Using Chocolate Pudding Mix For Cookies?
Lynn, the pudding mixes I have are not the instant kind, they are the cooked kind. But the recipe you posted sounds like one I will keep for future use. I was hoping to find some recipes for using the cooked kind because I have a few boxes of them. One of the...
Seamus (Cocker Spaniel)
Seamus looks just like a much younger version of our cocker spaniel, Lady. Seamus must be an American cocker. Lady also has THICK fur on her legs and ALL her fur grows, even the fur around her nose and eyes. I love the black fur, too. Lady now has some white...
Reducing Weight of Large Pots
To make my large pots lighter...I have turned tin cans upside down in the bottom of large pots some years. Sometimes I have used plastic green or black pots upside down in the same manner. The tin cans will slowly rust, but so what, by that time it is the end...
Seamus (Cocker Spaniel)
Do you have any wooden clothespins? I clip Ladys ears up over her head each time I give her our plate from our supper to lick clean. After a little while she will flip them out, but they are easy to put back on plus they dont hurt the dog, because they are...
Seamus (Cocker Spaniel)
You have the same problem as we do with taking pictures of a black dog. The eyes show up great but the rest of the body is just black. Whereas the father of Seamus is a blond cocker and all the hair shows up nicely in a picture. We bred Lady to a blond cocker...
Seamus (Cocker Spaniel)
Lady had 12 puppies in her first litter (lay on one the first night and so only raised 11), she had 7 the second litter and only 3 in the third litter. The father of the third litter was black...all puppies were male and black. The first litters father was...
Pink Sunrise Punch
We had a version of this punch last night at the curling windup.... Her recipe called for 2 cans of concentrated lemonade (instead of grapefruit), i can of orange juice, the grenadine and sprite/7-up 2 litre bottle, but she added whole frozen strawberries instead...
Telephone Warning for Kids
Did you have to type the numbers all in a row, no spaces, no hyphens? Do you put a 1 in front of all the numbers? Mine did not work. (I live in Canada...maybe ours are not listed?)
Coupons in Canada?
We, in Canada, can NOT use USA coupons, so any coupons in the New York Times are not able to be used up here. Some Sunday papers have coupons, some do not. Actually, there are very few coupons in stores and flyers now compared to years ago. I find that for...
Dog Grooming Tips?
If you are going to clip your dog yourself, do not buy the pet clippers from Walmart. I have gone through 3 or 4 sets in the past 10 years and it has taken too long to clip her because of the poor quality of the clippers. Rather, go to your local vet and have...
Saving Money on Dentistry
If you have a dental plan at work that you regularly have to pay into then going to the dentist every 6 months is something you should do. What you would pay for a checkup and cleaning privately is about the same amount that you have already saved up in your...
Coupons in Canada?
Refund cents magazine is published in the US which means that we in Canada can not use it. You also have stores there that we do not have. But it does sound like a great magazine, for those who live in the US. Save.ca is available for us in Canada and seems...
What to Use for Bunny Litter?
And, to add to DDSS2000s post....rabbit droppings can be put straight into your garden.... Not like chicken, sheep or cattle manure which has to sit for years before mellow enough to put on your garden. (We use to raise rabbits....wonderful experience for the...
Alternative Uses for Hair Conditioner?
Instead of using shaving gel the other day, I tried hair conditioner as was mentioned as an option on one of the other postings. It works great. Just use a little bit. Plus, it smells good, too.
First Aid Kit for the Car
An old purse is also great for carrying coupons. I have yet to be stopped in a store for having 2 purses. I am just waiting for them (security guards) to ask me what is in the 2nd purse.
Uses For Plastic Air Mattresses?
When we went sightseeing in Florida a few years ago, our kids were small. BUT they were big enough that they didnt want to sleep in the same bed as their siblings. So. we bought 2 pool air mattresses for them to sleep on each night in the hotel room. They are...
Free School Pictures
Instead of spending $70 or whatever on the school pictures I opt to take my kids to Walmart and have their picture taken there. I get more pictures and spend usually between $5 and $10, depending on the special they have on that month. I only buy the class...
Pileated Woodpecker and Bird Feeder Pole
Pileated woodpeckers come to our yard every spring. We live on the top edge of a river valley in Manitoba, Canada and each spring the male pileated woodpecker comes to our yard pole and bangs on the top of the pole on the metal up there and makes quite the...
Creating Your Own Index In Cookbooks
I have 28 different Companys Coming cookbooks, I love the easy to follow recipes and most of them use ingredients that I already have at home. When I find a recipe in a different cookbook...maybe one of the community cookbooks (a chocolate cake recipe for example...
Need Help Growing Dill?
Dill, in my garden, is grown in full sun. Sprinkle the seed on the top of the ground, lightly rake over the area, water and voila...dill. I also let mine self-seed just like Donna Marie does. Dill now comes up in my perennial holding garden each year, an area...
Looking For a Bearded Iris?
I am a member of the Northern Lights Iris Society, here in Manitoba, Canada. Are you a member of any iris group in the States? There are wonderful internet groups that you can join and talk to about irises. Just look in google and query iris society. Growers...
Kool-Aid for Diabetics
The sugar free drink mixes can be very expensive. Youre absolutely right. Why not make koolaid with sugar twin? Great idea! P.S. A package of Koolaid makes 8 cups? right? so do you add...4 or 5 ???packages of Sugar Twin???
Visit from a Woodpecker
During snowstorms it is especially important to feed the birds. The snow covers up all their food and you will be amazed at all the birds you will have at your feeders.
Mail College Kids a Roll of Quarters
Its an idea...but Id beg to differ with you as to a great idea because... The college that my son goes to...he puts money down on a card that looks like a credit card and each time he does the laundry, he swipes the card through the washing machine and/or dryer...
Garlic for Sore Throats
My mom and sister grow lots of garlic. They use and swear by it. This is what they do... cut the garlic in pieces and swallow as if it is a pill. Do NOT chew or get it on the tip of your tongue. It really does work to ward off colds.
Uses for Fruit Juice
Warm it in the microwave, thicken it with cornstarch and you have a great glaze for any kind of fruit. Cool before adding the fruit. If you save the juice from the no sugar added canned fruit and use that you could serve it to anyone who is a diabetic. Makes...
Decorating Melamine Plates?
Go to your local paint/hobby store and ask them which paints would work, both for food safety and also for ability to be painted on the melamine. The really important thing to remember is that you need to prepare the melamine BEFORE painting so that the paint...
Hash Brown Bake
My recipe calls for 1 can of cream of mushroom soup instead of the chicken soup, but I have used cream of chicken too. Mine does not have milk though. I just made this two days ago, we love it. I also sprinkle parmesan cheese overtop of the 9 x 12 pan just...
New School?
I assume that you are talking about a high school. If so, will the new school offer you courses that would be beneficial towards getting into a university and will be a pre-requisite towards entering the faculty that you want? My son needed physics, chemistry...
Getting Orchids to Rebloom?
Orchids need to be pot bound, but do not repot into a big container. Repot with no soil. They like a little bit of air movement around them also. Never let the orchid sit in the water you just watered it with. Water with warmer water...dont shock it with cold...
Defrosting Meat With A Hair Dryer
Microwaving the meat on defrost, putting it in warm water or taking the meat out earlier in the day to thaw I would think would be much better... and you would use a lot less energy and less noise than standing and holding a hair dryer to the meat to thaw it...
Washing Bathing Suits Without Soap?
We also have a hot tub. I dont bother washing our bathing suits, I let the chlorine in the tub sterilize them. Besides, since we go in the tub just about every day, the bathing suit would be dirty the next day again. We used to rinse the bathing suit after...
Wooden Rat Poison Box
We had an old rubbermaid container (with a lid) that had a hole in the bottom corner. It has been turned into the mouse poison center. Mice can get in and out, the lid comes off for easy filling of the poison in a low ceramic container, and the hole is small...
Will My Cats Catch The Mice?
Do you have an old plastic container, a Rubbermaid storage container, that you could turn into a poison control center? Make a hole in the bottom corner of the container at ground level just big enough for the mice to get in but not big enough for the cats...
Popcorn and Trail Mix
Melissa, how much popcorn in the bag to how many minutes (approximately) in the microwave?
Tea Bag Poem or Saying for Mother-Daughter Tea?
At Christmas one year at one of the Christmas parties, we each received a tea bag attached to a cut out piece of construction paper in the shape of a tea pot. The saying on the tea pot could be adjusted to fit your theme..... On Christmas Day At half past three...
Cleaning Out The Refrigerator?
Any leftovers that are too old for us to eat, I give to our dogs. If you do not have a dog, keep an ice cream pail in the freezer and save the old leftovers for a friend or relatives dog. When we had rabbits, the bunny food that was older went to the rabbits...
Yard Art
I like your snowman! Hes cute!! Snow...we have snow about 15 - 20 deep in the middle of our lawn, but ...we live in Canada, just north of the International Peace Gardens. Everything is white here. What kind of paints do you use? When I paint for outside projects...
Tip For Rethreading Drawstrings
If you use chopsticks, would knitting needles or large plastic crochet hooks also work? I dont have anything at this moment to restring. So...
Using Bungee Cords To Help Fill The Freezer
Using bungee cords....My DH would tell me to take some food out of the freezer and use it and only put in back in what easily goes into the freezer. It looks neater and others opening the freezer can easily find something in there then too.
Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares
Since I do not buy refridgerated cookie dough....how thick are you slicing the dough ...1/2? to put as the bottom of this square/dainty? Sounds like a wonderful recipe. I wonder, though,...if you added cocoa to the filling, it would look and taste great to...
Using Bungee Cords To Help Fill The Freezer
Harlean, I do the same thing! At the grocery store the produce guys have empty tomato boxes sometimes. These boxes are sturdy and have handle openings on the ends. WONDERFUL for using in the freezer. I can stack 3 boxes high and about 5 boxes wide in my LARGE...
Wax Craft Ideas?
I saw a neat craft the other day. It was a wax bowl. The lady had blown up a balloon and put the soft wax over the balloon and let it harden. Deflated the balloon, flipped it over and she had a bowl. When the wax was still soft she had set it on the table in...
Canadian Scanner Code
Does this apply to shopping at Superstore? That is where I do most of my shopping. They have never offered this to me when I have pointed out mistakes on my bill, I just get the $ back.
Canadian Scanner Code
It happened at Superstore! The grapefruit were coming through at 98 cents each but on the shelf in the produce dept. they were 3 for $1.00. I said that because they were coming through at the wrong price that the grapefruit should then be free. This time, they...
Storing Nuts
Whenever I buy nuts I put them immediately into the freezer. Who knows how long they were on the shelf in the grocery store before I bought them. In my freezer, I put all the nuts in one area, so I know what I have and dont have. They are also in clear ziploc...
Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck Out Of Your Banking Services
I live in Canada and we have our own business. We dealt with the Bank of Montreal for years, personally and so when we started our own business, we automatically used that bank also. The bank charges were about $20 per month for the business account, we thought...
Really Good Carrot Cake Recipe?
Carrot Cake 1 cup cooking oil 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla Beat together and add the following: 2 1/4 cups flour 2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp salt Stir in: 2 cups shredded carrots 1 cup flaked cocunut (sweetened or unsweetened, whatever you...
Make a Fire Extinguisher Cover
Do you have a picture you could post for us to see? This sounds like an easy craft to do. Note: When I paint on plexiglass and dont have the glass paints I spray the plexiglass first with a matte finish and then I can use any paints I already have in the house...
Venison Recipes and Tips?
Tenderloin...wrap in bacon and broil in the oven for 10 minutes until the bacon is done and the tenderloin is medium rare or as well done as you wish it to be. It is very tender. I have also sliced it and fried it. Ground venison (hamburger)...When we clean...
Venison Recipes and Tips?
Ruth Justice, Wow!! Someone else who loves bear meat!!! My DH has bowhunted a few over the years and we love the meat! I also cooked bear the way I would cook pork. Bear roasts done in the slow cooker...so tender and good.
Uses For Leftover Candy Canes?
Use the broken candy canes for making Christmas chocolates... add crushed candy canes to melted white chocolate and pour into candy molds. Let set and pop out of the molds. Enjoy! Very pretty and tasty. If you have too many for next falls chocolates remember...
Using Up Eggnog - Egg Nog French Toast
I have added eggnog in waffles and pancakes, works just fine and doesnt give any great difference in taste. I also have used frozen eggnog. I just thawed only what I needed and then refroze the rest. I like the french toast idea, though. I have some eggnog...
Lady Bugs and Asian Lady Beetles?
In our horticultural club we were told that the Asian lady beetle has a black W on the head (its spots make a W). The ladybug does not have this marking. There are lots of wonderful color pictures in the internet if you go searching.
Sterilizing Soil
Done it too! Boy, does the house smell after, like you have added boiling water to dirt!
A Little Non-Stick Spray Keeps Dressing From Separating
Great idea! Im going to try that someday! BUT I will spray the Pam into my vinegar and oil dressing when I am standing OUTSIDE. NOTE: We have discussed the dangers of PAM and similar sprays before on this web site.
Keeping Sandwiches Cold
Kids have gone to school for decades without worrying about bacteria spoiling the sandwich in their lunch. Now I wouldnt eat the sandwich made with some mayonnaise that was made at 7am if it is now 5pm, but noon never seemed to be a problem with anyone I grew...
Making Pie Crusts For The Freezer?
Dear Guest post: Cream cheese....The next time your mom goes shopping get her to buy a few extra packages of cream cheese. Put a couple into the freezer (where only you know where they are). When you want to make something with cream cheese (like the pie crust...
Painted Memorial Rock For Garden
I have some concerns about your rock and the method you were given. When you are painting on wood, plexiglass or rocks that will be left outside year round, please spend a little bit more money and buy the acrylic paint called patio paints. These paints will...
Painted Memorial Rock For Garden
When you go to the paint store you ask for the varnish that will NOT yellow. Three years ago I painted a wooden bench with a picture of a baby raccoon desperately trying to hang onto a branch of a tree, then I bought a varnish that will NOT yellow and painted...
The Best Tired Muscle Relief?
We have found that our hot tub works well for tired aching muscles. It soothes my DHs pre arthritic pain in his hips and knees too. When we have been outside in the cold, shoveling snow or whatever, the hot tub is wonderful!!!! My daughter used to love the...
Cooking Pasta Without Water Boiling Over
Why take the time to rub grease all around the pot, save some time, just drop a half of a teaspoon or so into the pot. Works just as good. The butter will melt and create a layer across the top of the pan and will keep whatever from boiling over, eg. potatoes...
Regifting Tip
This is a great idea for the newlyweds who just recently got married and dont have two cents to rub together, but do have doubles and triples of items that they will never need two or three of. Yes, be sure to keep track of who gave it to you so you wont give...
Stained Glass Christmas Angels
Could you give us your recipe for the dough? And what kind of candies did you buy for the stained glass star? Did you really use an 11 inch angle cookie cutter, like you mentioned that the TV host did? Sounds like an easy Christmas craft for kids at school...
Starting Where I Left Off on Thrifty Tips?
When I went through all of the tips, I would get to a certain page (eg. 2980-2990) and then save that one to my favorites list, each time replacing the thrifty fun with a new thrifty fun page. Be sure to save the entire page of 10 tips , not a page that talks...
Eating Moldy Cheese
If you have a dog, give the moldy cheese to the dog. All dogs love cheese. Note, when our cocker spaniel was expecting, the vet said that cheese was high in calcium and so besides her human (one that we could take) calcium tablet each day, we also gave her...
How to Tell if Grapes are Fresh
I find that if I squeeze the grapes and they are firm then they are fresh, if soft at all, then forget it. The way I find that keeps the grapes the freshest and the longest....I put mine in the fridge...but I rinse the grapes first and then leave them OPEN...
Growing Strawberries in a Wheelbarrow
Skunks love strawberries. Last summer, the skunk ate the strawberries..cleanly eating the berry..leaving only the part of the berry that was red. Birds will peck at the berry all over and leave pokes in the berry and maybe mush on the ground beside it. Deer...
Invest In Oil Sprayers
I find that I cant use the bought aerosal oil spray cans because the stuff makes me cough and cough. My DHs best friend in high school used it to get high and the Pam coated his lungs and he died. Please be careful if you use the aerosol cans. The refillable...
Recipes and Freezing Instructions For Red Onions?
When you freeze them do you double bag them? If you single bag the onions does the odor permeate the rest of the freezer goods?
Create Attractive Storage Containers With Popcorn Tins
I use one for all the leftover Christmas cards (I purchase them at garage sales sometimes). The other one has all the Christmas bags that I made over the years for the gifts to go in. These tins sit out as a Christmas decorations on the floor in my home and...
Need Pinecones For Decorations? Go To The Park
One year we went to British Columbia, Canada and in the local golf course were these HUGE pinecones on the ground. I gathered up some and now each year they decorate my bookshelves, baskets and mantle over the fireplace. I have even put a few on the floor in...
Removing Stuck Fudge?
Do you have a second dish that you could prepare? Some of the fudges that I make, if put in the microwave, would soften. Could you try that, though dontget it too hot, and remold in a new pan? What about scooping little spoonfuls out and making fudge balls...
Disposing of Burnt Out Light Bulbs
If crushed wouldnt the broken glass break the baggie too? Maybe put it into an empty box of some sort, for example, a macaroni & cheese or milk carton instead? I dont worry about it, I just put the light bulb in the middle of the bag of garbage and have never...
Moose/Reindeer Nuggets
I love this idea! Except...we are going to buy a carton of chocolate milk...empty it by cutting out the trap door. Rinsing it well. We are buying chocolate covered peanuts for the poop to fill the carton with. I dont have brown pompoms at home so we are going...
Christmas Decorations as Gifts for Young Adults
A wonderful idea! My mom is doing this for the nieces and my daughter who are all about 20 years old and in their first apartments.
Looking for a Good, Inexpensive Vacuum Cleaner?
We used to have a bag-type electrolux vacuum cleaner. When it kicked the bucket I bought a bagless canister-type Dirt Devil. We figured that we could buy a new store bought vacuum cleaner once every 2 years for the next twenty or more years compared to buying...
Homemade Bean Bags for Kids
Please be very careful with beanbags. My sons retina (part of the eye) detached and his contact broke when he was hit in the face with a bean bag one Christmas. The kids had been throwing them at each other in the basement, just for fun. Please only take them...
Looking for Drain Board Solution?
Do you have a double sink like I do? I now have a plastic-covered wire dishrack that just fits perfectly onto the second sink and therefore I have no drainboard to clean like I used to do. I used to have to wash the dishes, put the dishes away and immediately...
Christmas Ornament Tradition
I mark the ornament whether I made it or whether I bought it with a very fine permanent marker with the year and the initials of the child. Sometimes when I have bought an ornament in the store the clerk has offered to put the information on the ornament for...
Hot Glue Without a Glue Gun
I have an old potpourri mini pot that you would put water in, some potpourri and let simmer all day. I wonder whether that would get hot enough to melt the glue? Sometimes I see glue sticks at garage sales that are a different size than the glue gun I have...
Glass Ornament Balls
Most craft stores sell the clear glass ornaments in the fall. I have bought them at Michaels and Lewiscraft here in Canada. Beware...the glass ornaments break very easily. They are made of a very thin glass. When making them with the paint, I like to put either...
Make Washcloths Out of Old Towels
I found some thick name brand towels at a garage sale, except they had a row about 3-4 from each edge that had shrunken from the dryer. The rest of the towel was like new, and in a dark blue color. I cut the towels up, threw away the shrunken part and from...
Keeping Hands from Sticking to Rice Krispie Treats
I have also just wet my hands with water and then pressed the cake to flatten it.
Jars Needed for Gifts-In-A-Jar?
Sometimes the recycling depots will give jars away if you need them. You can also put an ad in the local newspaper for jars. In summer, garage sales are a great place for jars, too. Find grandmothers (those who used to put up a lot of fruit and vegetables in...
Homemade Scrunchies
I made a similar scrunchie using leftover satin from the bridal and graduation dresses my mom would make. Mom would give me all the scrap pieces and I would make Barbie gowns and scrunchies from them. My daughter had a drawer full but of course she had her...
Reusable Gift Tags
great idea! I already have the fabric Christmas bags that I made. Right now we were reusing the paper name tags but... I could....use my scroll saw and cut out name tags out of a thin piece of wood in the shapes of Christmas things (snowmen, gingerbread, trees...
Uses for Fish Tank Water?
Our goldfish bowl was on the kitchen counter and our cat drank from it for the first 3 years of her life (until the goldfish died.) Because I was always adding fresh water I did not have to change the fish tank water as often as I did before we got Sneaker...
Poison Ivy Treatment
Poison ivy does not spread. That is a myth. It may just take longer for some areas to break out than others. A WONDERFUL product that can be bought in the United States for poison ivy and poison oak is called CalaGel made by Tec Laboratories, Inc. (1-800-ITCHING...
Frugal Beverages
We have our own raspberry bushes in our yard. This recipe is easy and refreshing and wonderful to serve for company. Raspberry Iced Tea 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 gallon water 1 1/2 to 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen Boil together then add...
Save Shoe Boxes
I use shoe boxes to store my pictures in. I use the adult shoe boxes from my son (size 12) and I find that the developed pictures in their envelopes will stand nicely in the boxes. I abelled the outside of the boxes and now they are ready until I need to look...
Savings Over Time Add Up
But now, you have to pursuade the teenagers and the DH in your home to do the same! That is the ultimate challenge!
Keeping and Organizing Plant Tags
Photo albums are great! I have a large variety of perennials and as the perennials get larger, I divide them and have an annual perennial plant sale/yard sale. Each perennial I sell is given a photo page. In the inside of the pages I put either the original...
Can't Find Matching Bedspread and Sheets?
Why dont you get a white bedspread and sheets, etc.? You can use them in any color of room (in 5 years you may want to change to a different color for your walls). White goes with anything. THEN, buy some throw pillows in the same colors as your walls in the...
Uses for Stale Bread?
Sometimes I just give the bread (even if there are one or two tiny spots of mold on it) to one of our two dogs. They love bread. Same with moldy cheese, they love cheese too.
Locate the Bargain Bins
And depending on the stores policy, you may even be able to use a coupon on the reduced item to make it even cheaper for you. And the store actually is a little further ahead, because they get a handling fee for each coupon they send in plus, of course, the...
Frequent Thrift Stores For Clothing
Before we went to Cuba last February I was looking for small lightweight items to take with me to give away to the people in Cuba that we would be in contact with. A lot of people bring things like small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, bandages, medicine, toys...
Make Your Pets Bath Water Do Double Duty
IF it has not rained for a while AND the lawn is dry AND the lawn is hard, we drive our car onto the lawn and wash it there, thereby watering the lawn at the same time. Note, our car is small and leaves no tire marks later. We do wet the dogs with the garden...
Write Information On The Back Of Pictures
DO NOT write on the back of the picture. Over time the pen will come through the picture amd ruin your picture, so I have been told, UNLESS you use an acid free ink. Rather, write the information on a piece of paper and keep it with the picture.
Sympathy Gift for a Friend
roses dont like me...they die This is why I did not choose a rose from Walmart or Superstore but rather I went to the local plant nursery and bought a rose bush that was called Winnipeg Parks (developed in Morden, Manitoba). A very very hardy rose that is about...
Freezing Meatballs
I do the same thing with hamburgers. I use my tupperware hamburger press to make the same sized patties, place on any flat surface (tupperware lids work great) and put in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. The next day, pop them off the lid and into...
Getting Rotten Meat Smell out of the Car?
Just realized I forgot to sign in...I was the one that suggested to use baking soda and vinegar. Note...the rotten smell will not go away on its own. You cant just cover it up with an air freshener. You have to wash it out. Sprinkling the baking soda on top...
Buy Gift Bags at a Dollar Store
I have 2 gift bags full of assorted gift bags, one bag for birthday gift bags and one for baby and multi use gift bags. As I go to garage sales in the summer I pick them up for 25 cents each and, boy, can you find all kinds at garage sales. I look for the like...
What to Do with Queen Sized Comforters?
I like having at least an extra comforter around for company to use. When we have a family over or when the kids have friends over for night we have even used extra comforters on the floor instead of a mattress. I also like to have a comforter on the bed that...
What to Do with 10 Pounds of Ground Beef?
The last time I visited my sister she made meatballs by dropping them, after rolling them into balls, into a pot of boiling water. She cooked them only until done (she said they fall apart ortherwise if overcooked...then you make hamburger soup). They came...
Pumpkin Plants for Halloween Treats
Here in Manitoba, Canada, Halloween is usually on a very cold night. If I gave plants to the kids they would have to keep it from freezing on the way home. Then the parent would have to keep the plant alive in the house until spring, which would (with a pumpkin...
Searching for an Easy Tote Pattern?
I make a very similar tote. Assorted scrap pieces of material can be used. Small pieces made into little totes for a birthday present, larger ones for other things. I have 20 of so bags around the house. One is even in the garage hanging on the wall with a...
Reusing Spaghetti Sauce Jars
When you are finished with the jar and are going to fill it with the grease from frying ground beef WHY are you cleaning it out thoroughly? Why waste the water to do so when you are throwing it away after anyway? I save my spaghetti sauce jars because I make...
Cupboard Organizing Tip
In our first apartment, just after we got married, there were little black bugs in the kitchen cupboards. I ended up using the clear plastic bag idea and tupperware to put all the dry goods into. IF the bug got into the dry good before I had transferred it...
Ground Beef and Rice
Instead of buying Rice a Roni why dont you use plain raw rice, wouldnt it be a lot cheaper? I have in the past bought Rice a Roni on double coupon day, but it was still so expensive, plus I needed at least 2 boxes for each meal (5 in our home). Add plain rice...
