October 12, 2004

Keep Bacon from ShrinkingTired of that pound of bacon shrinking away to virtually nothing? Shake the strips in a little flour and fry away. Stops shrinkage!

 

Dog JokeThis is a very corny joke, but every time I hear it I laugh. There was a master and his dog sitting around a campfire on the tippity top of a mountain. The dogs tail caught fire. What did the master say? Answer: Hotdog By Joesgirl

 

Making Second Hand Clothes Look NewMy kids wear hand-me-down and second hand T-shirts, pants and shorts. To keep them from looking like what they are, I iron (even the T-shirts) with store brand wrinkle release spray. The clothes end up looking crisp and brand new. I use an old pillow case to cover T-shirt decals to keep them from melting to the iron. Then make sure to hang the T-shirts on hangers instead of folding them. By Matinga

 

Plastic Pants Hangers For Drying Art WorkI'm a professional artist and like Cheryl of Missouri I have found another use for the plastic hangers you can receive from purchasing clothing.

 

Kid Friendly PizzaThey work great for a quick afternoon snack or a fast portable dinner on the run.

 

Dishwashing - Water Saving TipInstead of rinsing dishes under running water when dishwashing, fill a basin with rinse water and a small splash of vinegar (the vinegar neutralizes the dish detergent and leaves the glasses sparkling).

 

Flat Gem Mosaic TableThese tables are an easy project and you could even get your kids to help. This can be done on plastic wood or glass. Find your self a pattern for a simple stain glass project. Geometric work best.

 

Cheap Home Office DeskGet two 2-drawer file cabinets for hanging files (metal $59, Plastic $38 at Staples or used for around $10) Set them up 2 feet apart, and lay a flat interior door on top. Unfinished, those are around $20. Put the lock cut-out at the back and bring all your cables neatly up through it. Done. By DearWebby

 

Costume Treasure Chest at Clearance PricesWell, Halloween is fast approaching and soon it will be all over but the belly aches. Start thinking now about those Clearance sales that will have those pricey costumes discounted to practically nothing.

 

I Don't Shop In JanuaryI stop all spending during the month of January. The constant barrage of ads in December makes January my favorite month to do this. I pay the household bills, but everything else goes on hold. I feed the family from the pantry and freezer which helps to do an annual cleaning out of both of those systems. It feels good to "make" it through the entire month without buying anything! It also makes us grateful for the things we have and we all save tons of time too! By Sue

 

Recycling Printer CartridgesI was standing in line at the post office the other day when I noticed a display with little zipper bags for recycling printer cartridges. I almost passed it by, thinking that I didn't want to pay the postage to mail mine in, when I noticed that the plastic bags are already addressed and POSTAGE PAID. What an easy (and frugal) way to help the environment! By Cindy B. in PA

 

Hair-Raising Recipes!Whip up some yummies! A cut above eye-of-newt, these treats satisfy even the harshest party critics.

 

Garden Post Wedding DecorationsThese are beautiful and easy to make. I used small paint buckets to do this because they were white and we had pastel colors but you could use any pot that would fit your theme or colors.

 

Bleach and Water for Sanitizing Clean-UpsFor fast sanitizing clean ups, get a spray water bottle and mix a small amount of bleach (a cap full) and fill the rest of the bottle with water.

 

RegiftingHow many of us have received a beautiful sweater that did not fit or was not our style, or received a gift that just did not fit us or our homes? Before you put that brand new item in your next garage sale why not put it in your gift closet.

 

Creative Uses For Empty Light Bulbs?I have empty light bulbs, just normal 60W bulbs with the inside pulled out. The end is open, and I was wondering what I could do with them. Any ideas? I thought about making a candle, inside the upside-down bulb, but there's not enough oxygen that gets into it. Any ideas would be appreciated! I'm sure there's something really cool I could do with them. Steph

 

White Spots and Worn Stain on Furniture?Have a wooden kitchen table that has a lacquer finish on it. How do I get white heat spots off? Also I have a solid wood bedroom suite. How do I fix the worn off parts of the stain?

 

Preserving Carrots Through the Winter?Hi! I just harvested about 20 lbs of carrots from a home garden. Should I blanche them and place them freezer bags, store them in a cool, dark basement area or what? I'd like to be able to use them throughout the winter months. This is the first time I have tried growing carrots and am a little startled (pleasantly though!) at my success. HELP!!! What do I do now?? Dennis from Milwaukee, WI