November 30, 2004

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Replacing Toothbrushes After You Are SickWith cold and flu season coming along make sure to replace everyone's toothbrush after a bout of cold or something. (not overly frugal to keep replacing a toothbrush, but that is still cheaper then ongoing Dr. bills) some people say to just boil the toothbrushes also. By Melanie

Better Than Campbell's SoupKeep a large plastic container with a lid in your freezer. Into this, put excess juice (full of vitamins!) from canned vegetables; meat or poultry juices, diluted with hot water from fry pans or broiler pans.

Make a Christmas Tree With Junk CDsLast Christmas I made a tree out of the old and advertising CDs and bought a string of lights and taped each bulb in the center of each disc. The reflection was pretty and we had a neat yard decoration. Just be sure to use outdoor lights and cord.

Gift Exchange IdeaGot some $10 gift exchanges to do? Hit the dollar store for ingredients for a theme basket, like same scent toiletries, hair accessories and a hairbrush for a girl, art supplies for a young artist, flavored coffees, teas, cocoa for someone who likes them. Put them all in a 50 cent gift bag and finish with a bow of your choice. By Linda

Cup Saucer Decoupaged Picture FrameHave saucers without a cup? Take the saucers and cut a family picture to fit and glue it in the middle. Decorate around the picture in some form and let dry. Then give it a coating of decoupage. Let dry and re-do. Slip it in a decoupaged box, decorated by you. Add a pretty bow.

Step-On Light Switch for Tree LightsA step-on light switch for your tree lights is worth every penny and saves crawling around on the floor to plug in lights! By Linda

Beach Buckets for GiftsIf there are still any end of summer sales going on snag beach buckets for kids, they make great cheer me up buckets for little ones in the hospital anytime of the year.

Halloween Bags From Clearance ItemsFor next years Halloween bags use on sale Halloween printed material to make little pillowcase loot bags to carry candy in, or make smaller rectangular ones to give candy out in. Most fabrics are on sale now for $1 or less and one yard will make several bags. By Melanie

Feeding the AntsI lost the battle to ants this year - I couldn't beat them so I joined them! I "fed" my ants all summer and they left me alone. I took an old plastic butter container lid poured pancake syrup, or sugar syrup on it and placed it on the floor beside my dishwasher and out of the way.

Christmas Treat for Feathered FriendsPaint pine cones with peanut butter or a mixture of peanut butter and suet. (Ask your butcher). Then roll in birdseed. Hang from colored ribbon in the trees to give our feathered friends a Christmas treat. By Linda

Achy Muscles From A Bout Of The Flu? Mix 1 tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles. By Kathy

Frugal Gift BagsGive the kids a stack of brown paper lunch bags to decorate. Use them for small gifts. Add a ribbon tie, a raffia bow or staple shut and add a stick-on bow and you're good to go! By Linda

Painting Heating RadiatorsPainting old radiators can be tough. Try using an inexpensive, small window squeegee: the type that has a small rubber strip on one side and a sponge strip on the other. The sponge side on these squeegees holds paint pretty well and can slip into the smallest spaces. By Elizabeth

Stocking Up - Storing Dry GoodsLiving in the country we try to keep a ready supply of food, especially when winter's coming. For more space to store foods we use new 5 gallon paint buckets cleaned and dried really well, then store our sugar, flour, oatmeal, dry milk, rice etc. in these stored under our raised bed. We add in about 5 oxygen pads for longer storage. By Melanie

Thrifty Fun Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)Questions about how to use ThriftyFun? Here are lots of answers to frequently asked questions about using the site, registration and subscriptions.

Makeshift Bathtub StopperIf you can't find the stopper to your bathtub, the clean lid of a butter dish works well. By Camilla

Daughter's First Car AdviceI need suggestions on how to make giving my daughter her first car a BIG surprise. How can I make it fun but special too? Cheryl

No Sweeter Gift Than One Made By YouI would rather have a gift made from the heart than any gift from a store. Just make any object and tuck it in a gift bag you have made from gift wrap. One thing I have always treasured is a card. I know that person sending it has chosen it just for me. And if it is hand crafted it is even more precious. By Gladys Hill

AnySoldier.comDo you get the Christmas cards in the mail an don't know what to do with them? Go to http://anysoldier.com/ and get names of our service people who do not get much mail. Also cost is the same as sending mail here in the states. This is very rewarding also and just a small way of letting them know we have not forgotten them. By JODI

Outdoor Decorations - "Paper" ChainsMake everlasting outdoor decorations by cutting plastic containers (like soda bottle, yogurt containers etc) into strips and stapling them into "paper chains". Parents will need to cut but even small kids can staple! By Linda

Altoids for a Stuffy NoseBefore you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffy nose. By Kathy

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