Thrifty Tip Contest (July 23 - 29, 2012) | ThriftyFun

Menu Ask a Question Share a Post Account Search

social

Contests Winners Enter a Contest

Thrifty Tip Contest
(July 23 - 29, 2012)

This contest is over. See the winners and other entries below.

Latest Prev Next

Duration	Entries
July 23 - 29, 2012	53

Tip: Plant Cuttings For Holiday Gifts

July 29, 2012

Take plant cuttings now from plants such as spider plant, Christmas cactus, geraniums, etc. to use for quick inexpensive gifts later in the season. Even Dallas/Boston ferns can be divided into smaller plants.

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 6

Tip: Sharpen Your Vegetable Peeler

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

July 26, 2012

Vegetable peelers go dull rather fast. I spent many, many years just tossing them out and buying new ones. I wish I learned this trick when I first moved out on my own:

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 30

Tip: Using Telephone Receiver Cord to Tie Up Plants

July 26, 2012

I needed to tie up some of my vegetable plants and I'm out of garden twine and string. When I was looking for something suitable that will not break the stems I saw one of my very old receiver cords for the telephone.

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 20

Tip: Freezing Cookie Dough in Ice Cube Trays

Bobbie
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 166 Posts

July 24, 2012

Mix up your favorite cookie dough. Make extra and freeze in ice cube trays. When you want to bake several cookies or more pull out you ice cube tray and pop out as many cookies as you want to bake.

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 8

Tip: Old Binder Rings for Kitchen Storage

coville123
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 433 Posts

July 23, 2012

I know we have a few old binders that were falling apart from use. I decided to pull the binder ring part out and use for hanging stuff in the kitchen. They already have holes in them so it was easy to hang. You could also spray paint them.

Comment Pin it! Was this helpful? 8

Bottle of Decorative Accents hydrated polymer beads.

Keeping Plants HydratedUse marble-sized polymers to hydrate your plants. I buy the 8.5 oz. container of Decorative Accents absorbent polymers from the Dollar Tree to put in my outside flower beds. I use the handle (dowel) part of a wooden spoon to poke holes into the soil.

No More Watery Potato SaladInstead of boiling your potatoes for potato salad bake them. It keeps the potatoes from getting waterlogged and weeping into the salad. I bake them the day before, let them come to room temp, then put them in the fridge over night.

Food take away box recycled as kitten toy.

Recycled Kitten PlayhouseI made this playhouse for my new kitten from our leftover cardboard dinner carrier from Bojangles dinner meal box. I simply cut out a few holes for her to poke her legs through to play, and cut out an entrance.

2 Comments Comment

Saving Record of Paint ColorWhen my husband paints a room, he removes the light switch plate. Writes the brand of paint and the color under the light switch plate. When he is done painting, I cover the writing with the light switch plate.

1 Comment Comment

Cool Water for Minor BurnsThe best thing to do when you have a minor burn is to soak it for a long time in cool water, because the skin under the burn continues to burn until you cool it down enough to stop the burning.

1 Comment Comment

Keeping Kids Entertained on Summer VacationDuring summer vacation kids need to rest, as well as, keep busy. So many parents are concerned about making their kids have a productive summer that they forget that summer is also a time to sit back and relax.

A bookshelf to organize shoes

Book Shelf for ShoesI had an old book shelf I wasn't using so I decided to use it for the kids shoes instead. It's much easier to find them now.

2 Comments Comment

Change Diet To Relieve Night CrampsIt occured to me that my night cramps happened most often when I have been eating foods like eggs, tomatoes and proteins. I went online and looked for a list of acidic foods and found a website that gives a good idea of what foods are acidic and therefore should be eaten less often.

6 Comments Comment

dog poop bags

Cheap Doggie Poop BagsAt the Dollar Tree store I buy the diaper disposal bags. They are $1.00 for 75 pink bags in the infant section. Their pet dept. has the same bags in gray at $1.00 for 50 bags.

4 Comments Comment

End Of Season Plant BargainsGarden centers, home improvement centers, grocery stores, department stores and any other location that sales plants or flowers always have a tremendous markdown on plants at the end of the summer.

1 Comment Comment

Erasers for Lost Earring Backs

Erasers for Lost Earring BacksI am always losing the backs to my earrings so when I found this tip, I tried it. It's a great idea. Cut a little piece of an eraser and use as an earring back. It works great in a pinch.

1 Comment Comment

Grilled Corn on the CobI have a large family and oftentimes find it easier (and more convenient) to cook everything outside on the grill. My tip is the easiest and most convenient I have ever done:

Ice Balloons To Keep Wine CoolI pinched this tip from my lovely cousin Dawn. Freezing ice balloons for coolers at parties-very festive and much less drippy than ice! Genius!

Inexpensive Flavored WaterWhen the grocery budget is incredibly tight, flavored water is a luxury item that is quickly cut from my grocery list. I have found an inexpensive alternative with True Lemon flavoring packets.

1 Comment Comment

Sea themed crafts for Vacation Bible School

Life Saver and Flower Vase Vacation Bible...My daughter brought home these adorable sea oriented crafts from VBS. One is a lifesaver made out of a swim noodle held together with red and white duct tape, with nylon string made out of red attached to the red parts of it.

Making Wire JewelryMaking silver jewelry is fun and you can use the jewelry afterwards, but silver is expensive, especially to practice on. So I'd advise using regular wire instead of silver. I've used regular wire for quite some time to practice on and I actually used it for some jewelry.

Mark Clothing That Shouldn't Be Dried

Mark Clothing That Shouldn't Be DriedUse dry erase marker on the washer for clothes that are inside that shouldn't be dried! Genius, especially if there are many people in your household!

1 Comment Comment

Money Back on Ebates PurchasesI have done many things over the past 3 years to save money, spend less, and in general monetize my (at times) woeful material situation. I have experimented with coupon clipping, pay-to-read emails, online surveys, etc.

Popcorn Tins For Yarn StorageI use mine to keep yarn in. There is one by my chair and some in my craft room. It stays clean and pets can't bother it.

1 Comment Comment

NutriBullet

Product Review: NutriBulletMy husband finally convinced me that we should order the NutriBullet that he had seen on the infomercials during the wee hours of the morning. He had spoken about it several times but I never saw the commercial and didn't care enough to waste my time researching it.

5 Comments Comment

rubber band on paint can

Put a Rubber Band on Paint CanPlace a rubber band from the center of the bottom of the paint can around the top. Dip your paint brush in the paint can and wipe excess off on the rubber band. No more messy painting!

1 Comment Comment

Recycled Condiment CarrierRe-use your 6 pack drink carrier to keep your condiments in. Handy for picnics and barbecues or to use when camping and 'caravanning'. Keep your sauces and salt and spices together with napkins and cutlery.

Restoring Damaged Old Photos - before

Restoring Damaged Old PhotosI am the person that restored these photos. I scanned them into my computer and used Corel Paint to do the work. It's not easy. You have to have a good graphics program and you have to play around with the different tools and features available.

Small Rock Under Sink DrainerA small rock with a smile on it's face from puffy paints, fell in my sink under the drainer. There it was, just smiling back at me one day.

Squeeze Air Out Of Soda Bottles

Squeeze Air Out Of Soda BottlesWe don't drink soda quickly in our house so I squeeze out the air from my soda bottles then seal them to reduce air inside and keep them from going flat!

Storing Fresh ChivesWhen I bring my groceries home, I immediately wash the chives, wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in a large storage bag, roll them up to remove as much air from the bag as possible and chuck them into the door of the fridge so I don't forget to use them.

Stretch Your Mascara a Little FartherWhen you notice your mascara is starting to run out you can stretch it a little farther. Simply add a few drops of saline solution for eyes to the tube, you will be amazed by how well it works.

Taking Care of YourselfWe talk about things, finding them, and saving money on them, but the body needs to be at those places to save money and care for others. So the big savings is in getting ready and not have to loose time or money in getting to the savings. Here are some good habits for getting your day underway:

Use Egg Water for Watering PlantsThe next time you boil a dozen eggs, save the water and pour it on your garden and plants. The water becomes enriched with calcium when the eggs are cooked. Plus, why pour water down the sink when you can reuse it for something, right? (Just make sure you let it get to room tempature.)

Use Oil Spray to Keep Candle Holders CleanThe easiest way to avoid a problem with cleaning any of your candlesticks or candle holders of any type is simply spray a small bit of "Pam" onto the bottom of your candle holders whether they are sticks or votive holders, tea lights, etc.

Boiled DinnerI boil the ham bone with wedged cabbage, rutabaga, potatoes, whole onions, and squash. It makes wonderful meal.

Pasta Salad RecipeMix first 5 ingredients together in large bowl. Pour 1/4 of the salad dressing onto salad. Mix the Salad Supreme into the balance of the salad dressing, shaking until well combined.

Warning: No String Toys for Birds

Warning: No String Toys for BirdsI had put on here a long time ago how my parakeet Perry loved to unravel string in his cage for entertainment. He really did love to do this. Just the other night, he became entangled in one of the strings that he often played with.

4 Comments Comment

Another Use for Baking SodaWhen making ice tea I add a good pinch of baking soda to the water along with the tea bags. By adding the baking soda, the tea won't become cloudy and have a bitter taste. It enhances the flavor of the tea.

Paper strips cut from larger pieces of junk mail.

Free Scrap Paper from MailAfter cutting our name, address, and account numbers off the mail that I'm not going to keep, I take the sheets that are blank on the back and cut them up to use for scrap paper.

3 Comments Comment

Kid OlympicsSkip summer camp and bring the Olympics to your children this Summer! Plan several sports and wacky fun for a free week-long event of lasting memories.

Pants Too Long

Pants Too Long?Fold the pants up, cut the extra off and re-hem, keeping the original hem/seam. Picture shows a better example. If you are using a sewing machine no need to change out to a heavier needle either.

7 Comments Comment

Pickle Jar with Laundry Detergent to Hold Toilet BrushI have a large pickle jar in which I keep my toilet brush, which I use to clean the toilet with. In the pickle jar is enough laundry detergent to cover the bristles of the brush.

1 Comment Comment

Use Place Mats for Shelves in FridgeI hate cleaning the shelves in the fridge. I've found that cloth place mats are generally the size of the shelves in the side by side fridges. I've learned by placing the cloth place mats on the shelves, when it comes time to clean, it makes cleaning the fridge so much easier.

17 Comments Comment

Windex to Polish JewelryI work at a silver and native American jewelry store. We use Windex (I've never tried an off brand of glass cleaner), and an old soft toothbrush to get into hard to reach areas. Windex is the ticket!

1 Comment Comment

Avoid Leaking Containers in LuggageWhile going on vacation this year, instead of putting shampoo, conditioner, etc. in zip bags to prevent products from leaking in suitcase, just take the lid off and put a piece of Handi Wrap or Saran Wrap over the bottle opening.

Earring or Brooch MagnetsFor the prettiest magnets use vintage earrings or brooches. I cut off the pin back on the brooches and the clip-on part of the earrings. Attach a small magnet with E-6000. I first noticed this idea at a craft show. They were selling for $5.00 and up to $10.00 each.

Case with homemade blush.

Homemade BlushIn a bowl mix two drops of food colouring with 3 Tbsp. of water for light pink, 3-4 drops for medium pink, 5-6 drops for red or dark pink. Yellow makes a peachy colour, blue will give you a purple hue.

1 Comment Comment

Keep Emergency Account Numbers in Your Cell PhoneHave you ever noticed that when the power goes out, it always seems "extra dark", even if it occurs during the day? Almost makes it impossible to look up the number for the power company in the phone book.

2 Comments Comment

Saving Pictures to Your ComputerIf you are only going to use a picture one time, just save it as "new". When you save the next picture, you will save that as "new" and it will replace the other picture. Saves a lot of time cleaning out your pictures that you just wanted to use one time.

1 Comment Comment

Twig Furniture for DollsI would think you could make the really cute twig furniture for the dolls by using green twigs and tying them together with wire or rope then once each piece is dried into the shapes you need. Glue or nail the separate pieces to form the chairs, beds, etc.

Uses for Jam that Didn't SetIf your jelly absoluty refuses to set up, even after cooking it back down the second time, just call it by another name!

1 Comment Comment

Vinegar for AntsIt's that time of year and those annoying little friends are here. Out of a desire to be rid of them and not to spray poisonous bug spray around my sink and counter, I grabbed the bottle of white vinegar that I keep handy for cleaning.

5 Comments Comment

Published by ThriftyFun.
Desktop Page | View Mobile
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Generated 2022-08-22 12:14:54 in 2 secs.
© 1997-2022 by Cumuli, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.thriftyfun.com/tf/contest/000/808.html