Keeping Mice And Rats Away
Ive never had any problems with mice in the house because I always have a cat or two, and always will. I have seen their droppings in outside closets/garages where the cats dont go, and I buy something called FreshCab which has a nice smell for humans, but...
Reusing Plastic Produce Bags
I save these and other small plastic bags, such as bread bags, for messy trash. Our trash is only picked up once a week, so if I have greasy paper towels from frying bacon, or food scraps that dont go in the disposal, or chicken bones, or coffee grounds, Ill...
Reusing Plastic Produce Bags
P.S. These could also be used for traveling. Slip shoes into these bags and you dont have to worry about your shoes getting your clothes dirty, put bottles of liquid such as shampoo/conditioner/lotion in them, and in case something breaks or a lid comes off...
Santa Hat Chair Decoration
I have a small tree in my dining room where Ive put all the little ornaments, that used to get lost on my big tree. Ive collected Mardi Gras beads of all different colors over the years, and Ive used them to drape all around that little tree.
Re-Use Dryer Sheets for Dusting
I only use dryer sheets when Ive left a tissue in a pocket. When theres static in the dryer, Ill run a wire hanger over the clothes to remove it. One way to save, if you want to use sheets all the time, is to cut them in half or even in thirds. For me, a third...
Household Items to Support a Kitchen Shelf
Is the shelf removable? I was in charge of a tech school library several years ago, and all the shelves were sort of sinking in the middle, so I flipped them over. In our old house, we had a tiny little pantry, so I added a shelf on the floor by putting a board...
Making a Purse From a Linen Napkin?
Ive found all kinds of patterns, just by Googling. Theres a craft site called Craftster that has patterns and tutorials. Whatever you make, you might need to underline the fabric to make it thicker, and then line it with a coordinating fabric. You could just...
Kitty (Tabby Marked Native Cat)
She looks so much like my Tucker (in memory picture above). Tabbies are the best kind of kitty to have, IMO. You might try rolling up a ball of foil and seeing if she likes to chase it.
Soap for Charlie Horses in Your Legs
Ive been doing this for years, and I seldom get leg cramps. When I do, standing up makes them go away. I dont bother to change the soap every week--Ive been using the same bar for months now. I try not to forget it when I change the sheets. I also keep a pair...
When is Enough Enough?
I like to have a couple of the food items we use all the time, such as butter, almond milk, juice, on hand so if we run out, it doesnt require a trip (7 miles round trip) to the store. However, you can be penny-wise and pound foolish. One of my neighbors was...
Vinegar to Freshen up a Musty Room
I have an upstairs cat (inherited from an aunt) who refuses to come downstairs and be with the other cat, so her litter box is in an upstairs bath and doesnt get cleaned as often as the one downstairs, which I clean constantly. I keep a bowl of vinegar upstairs...
Ice Maker Quit Working After Installing New Filter?
Could it be that the filter is faulty and not letting water flow to the ice maker? Weve never had problems with the ice maker and filter like this, though our old ice maker froze up a couple of times and had to be thawed out to start working again.
Vinegar to Remove Burned Cooking Smells
I keep a bowl of white vinegar on the back of my cooktop to help with cooking odors. If a closet or room smells musty, Ill put a bowl of white vinegar on a shelf and within a day, the musty smell will be gone. You can also boil vinegar and water to freshen...
Granny Square Afghans from Leftover Yarn
These are beautiful. Another thing you might do with leftover yarn is log cabin knitting or crochet. Ive made several things, pillow covers, bath & commode covers, by log cabin knitting, but I think it could be adapted to crochet, too.
Sorting Socks into Pairs
I did this with my sons baby socks, up until his socks got too big. I dont think I ever lost one of his baby socks. I keep a box above the dryer for orphan socks, but since my son left home, sock mates dont disappear like they did when he was borrowing his...
Remedy for Pain from New Dentures?
Id definitely talk to the dentist and also see if something like Ora-Gel would help. A few months ago, I had problem with a tooth that finally needed a root canal, but until I could have that, I started swishing whiskey (and spitting it out) around the tooth...
Buying Yarn in Bulk?
I unraveled a half-finished sweater and used that off-white yarn and some leftover pink and ribbon yarn to make a toilet seat cover and bathmat for my guest bath. I used a log cabin pattern from the Mason-Dixon Knitting book.
Flip Collar for Long Lasting Shirt
Ive read about this in old books, but I think the old celluloid collars were pretty uncomfortable. (Sorry Im just now seeing this!)
Ditch Cable with a Digital Antenna
Im with Betty. We use Dish and can record Prime-Time Anytime, four channels every night from 7 to 10, plus we can record two more cable shows on top of that. Watching TV is our main source of entertainment.
Removing Dye that Transferred in the Wash?
Can the shirt be bleached? If not, and his shirt has to be white right away, youll probably need to buy him a new one. I once washed a white tablecloth with a dark burgundy one, and for a long time, I had a nice pearly pink tablecloth. Eventually, as I washed...
Learning Frugality
I sew, mostly for therapy, but Ive found that in the last 20 years or so, I can buy my clothes more cheaply off the rack than I can make them. The price of patterns, fabric, notions, etc., plus my time, adds up. I buy from catalogs and watch for sales.
Dreams Come True with a Credit Card
We use a no-interest credit card that we pay off monthly, and gold points accumulate. Weve never paid cash or used a credit card for what we consider luxury items - new TVs, VCRs, DVD player, digital camera--we use our gold points. My husband used to travel...
Natural Ideas for Ant Control
Weve had problems with fire ants coming in through cracks all over the house. I tried the powdered sugar/baking soda in a small plastic container with a little water, and within a few hours, the container would be filled with ants. I did it twice this year...
Thinning Liquid Paper?
I havent used Liquid Paper in years, because everything is done on the computer now, but we used to be able to buy Liquid Paper thinner.
Dryer Sheets Contain Toxic Chemicals
I dont know if its more or less, but I gave up using dryer sheets on a regular basis years ago, and the one bottle of fabric softener Ive got is probably from 1990. The only time I will use a sheet, cut in 3rds, is when Ive left a tissue in a pocket. I really...
Will Baby Powder Clog a Drain?
My husband created the Dental Floss Monster by flushing his floss daily for about 5 years. We couldnt figure out why his toilet was backing up, while mine (separate baths) where I flushed tampons never did. When he snaked the toilet, it looked like an old unraveled...
Encouraging Children to Get Rid of Extra Belongings?
My son used to have his own mini-porch sale with old toys. He loved getting that money so spend, and I liked getting rid of toys that he no longer played with. The neighborhood kids liked getting new-to-them toys.
Go Barefoot Whenever Possible
I used to go barefoot from April through October, but when I developed plantar fascitiis in both feet, I had to start wearing shoes all the time. I get Birkenstock knock-offs from Lands End. I wear orthotics in my other shoes, but going barefoot would probably...
Use Outgrown Long Skirts for Pillowcases
About 32 years ago, I made most of my own maternity dresses, and there was one fabric, sort of a dusty-blue grandmas trunk print that I really liked. After the baby, I cut off the bottom, added a waistband, and made a dirdnl skirt out of it. Then I turned that...
Get Address Labels from Charities
I carry address labels in my billfold and use them when I need to fill in something (like a contest entry) that requires my name and address. Ive also started using them when I need to tape something temporarily, rather than using my scotch tape.
Donate Money And Receive Address Labels
Once I started paying bills on-line, the freebie address labels started piling up. Ive started throwing away most of them, because if I started mailing 5 letters a day for the rest of my life (even if I never got another set of free ones) I think the ones Ive...
Donate Money And Receive Address Labels
Once I started paying bills on-line, the freebie address labels started piling up. Ive started throwing away most of them, because if I started mailing 5 letters a day for the rest of my life (even if I never got another set of free ones) I think the ones Ive...
My Frugal Life: Every Which Way to Save
Im glad I learned to sew, because I can mend and alter things without spending money on a tailor, and I make most of my own purses, using fabric scraps from past sewing projects. I make a lot of pillow covers now, too. But Ive found that sewing clothes doesnt...
Using a Back Scratcher to Retrieve Dropped Items
I have a round wooden wall clock in my bathroom. I can change the time by moving the hands in front, and to keep from having to get a step stool, I use a back scratcher to move the hands when the time changes.
Save Money On Amazon Purchases
My son and his wife are millennials and still in the CC stage (cumulatin crap) and they have an Amazon Prime membership. They gave us one, piggybacked to theirs. I use it to buy my cat food and cat litter, and this week, Ive got a baby gift for a shower coming...
Buy Used Books Instead Of New
I hardly ever buy a new book. Instead, I use half.com or Half Price Books.
When Are You Being Too Frugal?
Pixiedust, I agree with you about using dryer sheets. The only time I use one is when Ive left a tissue in a pocket and find that theres tissue lint all over a load of clothing. I cut one in 3rds and only use a 3rd to tumble the load, and the lint goes to the...
Greeting Card Box Bureau
I made a travel jewelry box out of a padded check box. I covered it with quilted fabric, though you could make your own with fabric and quilt batting. I used my glue gun to hold everything in place. Inside, I glued in batting and covered that with fabric. When...
My Frugal Life: Little Tricks To Pinch Pennies
I use the internet for on-line banking to pay bills, so I dont need envelopes or postage. Once I got into on-line banking, youd have to fight me to get me to quit. If a payment is late because of the bank, which has only happened to me twice in almost 20 years...
Debt Free, I'm Still A Frugalite
I live in the Dallas area, too, and I cant believe anybody needs thermal underwear more than a few days a year. My elderly aunt wore it, but she was in her 90s and cold all the time. Most of the time, its hot, though we will have some cold spells. I think we...
Using Leftover Soap Pieces
I love liquid hand soap, but I didnt like paying so much for it - as much as $7 a bottle. I started collecting soap slivers and adding them to a liquid soap container with water to make my own. I went through my house and rounded up every novelty soap, hotel...
Use Old Comforter for "Feather Bed"
Overstock.com is a great place to buy sheets, comforters, even electric blankets. I only buy 100% cotton sheets, which can be really expensive, but the last couple of sets I got for less than $50 for king-sized, and our electric blanket was less than $100.
Use Old Comforter for "Feather Bed"
When I was pregnant, our firm mattress was very uncomfortable for me, though Id always loved it. My husband folded up a comforter and put it under the fitted sheet on my side. It made it a lot more comfortable, and the morning I realized it was time, well, lets...
Recycled Boot Tray For Muddy Shoes
The funniest/strangest thing Ive ever used my laundry basket for was to get my cat down from the narrow lip over a bay window. Hed climbed up bookshelves, jumped over to the top of the window, and was too fat to turn around and go back, so he was stuck. Im...
The Old Country Telephone
I remember when we had one of these, back in the 50s, and I remember the day the telephone man was carrying it out after replacing it with a dial phone. He asked me if I wanted the old one, and I told him, No. I was only about 5, but Ive regretted not keeping...
Making Liquid Soap from Leftover Bar Soap?
My husband goes through a bar of soap every few days because he uses it like a washcloth. (I use a washcloth so my soap lasts a long time, but theres no changing 64 years of habit, I guess.) I keep a quart jar that I put his soap slivers and water in, and I...
My Frugal Life: Penny Pinchers
I see this is a rather old post, but if anyone is still reading... I pay my mortgage on-line, and theres a separate place for paying extra, or principal only. You have to be sure the bank understands that youre paying on the principal, or they might just apply...
Environmentally Friendly Egg Cartons
If you have small glass ornaments, a paper egg carton is a good place to store them safely.
Tissue Boxes for Plastic Bags
I save the plastic bags I get for vegetables in the store in an empty tissue box in my kitchen for messy trash that I dont want to just throw in the big trash can--like bacon grease on a paper towel, chicken bones (I keep those in the freezer until trash day...
Recycled Christmas Card Gift Tags
I get so many free address labels that Ive begun to throw away the ones I dont like. If I started mailing two letters a day for the rest of my life, I dont think Id use up the ones I have now. At Christmas, some of them come with pretty To/From gift tags. Between...
Fused Reusable Plastic Bags
I did this with a bunch of Whole Food bags before they stopped using plastic bags. I put green bias tape around the top and along the sides of the handles. It sews just like fabric.
Recycle Towel Pieces into a Quilt Beach Towel
Our bath towels tend to wear out around the edges, while the centers are still pretty plush. When I retire one (after buying a new one with a coupon, of course), I cut it into 4 or 6 pieces--4 for hand towels, 6 for washcloths. I have a lot of fabric scraps...
Making Old Tissue Paper Look Like New
One of the craft stores Ive gone to uses colorful tissue paper to wrap fragile items when I check out. Ive reused it (after pressing it) occasionally to wrap gifts. I usually use two sheets to cover the box so no writing shows through.
Weddings Are Too Expensive for Just One Day
My first engagement ring was set with emeralds in the shape of a flower, that I wore with a wide gold band. Sadly, it was stolen when our house was burglarized. Now, instead of getting an expensive ring to replace it, Ive had fun getting big zirconium rings...
Craft Uses for Wedding Veils?
I made a 12-foot veil for my first wedding, a mantilla style with lace hand-sewn all around. After the marriage was over, I used that tulle for all kinds of things, since I had no sentimental attachment to it, at all. I covered lemon halves when we made Caesar...
Reusing Bed Skirts
Ive used old bedskirts to line reversible purses, made bias strips to sew around hand towels, as extra weight between two pieces of fabric when theyre not quite thick enough, and you could starch the center part to make underlining or interfacing. I do use...
Using Empty Oatmeal Canisters?
I like to use Scentsy warmers, and I didnt like just throwing the used wax away, so I started collecting it in containers with a taper candle in the middle. The results were some pretty multi-colored candles. After making 3 small ones of various sizes, I decided...
Frugal And Green Laundry
I have a front-loading washing machine which saves water anyway, so theres no way to keep water, but Ive found a way to reduce the number of loads that I do. I do a load of dark clothing and a load of whites, and theres no reason all the light blue shirts that...
Inexpensive Bridesmaid Dresses?
I was in a wedding in 1970, and again in 1972, and I was expected to buy my own dress. I did make them myself, so the only expense was the fabric, etc. This past year, I was in a wedding where the bride was 67 and the groom was 70, and she told me to wear whatever...
Milk Jug For Sun Tea
Theres no reason to put the pitcher or jug outside in the sun. Ive been making iced tea for probably 30 years or more by putting tea bag in a pitcher of cold water and letting it set for a couple of hours inside my air-condiitioned kitchen, on the counter. You...
Windowsill Celery Hearts
Im going to have to try this. Someone asked about pineapple tops. Last year, I cut the top off three pineapples, about a half-inch below the green top, set them in dirt outside, and I had huge leafy plants until the cold got them. Also, I plant avocado seeds...
Food for 2 Years for $5 a Week
I dont understand why youd buy a years worth of vitamins every few weeks. And unless youve got a freezer, a lot of this stuff will go rancid or get weevils. Besides all that, wheat is one of the worst things that people can eat now. Its definitely not gluten...
Poll: Do you use disposable or cloth diapers on your baby?
I only used disposables for my baby, who is 30 now, and I know it can be a controversial question. I will say this, if you use cloth, dont expect somebody else to change your babys diaper. When I was first pregnant, my ultra-frugal neighbor asked me to keep...
Handwashing vs. The Dishwasher - Which is more economical?
I realize this is an old post, but I believe that handwashing, if done correctly, wastes a lot more water than a dishwasher does. We fill our dishwasher up about every 2 days, sometimes 1 1/2 days, and it probably uses about as much water for 2 days worth of...
Cross Stitch Poem for a Baby Shower Gift?
I did two of these, back in the late 70s/early 80s. It was a big crewel kit, a Sunset from 1976. The mother had the baby wrapped in a shawl, and when you lifted the shawl fringe, you saw her hand. I just found one on ebay.
Make Your Own Spaceship or Submarine
For those of us who no longer have kids at home. see if you can find a local e-waste day in your city. Our town has one or two a year, and weve gotten rid of bunch of old, obsolete things like keyboards, tvs, boom boxes, etc.
