Shamelessly Thrifty Tips

These are a few of my thrifty tips Ive come up with over the years.
1 Reuse plastic and glass containers and jars. Clean em up, use em for storage, travel, and craft projects.
2 When clothes get worn out, use them for something else. Use old t-shirts and socks for dusting, wiping up spills, washing the dog, doing windows, sewing and crafts.
3 Make your make-up brushes last longer by washing them in hot soapy water, rinsing well in hot water and letting them air dry overnight before using them again.
4 Give up a vice! Once a week, twice a month or whatever you can handle doing. Put it in savings and watch it add up.
5 Clip coupons already. Its like free money. Use them when stuffs on sale to save even more.
6 Create a budget and stick to it.
7 Make a price book. Shop around for everything and when you find the lowest prices, write them in the book. Write where you found it, how much, and if it was a sale price that way you'll always know what the cheapest price is. Sounds dorky I know, but you know whats not dorky? Having extra money in savings, extra money for new shoes, extra money for a treat for your kid. Thats very not dorky.
8 Try the generic/store brands. Most stores have their own line of products that are cheaper and comparable to the name brand. Most stores even have a money back guarantee if you arent happy. I was a pharmacy tech for 8 years and this goes for medicines too. Active ingredients are the same in brand and generic meds. Sometimes the only difference is color, shape or whatever inactive fillers they put in. When you buy a name brand medicine, all you are paying for is the name! The company who developed it charges more because they spent the years researching and advertising it. Why pay for a name?!

Helpful tips from Gooseberry Patch

So I have this Gooseberry Patch cookbook called "Speedy Suppers" ( which I recommend you pick up). It has a ton of tasty recipes and at the bottom of each page it has some smart tips that I'd like to share. Heres a few:
-To check an egg for freshness, put it in a pan of cool salted water. If it sinks, its fresh and if it rises to the surface, its time to toss it.
-Club soda will shine up stainless steel sinks in a jiffy! Use a cloth dampened with soda and rub sink until stains disappear.
-You'll shed fewer tears if you peel an onion under cold running water. Cutting the root end last will help too.
-Did you know that sausage links will shrink less if they're lightly coated with flour before frying?
-Eggs will beat up fluffier if they're at room temperature and not too cold.
-Blend equal parts of olive oil and lemon juice to create a polish that will make wood furniture shine. Just apply with a soft cloth and buff.
-If pots and pans become scorched during cooking, sprinkle then with baking soda. Add just enough water to moisten the baking soda and let stand overnight. Voila! In the morning the scorched portion should lift right out.
-Fiberglass surfaces will shine when you wipe them down with a damp sponge sprinkled with borax.

Uses for baby powder other than your baby!

Like many other gals, I got a ton of baby powder at my baby shower before my son was born. However, I dont use the stuff for him, so its just been sitting there. So I wondered, what else can I possibly use it for? So I looked it up and here it is!

Repel ants. Sprinkle Baby Powder in cracks, along a window sill, or under doors where ants enter. Ants will not walk through baby powder.


Help rubber gloves slip on easily. Sprinkle Baby Powder inside the gloves.


Give your dog a dry shampoo. Rub Baby Powder into your dog's fur, wait a few minutes, then brush out.


Cure a squeaky floor board. Sprinkle Baby Powder into the crevices along the edges.


Hide a stain on a white suit. Rub Baby Powder into the stain.


Clean grease from walls. Sprinkle Baby Powder on a soft cloth and rub the spot until the grease disappears.


Keep shoes and sneakers dry and comfortable. Dust the insides with Baby Powder.


Prevent sticky sheets on a hot, summer night. Sprinkle Baby Powder between the sheets to absorb perspiration.


Give your hair a dry shampoo. Work Baby Powder into your hair, then brush out.


Prevent white shirts from absorbing oil and grime. Lightly sprinkle Baby Powder on the shirt before and after ironing.


Clean sand off wet skin. Sprinkle Baby Powder on skin to remove moisture, and the sand virtually falls off by itself.


Untangle a chain necklace. Dusting the chain with Baby Powder will make it easier to untangle.


Soften rough hands. Apply Baby Powder as you would hand lotion.


Prevent friction burns when shaving your legs with an electric razor. Dust legs lightly with Baby Powder before shaving.


All this came from: http://onlytigersden.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/alternative-uses-for-baby-powder/