Earths Friendly Freebies

Saving Money on Groceries

2011-07-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

By Kimberley Clancy - www.frugalshopper.ca

Everybody needs to shop for food. It is very costly for many families, but it also something you can save a lot of money on. Saving $50 a week on your grocery bill will save you $2600 in one year! Here are just a few of my tips on how to save money while shopping for groceries:

Know your prices

It is impossible to know a good deal, if you do not know off hand what is a good price for that product is. Along the same lines learn to know what a good price per unit/lb/grams/unit are of your most used products. Many companies use different formats and sizes to confuse consumers as to what a good deal is, just think about diapers and how they come in Jumbo, Meg, Super Mega, Big Box and Club Box sizes. Or toilet paper in single, double, mega, ultra rolls. Without calculating the per unit cost of the different formats it is nearly impossible to tell what is the best deal. Larger product formats do not guarantee a discount, so pay attention!

Not all Sales Are Created Equal

The best sales are generally on the outside covers of the flyer, but the sale prices are not necessarily great prices. This is also why it important to know your prices. The advertised item you wanted, is not in stock? Do not worry, ask if you can get a raincheck, it is a great way to extend the sale and get what you want at a good price!

Discount Grocers

Most grocery store chains have an associated discount grocer and they are about 30% cheaper, so think about shopping at No Frills (Loblaws), Price Chopper (Sobeys/IGA) or Food Basics (Dominion/A&P, Ultra, The Barn). Discount grocers carry the best selling prepackaged goods and are also good for in season produce, and fresh lesser cut of meat (ie Chicken thighs). Bring your own bags and save $0.05 per bag (or use boxes). The lighting may not be as bright or the aisles as pretty, and they probably do not have a deli but the food comes from the same warehouse as the pricier counterparts, but is significantly cheaper!

Use coupons

Coupons are like real tax free money to you! If you clip or collect coupons, try putting them in an organized small folder you can keep in the car and take in to the store with you so that you can take them shopping and make use of the discount, instead of wishing you remembered them! Not sure how to collect or find coupons? Click Here

Reduced Produce & Meats

Take a glance at the reduced produce & meats. If you are planning on eating the fruit or vegetables the day you purchase sometimes it is even better because it is ripe and ready to eat! Reduced fruit is also great for baking, bruised apples or over ripe bananas are easy to bake with. Meat is often marked down the day before it is best before. Eat it the night you buy it or freeze it right away to eat later.

Clearance/Discontinued Product

Look for bins, tables or labels indicating a product is on clearance. Make sure to look for expiry dates, but most products are still good, it is just that the store will no longer be carrying that product or the labels are changing or a promotion on the package may be nearly over (or over), or it is nearing it's expiry but the savings can be substantial

Reward Programs

Do not forget to use reward programs too, like Airmiles & Baby Bonus Points at Dominion/A&P/Ultra/The Barn, or President Choice Rewards at Loblaws/No Frills/Superstore. You can also put your groceries on any reward credit card to get free stuff from the purchases you need to make anyways (but make sure you pay the balance, the rewards are not worth paying interest for!)

Scanning Code of Practice

The Scanning Code of Practice is a voluntary code that most major retailers in Canada follow, it promises accurate prices at the checkout scanner. The policy says "If the scanned price of a non-price ticketed item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the item free, up to a $10 maximum. When the item has a price tagged, the lowest price applies. When identical items are incorrectly priced, the second one will be sold at the correct price." So, if the item scans in at the wrong price at a participating retailer, you will get it for free or $10 off if the item is more than $10. You may have to ask for the retailer for this but if they are a participant they will have to give you the item for free or $10, no questions asked after you have pointed out the error and mentioned this code.

Most participating stores will have a sticker on the entrance doors and another sticker at the checkout counter.

For more information:
http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/internet/index.cfm?itemID=1262&lg=e

For a list of participating retailers:
http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/PDFs/280505ConsumerAdvisoryParticipants_e.pdf

Guarantees

Many of the stores and companies have guarantees, (.e. Price Guarantees, Freshness Guarantees, We Have It or It's Free Guarantees, Quality Guarantees) know them and use them. The guarantees are there to give customers a sense of trust in the price, freshness, stock availability or quality. If your store has a guarantee and you find something that qualifies - use the guarantee. Not only will you be saving money but you'll be making a difference for other customers, because they try to refictfy the situation to make good on the guarantee. Many products themselves have quality guarantees, if the product is not up to your liking or something is wrong, call and tell the company or bring it back to the store for a refund. .

Mail-In Rebates and Try-Me Free Offers

New products will sometimes have mail-in rebate incentives or Try Me Free Offers. Look for rebates in your coupon flyers, as well as around the neck of new products. You will find Try Me Free Rebates most often on Cleaning Supplies, but you will also find them on the occasional food product. Look on the Rebate Form for details. (i.e. Does it include taxes and mailing costs, how many per household, as well as the dates within the products must be purchased and when the forms must be sent)

Combine deals

You can use coupons along with sales to get even better deals. For example you can use two coupons when products are on sale for Buy One Get One Free. So imagine salsa on sale, buy one get one free or 2/$2.99 and you have $1 coupons when you buy one. You will get 2 salsas for $0.99! You are purchasing two Salsas so you can use two coupons. You can also combine sales with other good sales, reward programs and other deals and promotions. Please read the coupon for details of use, but most only limit the number of coupons you can use per purchase, which means one coupon per item.

To learn more about saving money in Canada or discuss grocery shopping with other Canadians, please visit our discussion forum - http://www.frugalshopper.ca/phpbb2/index.php

Reccomended Wine Under $10 a bottle Courtesy of Toronto Life

2010-10-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the first five recommended bottles;

carry on to theToronto Life site to view them all:

CALITERRA 2008 SAUVIGNON BLANC RESERVA

(Casablanca Valley, Chile)
A vibrant, easy-drinking sauvignon blanc that combines green nettle, lime and herbs with citrus spark and pineapple. $9.95. LCBO 110049.

CASAL THAULERO 2008 MERLOT CABERNET SAUVIGNON
(Abruzzi, Italy)
For under $7, it's hard to do better than this surprisingly complex bottle with lifted smoky notes, vague blackberry, licorice and earthiness. $6.95. LCBO 621953.

CASTAÑO LA CASONA 2007 MONASTRELL
(Yecla, Spain)
Full bodied and soft, this red hints at elegance that's rare for the price range. $8.95.LCBO 143743.

CASTILLO DE MONSÉRAN 2008 GARNACHA
(Cariñena, Spain)
A fruit bomb with red licorice and strawberry-rhubarb pie flavours. $8.95. LCBO 73395.

CONO SUR 2008 VIOGNIER
(Colchagua Valley, Chile)
A perfect summer sipper that has incredible complexity for the price. $9.95. LCBO 64287.http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/from-the-print-edition-daily-dish/2010/01/02/best-wines-under-10/

Recipes from the Bulk Barn!

2010-09-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Have a look!
I usually buy my ingredients for Holiday baking here anyway. I had no idea that they had recipes using their own products.
Tell me what special treats you have made!
Eileen

2010-09-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Second Cup Celebrates its Birthday with 75 Cent Coffee

It's Second Cup's 35th birthday today. Woo-hoo!!!!
Er, okay - admittedly, that's not particularly exciting news for most of us. Especially those of us who prefer to imbibe our caffeine at Starb...it would be rude to say that name on Second Cup's birthday, wouldn't it?

However, there is cause to celebrate: the java retailer is extending a little b-day gift to its customers by offering a special edition brew called Blend 35 for just 75 cents per medium cup all day long.

For a list of Second Cup locations, click here.

If You've Ever Thought... Now What Am I Going To Do With this?

2010-09-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Check out this blog, How Can I Recycle This?

Where the authors and the readers combine their efforts to answer these types of perplexing questions.

From Pencil Stubs to old cassette tapes they're on the case! With 129 readers suggestions they are surely on their way!

Give your mind a break and see what others are doing where everything has a use!

How can I reuse or recycle audio cassette tapes?

By louisa on 19 Jul 2006 | 129

I’ve recently been clearing out loads of old stuff from my obsessive teen fandom of a certain, ahem, fluffy-haired band. Ebay is currently in the process of loving me because I’m halfway there, selling my previously collected tshirts, vinyl and assorted memorabilia. (Some might even say, I’m living on a prayer with all the proceeds.)

Given my obsession started before I got a cd player in my bedroom, I bought all their early albums on cassette tapes and just about stretched them to breaking point with repeat playing. While the vinyl has lasted – and sold – well, I fear the cassette tapes are beyond the point of passing them on to someone else.

So what else can I do with them? Is the tape reusable? And if so, any ideas?

Best Suggestions

Pass Them On: Some people still use them – for both listening to and recording – so it’s probably worth checking to see whether your local charity/thrift shop still accepts them or offering them on Freecycle. Some charities also collect them for reuse for recording spoken newsletters and the like – see the comments below.
Reuse: Tapes are very retro-stylish at the moment and people are using the plastic bits to make belt buckles, bags and other decorations. The tape can be knitted or crocheted too.
Recycle: The tapes are electronic waste so they should be collected by your local authority in their e-waste bins.
See the comments below for more suggestions and ideas

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Kids Craft Ideas with Recycled Materials

2010-09-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

One Stop for some great Craft Ideas for Yourself and Your Children!

Trash to Treasure Crafts

Making Friends .com

Crafts by Amanda

Seashell Encrusted Picture Frame at:

Grandparents .com

Activity Village

Free Kids Crafts

All Free Crafts!

Craft Town

Ruby Glen Crafts

AC Craft Projects

Fisher Price Craft Page

Artists Helping Children

Inexpensive Ways to Spruce Up Your Bathroom

2008-08-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Awesome site that offer advise to decorate your home or apartment on a very strict budget.

Frugal Home Decor . . . Frugal Home Decorating Ideas for Busy Moms

Easy do-it-yourself budget home decorating ideas for every room of your home

10 Blog Traffic Tips

2008-08-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

In every bloggers life comes a special day - the day they first launch a new blog. Now unless you went out and purchased someone else''s blog chances are your blog launched with only one very loyal reader - you. Maybe a few days later you received a few hits when you told your sister, father, girlfriend and best friend about your new blog but that''s about as far you went when it comes to finding readers.Here are the top 10 techniques new bloggers can use to find readers.

These are tips specifically for new bloggers, those people who have next-to-no audience at the moment and want to get the ball rolling.

It helps if you work on this list from top to bottom as each technique builds on the previous step to help you create momentum. Eventually once you establish enough momentum you gain what is called "traction", which is a large enough audience base (about 500 readers a day is good) that you no longer have to work too hard on finding new readers. Instead your current loyal readers do the work for you through word of mouth.Top 10 Tips

10. Write at least five major "pillar" articles. A pillar article is usually a tutorial style article aimed to teach your audience something. Generally they are longer than 500 words and have lots of very practical tips or advice. This article you are currently reading could be considered a pillar article since it is very practical and a good "how-to" lesson. This style of article has long term appeal, stays current (it isn't news or time dependent) and offers real value and insight. The more pillars you have on your blog the better.

9. Write one new blog post per day minimum. Not every post has to be a pillar, but you should work on getting those five pillars done at the same time as you keep your blog fresh with a daily news or short article style post. The important thing here is to demonstrate to first time visitors that your blog is updated all the time so they feel that if they come back tomorrow they will likely find something new. This causes them to bookmark your site or subscribe to your blog feed.

You don''t have to produce one post per day all the time but it is important you do when your blog is brand new. Once you get traction you still need to keep the fresh content coming but your loyal audience will be more forgiving if you slow down to a few per week instead. The first few months are critical so the more content you can produce at this time the better.

8. Use a proper domain name. If you are serious about blogging be serious about what you call your blog. In order for people to easily spread the word about your blog you need an easily rememberable domain name. People often talk about blogs they like when they are speaking to friends in the real world (that''s the offline world, you remember that place right?) so you need to make it easy for them to spread the word and pass on your URL. Try and get a .com if you can and focus on small easy to remember domains rather than worry about having the correct keywords (of course if you can get great keywords and easy to remember then you've done a good job!).

7. Start commenting on other blogs. Once you have your pillar articles and your daily fresh smaller articles your blog is ready to be exposed to the world. One of the best ways to find the right type of reader for your blog is to comment on other people''s blogs. You should aim to comment on blogs focused on a similar niche topic to yours since the readers there will be more likely to be interested in your blog.

Most blog commenting systems allow you to have your name/title linked to your blog when you leave a comment. This is how people find your blog. If you are a prolific commentor and always have something valuable to say then people will be interested to read more of your work and hence click through to visit your blog.

6. Trackback and link to other blogs in your blog posts. A trackback is sort of like a blog conversation. When you write a new article to your blog and it links or references another blogger''s article you can do a trackback to their entry. What this does is leave a truncated summary of your blog post on their blog entry - it''s sort of like your blog telling someone else''s blog that you wrote an article mentioning them. Trackbacks often appear like comments.

This is a good technique because like leaving comments a trackback leaves a link from another blog back to yours for readers to follow, but it also does something very important - it gets the attention of another blogger. The other blogger will come and read your post eager to see what you wrote about them. They may then become a loyal reader of yours or at least monitor you and if you are lucky some time down the road they may do a post linking to your blog bringing in more new readers.

5. Encourage comments on your own blog. One of the most powerful ways to convince someone to become a loyal reader is to show there are other loyal readers already following your work. If they see people commenting on your blog then they infer that your content must be good since you have readers so they should stick around and see what all the fuss is about. To encourage comments you can simply pose a question in a blog post. Be sure to always respond to comments as well so you can keep the conversation going.

4. Submit your latest pillar article to a blog carnival. A blog carnival is a post in a blog that summarizes a collection of articles from many different blogs on a specific topic. The idea is to collect some of the best content on a topic in a given week. Often many other blogs link back to a carnival host and as such the people that have articles featured in the carnival enjoy a spike in new readers.

To find the right blog carnival for your blog, do a search at http://blogcarnival.com/.

3. Submit your blog to blogtopsites.com. To be honest this tip is not going to bring in a flood of new readers but it''s so easy to do and only takes five minutes so it''s worth the effort. Go to Blog Top Sites, find the appropriate category for your blog and submit it. You have to copy and paste a couple of lines of code on to your blog so you can rank and then sit back and watch the traffic come in. You will probably only get 1-10 incoming readers per day with this technique but over time it can build up as you climb the rankings. It all helps!

2. Submit your articles to EzineArticles.com. This is another tip that doesn''t bring in hundreds of new visitors immediately (although it can if you keep doing it) but it''s worthwhile because you simply leverage what you already have - your pillar articles. Once a week or so take one of your pillar articles and submit it to Ezine Articles. Your article then becomes available to other people who can republish your article on their website or in their newsletter.

How you benefit is through what is called your "Resource Box". You create your own resource box which is like a signature file where you include one to two sentences and link back to your website (or blog in this case). Anyone who publishes your article has to include your resource box so you get incoming links. If someone with a large newsletter publishes your article you can get a lot of new readers at once.

1. Write more pillar articles. Everything you do above will help you to find blog readers however all of the techniques I''ve listed only work when you have strong pillars in place. Without them if you do everything above you may bring in readers but they won''t stay or bother to come back. Aim for one solid pillar article per week and by the end of the year you will have a database of over 50 fantastic feature articles that will work hard for you to bring in more and more readers.

This article was by Yaro Starak, a professional blogger and my blog mentor. He is the leader of the Blog Mastermind mentoring program designed to teach bloggers how to earn a full time income blogging part time.To get more information about Blog Mastermind click this link:

http://www.blogmastermind.com/affiliates/index.php?af=825986

Coupon Chief - Coupons Online

2007-08-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

I’d like to tell you about a site where you can get free, usable online coupons for many popular businesses, stores and services. It’s called the Coupon Chief at http://www.couponchief.com/ You can also find coupon codes that you redeem online.

You can create a personal account to keep track of your favorite items, services and stores that you like to deal with. When using the coupons or codes for buying online. The Coupon Chief directs you to the business site and you get your savings right away. Instead of having to deal with sending in receipts etc. and waiting for the money to come in the mail. This seems like a really innovative idea. I remember waiting a long time for a coupon coming back for a Swiffer that I bought at Home Depot some time ago. With this site it would have been a lot easier!

I didn’t know that you could buy books from WalMart online and then get an additional savings on shipping from coupon chief. Walmart Books Catalogue

I buy natural pet foods and I found one online and with the coupon chief you can choose from a 10% savings http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/?Click=6875
or 5% off for just being a new customer :)

Dog has Kitten - strange but True?

2007-07-20T17:43:00.001-07:00

Dog has kitten

A dog has become a local celebrity in a Chinese village after she reportedly gave birth to a kitten.

Hua Chengpeng, of Huayang village, Jiangyan city, told People's Daily that the unlikely animal was the third 'puppy' in his pet's litter.

"The first two puppies the dog produced were both normal, but when the third baby came, the whole family was very surprised to see a cat-like creature. It is a cat, not a dog at all," he said.

Local residents have been flocking to his house to see the 'kitten' which local vets say is really a puppy which looks like a cat because of a gene mutation. It apparently yaps like a puppy.

Hua says his son brought the dog home from Liaoning city, where he had been working, a year ago.

Hawaiian Vacation

2007-05-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

For most of my life, my dream has been to travel. Especially to Spiritual sites around the world. I thought that when my children were older, I would be able to journey to distant lands and discover new things but I wasn’t fully prepared for the costs involved at the time.

Luckily now we have Internet where there are so many alternatives and packages that were not available to us years ago. Dreaming of warmer places I came across this Hawaiian Beach Rental site

That's me on the beach of my dream
Kauai condo rental *grin* I'm a sucker for a palm tree any day :) Just love them!

Hawaiian Beach Rentals and found that they have informative descriptions of the rental units and beautiful pictures, as you can see above :) It gives you a great idea of what you are going to be seeing on the island. Even for last minute planning this is a great place for me to start and to compare with other offers. As I plan and dream about my journeys in the, I hope, not too distant future.

Changing My Living Room Around For Summer

2007-05-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited because the warm weather is finally here!

The Sun was trying to shine in my front windows. As I opened up my curtains to let it beam in to enjoy it. I noticed as I pulled my curtains back that tonnes of dust! and crusty ole stuff came out of seemingly no where, to mess up my perfect beams of sunshine, into the front living room making it look more, like a smoggy day in a busy city :(
I had just washed them all a couple of months before too.

I like to open up the windows to air out the house. In the Spring the cats get all frisky and try and fight with the birds and squirrels through the screens lol

I decided that for my own health and for the health of the family I'd go to blinds again in the front of the house to see if might brighten things up. I had a heck of a time finding what I wanted in the way of colours and sizing. I wish I had known about this site http://www.guaranteedblinds.com/ when I did my change over.

I ended up choosing an off white colour as my furniture is a dark green and the walls are a dark cream. I would have liked a green to match the furniture but I couldn't find it going around to the different stores. Of course they have a beautiful Orchard colour at http://www.guaranteedblinds.com/ that would be beautiful.

Anyway I am really impressed how with the lighter colours on the windows it brightens up the entire front wall. It evens looks like we've painted, when of course we haven't :) Just by changing the window treatments. It didn't cost us alot of money to do. I really like the changes that we have made and I think the cats do too. I just roll them up a bit at the bottom and they can still sit there and have their furious fights with the elements of danger in the outside world, that I know they protect me from on a daily basis :)

So save yourself some time and aggravation and check out http://www.guaranteedblinds.com/ they have free shipping, good prices and free samples.

2007-04-30T08:23:00.001-07:00

One Day Blog Silence

2007-04-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Silence can say more than a thousand words.

This day shall unite us all about this unbelievable painful & shocking event and show some respect and love to those who lost their loved ones.

On April 30th 2007, the Blogosphere will hold a One-Day Blog Silence in honor of the victims at Virginia Tech. More then 30 died at the US college massacre.

But it´s not only about them. Many bloggers have responded and asked about all the other victims of our world. All the people who die every day. What about them?

This day can be a symbol of support to all the victims of our world!

All you have to do is spread the word about it and post the graphic on your blog on 30th April 2007. No words and no comments. Just respect, reflect and empathy.

New Totally Free Dating Site

2007-04-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

I was surfing around and found this free dating site Just Say Hi that compares to other dating services that charge you money for full services, or want to sign up by providing credit card information. Which I don't know about you but I don't do unless I really trust the site.

I decided to log on and try it before I recommend it, as promise to do for all of my readers. It's very cool and quick to sign up. Something I always hated about online dating sites was the initial Hello's. I mean, especially as a woman, how do you say that first Hiya how are ya doing? :) without looking too dorkey?

What Just Say Hi has done is integrated a really sophisticated message board into their site. So that you can start reading and commenting on the subjects that you are interested in or start a thread on a subject of your own interest. I took a look and the message boards are really active too with lots of people participating.

So by the time you want to talk to someone on a personal level you already have a good idea of 'where they're coming from', shared interests and can continue a conversation that was started on the boards!

Very Cool and all for free, nothing hidden or taken away in a few months of using either, very refreshing! dating site Just Say Hi I'd say this site is going to be growing fast.

Eileen

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING Political Content: About McGuinty's 'Don't Believe it Budget' 2007

2007-03-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT McGUINTY'S 'DON'T BELIEVE IT BUDGET'

location: Queen's Park
date: March 23, 2007 - 3:00pm
body:
People from across Ontario are saying
Dalton McGuinty's "Don't Believe it Budget" fails to deliver.

The Liberals have let down some of Ontario's poorest people today. They
seem to think that it is okay for those people to come home to leaky ceilings,
faulty plumbing and wiring, broken windows and doors.
- Kay Bromfield, tenant activist and TCHC resident, Strong Foundations,
Strong Futures

People who need income support from the Ontario Disability Support
Program will still find it next to impossible to pay their rent, eat a
nutritious diet and cover their other basic needs after Finance Minister
Sorbara's budget comes into effect. This budget does not treat people who
cannot work due to illness or disability with the dignity they deserve.
- Nancy Vander Plaats, chair, ODSP Action Coalition

Anti-poverty activists are disappointed that the clawback of the National
Child Benefit Supplement was not ended in real terms and other anti-poverty
measures announced do not go further. The budget doesn't move as quickly or as
significantly as needed to address the scope and depth of poverty in Ontario.
- Sarah Blackstock, Income Security Advocacy Centre

While we also welcome the government's commitment to the increase in the
Ontario minimum wage, we would have liked to see it happen faster to benefit
Ontario's children.
- Hilda Watkins, President, Ontario Teachers' Federation

McGuinty has tried to define himself as the 'Education Premier' but all
voters have seen is a trail of broken promises. High tuition fees and the
prospect of larger debt-loads remain this budget's forecast for Ontario's
students and their families.
- Jesse Greener, Ontario Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students

For long term care, the cupboard is bare. Unless the Liberals have a
sudden conversion on the way to the polls on October 10, they will have to
explain another broken promise - a promise made to long term care residents
and their families across this province.
- Donna Rubin, CEO, Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services
for Seniors (OANHSS)

This is insulting window dressing. Workers are demanding immediate action
to save and protect Ontario jobs. Dalton McGuinty just doesn't get it.
- Wayne Fraser, Steelworkers Ontario and Atlantic Director

McGuinty's Liberals didn't wait to implement an immediate 25% wage
increase for well-heeled politicians yet have no qualms imposing wait times on
Ontario's poor.
- Sid Ryan, CUPE Ontario

The Premier has announced that climate change is the issue for our
generation, but so far the all the government has really embraced is recycling
- of old promises.
- Hugh Mackenzie, Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives, Ontario
Alternative Budget

Today's announcement (for child care) is a far cry from the $300 million
promised almost four years ago.
- Elizabeth Ablett, Executive Director of the Ontario Coalition for
Better Child Care.

Filed Under: Howard Hampton, Leader Finance Finance

#2 Vinegar Exps. All around the House!

2007-03-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Vinegar What's it Really Good For?

Stick around and I'll tell you! :)

I've been trying it in many different places and finding that it really does work!

I'm going to give you a run down and these Tips are getting

Tippy's seal of approval :)

#1 I bought two really nice plates that look well, somewhat like the cartoon at the top of the page. Yes I said they are, 'really nice plates' *grin*. The trouble was they had these huge white price stickers on the middle of them and I couldn't get them off. I felt really proud of myself because I got the plates on sale and figured I was pretty smart for getting myself a good deal, so I didn't then want to go out and buy something to get rid of the sticky goop left on by the price stickers.

So once again I put the Vinegar to the test. I just filled the plates up as much as they would hold with the regular white Vinegar and did let them sit for a good two hours.

I tested the first plate and with minimal scraping, then washing with soap and a plastic scrubby both plates came up beautifully clean!

So don't bother with expensive de-gooping solutions! Vinegar passed again!

#2 A bit of a delicate subject here :) You know how after some time Pillow Cases and sometimes even sheets may get a stale smell to them? We all have allergies here to perfumes and cannot take heavily scented laundry soaps or fabric softeners so after a while a notice that the laundry could really use some freshening up.

(Now I have an older washer and dryer that just keeps on ticking 'knock on wood' lol so I'm not too worried about gaskets and such. Those with newer machines should check their owners manual before trying 'different things' in their machines other than just soap.)

I have tried bleach but that's so harsh and I don't like the smell.

I have been putting in 1/2 to 1 cup of Vinegar with and load that I want to freshen up. I just put it in the wash cycle and I find it cuts the soap buildup down and the clothes come out not only smelling better but they feel like they are rinsed more thoroughly. Which is great for us with the allergies! :)

#3 I'm also using Vinegar in the Dishwasher rinse holder and finding my dishes are more sparkly and have less buildup on them when they some out.

(Again same tip..I have an older machine..please be careful and read your manuals so you don't damage your newer machines!)

#4 The last proven tip is to freshen the air. A strong Vinegar smell is not good and the rest of your family will tell you! lol but if you just put out a little bit of it people don't seem to notice and the air does smell fresher!

I've even just had the bottle out on the counter and taken the cap off it, for a half hour while I was cooking, cutting onions or if something had burnt etc. then just put it away.

That's it for now!

Stay tuned for more.

We'll be moving on to something different....

how exciting!! lol

Eileen! and Tippy

Paper Making with Lonnie and Jacqueline

2007-03-14T14:45:00.001-07:00

Junk Journal

2007-03-14T14:34:00.001-07:00

I think this is an excellent idea. The journal itself looks a little tricky to make but with these instructions the final product, I think, would have a 'Pirate' appeal.
Very Cool!

Milk Jug Bird Feeder

2007-03-13T19:58:00.001-07:00

Hello! Big Fella :)

2007-03-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

The All Weather Snowman!

What do you think of this guy? Betcha he's lighter than the Calories, all of those food containers contained! lol

I found this photo at Morguefile submitted by Gracey. I wondered what would inspire one to make such a perfect guy without snow?! So I got in touch with her and this is what she said about him:

"The snowman was created by one of the local groups for their float entry in our Santa Clause parade. I thought it was it was a very creative way to reuse other materials - some of the containers used were from prepared jello and pudding cups. The entry was designed to highlight recycling."

If you're interested in Gracey's work you can contact her at Gracey@morguefile.com she has some really nice work on the site itself.

Fun & Useful Craft Ideas

2007-02-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up we always had a Button Tin. It actually was an old Cookie Tin that was filled with buttons that had been collected from old clothing that had worn out and had long gone from many years gone by. My Mother and sister would often sit with me and tell me of the outfits that this button or that button had come from. I found it very interesting as I added them to my projects.
As a child I would look through this tin at all of the lovely, shiny, bobbles picturing the beautiful gowns, which in my young mind had imagined, they must have been from. Sometimes I would find fantastically fashioned buttons that seemed to magically appear. They always had gold on them. I would test the gold on each button with my teeth, like I had seen pirates do on TV, wondering of it’s value. Many artistic endeavors were created from that tin that never seemed to have a bottom?
(I later found out that my Mother would find other abandoned button collections at rummage sales and bring them home to add to ours.)
Mothers are magical in themselves aren’t they?

Isn’t it so much fun to get a gift created right from a child’s hands and imagination?.

Here’s some ideas:

Buttons:
-gluing them to a simple wooden picture frame, don’t forget the picture too

-gluing them to a painted can to store pens and pencils in

-gluing them on a piece of heavy cardboard to make a card or again a homemade frame.

Old Cards:
We always saved old cards for sentimental reasons but also because with the Christmas ones we all sat together and cut them down to make ‘new’ Present Tags out of them. The cards came in handy to add special touches to crafts, art, and gift projects by cutting out the pretty parts and gluing them to your design.

Many fun uses for bottles:
Use an old beer bottle or a wine bottle as a candle holder. The wax dripping over the side will make pretty designs. Keep an eye on it to make sure nothing burns. Fill a clear glass bottle with small candies. Make a wine bottle into a vase. Use a larger wine bottle as a bank.

Newspapers:
We used to make large Palm Trees. I think the idea came from Mr. Dressup.
You start by layering newspapers all the same size and then rolling them up into a fairly tight roll.
Tape them well a round the outside.
You can paint the outsides green.
Cut strips from one end of the roll down approx. ¼ of the way, all the way a round.
Then very carefully from the middle, pull out the ‘leaves’ slowly and you will see how the ‘palm tree’ unfolds as you go.
You may want to cut the ‘palms’ longer but you’ll get the hang of it after you make your first tree.
We used to have so much fun with this, my children and I. We'd turn the livingroom into a jungle.

Pine Cone Bird Feeder:
Prepare a food mixture by mixing ½ cup vegetable shortening, lard or suet with 2 ½ cups cornmeal or uncooked oats and blend well. Get bird foods like dried chopped fruits and nuts, sunflower or millet seeds. Take a pinecone and tie a string to it. Cover the cone with the food mixture and roll over the bird food. Now hang it on a tree.

Christmas Outdoor Wreath:

Cut plastic bag into equal length strips and tie around a coat hanger which has been formed into a circle kep going, squeezing the tied plastic together firmly to make a Christmas wreath. When you have as much tiend plastic on there as you can fit for fullness. Fluff it up. Use wider strips of plastic to form bows.

Toys:
Make a child's drum set out of coffee cans and plastic lids.
Attach long, looped strings to the cans and let children use as stilts.

Useful tips:
Use old long-sleeved shirts as a smock for children who are painting and gluiing.
Use old Venetian blinds to cover tables while doing art projects

Ghost Tree Ornaments:

1 white plastic trash bag per ghost
1 round balloon per ghost
1 rubber band per ghost
black paint or permanent
markerstring or thin rope

1. Blow up a balloon until it is as big as you would like the head of your ghost. (Don't make it too bog because then it may pop.)
2. Put the balloon in a plastic bag and situate it so that a corner of the bottom of the bag is at the top of the balloon.
3. tie the bag just below the bottom of the balloon.
4. Draw a face onto the balloon with your paint or marker. The bag should be tied tight enough so that the surface is shaped evenly with the balloon.
5. Make a hole in the top of the bag (make sure you don't get the balloon) just large enough to insert the rope or string. Tie the string tightly & hang from a tree branch.

Bottle Caps:
Everyone probably knows the secret of the boot mat scraper seen at cottages everywhere. Bottle caps nailed to a piece of wood upside down to scrape the mud off.

Baking Soda: The Many Uses For

2007-02-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

Baking Soda

In the Kitchen:

To make your own baking powder, stir and sift together 2 parts of Cream of Tartar to 1 part baking soda and 1 part cornstarch

Be sure to keep an extra box of baking soda by your stove in case of grease or electrical fire. Scatter the powder by the handful to safely put it out.

Baby Bottles: clean up well with soda and hot water.

BBQ Grills: Sprinkle soda on, let soak, then rinse off.

Coffee Pots, Stainless Steel or Glass: (but not aluminum) in a soda solution ( 3 tbsp. soda to 1 quart water).

Dishcloths use to sweeten.

Dishwasher: Reduce odor build-up by sprinkling some soda on the bottom.

Dishwasher: Run your dishwasher through its cycle with soda in it instead of soap to give it a good cleaning.

Dish washing water: Add a small handful to your sinkful of soapy water when doing dishes. It makes your hands soft and dishes really clean.

Dried Beans: soak in water to make them more digestible.

Formica counter tops: clean with baking soda on a damp sponge

Food and drink containers: wash with soda and water.

Fridge and Freezer: clean with dry soda sprinkled on a damp cloth, rinse with clear water.

Fridge and Freezer: Deodorize by putting in an open container of baking soda to absorb odors. Stir and turn over the soda from time to time. Replace every 2 months.

Garbage cans: clean out and deodorize with baking soda
Pans: remove burned-on food from a pan: let the pan soak in soda and water for 10 minutes before washing. Or scrub the pot with dry soda and a moist scouring pad.

Badly Burned Pans: with a thick layer of burned-on food: pour a thick layer of soda directly onto the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle on just enough water so as to moisten the soda. Leave the pot overnight, then scrub it clean next day.
Clean plastic, porcelain and glass with dry soda on a damp cloth. Rinse and dry.

Polish silverware with dry soda on a damp cloth. Rub, rinse and dry.

Silver pieces without raised patterns or cemented-on handles: place the silver on aluminum foil in an enamel pot. Add boiling water and 4 tbsp. baking soda. Let stand, rinse and dry.

Stainless steel and chrome rub with a moist cloth and dry baking soda to shine it up. Rinse and dry. On stainless steel, scrub in the direction of the grain. Toasters etc.

Thermos bottles: wash out and cooling containers with soda and water to get rid of stale smells.

Vegetables and Fruit: Clean with baking soda. Sprinkle in water, soak and rise the produce

Wooden Chopping Boards are cleaned and deoderized by scrubbing with baking soda.

Bathroom:

In the Bath: Add 1/2 cups or more of baking soda to your bath water to soften your skin.
Putting 2 tbsp. of baking soda in your baby's bath water will help relieve diaper rash irritations.
Take a soda bath to relieve general skin irritations such as measles and chicken pox.

Clean your bathroom with dry soda on a moist sponge - sink, tub, tiles, shower stall, etc.

Combs and Brushes clean in a soda solution

Drains: Keep your drains clean and free-flowing by putting 4 tablespoons of soda in them each week. Flush the soda down with hot water.

Diapers: Soak and wash diapers to cut ordour and amonia.

Hand Washing: To remove strong odors from your hands, wet your hands and rub them hard with soda, then rinse.

Kitty Litter: Soda absorbs kitty litter odors. Cover the bottom of the kitty box with 1 part soda; then add a layer of 3 parts kitty litter on top.

Shower Curtains: Soak in water and soda to clean them.

Toothbrushes: Sprinkle baking soda on your wet toothbrush and brush your teeth and dentures with it.

Laundry:

Add to laundry Helps get clothes REALLY clean, and you can reduce the amount of detergent you use. Great for sensitive skin too, or those with allergies

Use in rinse cycle to have a softner effect and gets the soap out of the clothes.

Oil and grease - stained clothing washes out better with soda added to the washing water.

Miscellaneous:

Carpet Freshener add a few drops of inexpensive fragrance oils that you may find at the craft store and shake it up. Sprinkle over entire carpet area, and then allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. Vacuum all the baking soda up and the smells will go with it. Great way to replace commercial carpet fresheners.

Unclog Drains Pour a cup of baking soda down any drain and follow with a few cups of boiling water to keep drains running well. To unclog a tougher clog, try baking soda, followed by a cup of vinegar - let that sit and then flush out with boiling water.

Spraying Cats :( Remove the odor of a spraying cat. Make a paste of baking soda and water, cover area, leave for at least three hours but preferably overnight, then vacuum when powder has dried.

Remove Scuffs from vinyl flooring. A little baking soda on a damp sponge will make them disappear right away.

#1 Bathroom Taps Vinegar Experiment

2007-02-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

My Experiment Day!

Every week I hope to use one of the methods posted on my site to see if it really works :)

I received a digital camera for Christmas and with a little luck I'll be able to post some pics of the process to make it a little more fun :)

btw: yes your eyes are fine..the pics turned out a little blurry. I did try and sharpen them up a bit which is the only doctoring of photos that I did. I should have named my blog. Helpful hints and learning to use my camera. lol

#1 Test

I have a bathroom faucet that I am forever fussing about. We rent our home so I'm always trying to think up ideas to clean it up instead of replacing it! Nothing so far has worked. I'm being really brave by posting pictures of the cruddy faucet hoping for amazing results! :)

I'm going to try this method first:

Hard water stains: are removed from your kitchen faucet by putting a cloth soaked with Vinegar on it and letting it sit.

Okay this is a really tough job, as you can see and I'm not sure if the vinegar method is up to the task. So I'm going to remove the tap handles to let the vinegar get better access to the grime and myself for better wiping afterwards!

I've removed the handles and the situation is even worse than I thought. Here's a better look at the situation:

I know Yuck! you don't have to tell me. I've tried to get it clean but when you scrub them they are so corroded that the silver comes off too! On with our test!

Next we have to soak our cloth in vinegar. I'm using a nice heavier towel. I put 2 cups of regular white inexpensive vinegar in the sink, soaked the towel. I also put vinegar around the edges of the sink where there is a rubber guard and it tends to get a build up there too. Next put it on the taps to that all areas are covered and let it sit. I'm letting it sit for 2 hours and seeing how good a job that does first.

The vinegar smell is very strong! It's winter right now and all of the windows are closed. So I've closed the bathroom door and I have the fan on but it's not helping.

As you can see I'm having help assessing the smelly situation. This is my feline friend Tippy. He's 14 yrs. old and always very interested in every thing I'm doing but I think he also thinks this is very smelly :)

Well it's been 2 hours and it's time for the unveiling!!

I've cleaned them all up for you to see but I've just wiped them off and buffed them up a little and TAH DAH!!!!

YAY!!!!! :):):) It actually worked!!

I used the towel to buff up the taps and shower taps etc.

The build up on the sink itself lifted off without a problem also!

I'm a happy camper!

....a few days later and I'm still amazed. No scrubbing what so ever!

The smell lasted one day. Well worth it.

I'm going to have to come up with some kind of a rating system.

I think I already have my sites on the next experiment...

but you'll have to come back to find out what it is :)

Eileen

Hi I'm Eileen!

2007-02-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

Like most folks these days and in the past, I’ve had to scrimp and save our money to make ends meet. We’ve tried a lot of different things in the house for cleaning and for inexpensive food items, some things work and others really didn’t. Some even caused damage to furniture.

My parents went through the depression so I was raised with all kinds of money saving ideas that I just thought were normal things that everyone did. My Mother made everything from scratch. As prices changed it wasn’t always the most inexpensive thing to bake your own bread etc. so sometimes you have to reinvent and move with the times.

I understand that people don’t have the time these days to spend on preparation and time around the home. I used to have a small cleaning business and learned a lot about what people need to help them around their home. To support them in their day to day lives. I thought I’d try and put all of this knowledge to use, combined with my blogging skills and see what happens!

I enjoy researching on the internet. Learning about innovative new and remembering old trustworthy ideas that we all can use to make our lives easier, happier, to save time and yes to save us some money. Check back for tips on keeping some of it in our pocket book so that we can have some fun!, with our earnings for a change.

Thanks for dropping by!
Eileen