Friday, December 31, 2010

Tips and Tidbits

Family Movie Night ~ Hallmark has some very good movies.  Most are family oriented, though not all of them are.  Why not tape some and check them out.  Then if some are suitable for a Family Movie Night, use them to enjoy with your family.  You may be able to find some at your local library as well.  Pop some popcorn and enjoy your time together as a family!

Family Game Night
~ Some of the most fun times we've had as a family were time sitting around the kitchen table, laughing as we played many table games.  Don't let the TV, business or tiredness rob you of these memorable times.

Family Puzzle Night
~  While visiting our daughter's family last month, she had a new large brightly colored family puzzle of beach scenes, with three different sections in large, medium and small pieces.  I helped our grandson do the larger pieces, then we helped Paw Paw finish the medium sized pieces.  He and Justin moved on to other things and I continued to help Joy with the tiniest pieces.  We were down to fitting in the last three pieces, when we realized one piece of this brand new puzzle was missing!  Joy knows her dad pretty well and called to him, "Okay, Dad!  We know you have it!  Bring us that last piece!"  He pulled it out of his pocket and finished the puzzle!  He loves to say he finished the puzzle!

Longer Lasting Sharp Razor Blades ~ Wet blades become dull, but you can make your blades last and remain sharp for several months if you put your razor in a small amount of rubbing alcohol or blow it dry for a few seconds with your blow dryer. Of course, I'm not speaking of electric razors here!

Multiple Sized Patterns for Sewing ~ Many patterns now have multiple sizes on one pattern.  In order not to cut off any larger sizes, trace the pattern you need onto freezer paper and use the freezer paper to cut out your fabric pattern pieces.  Simply iron the freezer paper onto your fabric.  The shiny side of the paper will stick to the fabric, so pins are not even necessary to cut out the pattern pieces!  This not only saves your pattern, but saves you time in pinning.

Homemade Skin Scrub
~ Make your own skin scrubs for very little money by combining salt, cooking oil and a few drops of essential oil such as lavender.  This is even a nice gift, if given in a pretty jar.

Homemade Laundry Soap
~ If you are having trouble locating all three ingredients to easily make your own laundry soap for a few pennies per load, ask your grocer if you may fill out a form to special order what you need.  Let them know of the demand for Fels-Naptha soap bars, Arm and Hammer washing soda and Borax.

Watering Indoor Plants
~ Fill an old dish washing liquid bottle (with a pull-up tip) with water.  Pull out the tip and invert near the center of the plant to water slowly, possibly while you're away from home for more a week or more.  You can do the same with special outdoor plants.  Plant fertilizer can also be added for a slow dripping process.

Dinners for Eight
~ For an enjoyable evening out with three other couples once a month, take turns hosting a dinner and a possible activity.  The host would prepare the appetizer, meat, potatoes and beverage.  The other three couples would bring the salad, vegetable and dessert.  The host could call the other three couples to make suggestions of foods that would compliment the meal.  Entertainment might be a game, a good movie, or a good discussion.  This is much less costly than eating out and you get to enjoy the company of your friends.  If one couple is unable to participate one month, the host could ask another couple.  My husband and I used to head up the Fellowship Dinners in two churches we attended, where as many as 44 couples signed up and during an eight month period, each couple hosted twice, and got to be with different couples each month.

Shop in Your Own Closets
~ There is never a need to pay full price for certain items, if you buy supplies in multiples when they are on sale.  Your "closet shopping" will often save you extra trips to the store as well.  Supplies that qualify are items such as tissues, toilet paper, paper towels (if you use them at all), toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, cotton balls, buff puffs (dollar store), skin creams and lotions, chapstick, lipstick, face powder, shampoo and conditioner, hair spray, liquid hand soap, soap bars, bath and shower gels, baby wash, diapers, baby wipes, and other baby supplies, body powder, mouthwash, deodorant, razors, Bandaids, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, OxiClean, laundry detergent or the 3 supplies to make your own for 3 cents per load), fabric softener, glass cleaner and other cleaning supplies, Magic Erasers, plastic wrap, foil, wax paper, parchment paper, garbage bags, Ziplock bags and other supplies that have a long shelf life.  Some canned or bottled items can still be bought only on sale, but don't buy too much too far ahead.  Keep an eye on the expiration dates.  If your closets don't provide enough space for storing these items, organize an area in your storage space, using boxes if there aren't enough shelves. 

Long Distance Savings
~ We used to use several long distance services, but always found mistakes in their billing.  For the past eight or so years we've used One Suite at 2.9 cents per minute anytime in all of the U.S. and low rates worldwide.  We pay ahead of time Online in multiples of $10 which gives us 344.8 minutes of long distance visiting.  You can check your phone calls Online, but we have never found a mistake in all those years!  A great money saving tip - www.onesuite.com.  We have punched the numbers into our phone memory (Memory 1 for the 800 number, and Memory 2 for our pin number).  When we're away from home we can use it for long distance as well.  This makes a nice gift as well.

Saving on Freezer Bags
~ Many times I freeze smaller portions of food in storage bags or even sandwich bags, then put them all into one large freezer bag.  It cuts down on more expensive freezer bags, although you can find good freezer and storage bags, as well as plastic wrap (Glad brand) at Dollar General.

Multi-Purpose Baby and Children's Gift Wrap ~ Make the wrapping of a baby or young child's gift usable by sewing up drawstring tote bags which can later be used for toys.

Using Every Bit of the Lipstick
~ After you've used a lipstick tube until it's flat, you will find there's still a couple week's worth left in the tube.  Use a lipstick brush to reach in and use it all up.

Chapstick
~ When you've used a tube of chapstick until
it's flat, use a small knife to dig out the remainder and apply to another tube, after you have lowered the top part of the chapstick.  Smooth it out and stick it in the freezer for icy relief.

Sinus Congestion Relief
~ NeilMed can be found at Walmart for about $10.  It contains many packets of salt which is poured into the bottle which is included.  The salt water solution, with a perfect ratio, is used for squirting salt water into the nostrils for relief.  No burning, but instant relief.

Steven Curtis Chapman Singing "Cinderella" ~ His four year old daughter, Maria, unexpectedly died in a tragic accident last year.  This is a song he wrote before the accident.  On this video at about 48 seconds there will be a picture a Virginia "Heart to Heart" friend, Jen Larson's husband, Mike and daughter, Annika!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRo3-qjvZ5A 

No comments: