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I have noticed that there have been a few tips and questions from people who are concerned about throwing away their live Christmas trees. Look in your local paper or ask someone at the city offices in your town if there is community project or something that will reuse the tree when you are done with it.
I live near a lake, and every year, the city will set up an area in a local park where everyone can drop off trees. After a month of collecting, the city will take them out to the lake and throw them in, so they become "houses" in which the fish can live and breed. I think this is a good way of making sure the trees get a whole new useful life!
Anja H.
When renewal time comes for your newspaper, don't use the form they send you. Go to their website. I have been renewing my newspaper this way for a year now and saving more than if I use their card they send me in the mail.
Greg L. in Cuyahoga Falls, OH
If you join a food cooperative in your area, you may be able to get a rebate at the end of the fiscal year! Talk to the membership person at the co-op nearest you! At my co-op, all the profits go back to members based on what they spent that year. It could be as much as 5% or more! Also at my co-op (in Minnesota), if you volunteer there just three hours a month, you get 15% off your purchases! Check into it! It's a small price to pay for good health. Still a lot cheaper than eating out.
Carolyn S.
I have two small children who get impatient waiting for hot soups (puddings, etc.) to cool. Even putting a bowl in the freezer takes several minutes and ice cubes dilute soup. The quickest way I've found is to use a heatsink. Just plug your kitchen sink and fill it with 1 1/2 to 2 inches of cold water. Use just enough to come most of the way up the sides of the bowl, cup, etc. Place the dish to be cooled in the sink and stir gently, testing it every 10 seconds or so. I had near-boiling soup cool in less than a minute. The cold water will draw the heat from the food away much faster than the cold air in the freezer and you're not warming the food in your freezer that needs to stay frozen.
Alana
I have been making my own baby food and my youngest is now 10 months old. I was working when my other daughters were little (7 years and 4 years), and I didn't even think about making my own baby food with them. I'm a full-time mom now, and the price of the store-bought stuff really inspired me to think about making my own. Also, I love fresh produce and we have a wonderful produce market not far from our house, so it's easier (and cheaper) to just go there than to drive 10 minutes to the supermarket.
I was surprised by the color of the homemade food versus the store bought stuff. We bought a few jars of the ready-made baby food to keep on hand for emergencies or outings. The butternut squash is yellow and costs around 52 cents for two plastic cubes, and the taste is not that great. One huge butternut squash purchased from the curb market makes a whole month's worth for around $3 and is bright orange in color and very sweet tasting! You just roast, and either fork mash for older babies or puree for younger ones in your blender or food processor. I personally had no need for purchasing a "baby food mill" for this purpose.
I can feed her a variety of fruits and veggies that you can't buy in the baby food aisle such as mashed avocado and mango. I also discovered (thawed) frozen blueberries, and I mash a few up in her cereal or mix with other fruits from time to time. When she was around six months old, I made smooth applesauce, but now I just roast the apples (or pears) for a few minutes until they are soft and mash them since she has four teeth with which she can chew. Next, I'm going to try my hand at making some teething biscuits. Wish me luck!
Maria M.
A good friend of mine told me her secret to having a nicely decorated house. She decides on themes and color schemes, then she shops thrift stores and garage sales all year long, keeping her themes in mind. For example, her formal living room has only white and gold Christmas decorations, and her kitchen is done in Christmas Teddy Bears. Over the years, she's found many decorations on the second hand market for pennies on the dollar. She resists buying decorations that don't match her basic themes. For example, she would pass up Santa placemats, as they don't match her teddy bear theme for the kitchen.
No one would ever guess that her coordinated decorations came about through thrift store shopping. Her house looks like she spent a mint decorating it, but instead, she just planned wisely.
Now that Christmas is over, she's switching out her decorations. For the rest of winter, she's going with snowmen. Once again, they are bought at thrift stores, bargain basements, and garage sales. Smart friend, eh?
JoAnn in NM
Just wanted to pass on a tip that may help during this winter season. With the cost of heating going up so much, we too keep the thermostat down, and at night, it can get plenty chilly. On my children's beds as well as mine, I put a blanket under the sheet, and it makes a world of difference for staying warm at night.
Faye
As an alternative to hiring a Claims Assistance Professional at up to $80 per hour to sort out medical bills, people on Medicare can contact their State Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Trained volunteers provide the same service for free. Call 1-800-Medicare or go to medicare.gov/contacts/static/allStateContacts.asp . Select your State and then just click to see what's available.
Alice C. in Gorham, NH
When you use vinegar water, be very careful not to put metal on the wet floors. The metal reacts with the vinegar and can leave rust marks that won't come off on some laminates.
Judy
My husband's and my grandparents grew up in the Great Depression and married during WWII. They have always been concerned about money, but they have enough. We began giving very practical gifts to our grandparents several years ago. The gifts are not "exciting," but are met with heart-felt thanks. The gifts are also given for safety reasons.
Over the years, we have given our grandparents gift certificates to the grocery store, gas station, snow cleaning and lawn mowing services, and professional window washing. We've paid for having their vehicles winterized, and once, the cousins all pitched in and bought new snow tires for grandpa's truck. We've also hired our church youth group to rake and bag leaves. The money we have paid the youth group has gone to their mission trip, so we've not only helped our grandparents, but we have given to our church youth as well. The youth have gotten to know our grandparents and our grandparents have been touched by the compassion these teenagers have shown them. And, knowing that our grandparents are not climbing ladders to wash windows or straining themselves to shovel snow has been reassuring for us.
These gifts may not save the gift-giver money, but it sure makes my husband and me feel good to know that our grandparents have one less financial issue about which to worry. Knowing that Grandma and Grandpa have peace of mind and are safe is worth every penny we spend!
JB
While searching for a way to support our troops overseas (I grew up as an Army brat, so I guess that's one reason I'm pretty patriotic), I came across a great organization called "Operation Paperback." It's a non-profit organization that coordinates the shipment of gently used, recycled paperbacks to servicemen and women overseas.
Often, our soldiers are stationed in places where they don't have many options for recreation. Reading is a safe and available "escape" to pass the hours. I asked members of my alumnae club to search their bookshelves for paperbacks to donate, but one could easily do the same with a local church, PTA or neighborhood group. Perhaps, you could even ask for shipping donations. The organization makes it easy to label and mail. Even better, I could ship via book rate to APO/FPO addresses that are billed as "domestic." Last Saturday, I sent eight boxes of books (about 180 titles) for only $50! It's a great way to help the troops without a huge amount of cash. You can reach the organization at http://www.operationpaperback.org
Glenda W.
Some people have started using ground turkey instead of ground beef and say that, aside from being less expensive, it also means eating healthier. People should be aware that ground turkey can contain any part of the turkey, including dark meat and skin, which is higher in fat. The only way ground turkey is really healthier than ground beef is if you are purchasing ground turkey breast. A consumer who wants better quality meat should purchase ground cuts of meat, like ground chuck, ground round, or ground turkey breast, rather than the all-inclusive "ground beef" or "ground turkey." I am studying to be a registered dietitian, and learned this in a food science course I was required to take.
Nancy in Denham Springs, LA
I gave up working outside the home 18 months ago. I spent a few months relaxing, travelling, catching up with correspondence, etc. Common to many "retirees," I don't know how I found time to go out to work before!
First, find out what you've got stashed away. On my to-do list was tidying closets. I found things tucked away in back of the shelves and inside luggage, and I found some gifts still wrapped in the linen cupboard. Now that it's all in one spot, I realize that I may never need to buy soap and shampoo again.
Next, use the stuff you are given. If you save things for later, you may find it is past its best. Again, I won't need moisturizer and body lotion for months.
Laxmi F.
I have discovered an easy "fire starter." Just build your fire as usual and then add chips of paraffin wax to the top of the wood. The wax melts onto the logs and kindling and gets the fire going quickly.
Linda S.
If you have an second telephone line that was offered for free by your phone company as a line for your computer, check to see how much tax you are paying for this line. I was paying all the federal, state and local taxes, federal access charge, 911 fees, and many more fees. The list was long of added fees and was costing about $20 a month for my "free" line. I then signed up for broadband and dropped my second phone line. I now have broadband for about the same cost as I was paying for the dial-up Internet service provider and the "free" phone line.
Janet in Utah
Each year, I purchased new Christmas cards to send out. Inevitably, I have many cards left over because there weren't quite enough in just one box and I had to buy two. I can't bear to throw these away. So, I found myself packing them away with the Christmas gear for next year. However, each year when Christmas arrived, I found them again, but I couldn't remember who got which card in previous years. So, I ended buying new ones again and the cycle repeated itself. After years of this, I found myself with many cards that I was afraid to send because I didn't want to send someone a card they received last year or the year before.
Now, to remedy this problem, when I pack away my extra cards, I put them in a resealable bag, write the year they were sent on the outside, and put a list of those they were sent to in the bag with the cards. After a few years, I am now able to re-send cards or send ones out to people I know haven't received them before.
Amanda K.
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