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Readers' Tips

Unwanted Inground Pool

I worked for a while as a real estate agent and buyers would sometimes ask me about this. So I asked a pool installer about how to decommission a pool.

I learned that you can't just empty the pool of water. If you do, it will float up out of the ground, possibly damaging plumbing and electrical connections to the pool.

You can't just fill it with dirt. With no way for rainwater to drain through the pool liner, it will become a mud pit. The decommissioning process starts with draining the pool. Then holes are drilled through the pool liner. A jackhammer or backhoe is used to remove the rim.

Then it's filled with dirt and landscaped over. It's a very permanent thing. And can cost several thousand dollars. A less expensive option would be to fill, or partially fill the pool with gravel. Then build a deck over it. Keep the drain open so that rainwater can be removed.
Gordon

editor's note: You'll find more on this subject here or join the discussion in The Dollar Stretcher Community.

Restore Don't Replace

I have been giving my belongings a second look to see if I can make them better instead of buying new. For $9, I bought a furniture restoring product that I rubbed into an older table. The table, though a great, sturdy piece of furniture, looked old and dry and had some minor scratches and water marks on it. This product doesn't require sanding, so it was an easy fix. I was amazed how rich the wood looked after! The scratches were covered, too. My family was amazed at the difference! I have enough left over to do several other pieces as well.
Cathy R.

Only the Packaging Is Different

I did use a moisturizer from QVC that was very expensive. I was going through the container quickly and dreaded spending the money on another container, but it did a great job on my face. Then I thought about the moisturizer that had come from AVON in a makeup bag set among other products. I thought I would use it at night and my expensive QVC cream during the day. Well, after doing that for a few days, I got the idea to check the ingredients list. The active ingredients were the same in both creams. I was amazed!

I will from now on check the ingredients in my skin care products. I wonder what other items I can find for a cheaper price that have the same ingredients as my expensive ones.
Claudia in KY

Little Luxuries:
My Peaceful Corner

Clean out a corner of a room and add a chair, small table and lamp. When stressed, add a cup of tea, a good book and relax in your new corner.
Paula C.

editor's note: Many of us have given up a lot because of the economy. So we're looking for "Little Luxuries" that we can share with everyone. If you have an inexpensive way to make yourself feel good, please send it by gary@stretcher.com. We'll share the best ones in future issues.

Kids and Cooking Eliminates Complaints

I have found that if the kids cook the meal, they are more likely to eat it without complaint. We came upon this accidentally. I put out the ingredients (with small choices like peas or carrots that he could decide) and the simple recipe and my eight-year-old created the dish. With what was left in the cupboard, we had another dinner that everyone ate. Now they take turns preparing a simple dinner.
S.

Testing New Recipes

My daughter-in-law was moaning recently about not being able to go out to dinner. Her repertoire of recipes was limited. Taking a page from Julia Child, I asked her why she didn't try new things. She responded that she was afraid that she'd mess up and ruin the food!

Aha! I offered to make the new dish and she could reciprocate to me by making a dish she knows how to make (since I am an experienced cook and nobody ever died from what I've made). So twice a month we cook for each other. I've made the dish she wanted to try and now I can "teach" her how to make it correctly.

This has worked like a charm and now my dear daughter-in-law is no longer "afraid." I encourage new cooks (and some old ones) to learn new recipes and cook at home. It has more nutrition, more flavor, and you'll know "who cooked it." Trading off an evening twice a month allows us to connect, learn to work together, and save money on a luxury we both enjoy.
LynAnne

Little Luxuries:
A Touch of the Best

There are so many beautiful yarns available of luxurious natural fibers, and many are hand-painted. While I would love to knit a whole sweater or afghan of these fantastic yarns, the cost would be far too great.

Instead, I buy one or two skeins (which can be found substantially marked down because they are all that is left of a dye lot), and knit a neck scarf, shrug, hat, fingerless gloves, etc. For little money, I can enjoy creating and working with gorgeous fiber, and have a great, one-of-a-kind designer-quality accessory to wear or give as a gift.
Karla T. in Remer, MN

Hair on Carpets?

A hairdresser friend who does some work at home had a method of rolling the hair off her carpet. She would wear sticky rubber soled shoes and move backwards rolling at the carpet surface with her feet, much like a chicken scratching in a yard. In fact, we used to do it side by side, singing "There ain't nobody here but us chickens"! I got out the hair in neat, easy to dispose of rolls.
Jane G. in Yorkshire, England

Ready to Party

There are many times when my husband gets an unexpected day off or Saturday rolls around and we have no plans, no ideas for activities, and very limited funds to spend on an outing as a family.

I used to go online and spend as long as an hour or two trying to figure out what we could do on this particular day. After my search, the day would be just about over, so all we'd have time for was going to dinner, but funds were limited. We didn't want fast food, but couldn't afford to splurge on a decent restaurant. Don't some restaurants have "kids eat free" nights? But which ones? Which nights? Here's what I finally did to resolve this frustrating dilemma.

One day I spent about an hour on the Internet looking up major attractions in our city, St. Louis, and activities to do with the family. I wrote down all the information to each place. There are so many great places to go. Some places were actually free like farms and the science museum. Then I looked in our local phone book for stuff to do in our town, like miniature golf, bowling, skating, etc. While I was looking in the phonebook, I decided to call several local restaurants and asked if they had a "kids eat free" night.

I took all of this information and typed it up, hole-punched it, and put it in one of those 10-cent folders. Now, whenever a free day pops up, I have, at my fingertips, a list of 20 possible places we could go with all the information that I need for each place. We can even stop at a nice restaurant for dinner on the way home and the kids can eat for free! I also included in my list the number to our nearest dollar cinema, so we can always call them and see what's playing. And, of course, we eat before leaving home!

This has saved us time and hassle when we just want to do something fun with the kids. This has also kept us from resorting to things like going to see a movie and paying $40 to get in after admission and snacks. And we've done some really fun things this past year, and it took less than an hour to get all the information that I needed.
BeckaLynn

Cutting Costs

I was recently looking for a small pair of scissors in Meijer and the prices were outrageous, plus none were exactly what I wanted. I was wandering through the craft department and found a three-piece set hanging in a display. They were over $20 and only the smallest pair would have been useful, so I started to leave. My husband started going through all the sets hanging there, and at the very end, he found a package that had been ripped open with only the small pair remaining. I wasn't going to bother because, knowing Meijer, I'd still have to pay the full price, but my husband said, "No, we're getting these for you!" We took them with us, and when we'd finished shopping, we asked the cashier if we could get just this pair. She called back to the craft department, explained the situation, and I got that wonderful pair of scissors for $3, which was much cheaper than any of the single pairs of small scissors. I guess it never hurts to ask!
Nancy L. in Michigan

Buy Milk on Sale

I hesitated to freeze milk until I searched on the web and found that it can be done. So now I buy milk on sale, pour a little out of the jug (for headroom), and freeze it. It defrosts perfectly well by sitting in the sink for about six hours. I shake it occasionally to help it defrost. While it's still got some ice crystals in it, I put it in the fridge. Before every use, I shake the carton really good (I use whole milk) and I guarantee no one can tell it's been frozen. My daughter was amazed after a recent visit when I told her all the milk she'd drunk at my house was frozen!
Deb C.

Keeping Cukes Fresh Longer

I love the long, "seedless" cucumbers because I don't like the big seeds in regular ones. However, this kind of cucumber is large and expensive and it always goes bad before I can use it all. I hate to waste that much money.

I've discovered a simple way to keep the cucumber fresh much, much longer. I peel and slice the whole cucumber and place the slices in a plastic container that has a sealing lid. I put a paper towel or a paper napkin on the bottom and another one on top of the slices and close the container with the lid. The paper towels/napkins absorb the extra moisture that seems to make the cucumbers rot so quickly. The taste is great, and I can keep the cucumber slices "fresh" for a week if necessary, maybe longer!
L

Extra Tomatoes?

If you have more tomatoes than you can use, here is something you might consider doing. Remove the green stem on top of all of your excess tomatoes and cut out the green core right underneath. Turn the tomato over and make a shallow "X" cut on the bottom. Now bag in proper freezer bags and store in your freezer. When you are in need of tomatoes for a special recipe, remove how many you think you will need from the freezer. Thaw or defrost in the microwave. The cut you made in the bottom of the tomato will now make it easy to peel the skin off before using.
Linda D.

Measured Usage

I put all of my body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel into plastic pump bottles (purchased with a friend on clearance from a craft warehouse). I know just how many pumps it takes of each to do the job. I don't have to worry about how much to squirt out of the original bottle (which usually ends up being more than I need). Three bottles of shampoo and three bottles of conditioner (24-ounce bottles) last me a whole year. Four bottles of lotion (8-ounce bottles) last me a whole year. One bottle of hair gel (36-ounce container) lasts me a whole year. Plus, all of these products are purchased at their lowest price of the year (I keep a price book).
Letha C.

Going to College...for Entertainment

If you are looking for something inexpensive to do this summer and live near a college, you are in luck. Our family went to visit our local college the other day. We discovered that they had a pond. For 25 cents, we bought fish food for the turtles and fish. The library had a kite display and viewing room of the robotic book retrieval system. Walking about campus, we discovered a small sculpture garden, a performing arts center and an art gallery. Colleges also offer sporting events at a fraction of the cost of a professional event. The daily parking pass was only $5, but we were lucky and found free parking on the street. It was a great adventure and educational, too.
Shawn V. in Chatsworth, CA

Beware Automatic Charges

To get out of debt, my wife and I changed the way we handled our finances. We have one account that we both have access to that pays the bills and daily expenses. However, we each also have a checking account for some of our own discretionary money for gifts, personal purchases, etc. where we keep about $30 to $50.

I had $37 in that account and purchased an iTunes song ($1.06 in this situation) through my personal account on a Saturday morning. When I went to check my online banking on Monday, I was in the negative by $83! I had forgotten to cancel a virus software program that I had put on an old laptop a year ago, and it had debited me the yearly fees, even though I didn't use the laptop any longer. So, that charge had put me in negative, plus the $31 overdraft charge, the $1.06 for the song, and another $31 for the second overdraft charge!

I learned a couple of lessons. First, think about any ongoing charges that you sign up for and make sure that they have to send out an email or phone call reminder before they automatically renew. Second, on low balance accounts, always charge impulse buys during a weekday where you can monitor the account balance.

I canceled the service and was able to get some of it back, but the $62 total bank charges I had to "eat."
Matt

Little Luxuries:
Once a Month Splurge

Even a recovering shopaholic can enjoy some serious luxury once in awhile. I get my shopping satisfaction by filling a cart at the local Goodwill or Salvation Army once a month. I limit myself to items that are on sale at these stores. That usually means certain tags are half off. Some days these stores have everything in the store as half off. I usually keep a budget of under $25, which is about the price of one item of clothing new at a retail store. (I imagine this could work just as well if you took a day and went to a bunch of different garage sales. Just involves a little more gas.) Last time I went out, I came home with three bags of goodies! The best part is when I get compliments on the stuff I buy, knowing that I paid a fraction of what I could have paid. Plus, it really helps to know that the money from these stores is for a good cause.
JH in Cleveland

What would you do with an extra $100? One lucky Dollar Stretcher "tipster" will win a $100 check each month just for sending in their favorite time or money saving idea. It could be you. Just click here to submit your suggestion. If we use your tip in any of our publications, we'll send you the next three issues of our print newsletter as a "thank you" and you'll automatically be entered into our monthly $100 drawing!

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