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We had a submersible pump melt, mercury light explode, and water softeners, TVs, and satellite receivers fried. I can't remember everything in several incidences. We got a whole house surge suppresser. The cost was about $150. We purchased it from our electric company and they installed it at no charge. For over 10 years now, we have had no more problems. Everything is insured by the surge suppresser company for $20,000. It is outside on our meter. It has two red lights and we were told to check to make sure the two red lights were on once a month or so. If they go out, we are to call our electric company.
Rosemary
editor's note: For more on How to Protect Your Home and Electronics from Lightning, please click here or check out the discussion in The Dollar Stretcher Community.
When somebody has lost a job or is discouraged in some other way, there are lots of free things you can do that will be true pick-me-ups.
One thing to do when one is bored or discouraged is to pick a small area of your home to organize and clean. It can be a shelf, a drawer, a closet or a room. Remove everything, clean it thoroughly, and maybe even paint. Then put back only the things you want there. For organizers, use used glass jars, shoeboxes, or baskets you have lying around. If you are like me, you'll go back and look at what you did several times a day for several days. When the effect wears off, do the same thing somewhere else in the house.
To build relationships, do this with a friend or family member. Take turns helping each other, put on some pretty music and a funny hat or wig, and you'll giggle a lot as you work.
Something else to do is to start a new hobby. I've recently found "French in Action" at the www.learner.org where you can watch the episodes for free and learn a lot of French for no money. Now I walk around the house speaking French to myself, and it is a lot of fun.
Kristin S. in New Hampshire
I save quarters in small banks purchased from yard sales, flea markets, etc. I put quarters in my favorite ones and chump change in the larger less interesting banks. Buying coin banks can be fun and promotes saving. They also make great back-up gifts for all those occasions when you don't have time to shop because everyone loves getting money!
Lyn W.
The best thing to do if your phone is wet or gets immersed is to immediately take out the battery, wrap the phone and battery separately in paper towel, and cover both with rice for several hours.
Donna V.
Don't deny yourself the pleasure of dining out. Instead, just dine a little differently. Don't be afraid to use coupons. They offer them as a way to get you in. Go early to take advantage of "early bird specials." The upside to this is that the staff is less harried and the food is fresher. To avoid gigantic portions, see if you can order off the kids' or senior menu. If not, order an appetizer and an entree to split with your dining partner. Drink water instead of soda and save 10-20% off the bill or even more if you have that glass of wine at home instead of at the restaurant.
JG
editor's note: If you have a method for making you or your family feel good without spending money, please send it by gary@stretcher.com.
I recently purchased a large used rabbit cage that was heavily stained by the previous occupant's urine. I tried scrubbing and scraping, but nothing worked. I finally covered the floor of the cage with white vinegar. I only had to give it a quick scrub and a rinse after about half of an hour, and it came out like new! Now I use it on my rabbit's litter pan regularly to keep it from accumulating stains. However, I always make sure to rinse it well, as my rabbit doesn't like the smell of the vinegar. I've also used it on the bottom of my cockatiel's cage since then, and it also came out like new!
Mary-Ann in Victoria BC
I always have my annual blood and urine testing done before I go to my annual physical. Call about two weeks before your scheduled appointment and have the doctor's office send the necessary paperwork to the lab where the tests are done. Your test results will be sent back to the doctor before your visit. You then have current test results and can discuss any problems with your doctor at that time and not just the quick telephone conversation after your appointment.
Tina K. in Littleton, CO
When our son's new beach cruiser bike got a flat tire (inner tube), we really didn't really have the money to go buy a new tube for the tire, so hubby came up with a great idea! Hubby took the tire off the rim and took the tube out of the tire. Then he found the hole in the tube by rubbing a wet, soapy towel all over the tube and then squeezing the tube, looking for air bubbles.
Once he found the hole, he dried off the tube and put a 2" by 2" piece of duct tape over the hole and then another 2" by 2" piece of duct tape over the first piece. He pressed down firm to make sure it was sealed and then he put the tube back in the tire and then back on the rim. Then he pumped up the tire to the right pressure. To this day, the patch is still holding! Try it on your next flat bike tire! It worked like a charm for us!
Arlene D. in Raleigh NC
I read a long time ago that freezing beans before cooking breaks down the protein fibers just as soaking them does. It works and it saves time. Just take the bag of beans and place them in the freezer overnight to skip the soaking or pre-cooking time normally required.
Bonnie in Arkansas
editor's note: For more on cooking with beans, please click here.
When you get a bee sting, immediately swab it with household ammonia. Apply a couple of times. In a few minutes, the pain will be gone, and there will be no itching.
SG
When measuring sticky liquids like honey or molasses, spray the measuring cup with cooking spray. The honey or molasses will pour right out without sticking to the cup. It works every time!
Judy A Bryan
I'm a single guy and often "dating" or other entertainment can get really expensive. Often creative and cheap dates are much more fun and allow for a chance to get to know the other person much better. One of my little luxuries was a date where I took a girl to a few different nice restaurants and shared an appetizer at each one, finished off by a shared dessert. We alternated who got to choose the appetizer, which was a neat way to get insight into the other person's personality. We got some exercise, walking from one restaurant to the next, and were able to enjoy a wide variety of dishes while saving some cash.
David M.
editor's note: If you have a method for making you or your family feel good without spending money, please send it to gary@stretcher.com.
When vacationing, avoid the cute tourist gift shops. Look instead at the local discount store (Wal-Mart) where you can often find t-shirts, caps, etc. with the logos of the area for a fraction of the cost! We found cute t-shirts for $4 at a Wal-Mart near Plymouth, Mass. where similar ones were $10 or more at the gift shops.
Rhonda in Kansas
editor's note: For more affordable souvenir ideas, please click here.
We just purchased a new 2010 Ford Focus. We were still a little top heavy on the loan of the older car. We were approved, but the interest rate is 18% and the payment went up 100 bucks. They had added in gap insurance coverage to the tune of $750 over 72 months. Doing research today, I discovered delightfully that my Allstate agent added the same gap coverage for about $3 a month. Now the $750 will be added back to the principal.
Lori D.
We often buy discounted DVDs or borrow them. Many have annoying skips. My teenage daughter took a movie DVD that skipped so much it was unwatchable and cleaned it with the spray and cleaning cloth that comes with our eyeglasses. The DVD was completely restored. We have used this tip often in the past few years. We really enjoy movies, so this has saved us trips to the theater and provided much entertainment.
B.
When our recliner broke and could not be fixed, we decided to recycle as much of it as possible. I cut off the back fabric panel and one of the side panels to make pillows for our couch. I also cut open other parts of the recliner to get to the stuffing that they used in it. I now have enough stuffing to make more pillows than we need. The metal parts are going to the recycling center in town. My husband burned the wood.
Cindy H.
When you need to touch up the paint inside or outside of your home, but no longer have a sample of the original color, try this tip. Look around your house for a switch plate/plug outlet cover that got painted on (whether it was done deliberately or not). You can unscrew the plate and take it into your home improvement store and they can computer match your color perfectly. You no longer have to waste time by picking up those little paint chip samples from the store, bringing them home, and hoping that you can find something that matches close enough. Even if you think that you've found a match, it often can look different once painted on a wall, which results in having to purchase more paint that you hope is a better match.
If you don't have outside switch plates or outlet covers, try removing your landline telephone cover. Usually those are attached to the side/back of a house and get painted when a house is painted. I was able to remove my telephone cover easily and replace it after I received my paint. I've had the home improvement store match paint for me several times and the results have always been perfect!
Susan G.
When I was little, I tended to throw away everything in my lunch sack. My mother started drawing a picture on the lunch sack, and when I brought it all home, she would add something to the picture. The next day at lunch, all my friends would gather around to try to spot what she added. I was so careful with my lunch sacks that a little paper sack would often last a whole month.
It took a few school years to actually make it all the way through one package of small paper bags. I now have my own children in college and still remember how special my mom made lunch everyday, just by the pictures that she drew.
Karen B-E
editor's note: If you have a method for making you or your family feel good without spending money, please send it to gary@stretcher.com.
Drawer organizers can be made from any box. The bottom few inches of a cracker box can hold paperclips. The bottom of a cereal box can separate the steak knives from the regular cutlery. Tape the top and bottom and use the sides of a cereal box to create two long drawer dividers and use one for the long spoons and the other for rulers and cutters in your sewing area. These boxes can be shallow or cut with higher sides to better fit the depth of your drawers. If they seem flimsy, strengthen them with a layer or two of masking tape. A shoebox in a dresser drawer can keep socks corralled. One of the best things about these is that they are free, and if you spill something on one, you can just toss it and make a new one.
DK
It is said that charity begins at home. Because my family is on such a tight budget, it is sometimes impossible to give money to a worthy cause, as much as we would love to help. Recently, we felt the urge to give to a worthy cause at our church, but could only afford to give $10 to $20. We came up with the idea of a "Potluck with a Purpose." Assuming that many of our friends were experiencing the same woes, we invited eight couples to come to a potluck and bring a sealed envelope with the amount of money that they would have spent taking their family out to eat. It could be the equivalent of a nice restaurant or, in our case, fast food. No one knew what the others were giving and it was all in cash. At the end of the evening, we had collected $347 for our church project. Sweet! We all had a great evening together and served an even greater purpose.
L.
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