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 Ideas on holiday gift tags, inexpensive acne care, making ice bags from what you already have on hand and more.
Holiday Photo Fun
I have five grown kids and many pictures I have saved throughout the years. I started using pictures for Christmas gift labels. Instead of writing the name of the recipient on the package, I just glue a picture of them on package. You can use old photos or current ones. They love it.
Gwen
Inexpensive Acne Care
After spending a lot of money on acne skin products for my teenagers' acne problems, I learned something that works well and for a lot less money. The same "antibacterial" hand soap I buy for $4 to $5 for a half gallon works really well as a face wash to prevent outbreaks. Use it twice a day and see the difference. It's as good if not better than all those fancy acne face washes and bar soaps.
Donna
Hammering Small Nails
When hammering a small nail into a wall or in an awkward position, I always seem to drop the nail repeatedly. I have found that putting the nail through an index card and then holding the card while hammering the nail helps without fail. The card holds the nail in place.
Cindy
Handy Ice Bag
To make a quick ice bag, all it takes is some rubbing alcohol and water. The ratio is 1:2 of alcohol to water. For instance, use one cup of alcohol and two cups of water. This will make it a slush-like consistency. I put it into quart baggies. Fill one bag and zip it. Then put that bag into another zip bag and zip. Freeze and use.
Jan R.
"Free" Groceries
Instead of going out every week and shopping for groceries as usual, take the time to fully inventory your pantry and freezer and use the items in "planned meals." We were able to come up with over a month's worth of meals that were just sitting in the house collecting dust. We saved several hundred dollars this month by just cleaning out the odds and ends. The best part of it all is that you actually use up all the loose ends before they expire!
Shane
ID Unworn Clothing
I hang up all my clothes in the closet with the hangers in the opposite direction that you would normally hang them. When I wear something or wash it and return it to the closet, I put the hanger back in my closet the correct way. At the end of a year, it's easy to see what I haven't worn. I remove all the clothes that I haven't worn and donate them. I've decluttered my closet and made a donation to a worthy charity.
Stacey K.
Lost Mitten or Glove?
Is it time to buy glove/mittens? I have a tip that will keep them around for years until they actually wear out. When purchasing, buy two identical pairs of the same color. It's almost guaranteed that at some point, you will be in a hurry and will only be able to find one glove/mitten. That's not a problem. You have another that matches. There have been times that I have lost a glove/mitten, and instead of throwing out the odd one, I still use it until the missing one shows up again.
Janelle
Recycling Children's Magazines
I have a young child who absolutely loves children's magazines. At my doctor's office, they have children's magazines but have very few children as clients, so they are very lightly used and always look almost new. I made a deal with the office staff. Instead of throwing away their old children's magazines every month, I go in and get them. At the end of a year, I have an entire year's worth of children's magazines. I give them to my son for his birthday. A spring edition of a magazine has stories and articles that are appropriate to the time of year, even though it is last year's spring magazine. My son absolutely loves this! He likes "reading" them (he can't read yet) early and getting ideas for crafts and projects ready for the upcoming season. And it doesn't cost me a cent, while it keeps these magazines out of the local landfill.
Serena
Enviro-Friendly Christmas Wrap
I do gift bags and Christmas wrapping a little differently. When I need large gift bag, I buy the "green bags" or canvas grocery bags that almost every store sells to reduce using plastic grocery bags. They are priced at 99 cents virtually everywhere they are sold. I use that as the gift bag, filling the bag with the gift, tissue paper, and pretty ribbon. It avoids tossing wrapping paper into landfills, and costs the same as buying a bag from a dollar store or making your own fabric gift bags. Because the recipient can then use the bag to carry their groceries, and thus continues to reduce waste, it's the gift that keeps on giving! Sometimes I get more compliments and appreciation on the "gift bag," then I do on the gift! My grocery store sells green canvas bags. I plan on filling them with red tissue paper for Christmas gifts.
Leslie M.
Finders Keepers Education
When my children were younger, I used to dread laundry day. Having boys it was always an adventure sorting laundry. As many times as I told them to empty their pants pockets before putting their jeans in the hamper, they didn't often comply. I was always amazed at the assortment of junk they managed to store in them and never seemed to miss when I tossed it out!
I realized that among the toys, rocks and tissues, there was a rather substantial amount of loose change and dollar bills making their way to my laundry room. In order to teach them that I meant business, I put a piggy bank on my dryer and told them that any loose change that came down went into the bank as my laundry fee. The first couple of months I was averaging about $20 or so! As soon as they realized that the change went into the family till, they quickly figured out that it was better for them if they emptied their pockets first! They are older now, but I still keep that bank on the dryer. While it takes longer to fill, I still manage to save some "mad money" for a rainy day.
Carol R. Want to live better on the money you already make? Visit TheDollarStretcher.com to find hundreds of articles to help you stretch your day and your dollar! Copyright 2008 Dollar Stretcher, Inc.
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