From time to time readers send me tips on how they save money.  I take the best of them and compile a few into one post.  Here is the latest group.

Use Oatmeal for Bug Bites

Kids and bugs don’t always mix well. When we get bug bites, I put cooked oatmeal right on the bite marks. If the marks are really bad then I will put clear plastic wrap on top of the oatmeal, try to keep it there for 5 to 10 minutes. Then just rinse off with water, no soap. Works on just a rash too. And if the kid or baby eats some, it won’t hurt.

–Melissa from Thunder Bay, Ont

Preventing Rust Rings

To stop rust rings from metal containers in bath or kitchen like hair spray, cleansers, etc., coat the bottom with old nail polish.

–Fred from Lincoln Park, MI

Clean Your Blow Dryer When It Stops Working

When your blow dryer suddenly stops working, clean the lint out of the vents on all sides with an old dry toothbrush. Lint that doesn’t come out can be picked out with tweezers. Vacuum the vents with the hose part of your vacuum cleaner. Your blow dryer should start right back up and will last for several more months. Care and cleaning of the vents will make your blow dryer last a lot longer and you won’t have to replace it as often saving you money and a trip to the store!

–Adrienne from Cleveland, OH

Reusing Blank CD Spools

Use the empty plastic spools from your blank recordable CD stacks to serve as an upright paper towel holder or a holder for extra toilet paper! Turn over the plastic top and use to to hold pens, markers, pencils and so on. There! You have recycled something totally.

–Pamphyila

Clean Your Area Rugs at The Car Wash

Take your area rugs to the car wash to get them super clean! I have done this numerous times with a helper and a truck, and know others who do the same. It’s amazing to see the dirt run out off the rug! Then roll them up and load them onto the back of a truck. At home lay the rugs out to dry on the grass or on a sturdy fence.

–melody_yesterday from Sedalia, MO

It is a common misconception that it is hard if not impossible to fix an item that is made out of plastic if it breaks.  This makes sense at first glance.  Metal can be welded and wood can be glued or nailed back together, but plastic, especially the thinner variety, is just done.

To do a plastic weld you will need a tool, the glue gun.  The first step is to seal the crack with the glue gun.  Let this cool so that you have a thin seal over whatever pieces were broken.  Next, we will need to reinforce this repair with another piece of plastic.  This can come from a variety of places.  If you need a larger piece of plastic consider the lid of a juice bottle or cutting it out of the flat side of a milk jug.  If you are repairing a small crack or tear then the flat plastic tabs that you get off of bread products is a great tool.  Whatever piece of plastic you choose cut it to the size you need it and adhere that around the crack with more hot glue.  Magically your plastic item is functional again and you are only out a few cents for the hot glue.  I have seen this used on laundry baskets, dish drainers and a variety of other plastic products.  I hope it helps you save a trip to the store to buy something new.

Not a great week for free samples.  Hopefully next week will have a little better quality.  Although the humor factor with this group is pretty high.  And of course all you coffee addicts out there will be happy with the first one.

Free sample of Dunkin Donuts Coffee

Coupon for a free sample of Dior Hydraction Creme

Free sample of Drinkin’ Mate hangover relief tablets (now that is just funny)

Free sample of Nikwax waterproofing wax

Free sample of NoDoz caffeine pill

Free taco from Taco Del Mar (with signup) on August 27th

Coupon for a free bottle of water at any Racetrac gas station

Free samples from Bragg Live Foods

Lemonade Koolade For Cleaning Dishwasher

Use one packet of Lemonade Kool Aide (and it can be this flavor only) Place in dishwasher soap cup and run dishwasher. Leaves your dishwasher sparkling clean and fresh.

–Sherry from Silverdale, WA

Use Shaving Cream for a Shiny Stainless Sink

Spray some men’s shaving foam into your stainless steel sink and spread it around with your hand. Let it set for about 5 minutes and then wipe it up with newspaper. Your sink will be shiny as new.

–Mae from Canada

Egg Carton Seed Starter

A frugal way to start those seeds is to save your paper (not styrofoam) egg cartons! Just add potting soil to each cup, plant the seed, and water. When ready to plant, tear each cup apart, and plant in the garden!

–CKDavis from Flagstaff, AZ

Easy Grow Potatoes In Boxes

Want to grow potatoes? Lacking the gumption to dig them up? Here’s the answer: Boxes. Pick a spot in your yard where you’d like to improve the soil a bit and set out your boxes (at least the size of a 5 gallon bucket).

Fill the boxes with dirt and plant your potatoes, remember to water and weed. When it comes time, either break, tear, or dump the dirt from the boxes and pick up the ‘taters!

–Sarah from Berrien Springs, MI

Aspirin Scrub For Softer Skin

Instead of getting expensive facials, buy some inexpensive uncoated aspirin. Most aspirin has a little coating on it, but that’s okay. Simply wet one aspirin with some warm water while gently scratching off the coating with your fingernail. Once it gets mushy, rub in between your two hands and apply it gently to your freshly washed face. Rub gently for about 15 seconds then rinse and pat dry. Your face will be the smoothest it has ever been! I do this about once a week. Try it on your hands also.

–Peg from Sea Cliff, NY

Homemade Stain Spray

Make your own stain-fighting spray for the laundry! I put 1/2 a spray bottle full of Tide laundry detergent (Tide is awesome at fighting stains). Then, I put a little bit of Dawn dishwashing liquid and fill the rest with water. Shake it up, and there you have it – your very own stain-fighting spray! I think that this fights stains MUCH better than the stain-fighters that I buy in the stores.

–Tammy from Fort McCoy, FL

Use Plastic Grocery Bags for Packing Material

Another good use for all those grocery plastic bags is to use them as packing material! When you send a gift, or when you make a move to a new home, these bags are great for wrapping glassware and other breakables!

–CKDavis from Flagstaff, AZ

Ask Your Cafe For Used Coffee Grounds

Many cafes will give out quantities of used coffee grounds for your garden for free! Our local Borders does this and it is wonderful for the garden, esp. acid loving plants like azalea, lilac, hydrangea, etc. All you have to do is ask!

–Carol from Landisville, Pa

Dilute Fabric Softener For Twice As Much

I love using fabric softener for my laundry, and one bottle of fabric softener makes two for me, and I’ll share how:

I saved one of my empty fabric softener containers and when I bought a new one the same size, I poured 1/2 the contents into the empty, saved, bottle and filled both bottles to the top with water. I use a 1/2 capful in each load and it lasts me for more than a month. Try it.

Note: Most fabric softeners these days are ultra brands or very thick and loaded with perfumes and work just the same when diluted.

–sbb1 from Umm al Quain, UAE

Multipurpose Bath Products

Did you know that you can multipurpose many bath and body products? For instance, I like to purchase scented bubble bath at the dollar store and use that for my hand soap. It’s not only cheaper than hand soap but, and here is what I like, it comes in so many more scent choices. Landers makes huge bottles that come in fruity scents, and my local Dollar Tree is now selling aromatherapy scented shower gels which can also be used. Hey, it’s not bath n body works, but way cheaper. And a great savings (and a little bit goes a looong way!)

–Carol from Lancaster, PA

How to Save a Scratched CD/DVD

Spray the entire surface down with Pledge. Wait about 10 – 15 seconds. Wipe of Pledge until the product is completely dry. Something in Pledge smooths over the imperfections making the DVD/CD playable again. It is amazing! With 2 girls under 10, we were always having “accidents” that ruined their favorite movies or music. This tip has saved us a lot of disappointment and money.

–Kristin from Leroy Township, Ohio

Cleaning and Polishing Leather with Banana Peels

Stop buying leather/shoe polish. To clean, buff or moisturize leather/pleather/vinyl or any shiny outerwear use a banana peel. Simply rub the inside of a banana peel over the item to be cleaned and buff with a soft cloth. I have done this to my husband’s motorcycle gear and it takes off dust, dead bugs, and buffs out small scuffs and scratches. I have also used it on kids shoes, purses, suitcases etc. It does work and no messy polish it deal with. I have heard that it works with potato peels too but have not tried that yet.

–Princesshammerhead from Saskatchewan, Canada

Add Baking Soda to Dish Water

Place a tablespoon of baking soda in your dish water when washing dishes by hand. It helps take off hard water stains and makes your soap last longer.

–Debbie from Bewick, ME

Use Fabric Softener Solution As Febreeze

If you’re looking for a really cheap, but effective alternative to Febreeze, try this: Fill a spray bottle with 1/4 parts fabric softener to 3/4 parts water. Works just the same. I stumbled upon this tip when I ran out of Febreeze once and couldn’t get to a store. I’ve been using this solution ever since.

–sbb1 from Umm al Quain, UAE

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It has been a while since I posted some thrifty tips.  So here is a round of really good ideas from readers.  I especially like the one for Mother’s Day.

Buy Vacation Gifts At Regular Stores

When traveling, on vacation etc, Don’t buy from the gift shop. Check out department stores, dollar stores, Walgreens etc. One can find a large variety of small gift items with the name of the location at very good prices. Just takes a little looking.

–Hairy Wolf from Memphis TN

Use Vinegar On Windshield Wipers

To extend the life of your car’s windshield wipers, wipe the blade with a rag that was soaked in white vinegar. This softens and refreshes the wiper blade. A cheap and effective treatment.

–Gail from Rapid City, SD

Using Newspaper Under Mulch

Mulching is a pain, so if you’re going to put all that work into making your beds look nice, why not make it LAST longer? I’ve found that putting several layers of newspaper down BEFORE laying a layer of mulch helps to keep the weeds out for at least one whole season! The newspaper is porous, so water and nutrients can still pass through and reach the plants, but it blocks the light so that weeds can’t germinate. As an added bonus, earthworms LOVE to eat newspaper, and will slowly “compost” it to enrich your soil.

–Katy from Nashville, TN

A Mother’s Day Memory Box

This is a great gift for the new mom or grandma or to start a new tradition. A Mother’s Day Box is a wooden box that will store all the Mother’s Day cards, pictures, dried flowers, etc., every year from the child (ren). Include a small journal for the mom/grandmother to put her special thoughts into.

Take a wooden box 12×8x8 in size, with a hinged top, On the lid write “MOTHER’S DAY MEMORIES” (or “GRANDMA’S MEMORIES”) then the child’s name. If possible, save room on lid for the child’s hand prints or you can put them on the front side of box. Have the child decorate the box anyway he/she would like. On the inside, place a small journal or diary so mom can write what they did that day, thoughts, etc. Every year mom can add the cards, pics, etc she received. Everything is kept in one place and it is nice enough to keep out on the coffee table.

–Christy from Fulton, MS

Free Sample of Dove Hair Therapy

Free sample of Pegtables dog treats (page loads slowly)

Free Sample of All Bran fiber drink mix

Free sample of Roots of Nature Remedies Strengthening Oil Moisturizer or Reconstructing Deep Treatment

Become a Biocare VIP and get free beauty samples

Free sample of Dove Hair Care Heat Defense Therapy 0r Intense Damage Therapy

Coupon for free ten day sample of Bare Essential (shipping not included)

Baking Soda to Clean Outside of Refrigerator

To clean the outside of your refrigerator and make it look like new, use baking soda. Take a wet rag, pour some baking soda on it and start cleaning. This cleans the textured parts of the frig, like nothing I have ever seen before.

–Sarah from Vandergrift, PA

Using Broken Tape Measure

Don’t throw out that broken tape measure! I used my tape measure that was broken. It would not retract back into the case, so I cut the tape into different lengths. I started with 12 inch, then made a 16 inch and a 24 inch piece long. Now if I have to measure, I just grab one of the pieces that is suitable for the job at hand.

–John P. from Haysville, KS

Buy Vacation Gifts At Regular Stores

When traveling, on vacation etc, Don’t buy from the gift shop. Check out department stores, dollar stores, Walgreens etc. One can find a large variety of small gift items with the name of the location at very good prices. Just takes a little looking.

–Wolf from Memphis TN

Use Vinegar On Windshield Wipers

To extend the life of your car’s windshield wipers, wipe the blade with a rag that was soaked in white vinegar. This softens and refreshes the wiper blade. A cheap and effective treatment.

–Gail from Rapid City, SD

I am sure some have wondered what happened to me.  Well my blog was doing very weird things and since the purpose of my writing is to help people not have hackers attack their computers I decided to stop writing until I could figure out what was giong on.  With the help of my hosting company I think I have some good security measures in place to help with the hacking problems I have had over the last few months.  That being said lets get back on track with a few Thrifty Tips!

Crayons Fix Nicks in Colored Leather Shoes and Boots

When I was a small child, I remember my mother raiding my crayonbox to color in nicks and scuff marks on her brightly coloredhigh heels. Well, these days it may be colored leather tennisshoes, a leather vest or fancy cowboy boots, but the idea stillworks. (Especially if you have a box of 64 colors!) First heat the area with a blow dryer, that way the color of thecrayon actually melts into the leather. Finish by buffing with asoft cloth or soft paper towel.
–Cyinda from Seattle

Save On A YMCA Membership By Volunteering

 I’d been reading a lot about the advantages of exercising inwater, but felt my lack of access was an obstacle I couldn’tovercome. Living in the Northeast, community pools are only openfor a couple months a year. And, I wasn’t sure how to fit a Ymembership into my family’s tight budget, especially since wedon’t actually qualify for a scholarship. (Never mind the moreexpensive health clubs with pools!) But … guess what? The localY is desperate for volunteers, and I was able to negotiate a freemembership in return for volunteering some of my time. Now I cango to all the water aerobics and other fitness classes I like, aswell as use their extensive facilities whenever I want! I just thought I’d post this in case others were in similarsituations. If you think you can’t afford access to a pool (orother facility), call your local YMCA and talk with them.Different departments may even yield different results; the dealI hoped to negotiate wasn’t available through the general Ycontact person, but *was* possible through the AquaticsDepartment specifically. Who knows? In return for a little of your time–about 3 hours a week for me–you may be able to get afree membership, too!
–Sterghe from Pennsylvania

Use Bread To Clean Up Broken Glass

An easy way to pick up small pieces of broken glass withouthurting yourself is to just scrunch up several pieces of any typeof bread, then use this ball of bread to pick up the pieces ofglass, by pressing the bread into the glass. This is especiallyimportant for those of you taking blood thinners!
–CKD

Vinegar for Cleaning Paint Brushes

 Vinegar wins again. I was replacing a few floor tiles. I uses afloor patch that is sort like a cement. I used a old paint brushto feather the edges. The floor patch dried on the brush andparts became hard. I did not want to throw my $1.00 brush away. Iam a bit thrifty. It has many other uses to come. I soaked invinegar water for a day and the brush cleaned up, no more driedfloor patch. I will get a few more years out of my paint brush.
–Shirley C. from Calumet City, IL

Temporary Wall Decor

If you live in a rental place that doesn’t allow painting or ifyou just don’t want to paint, try materializing a wall. Pour someStayflo (liquid blue clothing starch) in a bucket and soak asheet or material. Squeeze it a little and smooth onto your wall.It will dry just like wallpaper. If you get tired of it, just useyour fingernail to pick a corner. Wash it and it will be softagain and not ruined. The wall will be just as it was before.
–Mary from Houston, Texas

This last tip is a great one for college dorm rooms.  It allows a student (usually female) to customize a room that looks exactly like all the other rooms on their hall.