Tip: Label Leftovers

Label your leftovers and always store them in the same place in the refrigerator. Everyone will know where to find them and what they are. No excuses for not eating leftovers!

Tip: Gift Cards

Search eBay for gift cards to purchase.

If you've got a purchase planned search eBay for a gift card for the store you're heading to (or shopping online). You can often save 10-20% by doing so, and shipping is usually very inexpensive and quick. A quick search returned 30,492 results for "gift card" on Ebay, plenty to choose from. Be careful to check feedback and read the fine print on the gift card.

The flip side ... eBay is also a great option for selling gift cards you won't or can't use.

Tip: Repurposing Cardboard Boxes

Source: katydidandkid.com via Megan on Pinterest

Another reader tip:

"I'm really into making little cardboard boxes out of cereal (and other) boxes right now, to put in my drawers and sewing boxes as organizers. I just made one for rechargeable batteries with a little ribbon border around the top and happy and sad faces for the dead and charged batteries."

I love this idea. I've seen it before and finally tried it myself after seeing it on the side of a cereal box. We made a recycling junk mail holder and it is awesome. I can't believe how sturdy and handy it is.

Pinterest is a great place to find wonderful box uses, all of which are significantly fancier than our recycling bin!

Tip: Tomato Paste Leftovers

Felt Tomato Slice Tutorial

Recipes always seem to call for 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Tomato paste is never purchased in 1 tablespoon portions, leaving us with the rest of a can of tomato paste.

Freeze the leftovers in little baggies. Put a heaping tablespoon of paste in each baggie and freeze (after labeling and dating) until you need it.

Tip: Shout Color Catchers and a Free Sample

A reader tip:  Use Shout Color Catchers to keep clothes looking great. "They soak up any dye that might come off your clothes so it doesn't bleed onto other items. I've even mixed reds in with other items and not had a problem."

I have limited experience with these myself, having only used them once or twice when washing new quilts, particularly ones with red. I've been quite pleased with the results.

Of course, I searched for a "make your own" solution and found nothing. I did find a link for a free Color Catcher sample so you can try it yourself.

Tip: Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

These things are the bomb. They clean grout, walls, stoves, crayon, pen, paint, EVERYTHING. I can't recommend them highly enough for both everyday and off-the-wall cleaning tasks.

We cut our magic erasers into 1/4's. That's usually plenty for a quickie cleaning task and doesn't waste the rest of the eraser.

According to Homemade Mama's, Magic Erasers are actually just melamine foam, a soundproofing material and can be purchased at Amazon.com for much less than the original Magic Erasers cost, making them an even better frugal choice.

Tip: Reading

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
― Albert Einstein

Read to your children.

When I was doing home daycare curriculum was not recommended for babies and toddler. A positive, open play area that allowed them to explore and create, music, arts and crafts, and reading to them was what was suggested. Always, in every article or class, reading was key.

Reading to kids directly affects their literacy development and success in school.

Not a money/home economics tips, but an important tip nonetheless.

Got 10 Minutes?

Don't have the time or energy to change your financial situation? Think again ... try a few of Dave Ramsey's 10-minute changes.

I'll be doing a few of these myself today.

Tip: Save a Tree

Well, maybe not a whole tree, but every little bit helps!
Keep a basket next to your printer, or in some other area convenient to your family,  for paper that's no longer useable (and not full of confidential information) but still clean on one side - what we commonly refer to as "scrap paper".

Use this paper for:

• kids to color and scribble on, to practice cutting on, and to use under craft projects.
• printing coupons on the clean side, the store doesn't care one bit what the other side looks like and it won't affect the useability of the coupon at all
• scrap paper for jotting notes
• doodling
• shredding, then use it as packing material
• paper airplanes - if you have children and they can make an airplane they need a good stash of paper to use or they'll go through every ream of copy paper in the house before you can say "cleared for take-off", I know

Tip: Storing Out of Season Clothing

This is a fun little tip, and makes me want to move somewhere where the seasons actually do change:

Store out of season clothing in old hard-sided suitcases; stack the suitcases to make a nightstand or side table.

Wouldn't that look great? And so functional too. Love it.

Tip: Homemade Microwave Popcorn

image source: wikipedia

Would microwave popcorn at $.09 a bag work for you? It sure does for me!

You can make your own microwave popcorn using a bag of regular popcorn ($1.80 at Walmart), a paper bag (which you use countless times to make popcorn), and whatever seasonings float your boat.

It's as simple as tossing 1/4 cup popcorn into the bag, folding the top down twice, and microwaving it just the same as the bags of microwave popcorn.

If you choose you can add a little oil or butter to the popping and then experiment with toppings (salt, garlic, parmesan cheese, chili powder, cinnamon(?), etc) until you find your perfect mix. Seasoning the popcorn yourself allows you to cut down on oil and salt, and to cut out any other funky stuff that might be in the prepackaged bags.

Tip: Water, Please

image source: urbanbelle

Very simply: When you are dining in a restaurant drink tap water instead of soda or tea.

Beverages in restaurants seem to be running around $2 right now. For a family of 4 that adds $8 to your bill, plus tax and tip (if you're receiving table service).

If your family dines out one night a week that $8 becomes $416 over the course of a year!

Also, when ordering off the kids menu check carefully to see if drinks are included, or ask if it isn't clear. More and more restaurants aren't including drinks with their kids meals, so be sure to read the fine print.

Bon appetit!

Tip: Swap Services

Instead of paying for an evening of childcare trade with another Mom. You take the kids one night, she takes them another. It's a win-win ... you each get a night out, no one spends the going rate for a sitter, and the kids get to play with their friends twice.

This principle can be used for all sorts of deals.

An example:
A photographer and a quilter. The photographer needed a quilt, the quilter needed photos. Perfect trade and both parties walked away happy.

Think outside the box and see what swaps you can come up with. And please share your trade/swap/exchange ideas in the comments.

Tip: Uses for Leftover Gift Packaging

After Monday's post about what to do with leftover candy canes (I love that someone took the time and energy to create that yummy list) I decided to follow the "leftover holiday things" theme for this weeks tips.

Today, what to do with leftover gift packaging.

• give the boxes to the children and let them build a fort, a town, a robot, here is a link with some fun cardboard projects
• give little boxes to the children to store their treasures
• save and reuse the twist ties
• iron plastic bags together to create a workable fabric and then make yourself a New Year's Eve dress or suit (or tote bag)
• white packing foam and peanuts make great play snow for kids to play with
• white packing foam and peanuts make great snow for holiday displays
• plastic display "windows" make great dollhouse windows and clear craft project backdrops (and one of my sons is looking for some for a windshield for his pinewood derby car)
• use boxes to label, organize, and store items
• save the boxes and tissue to reuse next year
• if you find no practical use for the insane quantity of packaging that comes with a Barbie and most things made by Fisher Price ... recycle

What other creative ideas do you have?

Tip: Uses for Leftover Turkey

After Monday's post about what to do with leftover candy canes (I love that someone took the time and energy to create that yummy list) I decided to follow the "leftover holiday things" theme for this weeks tips.

Today, what to do with leftover turkey (these ideas are good for roasted chicken too). I'd love to hear your ham ideas as well.

• turkey sandwiches, of course
• turkey salad and turkey salad sandwiches
• turkey broth - place turkey carcass in a huge pot of water, add some onion, celery, salt, and pepper and simmer overnight (if he's small you can do this in the crock pot), strain, and store in labeled containers, from the leftovers of our Thanksgiving turkey I was able to make 16 cups of flavorful broth
• turkey vegetable soup
• freeze leftovers for a later meal
• google for recipes

What do you do with your leftover turkey or ham?

Tip: Uses for Leftover Christmas Cards

After Monday's post about what to do with leftover candy canes (I love that someone took the time and energy to create that yummy list) I decided to follow the "leftover holiday things" theme for this weeks tips.

Today, creative uses for leftover Christmas Cards

• cut front off and glue it to a folded piece of construction paper or card stock to make a new card
• cut out shapes and glue to paper for a "first words" or "first colors" book for a toddler
• make playing size cards out of them for a house of cards
• make playing size cards out of them for a concentration game (match 2 Santas, match 2 stars, etc.)
• make a book of photos received from family and close friends to help kids learn who is who in their family
• trace the front of the card with a cookie cutter and cut out to make a pretty festive ornament for next years tree, add some glitter if you wish
• create gift tags from the cover
• donate your cards to St. Jude's Ranch for Children. This charity recycles old cards by making brand-new ones. The money from these new cards is donated to the help children who were the victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment
• cut out the words and use them to create a family word game 
• frame them

Add to the list in the comments.

Tip: Uses for Leftover Wrapping Paper

After Monday's post about what to do with leftover candy canes (I love that someone took the time and energy to create that yummy list) I decided to follow the "leftover holiday things" theme for this weeks tips.

Today, what to do with leftover wrapping paper. I have a few ideas, please feel free to add your ideas in the comments.

• Shred it and use it as packaging material
• Wrap tree ornaments in crumpled wrinkly leftover wrapping paper
• Use as a mat in a picture frame
• Laminate to use as a placemat
• Add large squares to the kids craft supplies - great for practicing cutting and gluing, and as a colored paper for craft projects
• Reuse it for wrapping in the future by carefully folding and storing it
• Ball it up and toss it to the cat
• Use it as fire starter paper
• Practice paper folding arts with it
• Decoupage, either large pieces or cut out shapes
• Incorporate bits of it into holiday scrapbooking pages
• Trace sewing patterns onto it, it's sturdier than newsprint and usually plain on one side
• Create rolled and decoupaged paper beads for necklaces
• Give some to the kids to create and cut out shapes for Grandparent Christmas cards
• Cut or shred it into confetti

.

Tip: Salad Dressing

Making your own salad dressing is an easy cost saver. Homemade dressing is preservative free, seasoned to your liking, fresh, cost effective, and as easy as hitting the pulse button on the blender.

Here is the recipe for a favorite salad dressing of mine. When this is served on our dinner table the salad is gone!

Oriental Dressing

6 tsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. white pepper
1 1/2 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 c. oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
4 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt

I toss all the ingredients into a ketchup type dispenser like the one in this picture* and shake.

*My dispensers are clear with an easy to use lid and were very inexpensive at the dollar store. I use them for honey, soy sauce, and syrup which I buy in bulk, making the containers much too large for the kids. I also use them for salad dressing.

More dressing recipes can be found at:

• recipezaar.com
• Make Your Own Salad Dressings
• Muriel Hemingway's Amazing Spinach Dressing (this is really, really, really good and easy - everything gets tossed into the blender, I see this recipe uses olives - I've never heard that before and haven't ever tried it that way)

Any great dressings to share? Or homemade dressing powder mixes to share?

Tip: Produce Deal

This tip may be a "your mileage may vary" type of thing, but it's certainly worth a try.

The local flea market sells produce all weekend long. Great stuff and they're very busy and reasonably priced.

The flea market ends at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon and the vendors need to empty their shelves of whatever they've got left, they certainly don't need the produce to sit for a week.  

Sunday afternoons at about 3:50 pm the prices drop to bare bottom prices. 3:30 you won't find a better than usual deal, 4:20 they're long gone ... but right before closing is THE time.

Tip: Framed Art

Very simple tip - Purchase some inexpensive frames and use greeting cards or book pages as artwork. Pictures can be matted with cut paper or cardstock.

Such a nice way to keep a favorite book "alive" or favorite card near and dear and meant to be seen.

From Hello Splendor

Have you framed any special cards or other "out of the box" paper pieces? I'd love to hear what you've done and if there's a story to go with the framed item.