Holiday Dress Up

Dress up your black or dark wardrobe for a holiday party by going to the craft section of your local Wal-Mart and buying several holiday sequined patches. Buy a bottle of glue that is made specifically for sequined patches. This glue allows you to stick a patch on a piece of clothing and then pull it off when desired to be put on a different piece of clothing. Make sure to let the glue dry overnight before you stick it to clothing. A plain black shirt and pair of pants can be fancied up with these inexpensive patches.
Arla A.

Last year, I shopped for meat the day after Thanksgiving and found great sales. This was especially true when the butcher had been off for the holiday and now had two- and three-day- old beef and chicken to sell.
Kacy

Instead of buying expensive anti-bacterial hand soap, I buy anti-bacterial dishwashing soap at the dollar store and put in a big pump container. To wash your hands, you need only the size of a dime because it is so concentrated. This lasts three times longer than the other stuff.
Carol M.

I motivate my kids by giving them time off chores. If they get a mix of A and A minuses, they get a week off of dishes. If they get all A and no A minuses, they get two weeks off. This has been unbelievably motivating for them and not a large price to pay for me.
Diane

When my two younger brothers and I were "tweens," my mother set up a five-gallon empty water jug for our change. We all pitched in for the entire year. When summer came around, we all sat around with mom to roll it and take it to the bank. We divided the money by three and that was our spending money for our summer vacations. My brothers and I learned great money- saving skills from this.
Jennifer S.

In my old farmhouse, I found that the best way to stop drafts under doors is with two foam pipe insulators. I made a fabric sleeve that was big enough to hold two pipe insulators plus the thickness of the door. It is as long as the door is wide. I just tucked the end closed so that I could remove the pipe insulators and wash the fabric as needed. Installation was as easy as sliding it under the door with one foam insulator on each side of the door. I no longer have to worry about the kids remembering to put the draft stopper back because it stays on the bottom of the door.
Jennifer (staying warm in Ohio)

I signed up for freecycle.org and I saw one person ask if anyone had nice gently-used toys that they no longer wanted. A lot of people are cleaning out old and outgrown toys this time of year to make room for new ones.
Susan G.

With a little research, I've found several safer and cheaper alternatives to household chemicals:

Rather than buying de-icer or salt for the coming winter, use baking soda. You can also combine it with sand for traction.

Rather than buying WD-40 or other chemical lubricant, loosen rusted bolts or screws with carbonated soft drinks. The carbonic acid creates a chemical reaction with the rust.

Rather than buying artificial fireplace logs, make your own from old newspapers. Lay them out, end to end, and roll them as tightly as you are able. Secure them with twine and then wet them a little with a mixture of soap and water. Stand them up to dry.
Michelle

Have your butcher at your local supermarket saw large frozen turkeys in half if you buy them on sale before or after Thanksgiving. By doing this, you don't have to roast an entire huge turkey to take advantage of the low price. When baking a cut in half turkey, just place the cut side down in the roasting pan.
Mary C.

My patio is a concrete slab with a planting area around two sides. It was in bad repair with a few cracks. I cleaned the slab with TSP, and then I went to Home Depot and bought concrete paint in two different colors. One color was used as a base coat and the other was sponged on the base coat with a brick shaped sponge. I used a yellow-beige as the base with a red-brown color for the "bricks." It looks like a brick patio and I get many, many compliments on it. You can find many different paint colors.

Here are a couple of hints. Don't paint when it's over 90 degrees and let the base coat dry at least 24 hours. Be sure to leave at least one to one and a half inches between each "brick." If they are too close, it doesn't look real. Be careful when moving furniture for a couple of weeks. Keep some paint in case you need it. It is easy to touch up.
Mary Ellen

Biking to work is a great way to save money and get some exercise when the weather is warm. Once that autumn chill sets in, though, it gets a lot less pleasant, especially since there's no easy way to wear a hat or earmuffs under a bike helmet.

Here's a way to keep your ears warm and extend the biking season a bit longer. Take a pair of old socks that are fairly warm (I used acrylic ones worn out in the toes and heels). Tuck the foot of each sock into the opening of the other to form a tube and then stitch the tucked-in socks into place to form a circle. Now you have a warm headband that covers your ears, similar to the ones sold for $10 in catalogs. Put it on under your helmet, and you're ready to ride.
Amy

Last year was our first year with the pellet stove, and out of curiosity, I compared my oil usage for the last two years. To my absolute astonishment, I had used 890 gallons less with the stove than the year before. In New England, we had a milder than usual year, but not enough to save that much oil.

The stove was under $2000, and we use a bag of pellets a day at a cost of slightly under $5 per bag. The house was very warm. We have a very large four-bedroom house and every room was warm. We reversed all the ceiling fans and kept them on low to circulate the heat. At times, my bedroom was too warm and I had to open the windows a tiny bit to cool it down.

We had thought that it might take several years for the stove to pay for itself, but in reality, it took less than one year. I realize it's a heavy investment for many of us, but it really does pay off for us and for the environment. The pellets are a renewable resource, but oil isn't.
Fran

For those of you who have septic tanks in your yard, once a month (I do it the first to make it easy to remember) put one tablespoon of baking yeast in the kitchen sink or commode and flush it down. This does the same as the more expensive items advertised on TV.
RVT