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TABLE OF CONTENTS Google Search The Frugal Yankee Newsletter  Latest audio Quote of the Week "There's a time & place for everything. It is called college." ~ Bill Cosby Navigation 
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Submitted by Garen Daly on Thu, 2009-05-14 06:00.
 Doesn't it seem there is confusion on how to save on energy? Well, here is a simple rule about light bulbs. Turn incandescent lights off if leaving a room for 5 secs or more. Turn CFLs off if leaving for 15 mins. or more. That's so easy even a teenagers could remember it.
BATHROOM: You've probably tried running hot water over your clogged hair spray nozzle, but many times it just doesn't do the trick. Get that bottle of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol out and dip the nozzle into a little bit of it and let sit for a few minutes. Wipe off and you're ready to spray. You'll keep your "do" from becoming a "don't" and you won't waste any hair spray, and therefore, won't be wasting any money! BATHROOM: Keep your shaving razor sharper and longer with a little post shave care. Simply, dry the blade, that'll prevent rust from dulling and nicking up the blade. Then take an old toothbrush and brush off as much of the stubble stuck between the blades and the casing. With some of those brand name blades costing $15.00 or so a package, the savings will mount up. BATHROOM:Speaking of razor shaving, saving your old soap bars. When they get too small for using normally, toss them into your shaving mug for lathering soap. BATHROOM: Bacterial sopas are better than regular soaps. Not true, All soaps clean and anti-bacterial soaps could possibly increase resistant bacteria. The trick for hand washig is to do it at least fro 30 seconds. BATHROOM:Store your toothbrushes to air dry. Placing them in containers will increase the amount of bacterial growth. CARS: CARS: If you fear one of your car's fluids is leaking, throw a clean piece of cardboard underneath it near where you think it may be. Then take the cardboard out and bring it to your mechanic. Tell him where it came out. He'll do the rest. CARS: You heard it before, but now is one of those times to check your tire pressure. With cold nights hitting, the air in your tire loses volume. The rule of thumb is that for every 10 degrees lower, the pressure in your tire loses 1 to 2 psi. Also the best time to check is in the morning. EASTER: AN AFFORDABLE EASTER: Video of Louise on NE Cable News with Karen Swenson. EMERGENCIES: Keep a regular old plug phone around. One that doesn't need electricity to work. It uses electricity within the phone lines. So if things get dicey and there is no power and the cell is dead, you can probably use that old phone to keep in contact with the world. FAMILY: Looking for a fun cheap way to wrap kids gifts? Try using the Sunday funnies. FAMILY:Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love 'em! HEALTH: Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. HEALTH: Got heartburn? Solution: lose weight. It isn't necessarily the foods you eat but your weight which adds increasing gastrointestinal pressure, contributing to heartburn. HEALTH: When cold weather is approaching or is on the scene, here is a tip from Germany - drink cocoa. New research from Germany suggests high flavanol cocoa helps blood vessels function better. The study was done in conjunction with exercise and medication, but the statistical improvement was highly significant. The amount consumed was 3 cups a day for 30 days. What this means is simple, improving the blood vessels will enhance cardio-vascular health, a major concern for many people including diabetics. (Source: The Week) HEALTH: HEALTH: Having trouble falling asleep, try this cozy little tip. Put on a pair of socks. It seems socks will stabilize your core body temperature and aid the falling asleep process. Use a cotton blend pair, regular cotton socks wick away moisture and don’t work as well. HEALTH: How long should you brush your teeth? 2 minutes, 2 times per day, but not over 3 minutes. This could lead to gum damage, but good dental health is good for your overall health. Same is true for your pets. HEALTH: Allergies making you miserable, here is a quickie for you. Take a shower before you hit the sack. Any allergens will wash off and make your night time sleep a little more bearable. HOUSE: HOUSE: You grab some masking tape. You pull on and it comes off in weird little pieces. Toss that baby into the trash, right? Nope, nuke it. Yes, zap the roll of masking tape for between 10 and 20 seconds and it will start working like it is supposed to HOUSE: Soap Saving Here's another soap saver. Take your old soap bars, place them in a sachet cloth, tie them up and toss them into your seasonal clothing bin or even in a dresser drawer. Your clothes will smell clean and fresh, like a freshly showered body. HOUSE: Have you heard how shower some curtains give off deadly carcinogens? The hot showers breakdown the plastic. Then we inhale it and make ourselves sick. Reports say this is true so check yours out. If you decide to change your shower curtain, here are two things you can do with it besides adding to the landfill. HOUSE: Storing Cothes Use empty luggage to store blankets, seasonal clothes, or gift items purchased in advance during sales. HOUSE: Trash Cans Use a bungee cord to keep your trash cans lids on. The wind won’t blow them off and even better, racoons can’t unclasp them. HOUSE: Good Site KITCHEN: Saving Water When you boil potatoes or pasta, save the water. Use it in soups and stews, or cool it and use it to fertilize your house plants. KITCHEN: Kneadful Thing KITCHEN: Fresh Asparagus Keep asparagus longer by cutting off the ends and the storing upright in col water. Ditto for broccoli.
KITCHEN: Sponges (non-relative) We've talked about this before, but the best way to clean a sponge is by nuking it or running it through the dishwasher. Both methods will kill 99% of the bacteria, yeast and mold. If you nuke it, be sure there is sufficient water in the sponge or on the dish you use to hold the sponge. there have been times when dry sponges will ignite in a microwave. MEDICAL: Nukes Microwaves can be used to emergency disinfect clothes, such as a child's cap that another kid has put on, as long as they have absolutely NO metal in the zippers, buttons, rivets etc. ALWAYS place a cup of cold water next to the article to absorb the heat and microwave on high until the water is steaming. MEDICAL: Suck MEDICAL: Scars When you are slathering sunscreen on your body, be sure to put a little extra around any scars exposed to the sun. Seems like scar tissue is particularly vulnerable to getting cancerous. MEDICAL: Burnt Mouth Ever burn your mouth with a pizza? Take a 50-50 solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. Swish it in your mouth, spit it out. The solution will clean dead skin off the burn and accelerate the healing. MEDICAL MYTH: 98.6 Your temperature is 98.6º. In fact temps range from person to person and from time of day to time of day. MEDICAL: Kit Here’s something you would not think of as a good medicine kit item - an Exacto knife. It’s good for digging out splinters, cutting bandages and making incisions. Obviously sterlize it before your use it. MONEY: Saving MONEY: Credit Card Look at your credit card bills carefully. American paid $30 billion to credit card companies in fess last year. That is over and above interest, so they are zapping you with late fees, over limit fees and more. MONEY: Goft Cards Don't buy gift cards on line. Lots of them are used to money launder and they are bogus. MONEY: Diamonds Thinking about buying a diamond for the squeeze? Or maybe looking to invest some money in a commodity? The prediction is diamond demand will double in the next 8 years while supply will only increase 50%. Blame petrodollars, and good marketing. MONEY: Credit Cards Have some extra cash and thinking about investing in stocks or land or whatever. The best investment you can make these days to pay off high interest credit cards. With rates as high as 30% this is a no-brainer. MOTHER'S DAY Check out some Mother's Day gift ideas. NUTRITION: Fat Coffee Be leery of those ‘frappucino’ coffee fdrinks you find in coffee shops. The Starbucks Venti Mocha Coconut has 710 calories and 26 grams of fat. That’s the equivalent of eating two Quarter Pounders! NUTRITION: Bio-Availability Cooked carrots have more antioxidants in them than raw carrots. The theory is cooking breaks down the cellular structure and releases all those goodies NUTRITION: Weight Loss Some basic tips on how to lose weight: 1) stop drinking soda; 2) write everything you eat down; 3) pay attention to portions; 4) erase mistakes with additional exercise. OFFICE: Junk Mail If you do a fair amount of shipping and you have a paper shredder, consider using your junk mail, shredded, as filler for your shipping. OFFICE: Wi-Fi OUTDOORS: Blue In bug season, don’t wear blue, wear white. Insects are attracted to the dark colors, especially blue. OUTDOORS: Warm Feet SAVVY SHOPPER: Car Rentals Are you a car renter? If you are you know it is best to fill the gas tank up before you return it to the agency. These days, some car rental places are charging $8.00 a gallon to fill it up. SAVVY SHOPPER: Buying Shoes Spring fashions are here and if you're mulling over a new pair of shoes or sneakers, buy them in the middle of the day. Your feet actually enlarge somewhat from morning until evening. You'll get a better fit. SAVVY SHOPPER: Music Downloads SUPERMARKETS: Use Cash Did you know the average American family will spend $32.96 at the grocery store if they use cash. If they opt for credit, the same family will end up spending $43.49. Turns out with credit or debit cards we tend to be freer with the bucks. When it is cash out of pocket, we more frugal. Guess which way we prefer to pay for our groceries? SUPERMARKETS: Cycles Supermarkets work on a 12 week cycle when it comes to sales. Figure that fact in when you are doing our bulk shopping. Of course, this doesn’t work for seasonal items. SUPERMARKETS: Cash 2 Looking to save money at the grocery store. Here’s one place you can start. Pay cash. The July 08 issue of Money reported If you spend cash at the grocery store, you'll spend $32.96 average. Use credit: $43.49. You’re more frugal when you see the cash versus some bank transfer. Oh, one other bit of advice, don’t buy groceries witha credit card unless you will be paying it off in the first billing cycle. The interest you pay on the credit will offset any savings you may have gotten. TECH: Laptop Illumination Did you know that these marvels use 43% of its energy on keeping their screens bright? So if you're looking to conserve your battery, lower brightness. That's simple. TECH: Cell Phone Cameras Other uses for your cell camera: take photos of a car accident, where you parked your car, a window treatment you liked. It's handy and offers all sorts of uses. Get creative. PESTS: Mice Mice can be a problem as cold weather starts. If you don’t have a mouser, try and close up as many holes in your foundation as possible. For those big holes, try using steel wool to black them from getting in. After they are in, traps, poison and a good mouser are your choices. WEDDINGS: Save Money Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady wedding is all over the news. I doubt they had to worry about being frugal, but if your not a supermodel and star quarterback pulling down big bucks, saving at a wedding is essential. One way of stretching the wedding budget is don't use exotic, out of season flowers. Instead use locally gown, in-season flowers. Heck, if they are in bloom, go pick your own. Listen to our podcast on WEDDING NO-NOs for more ideas on saving money. WEIRD: Chicken? If you think you’ve found a dinosaur bone, lick it. If it tastes like chicken...., nah. If your tongue sticks to it, it’s a fossil. WEIRD: Being Chased WORK: Job Hunting Looking for a job? If so, plan on searching one month for each $10,000 you want to make a year. Using this formula, my ne'er-do-well brother expects to make $1.3 million, and counting, when he finally gets a job. WORKSHOP: Power Tools WORKSHOP: Paint Turn your paint can upside down. The solvents will head to the top and when your ready to use, it'll be easier to stir.
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Everyday, the Frugal Yankee reads something or hears something to help us spend less and enjoy life more. They are frugal tips and we collect them. This page is dedicated to them. We'll be adding more regularly, so please check back.
Be careful where you drive. 50% of traffic deaths between 1998 and 2003 were on rural, non-interstate highways, yet these roads only account for 28% of all traffic. Narrow lanes, sharp curves, teenagers.
As always we have ideas on enjoying life while spending less. Easter is no exception. You can read, listen or watch any of these for great ideas.
Here's a nifty tidbit! There is a very strong correlation between dry winter air and the flu. The drier it is, the more flu viruses like it. Keeping your home humidified lowers flu susceptibility. Either get a humidifier or do what we do, boil some water on the stove every day.
Have you every smelled an old microwave? Yuck! To freshen your nuker, combine 1 cup water, the juice of 1/2 lemon and the rind, and 5-6 cloves. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Dump the cup's contents into your compost pile.
Nothing like the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven, but making bread can sure be messy. To take some of the mess away, try this. Knead the dough in a ziploc bag. You can even freeze it in that! No mess, no fuss.
KITCHEN: Thermos Bottles Cleaning a thermos can be a pain. To do it right you need a small brush which can fit inside. Not many of us have one of those handy. Try this instead. Drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets and let soak for an hour or more. Then rinse. You'll be amazed, and its easy as pie.
May is a good time to consider buying an appliance Why? Because prices are cut for Mother’s Day & Memorial Day. Check out web sites first for the best deals. Then use that info to get a good deal. Consider a slightly damaged or floor model. A ding is a ding especially if you’re frugal. Remember, in this economy, drive a hard bargain!
The ubiquitous laptop is a tech marvel. Who would have thought that many of us would be carrying around portable computers? 
