Vinegar is the frugally-, environmentally- and health-minded person’s best friend. Vinegar derives its potency from acetic acid, CH3COOH. The acidic nature of vinegar gives it the ability to kill bacteria, dissolve unwanted substances, and kill and deter insects and pests. Keep in mind that vinegar will corrode certain metals if not wiped away promptly. Because vinegar is very potent, test a small spot or do a little research before using on delicate or very costly items. Here are a few suggestions for saving money and your health by substituting vinegar, which can be had for as little as $2.50 a gallon at your local supermarket, for common cleaning agents and pesticides around your house.

• Killing and deterring ants. In order to be effective, you must spray ants with undiluted vinegar. DO NOT WIPE AWAY THE DEAD ANTS. I find that ants only stop coming if you leave the bodies for their fellows to carry away and a lingering sour smell. Spray doors, windows, and perimeters of beds with vinegar.
• Spray flying or crawling insects. This is more effective than a fly swatter because flies don’t think they have to flee from a spray of “water”. It’s also nice to not have smeared insects or poison in your house.
• Removing water stains from glass, bathrooms, dishes, fish tanks, dish racks, etc. Hard water deposits are alkaline (basic) and vinegar being an acid will break them down.
• Removing tea and coffee stains from cups and teapots. Spray and let sit for a minute, then wash as usual. This is also useful for very greasy cookware or burnt grease.
• Washing dog dishes which are often coated with a thick layer of slimy saliva that is not easily removed with dish detergent.
• Disinfecting sink drains, shower drains, and your throat. When drinking, dilute with water and add honey. Honey is not necessary for drains.[ad]
• Cleaning windows. Much cheaper than window cleaners.
• Removing stains from fabric and carpets. Can be added to laundry.
• Polishing varnished wood and other surfaces.
• Clearing drains. Pour baking soda down the drain and then add vinegar.
• Cleaning your pets’ ears. Swab with a vinegar and water solution.
• Cleaning and conditioning hair. Mix with shampoo to remove styling products and excessive oil. I once read that vinegar contains enzymes which are good for hair.
• Deodorize your pet. Mix with shampoo and wash. May be good for pets with skin problems, but you may want to check with your vet in case certain conditions makes skin sensitive to acid. Undiluted vinegar is not recommended for cats as they have very thin skin.
• Soak your feet. Kills bacteria and odor and helps remove old skin cells.
• Polishing coins. We did this in 6th grade science class.
• Making a bang. Fill a small Ziploc bag with vinegar. Put baking soda in a smaller, unsealed plastic bag. Put the small bag inside the Ziploc bag. Seal, shake and throw. The bag expands with the gas produced by the two substances and explodes with a bang. Rather an exciting event for a kid.

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• Economical Pet and Child Safe Ways to Repel and Kill Ants, Spiders and Other Insects

Originally posted 2008-05-18 17:47:29.

Clean with Rubbing Alcohol

Our favorite cleaner is isopropyl, which looks pretty in clear spray bottles around the house. It is not perfumed, does not leave toxic residue like other cleaners, and costs only $1 to $2 for a large bottle. We acquired the mentality of scrupulous sanitizing from singing teachers, some of whom insist upon spraying everything with Lysol before touching. Lysol, however, damages the skin and leaves you with toxic fingers while rubbing alcohol evaporates cleanly away. Only be aware that rubbing too hard with alcohol might remove a little paint or varnish.

Left: One of our handy all-purpose isopropyl alcohol spray bottles that we keep around the house.

A few things we regularly use rubbing alcohol to clean are:

• Library books before reading
• Pillowcases before going to bed (in case pets have used our pillows in our absence)
• Doorknobs
• Cosmetic containers and surfaces (where we keep and apply makeup)
• Closets where we store pillowcases, clothing, and towels
• Office equipment such as phones and computers
• Mirrors
• Washer and dryer openings that come into contact with dirty laundry before we take out our clean laundry

Exterminate with Rubbing Alcohol

Yet another use for the wonderful isopropyl is in killing unwelcome insects. Because we have pets, Penelope and I are very reluctant to use poisons. A squirt of alcohol, which can even reach a tiny bug on the ceiling, makes most insects drop dead (no squashed guts!). A spritz can also drop airborne flies and gnats. There are no worries of children or pets touching and ingesting insecticides, and even adults can reduce cancer risk by avoiding exposure to many household chemicals. For tougher insects, white vinegar is more effective and although it leaves a smell, is healthier for everyone except the bug. A spritz of vinegar is more effective than a fly swatter because the fly thinks it’s water and does not try to escape.

Dilute Cleaning Solutions

When necessary, we prefer name-brand cleaners such as Lysol or 409 as being safer and more effective than cheap alternatives with suspiciously jaunty names. These cleaning products are—as expected—rather expensive and the use of spray bottles very wasteful (a whole squirt to wipe one or two paw prints). Adding water to cleaners in spray bottles allow for spot cleaning or covering large areas with less waste. The amount of dilution depends on the intended use—weaker for kitchen and table, more potent for bathrooms and pet accidents.

Alternatives for Curtain Rods

Instead of using store-bought curtain rods, we sometimes hang curtains from evenly spaced nails over both arched and straight windows. 5 to 7 nails cost much less than the cheapest curtain rod and the result is very attractive. We paint the nail heads to match the walls and keep the grease from staining fabrics. Framing nails are best as they do not bend when pounded into hard wood. The curtains can be hung by loops, ribbon ties, or button holes. (More details will be given in a future article.)

 

Spaghetti as Long Matches

Instead of long matches which can only be used once, ignite spaghetti noodles from stove tops or regular lighters to light sunken down candles and other hard to reach things. The noodles can be used until they are too short. After each use, break off the completely burnt tips, leaving about a quarter inch of charred noodle to make it easier to light next time. Make sure to completely blow out the noodle after use. Some brands of pasta take longer to light.

Scented Light Bulbs as Votives

Instead of burning votive candles or melting scented wax in burners, rub softened scented wax onto light bulbs. When the lights are turned on, the heat from the bulbs will release the fragrance. Even energy saving bulbs get warm when in use. This saves you the expense of candles and tea lights as well as the risk of candle fires.

Paint Plain White for Easy Maintenance

We paint our floors and many pieces of furniture with non-tinted white paint, using the generic brand of our local hardware store. The reason for this is that we have rather large active dogs who naturally scratch, bang, and sometimes chew our house. And admittedly, we humans sometimes drag chairs or accidentally carry large objects into the walls. Using a color easily available, we touch up wear and tear with very little expense and trouble. Of course, our home doesn’t resemble a white void. We simply have to take extra care not to chip the colored things. Diluting paint with water makes repaired areas less conspicuous.

Related posts:

• April 2008 Finance and Frugality Blog Carnivals
• Interesting Reads from Fellow Personal Finance Bloggers #2
• Pay Bills Online and Save
• Festival of Frugality #152: Affected by Recession Edition
• 101 Ways to Save Money in Your Everyday Life

My suggestions are divided into the following subsections:

• Summer Hobbies – activities with lasting benefits and meaning
  
• Summer Studies – develop skills that will be useful in life
  
• Summer To-Do’s – a few ways to get your life or home in order
  
• Summer Fitness – ways to keep cool and stay fit
  
• Summer Pet Bonding – make your pet happy and you healthy

Summer Hobbies

Here are some ideas for catching up on tasks that may have been neglected during the year.

• Write in your journal
  Write about your past year, what’s on your mind, who and what you like and dislike, your daydreams, anything. In future years you will be glad you did it and also amused by your younger self. You think you will always remember what happened when, but as time goes by, memories do fade and become forgotten. (Trust me, I’m speaking from experience and I’m not yet 30 and have a memory better than most.)
• Make a family video
  Go around the house and take a video of your family going about its regular business. You will be glad for the memories one day.
• Scrapbook
  Organize family photos, report cards, birthday cards, artwork, concert programs and other keepsakes from the past year into a scrapbook.
• Reading
  Reading (even fun fiction) can help improve your mind, vocabulary, grammar and writing skills. If you go to the library, you can read in an air-conditioned environment without having to pay for the air-conditioning or the books.

Summer Studies

Yes, summer should be fun, but there’s no reason it can’t be both fun and productive.

• Learn a new language
  The benefits of learning languages are endless. Learning a new language can help you to:
  • Get ahead in your career
  • Make new friends from different parts of the world. When you show an interest in someone’s language or culture, they are often appreciative and take an interest in you in return.
  • Improve your English (or first language)
• Learn to play a musical instrument
  Music enhances the mind in many ways. Studies have shown that children who study music at an early age do better in school than those who don’t. Aside from that, it is also just plain fun.
• Learn to sew
  Sewing is a very useful skill to have regardless of your gender. You can learn to mend clothes, make your own clothes and other things for your house, which can save you a lot of money. Older and more skilled children can even make their own clothes for the coming school year. Check out one of our earlier articles for more info: Save Money by Sewing Your Own Clothes.
• Take a computer class
  Learn to type properly, use a spreadsheet or database, design websites, make presentations, etc. Most jobs these days involve computer use, so knowing as much as you can about computers might help you get a higher salary.

Summer To-Do’s

A few suggestions for improving life at home and getting ahead on the coming year.

• Get a head start on your Christmas shopping
  This could save you time and money because you can shop at your leisure and take advantage of summer sales. Leaving your shopping to the last minute usually costs more because you are up against a deadline and usually have fewer options.
• Sort through your stuff
  Go through your clothes and things and prune out those you no longer want or need. You could donate the things you no longer need or hold a garage or yard sale and make some money to put into your college or retirement savings.
• Re-arrange your room or home
  Re-arranging your room or home can have a positive impact on your life. A change can be uplifting and produce an overall feeling of well-being and accomplishment, renew your energy and increase productivity.
• Clean out your computer
  Ideally you would do this several times a year, but if you use the internet and download a lot of things, it’s a good idea to clean out your computer on a regular basis. If there are programs you don’t use, uninstall them. If there are files that you no longer need, delete them. Clean your registry if you’ve had the computer for a while. Keeping your hard drive from getting too full will extend its life.

Summer Fitness

A few suggestions for staying cool and healthy this summer.

• Mall Walking
  Walking in an indoor, air-conditioned mall is a great way to get exercise away from the heat and smog, and you can also save on sunscreen. You can even window-shop during your walks, but if you think you might get too tempted, leave your money and credit card at home.
• Swimming in an indoor pool
  Swimming is another low-impact exercise (safer than running) which increases endurance, muscle and cardiovascular strength. Try to swim in an indoor pool whenever possible or wait until early evening to avoid sunburn.
• Ice Skating
  Not only does it let you get away from the heat, but it’s a good low-impact and aerobic exercise which will help strengthen your bones and cardiovascular system. Taking some lessons and learning to skate properly can be worth the money.

Summer Pet Bonding

If you have a pet, spend some quality time together. Not only will you make your pet very happy, he/she will help make you healthier. (How Pets Help People)

• Take your dog to obedience school
  Obedience school is good for socializing and teaching discipline. There is nothing wrong with repeating obedience school for fun and refreshing both your memories.
• Teach your dog new tricks
  There are lots of fun tricks you can teach your dog: beg, spin (in both directions), roll, speak, catch a ball or frisbee, etc. You can also teach your dog to be helpful around the house: closing the door or brining you something you dropped. Dogs enjoy feeling helpful and learning new things can keep mature dogs’ minds sharp.
• Take your dog for long evening strolls or hikes
  If going hiking, be sure to take another person along, bring lots of water and plastic bags, and make sure your dog’s feet are protected from rough terrain. For your dog’s and other hikers’ safety, never let him off-leash on a hiking trail.
• Enter your dog in a 4th of July costume contest
  Make a fun costume for your dog and enter a costume contest or parade. (Sorry, for the self-promotion, but if you don’t want to make your own costume, check out some of our patriotic dog clothing and costumes at Franga Designs.)

Well, I hope some of these suggestions prove helpful in making your summer both fun and productive. Vas-y t’amuser!

Related posts:

• June 2008 Finance and Frugality Blog Carnivals
• Under the Weather – Recommended Reading
• No-Air Conditioning Summer Part 1 – How It Started: No-Heat Winters
• Language Lesson ~ Frugality is a Virtue
• Frugal Thermodymics Part I: Limiting Sources of Heat in the Home

Originally posted 2008-06-09 05:28:43.

My spring cleaning therefore begins with using up these scraps as fast as possible and disposing of the remaining shreds. One easy way to use fabric scraps is to make patchwork berets which are highly individual and as colorful or demure as you choose. My recent hats are very colorful as I have a large variety of small pieces to deal with, but I intend soon to make some with fabric choices limited to one or two tones.

 

I have two styles of patchwork berets pictured here. Each beret is a 16 inch circle gathered onto a 22 inch band and took less than half of a day to make. The brims are optional and stitched on afterwards. The first beret is composed of truly small scraps of pretty fabrics (velvet, satin, cotton prints, suede, & corduroy) appliquéd to a circle of an ugly blue-green cloth that we once purchased for some inexplicable reason. The stitched edges were concealed by sewing white lace on top, which gives the whole piece a sugary, frosty look. You can use other trims such as ric rac, ribbon, or dimensional fabric paint to cover these edges. I opted for a white satin bow at the top instead of a pom pom (fitting for children) or a silk daisy and finished it off with a pieced together brim and three buttons in different colors.

The second hat is made of five pie-shaped pieces sewn into a circle. I made the pattern on my computer using the simple drawing tools common to word processing programs and added ½ inch to each edge for sewing. I then joined two or tree pieces of scraps to get a piece from which a section could be cut. These five piece were joined, lined with flannel (two leftover pieces joined together) and gathered on a patchwork band. The brim is made from leftover suede, stiffened with iron-on stabilizer. A button tops off the hat.

These hats are possibly too colorful for some people, but they are nice when worn with conservative clothing such as white shirts and coats. They can also be pieced together entirely from scraps of one fabric or the remnants from sewing a garment which becomes a matching accessory. Lining is optional and can add warmth or durability. The flannel pieces I used were from sewing a nightgown and old-fashioned ruffled caps. Other good fabrics for lining hats are: fleece, cottons, satin & faux fur. When you have enough hats for yourself and your family, produce them as Christmas, birthday, and baby gifts, saving the money you would spend buying presents.

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• The Frugal Art

Originally posted 2008-03-27 16:48:57.

I have never had any luck with steel wool. Perhaps all of you who have got it together domestically ask, where is luck required in the use of steel wool? Well, I can use it just fine. It’s the best thing for scrubbing a burnt pan clean. But the problem is after I use it. Once it gets wet, steel wool rusts and not only does it look nasty, but it leaves red stains on the sink and counter.

I’ve tried airing them dry on racks, putting them in the dishwasher, and even polishing with Brasso, but I have never been able to keep my steel wool from rusting. So I stopped buying them several years ago and resorted to scouring with plastic scrubbers, baking soda, and other methods that require excessive effort with less than satisfactory results.

Then yesterday, I forgot the dogs’ dinner on the stove (which was to be chicken and white rice) and ended up with a lump of charcoal stuck to the bottom of a steel pot. Because I am short of time and have a lot to do, I needed a faster way to clear up the mess and came up with the idea of scrubbing with used aluminum foil. I got out a small tin from a pie, scrunched it up and voila! I had an excellent scrubber. It doesn’t even rust.

And so I wanted to share my discovery with other frugalites. Give your aluminum foil a second use. Scrunch it up really well so it doesn’t gouge your cookware. Use it as many times as you think proper and then throw it away. When you finish a casserole or lasagna, how convenient that you can use the cover to clean the pan? And if there should be a proper way to store steel wool and you should happen to know it, you might drop me a note.

Not that I’ll be buying anymore, but just out of curiosity.

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• Our Fourpence Worth has moved. Please update your feed readers.

Tiny leaks and evaporation put a constant drain on your resources. As discussed in our previous post, From Pennies One Million Dollars Grow, a few cents saved here and there can add up to be a significant amount. Here we offer 101 suggestions for plugging expenditures in various aspects of your life – around the house, in your personal care, transportation, recreation and more. Most of these ideas we currently use or have applied in the past.

101 Drops in the Bucket

Saving on Utilities

• Minimize electricity use during peak hours (weekdays during work hours). Do laundry, use hot water, etc. in the evenings.
• Cook enough for several meals at once.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
• Turn off shower when shampooing and soaping.
• Work or read in the same room with family members or roommates to consolidate light usage.
• Take advantage of natural daylight to get your work done. Sleep when it’s dark, get up as soon as it is light (before sunrise).
• Hold off on personal phone calls that can wait until evenings and weekends when rates are lower or free.
• Wash things on the lawn to water the grass at the same time.
• Water the lawn or garden in the early morning or after sundown. Skip watering on windy days.
• Use curtains to keep your house cool in summer and warm in winter.
• Keep thermostat lower in the winter and wear extra layers.
• Don’t separate colors in your laundry; instead, hand wash items that bleed. This way, you can reduce the number of loads. Saves water, electricity and soap.
• Keep thermostat as high as can be tolerated in summer without harming your pets, antiques and musical instruments.
• Drink lots of cold water to keep cool and reduce need for air conditioning.
• Turn off air conditioning in late afternoon, open doors and windows and turn on fans.
• Using ceiling fans in summer and winter (reverse directions to push warm air down).
• For laundry, set a shorter dryer time. It’s better to have to do a touch up instead of using unnecessary gas or electricity. You’d be surprised how little time some clothing need to dry. If taken out still warm, damp things can still air dry quite quickly.
• Cancel cable, purchase a few DVDs a month (which cost less than cable and leave you with an asset) and watch current shows online at Hulu or network channel websites.

Saving on Food and Health

• Eat smaller portions to avoid waste and overindulgence.
• Eat foods of substance that hold you over longer (i.e. proteins).
• Take baking soda instead of over-the-counter antacids (unless you have other health conditions that are affected by sodium intake).
• Put away leftover food immediately to prevent spoilage.
• Do not overfill refrigerator as food goes bad faster due to poor air circulation.
• Do house and yard work for exercise.
• Get an exercise bike for $150-$200 or pedal exerciser for under $20 and some hand weights instead of a gym membership.
• Water down juice to reduce caloric and sugar intake as well as make the juice last longer.
• Make a pot of tea with a teabag instead of just one cup.
• Opt for stainless steel silverware and cookware without plastic parts as they last indefinitely.
• Use a hand whisk instead of electric egg beater to burn calories and save money.
• When baking – cakes, casseroles, etc. – use a cookie sheet instead of aluminum foil to cover the pan or casserole dish.
• Combine a box of Jell-O with a pack of unflavored Knox Gelatin for lower sugar content and cost.
• Buy quart-size yogurt instead of individual serving cups. They often cost $2.00 per container and save a lot.
• (Cont. from #78) When finished with the yogurt, save the container for storing food, cut fruits and leftovers, or use for various projects around the house such as mixing paint.
• Bring treats home. For example:
• (Example 1 for #80) Instead of going out for ice cream, buy a gallon and a pack of cones and enjoy several ice cream cones at the same cost.
• (Example 2 for #80) Instead of ordering delivery pizza, bring home a frozen pizza. The most deluxe frozen pizza such as Freschetta still costs a lot less than delivery plus tip.
• If you cannot decide between a low-carb and low-fat diet, low-fat is usually cheaper.

Saving on Household

• Use old clothing to make rags, pillows, blankets and pet beds.
• Use a home dry cleaning kit instead of a professional dry cleaner.
• Use less laundry detergent unless your clothes are very dirty to extend the life of your clothing.
• Turn clothing inside-out when washing to preserve the appearance.
• Use rubbing alcohol to sanitize doorknobs, exercise equipment, refrigerator handles, etc.
• Hold the insecticide. When you see an ant or other little bug, wipe it away with a soapy sponge and discourage further visits by cleaning thoroughly and caulking any cracks and entry points.
• Use rubbing alcohol to kill insects such as ants, spiders, gnats, silverfish.
• Use vinegar to kill tougher and larger insects. Vinegar in a spray bottle is also the best and cleanest fly swatter.
• Use vinegar in place of more expensive cleaners.
• When the oven is on, set dishes or other items to dry on top of or near the oven (keep safety in mind).
• Repaint or varnish furniture you already own for a new look or to give it second life.
• If throwing or cutting up old clothes, salvage buttons, zippers, drawstrings, bows and re-usable trims for mending other clothing.
• Rinse dishes before soaping to save dish detergent.
• When doing dishes, put the dirtiest at the bottom so that soap and water can run over them while you’re washing other easier dishes first.
• If you dry your hands or face on a paper towel, set it aside for cleaning floors and other things.
• Use cold water to clean on hot days to prevent getting overheated and save electricity or gas.
• Follow the The Life Stages of a Dish Sponge not only for sponges, but towels, clothing and anything else that applies.
• Use plastic shopping bags instead of buying trash bags. The small size will also encourage you to take the garbage out more often.
• Use small holiday buckets that can be purchased half-price (around 25¢-50¢) after a holiday for trash cans/waste baskets or cleaning buckets. These small buckets can be set on the counter near the kitchen sink to keep dogs out of the trash.
• Water down dish and hand soap. You often pump out more than you need.
• Learn to perform minor repairs around your home such as lighting a pilot light, replacing a thermocouple, etc. (We once saved $70 by changing the thermocouple on our water heater ourselves instead of calling a repairman.)
• Redye color-worn clothing to give a second life. Fabric dyes can be purchased in the laundry section.
• To save your septic system, instead of pouring cooking oils down the drain, pour them into empty glass or plastic bottles, close tightly and throw away.
• To extend the life of your septic system and reduce frequency of pumping, throw toilet paper in a trash can lined with shopping bags (and take it out everyday).
• Instead of replacing your pillow, launder in hot water and dry on thoroughly on high heat (to kill dust mites). You can even cut one seam open, fluff the material by hand, and sew it shut. No one will notice if your stitching is untidy. Consider a pillow cover if you suffer from allergies.
• Use pillow and mattress covers to prolong the life of your bedding and facilitate easier cleaning especially if you have pets or children.
• Use a push reel lawn mower. It is cheaper to buy, efficient to store, requires no fuel, has fewer parts to maintain and repair, and provides for refreshing and fun exercise.
• Use a wind-up clock instead of a battery or electric clock.

Saving on Personal Care

• Opt for a low maintenance and shorter hair style to save on shampoo and hair products.
• Make bar soap last longer by unwrapping and letting it dry for about a week before using it. (You could set it in your closet during this time to make things smell fresh.)
• In personal grooming, wherever practical, pluck instead of wax as a one-time purchase of a good pair of tweezers lasts for years.
• While using a facial scrub, exfoliate your hands (and maybe even your elbows) before rinsing off.
• Accept free samples of products that you use and would purchase – soap, deodorant, shampoo, lotions, etc. – so long as it doesn’t require you to pay money or register for some sort of membership. A sample is usually enough for several uses and can put off need to purchase them.
• Dry your hair naturally to save electricity, heat damage to hair, and sweating. In cooler weather, wear a small towel, scarf, or flannel cap until hair is almost completely dry.
• Curl your hair without electricity. Cut rectangular strips from an old t-shirt, roll up sections of damp hair and tie in a knot. This method has been used for many centuries and gives a very charming style of curl. Mousse can be applied before curling if desired.
• Keep good quality ribbons from gift wrap and packaging (such as for candy, food, and cosmetics) and use these as hair ties for securing the ends of braids, tying a bow over a plain rubber band, or stitching hair styles on your head (with a blunt needle).

Saving on Hobbies, Recreation and Entertainment

• If there are 2 or more of you, wait for the DVD release of a film instead of going to the theater, especially if you like to watch a film more than once. The purchase of 1 DVD is less than the cost of 2 movie tickets.
• Buy DVDs instead of renting. You may see fewer films in a year, but will have assets to reuse or resell.
• If you have a piano, consider learning to tune it yourself, which can save about $160 a year. The one-time purchase of a good tuning kit and manual is about $110. Tools could be had for less, but good tools will better prevent damage. Refer to: Tuning Your Own Piano: A Skill With Many Unexpected Benefits
• Use the library to borrow books, audiobooks and music and rent movies for $1-$2 a week. See The Library Card: Your Other “Rewards Credit Card” for more ways your library can save you money.
• Buy a small potted Christmas tree instead of a large “dead” one. When Christmas is over, plant it in your yard to increase your property value or keep it for next year.
• If you need paper for crafts and projects, request paper at the grocery store checkout. We used to use paper bags for testing clothing sewing patterns. Horse feed bags are great for patterns, too.
• Use reading as a frugal leisure activity that will improve your writing, grammar, and vocabulary which is advantages in all walks of life. The Frugal Literate’s Guide to Affordable Reading.
• Stop paying for classes, lessons, and activities if you or your children do not attend, practice, or enjoy them enough. A break might revive motivation or provide a chance to discover new interests and talents.

Saving on Shopping

• Shop online whenever possible and take advantage of free and low shipping costs to save gas and time.
• When shopping, always check unit prices. Don’t be deceived by packaging size.
• Don’t buy junk food if you’ll regret it eating it.
• Use cash back rewards credit cards wherever and whenever you can.
• Try to limit purchases to things of lasting value such as books, classic literature, reference books, classical music, conservative fashions and acoustic instruments instead of electric.
• Purchase furniture made of real wood and not laminate or particle board. If items contain particle board, at least make sure the framing is constructed of solid wood. Particle boards will bow, causing shelves to collapse, and swell and become permanently damaged when wet.
• Choose latex and rubber toys for your dogs. They outlast plush toys by several years and are more sanitary.

Saving on Miscellaneous

• Use online postage printing and carrier pickup for mailing packages.
• Turn of wrist watches when not wearing them to save the battery.
• Pick up all loose change.
• Use open source software.
• Resist pressure from peers and solicitors to donate to causes you do not feel strongly for or cannot afford.
• Close your bank account and open a credit union account with higher dividends, no minimum balance, unlimited free teller visits and checks, and fee-free accounts. Why Credit Unions Instead of Banks
• Choose credit cards with no annual fees. You could be spending or earning interest on that money.

Saving on Transportation

• Walk wherever and whenever you can.
• Consolidate errands.
• Plan your route to avoid left turns when driving.
• When driving, take your foot off the gas when anticipating a stop ahead.
• Park in the first vacant space you find.
• Plan downhill routes to and from your destinations.

Hurrah! We made it!

Related posts:

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• Pecuniarities (Our Fourpence Worth) 1 Year Anniversary
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• Put Your Brain Where Your Money Is: Think to Save

As I mentioned in my previous post, Frugal Travel Begins Before the Trip: Vacation Preparation Checklist, it is the preparation that determines how much fun you will have; the better prepared, the more you will be able to enjoy your trip. And again, the way to travel frugally is to travel prepared. So to follow up that post, I wanted to share some tips for helping your entire family enjoy your summer vacation. Most of these suggestions will help save you money by avoiding costly situations such as tips for staying in a hotel with your pet, keeping your dog healthy and safe to prevent costly vet bills (either immediate or future), and also just maintain your pet’s general well-being.

Safe and Smart Pet Travel

• Finding Pet Friendly Lodgings
  Hotels are becoming more and more dog-friendly as businesses realize how many people consider their pets a part of the family and wish to travel with them. Do a search for Pet Friendly Hotels (or Discount Pet Friendly Hotels) to find lodgings at your destination. However, do not rely solely on the word of the pet friendly referral site; even if you will be booking your hotel stay through a referral site such as Expedia, which allows you to search for pet-friendly hotels, always double check the hotel’s pet policy on its official website. Some referral websites contain outdated, incomplete or simply wrong information on hotel pet policies. Some hotels may have accepted pets at one time but no longer, or have pet type, breed or weight restrictions. Sometimes, the easiest thing to do is to just call the hotel and ask.

  When calling a pet-friendly hotel, be sure to:

  • Ask if they accept the type, breed and weight of your pet
  • Ask if there is a non-refundable pet fee (some hotels do not charge a non-refundable pet fee, something called a “cleaning fee”, and others charge as much a $150 per stay)
  • Ask about daily fees – per pet, per stay, etc. (most hotels charge per pet, per day)
  • If you are bringing more than one pet, be sure to check that they allow more than one pet per room
  • Any other pet policies you need to know about

• What to Pack when Traveling with Pets

  • If traveling by car, I highly suggest a doggie seat belt. This is both for your pet’s protection as well as your own protection. In fact, regardless of distance traveled, dogs should always be buckled in. This makes sure they do not disturb or distract the driver in any way, and prevents them from being flung out of the car in the event of an accident. A 30-mph collision with a 30-lb. dog creates a 900 lb. force that can severely or fatally injure both dog and human passengers.
  • To avoid extra hotel cleaning charges, I suggest bringing:
    • An upholstery cleaner
    • Baby wipes to clean your pet’s feet after playing outdoors
    • Paper towels
    • To clean up after any accidents, an pet safe cleaner so that the pet doesn’t get ill from stepping in it and ingesting it by licking its paws
  • Identification and license with your cell phone number printed on the ID in case your pet gets lost. Include emergency contact information for a relative, friend or neighbor who can care for your pet in the event something happens to you.
  • Food and water dish.
  • Dry and not messy food.
  • Non-greasy treats for keeping your dog from being bored and misbehaving. Non-greasy to prevent carsickness and vomiting. We like carrot sticks which are healthy and be be cool and juicy.
  • When packing your own drinks, make sure you bring enough drinking water for your pet. Dogs get very thirsty when riding in cars.
  • Consider a pair of doggie sunglasses to protect from corneal sunburn. Long term exposure to the sun can result in blindness in old age.
  • If your dog is an indoor dog and will be walking outside, consider a pair of doggie boots to prevent injury from hot pavement, broken glass, rough road surfaces and sharp rocks. Dogs who live indoors tend to have softer paw pads that are more sensitive to outdoor surfaces.
  • If staying in a place with hardwood flooring, bring a pair of doggie shoes to prevent damaging wood flooring with nails.
  • If your dog will be staying indoors a lot, you might consider bringing some housebreaking pads (large sizes are available for large dogs) and encourage them to use it if confined indoors for long periods of time.
  • If your dog is used to playing outdoors and doing his business outdoors, look up the locations of a few dog friendly parks in the area before you leave. Some hotels object to letting your dog do his business on hotel property. A dog park might be more amenable to such transactions.

• Pet Health and Safety While Traveling

  • Preventing heat stroke
    Remember that dogs are naturally warmer than we are; even when we are comfortable with temperatures in the 80s, they can be hot, especially if they have longer hair. Heat stroke can cause permanent brain damage, so monitor your dog very carefully. If he is panting, that means he is hot.
    • If driving during summer, freeze a container of drinking water, which will be ice by the time you depart. Bring it in the car and allow your dog an occasional sip as it melts. Don’t let them have too much ice-cold water at one time.
    • 
    • A wet bandanna tied around the neck can help keep cool.
    • Consider a dog cooling jacket as pictured to the right. (Click on the picture to see details.) There are also cooling mats for hot dogs to lie on. These are good for staying at home during warm weather as well.
    • Keep your dog in the shade as much as possible. When parking, look for shady spots.
    • Never leave your dog in the car by itself or with young children. Have at least one older child or an adult remain in the car and keep the air conditioning on.
  • Don’t let your dog ride with his head out the car window. As much as they love it, it is very dangerous. My windshield was recently cracked by a flying pebble while driving 50 mph.
  • Never let your dog off leash unless in an enclosed area intended for dogs, such as a dog park or until inside your lodgings. Leave his collar and ID on even when indoors.
  • Don’t have young children hold the leash. The gentlest dog can get excited or frightened in unfamiliar surroundings. Even small dogs can be very strong when excited, which can be dangerous for both dog and child.
  • Don’t forget prescription medication such as heartworm preventatives. Don’t administer medication early for convenience; pack the necessary dosage and give it when it is due.
  • Don’t change your pet’s diet for the trip. Bring the same foods as he would eat at home. Tip: Pets who subsist on a varied home-cooked diet are less prone to diarrhea with diet changes. For more information, check out our article on Cooking for Your Pet at our Franga Designs website.
  • If you are traveling to an area with pests such as mosquitoes, fleas and ticks and diseases not found in your home area, be sure to prepare for it. Ask your vet for disease prevention advice.

• At the hotel

  Pets get very nervous when away from home. Even if they are normally very calm and friendly at home, this may change when in unfamiliar surroundings.

  • Never leave your pet unattended in the hotel room. Nervousness and stress can cause them to make messes, damage property and make noise that might disturb other guests.
  • Hang the “do not disturb” sign on the door to prevent housekeeping from accidentally letting your pet out and either party from injury.
  • Bring a familiar toy from home, and set out your pets things such as food and water dish.
  • If your dog is crate trained, setting up the crate in the room might make him feel more secure.
  • To reduce barking at sounds of other guests outside your room at night, keep him active during the day so that he sleeps better.
  • Clean up after accidents immediately to prevent stains and odors from soaking in. Use an upholstery cleaner on beds, rugs and chairs. Wipe your pets paws and other dirty parts to prevent soiling the room.

Boarding Your Pet

Traveling with pets is a big responsibility, but when done right, it can be very fun. If you feel like it’s too much work, consider boarding your pet at a reputable boarding facility. When looking for a boarder, don’t choose the least expensive one. Ask your veterinarian, friends and/or relatives for recommendations of reputable boarders with whom they have had good experiences.

A veterinary clinic that offers boarding isn’t necessary the best choice. A facility dedicated for the purpose may be better as the employees’ main focus is taking care of boarded animals, while a veterinary clinic (especially a small one), has ill animals to see to. You don’t want to scrimp when it comes to the health and safety of your pet; you want to make sure that you can enjoy yourself on your vacation without anxiety about your pet. Of course, there will still be some worry, but knowing that he/she is well taken care of will help a great deal.

If you do board your pet, take a few familiar items from home such as a bed and toys to help your pet feel more at home at the boarding facility.

Well, I hope some of these suggestions help you and your pet to have a nice summer vacation. Buon viaggio!

Related posts:

• Welcome MSN Money Central Smart Spending Readers!
• June 2008 Finance and Frugality Blog Carnivals
• Under the Weather – Recommended Reading
• Frugal Travel Begins Before the Trip: Vacation Preparation Checklist
• Booking Flights Early Could End Up Costing More

Originally posted 2008-06-02 12:29:17.

You may not know it, but you may be waging long term biological warfare on yourself and your family. There is increasing awareness about the harmful effects of exposure to chemicals such as pesticides and household cleaners, but did you know that air fresheners are also poisons?

History has taught the human race that bad smells mean disease and infection, so naturally we all want our homes filled with good smells. Unfortunately, chemicals used to carry these good smells into your home may give you lung problems and cancer. You should be especially vigilant about uses of air fresheners if you have cats because cats can be fatally poisoned by airborne substances absorbed through the skin.

Here are some alternatives you might consider to aerosol or plug-in air fresheners. You can make or purchase these items made with natural plant oils.

Scented candles

Scented candles are ideal for bathrooms as they are resistant to humidity. Light these whenever needed. They are great for eliminating odor from strong smelling foods after cooking or eating. I like to read and write by candlelight and always have votive candles in wine glasses on my desk.

If you are afraid of fire, place short, fat candles in heavy glass jars. Small flames usually extinguish themselves when a candle is dropped, but if you want to be extra safe, place candles in sturdy glass jars taller than the candle, so that the flame is contained should the jar tip. Light sunken or hard to reach candles with a burning spaghetti noodle.

Potpourri

Keep in bowls, pouches, out of reach of pets and small children who might eat sweet smelling things. You can even pull out the poly-fill of a stuffed animal, mix potpourri into the fluff and re-stuff. A scented stuffed animal can be placed on shelves, in drawers, or near your bed if it contains sleep enhancing herbs. Do not give an herbal toy to children or pets unless you are sure that the ingredients are safe.

Cloth Sachets Filled With Dried Herbs

Good for keeping your clothes fresh and bug free. You can make or purchase very pretty ones. Add scented oils if desired for a stronger scent. We use cedar filled pouches for closets and inside the piano.

Pomanders

These are scented balls made with oranges and cloves (instructions below) that last for years. They are natural, very fragrant and deter insects. Pomanders can be decorated and hung in your closets, around your home, and in your car. They can also be placed in drawers and storage boxes. You could make a bunch for Christmas ornaments and then redistribute them for use around the house after the holidays.

Fresh flowers

These don’t last as long, but are not expensive if you have a garden.

Pet Perfumes and Colognes

If your home has pet odors, you might consider using colognes and perfumes formulated for pets. If your pet is prone to allergies, ill, very old, or very young, you should get your vet’s recommendation for a product. Remember that not all products marketed for pets are entirely safe and that products formulated for dogs may be harmful to cats. The best air freshener may be a bath for your cat or dog. If odors are cause by skin conditions, herbs with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties may be helpful. But always research ingredients so that you do not accidentally poison your pet.

How to make a pomander

You might want to make a dozen or more at a time because a pomander will last forever (unless they get wet).

1. Take an orange, lime, or lemon.
2. Prick holes in the skin with a large needle and insert whole cloves until you have a prickly ball. For a neat appearance, space the cloves like longitudinal lines on a globe.
3. Cure the pomade by rolling it in powdered herbs and letting it dry for several weeks.
4. During the drying process, coat regularly with powdered herbs to prevent mould. Pomander will shrink as it cures.
5. Decorate with ribbons and flowers if desired.
6. To renew scent after long use, treat with essential oils and roll in powdered herbs.

Powdered Herbs for curing pomanders (use one or more)

• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Clove
• Myrrh
• Nutmeg (toxic to cats and dogs)

Some Common Fragrance Herbs

• Lavender
• Lemon
• Rose Geranium
• Rose
• Orange
• Cinnamon
• Allspice
• Bayberry
• Pine
• Citrus
• Sandalwood
• Mint

Recommended Reading
Air Fresheners: Are they bad for my health?

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Originally posted 2008-10-02 06:00:38.

Even though science has always been one of my favorite subjects, I am frequently surprised at how even the most basic principles taught in high school have proven useful to everyday life, household management and health issues. Of late, because heat is the primary financial drain in summer, the laws of thermodynamics are very much on my mind. These laws are very simple concepts dealing with heat and its natural tendencies which is helpful in figuring out how to stay cool while using our resources efficiently.

Limiting Sources of Heat in the Home

The first thing to understand is that heat is a form of energy, it is often produced as a byproduct of other processes. The heat of summer, for example, is the byproduct of nuclear reactions in the sun. And while we unfortunately cannot control that particular source of heat (except by insulating our homes and drawing the curtains shut), we can improve our situation by limiting other means of heat production. Following are just a few of the possible sources of heat in your home which you may choose to regulate.

• Electronics
  Computers, televisions, lights and other electronics emit high quantities of heat. Turn them off when they are not absolutely necessary. Unplug appliances and stereos that still draw electricity when not in use (the ones with glowing lights or numbers). Limit cooking and cleaning activities (especially ironing or using the dryer) to the cooler hours of the day.
• Human Metabolic Activity
  “Calorie” is simply another word for “heat.” You constantly produce heat in the process of respiration. Therefore, strenuous activity and indoor exercise can really warm up your home. You can avoid this by exercising outdoors or elsewhere. For the weight conscious, drinking lots of cold water can raise your metabolism while literally flushing a good deal of body heat out of the house. Also note: metabolic activity produces water vapor in addition to heat which increases the humidity of your house (see below) so that is another reason to work out elsewhere or at night.
• Pet Metabolic Activity
  Pets such as cats and dogs have higher metabolic rates than people. A medium sized dog can noticeably heat up a small room. For your own good as well as the good of your pets (to avoid heat stroke) discourage them from being too active during the hottest hours.
• Trash & Food
  Decomposing matter generate heat from bacterial and  fungal respiration. This means that it would be to your advantage to take out the kitchen trash more often than usual and throw away unwanted or spoiling food sooner rather than later. Germs, mold and other microbes burn calories just like you and your pets. So logically, the fewer “little housemates” you have, the cooler you’ll be.
• Humidity
  Water vapor is the gratest contributer to the greenhouse effect. A humid house with sunlight streaming through the windows will easily reach tropical temperatures. I strongly suggest ventilating well after showers, fixing leaks, not having too many fish tanks or house plants, avoiding indoor exercise, and getting a dehumidifier if necessary.

While some of the means mentioned above may seem so insignificant that most people may feel inclined to dismiss them, I believe that many small factors can make a notable change. And the proof is that we are enjoying a fine day at home in the Mojave Desert with full sun, no breeze, and being no poorer for it.

Related posts:

• Frugal Thermodymics Part II: A Simple Cooling System
• No-Air Conditioning Summer Part 2 – How We Stayed Cool Without A/C
• No-Air Conditioning Summer Part 1 – How It Started: No-Heat Winters
• Fast & Frugal Recipe: Super Easy Taco Salad
• Fast & Frugal Recipe: Vegetable & Rice Teriyaki Bowl

Even though we live at the edge of a growing suburb with new houses springing up around us every year, we sort of think of our house as being in the country. It is still a little isolated and teeming with birds, bugs and lawn-destroying rabbits. And now that summer is coming on, the yard smells like roses and grass (we are actually terrible gardeners, but the roses proved incredibly hardy).

And because we call this country life, we built a country themed shelf for our kitchen with a dairy cow pattern on the sides. The purpose of this shelf is to keep clutter off the counter and store towels and non-perishables in an attractive manner.

The materials for this shelf cost about $10, comprising entirely of leftover lumber, paint, and nails from household projects and repairs. Because large furniture will not fit in our car and shipping is so expensive, we usually opt to building large shelves and cabinets ourselves. The cost of this shelf is even less than the shipping we would have paid had we purchased a similar sized item.

It was lucky for Penelope and me that we attended an unusual private elementary school when we were kids where we were required to learn how to saw and hammer and do carpentry as early as age 7. We have built a lot of unique and pretty furniture with these very basic skills and would like to recommend that fellow frugalites give furniture making a try.

For kitchen storage, we like a country market look. This is easily achieved by lots of wicker baskets, egg baskets, and mini milk crates from the dollar store. Clean, unused trash baskets make nice bins for apples, onions, oranges, and bread. We keep rice and flour in large Christmas popcorn tins which come cheaper than storage containers sold without food.

As for the refrigerator, it looks the way it does, because P. Pince is fond of cleaning my paint brushes there (so as not to waste paint) before they are washed.

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One day after grocery shopping, when I was returning my shopping cart to the collection area at the front of the parking lot, an older gentleman who was parked next to me happened to be doing the same thing. As we returned our carts together, he made a comment about how we were being good citizens and it occurred to me then that we were being more than good citizens but also good customers, and more importantly, smart customers.

By returning our shopping carts to the collection area, we can help the store save money because their employees won’t have to spend hours chasing down shopping carts around the large parking lot. By reducing the need for employees to do this, they can better spend their time inside cleaning the store, organizing merchandise and helping customers  — all things that can only contribute to a pleasanter shopping experience for us customers because:

• Store cleanliness = healthier, more comfortable shopping
• Store organization = we can quickly/easily find what we need
• Efficient customer service = we save time and are happy

But returning carts isn’t the only way to help the store, and therefore you, save money.

Help Businesses Keep Costs Down to Save You Money

Business don’t enjoy raising prices because they know it makes customers unhappy and they can potentially lose business to competitors. But they also cannot operate if they lose money. These days, businesses are raising prices left and right; almost every time I go to the supermarket, it seems the prices are a little higher than before.

So, in order to slow down or prevent ever-rising prices, we as consumers should do all we can to help businesses keep costs down to avoid the need for them to raise prices.

Grocery Stores

1. Browse refrigerated items with the doors closed and only open the doors if/when you need to read the back of packages or to take what you need.
2. Take only as many produce bags and ties as needed for the amount of produce you’re buying. I sometimes don’t take twist ties and just tie knots on the bags if I can.
3. Return items to the shelf where you got them if you change your mind.
4. Put refrigerated items back in a refrigerator if you change your mind so they don’t spoil and have to be thrown out.
5. Take care with produce. Take fruits and vegetables out of piles carefully so you don’t spill or bruise surrounding items.
6. Don’t set shopping baskets on top of produce. (I’ve actually seen someone do this on a pile of apples which horrified me because, not only did it bruise the apples, but the basket had previously been set on the floor.)

Restaurants

Take only what you need. This goes for:

1. Paper goods – napkins, utensils, cups, lids, straws, etc.
2. Condiments – ketchup, salt, pepper, sauces, etc.
3. Soft drink refills

General

1. Handle merchandise with respect so you don’t damage it and make it unsaleable. Treat items as you would if it were yours and set or hang things back where you took them.
2. Pick it up merchandise fallen on the floor and set it some place where it can’t be kicked, trodden and damaged.
3. Stand away from doorways to talk to someone or to look for or put things in your purse so you don’t let air-conditioned air out.

Doing theses things only take a few seconds, but can make a significant difference in a business’s operating costs if every consumer took the time and consideration. Not only should we be rewarded with better service (remember, employees are human and will treat you better if you’re respectful), but hopefully less or slower inflation of prices.

Previous “It Saves to Be Nice” articles:

• It Saves to Be Nice Part 1: It’s Business But It’s Also Personal
• It Saves to Be Nice Part 2: How to Be a Nice Customer
• It Saves to Be Nice Part 3: How Being Nice Pays Off

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• Giveaways Ending Soon! And Hosting 2 Blog Carnivals Next Week
• It Saves to Be Nice Part 2: How to Be a Nice Customer
• Interesting Reads from Fellow Personal Finance Bloggers #10
• It Saves to Be Nice Part 3: How Being Nice Pays Off
• It Saves to Be Nice Part 1: It’s Business But It’s Also Personal

The 2009 Entertainment Book – Great Savings on Dining, Shopping, Travel, Attractions, Movie Tickets & More!

I don’t often blog about sales, but this is one I couldn’t let slip by because it is such a good deal. My parents used to buy the Entertainment Book every year when I was a kid living in Hawaii, and I used to love this book. I remember afternoons lying on my stomach on the living room floor browsing this book for coupons for my favorite restaurants and attractions, namely McDonald’s and movie tickets. My bargain hunting days go way back.

Just using a few of the coupons pays back the cost of the book, which is currently on sale at 50% off and shipping is very reasonable at $2.79 per book.

The Entertainment Book, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is a book loaded with coupons for all sorts of local businesses and products in your area. The coupons and deals include savings for every day things as well as special occasions and outings:

• Groceries
• Dry Cleaning
• Auto Care & Repair
• Portrait Studios (JC Penny, Target, etc.)
• Fine Dinging (Ethnic and nice restaurants)
• Casual Dining (Tony Roma’s, IHOP, Pizza, etc.)
• Fast Food (McDonald’s, Subway, Domino’s, Wendy’s, Del Taco, etc.)
• Movie Tickets
• Museums
• Recreation (Golf, Mini Golf, Family Fun Centers, etc.)
• Sporting Events
• Attractions
• Travel (Car Rental, Hotels & Airline)
• and many more.

Entertainment® Book

There are $1000s in local savings in every book. To use your Entertainment Book Discounts, just present your coupon to a participating business. Save up to 50% and get 2-for-1 deals at top restaurants, shops, attractions, sporting events and more.

Membership Card

Every Entertainment Book comes with a complimentary membership card. Simply present your card at select fine dine restaurants, hotels, and car rentals to enjoy even more savings!

Register Your Card and Get Even More Savings Online

In addition to Entertainment Book coupons, you’ll find members-only online deals and exclusive discounts on Entertainment.com. You can also print coupons right from your computer when you want it!

• Print new 50% and 2-for-1 dining discounts – only available online!
• Get Repeat Savings – Find a place you like? Now you can go back to save again & again at select merchants.
• Enjoy $1,000s in travel savings. Hotels, car rentals, airlines & new package deals.
• Get cheap tickets for movies, sporting events, concerts & more.
• Save on restaurant gift cards & certificates for popular restaurants nationwide.
• Shop online & save with hundreds of new offers from top online retailers.
• Find all the savings in your neighborhood with easy searching, maps & directions.
• Save with ServiceMagic! Pre-screened and neighbor-rated home service professionals.

The Entertainment Book is available for almost 200 cities around the U.S. and Canada. Prices and coupons vary a little depending on your locality. A few examples of the current sale prices with a few cities/localities:

If you like going out, shopping, eating out, going to the movies, etc. this book can save you a lot of money. Click here to 50% off the Entertainment Book now. This is a limited time offer, so if you want one, order it now.

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The Holidays are fun, or they’re supposed to be, but sometimes it gets hard to remember that when you have people coming over and a hundred things to get done on time. A good way to take some pressure off when hosting a large Holiday dinner party is to have a Party-Preparation Party the day or a couple of days before the actual event.

When you issue an invitation to your home for a Holiday dinner or party, friends and family usually ask if they can do anything to help. If you have your hands full, take them up on it to relieve some of the stress of hosting a dinner or party. Close friends and family usually won’t mind lending a hand or seeing your house a little messy; in fact, they would probably prefer to help out than not, so they don’t feel guilty for letting you do all the work.

To make things easier for you on the day of the main event, ask them if they would be willing to come over the day before to help you prepare by cutting vegetables and preparing things for cooking or baking the next day. They could also help put up decorations or tidy up the house a little.

One year, our cousin was having a Thanksgiving dinner party and Madoline and I went over and spent an evening cutting vegetables and straightening up for him (he lives with a brother and they were a little messy). We had a good time hanging out in the kitchen, something we didn’t get a lot of chance to do because we all had busy lives, so it was fun and the work didn’t feel like work.

If you’re hosting dinners and parties this year and feel a little overwhelmed, give it a try. Most of us already have our hands full during non-Holiday seasons, so don’t be embarrassed if you need a little help around the Holidays. And you can make the preparation fun by turning it into a party of sorts.

Instead of making it just a cook and clean session, schedule in a little rest and relaxation too. Remember, the point of all this is to help relieve stress in preparing for the main event, so it’s not supposed to be a fancy to-do. If you’re not hosting a dinner or party this year but someone close to you is, suggest the idea to them.

Hosting a Party-Preparation Party

• Choose a few close friends and relatives that you are comfortable having around when the house isn’t perfect, who are comfortable with each other, and whom you are comfortable asking for help.
• Put on fun music to listen and sing to while you’re working.
• Have some snacks and drinks around (easy snacks that don’t need preparation – i.e. cookies.)
• Take breaks to chat and enjoy each others’ company.
• When you’ve finished your preparations, have a drink – tea, coffee, hot chocolate or eggnog – and some dessert to unwind a little before they go home.

Everyone will probably be busy and in a hurry to be somewhere or do something from now through New Year’s Day, but it’s important to take some time to relax.

Research has shown that heart-related illnesses claim more lives during the Holiday Season than other times of the year. Researchers attribute this to changes in diet, increased alcohol consumption and emotional stress; they also speculate that people tend to delay treatment because they’re busy. (Deaths Peak During Hoiday Season)

So remember, the Holidays are meant to be a celebration. If you’re feeling stressed, don’t be afraid to ask for help. After all that’s what friends are for. And friends are what the Holdays are all about.

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Amazon.com is one of our favorites sources for saving not only on books and movies, but groceries and household things as well. We have been shopping on Amazon since 2001 and have never had a bad experience. Whenever we need to buy anything for our home or business, Amazon is the first place I check because they usually have one of the best prices around and an established track record with us.

Amazon has a program called Subscribe & Save which we began using last year for regular purchases of Splenda (No Calorie Sweetener) which costs about $10 a bag at our local grocery store, but comes at $6 a bag with this program. At first I was a little hesitant to get into any sort of purchasing commitment, but any reservations were soon put to rest.

Subscribe & Save is available for hundreds of products, mostly dry groceries and regular household things like cleaners, paper towels, toilet paper and the like. Most or all of Subscribe and Save products come in bulk, discounted packs and can be identified by subscription options box located under the Add to Shopping Cart button to the right of a product listing.

Amazon Subscribe & Save Program Features and Benefits

• No contracts

  You can unsubscribe at any time

• Extra 15% off

  That’s an extra 15% off the already discounted regular Amazon pricing. Note: You need to click on a product listing to see the discounted price.
  

• Save Time and Gas

  By having your regular household necessities delivered to your front door, you won’t have to spend time and gas to go the store to restock them.

• Free Shipping

  On all subscription orders even under $25.

• Fast Shipping

  Unlike regular orders with their Super Saver Shipping that often take an additional 4-5 business days to ship out, Subscribe and Save orders usually ship within a day of the order date and arrive in 2-3 days.

• Flexible Subscription Terms

  When you sign up, you can select to have the product shipped to you every 1 month, 2 months, 3 months or 6 months. You can adjust the intervals as you use your products and find out how long it takes you to use up a shipment.

• Email Reminders and Notifications

  They will send you an email reminder to let you know when a subscription order is coming up. If you’re ready for your next shipment, do nothing and it will be processed and shipped to you.

• Skip or Postpone Shipments

  If you still have plenty of an item in stock when they send you an email about an upcoming shipment, all you have to do is log-in to your account and select “Skip this shipment” and you won’t be charged. You can also choose when you want your next shipment sent.

• Pay Per Order

  They only charge your account (you select your preferred payment method when you subscribe) when they process and ship your order.

• Cancel Anytime

  If you no longer need the service, just log-in to your account and cancel your subscription.

Depending on where you live and your local prices, some of the products may cost a little more than you would pay in stores like Walmart or on sale at grocery stores, but if you live far away from discount/warehouse stores or if your local prices are quite high, this program can save you time, money and gas. Also, a lot of these items are brand name items, so the quality is good for the price you pay.

If you haven’t tried this program already, I would highly recommend it.

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Food safety practices should actually apply all year round, but in summer and any time of warm weather, regular precautions might not be enough. For example, you might be able to leave food unrefrigerated for several hours in February without seeing any major effects, but the same practice may not work for you in August when the environment is warmer and bacteria multiply faster. Also, just because you can’t see any change, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Everyone knows that food goes bad, but it occurs to me that the average person might not be privy to all the specific details. Madoline and I worked in the very non-glamourous industry of food services for about 10 months in 2003 (more details in Our Family Financial History). When first hired, we had to go through food safety training and learned a lot of things that we otherwise may never have known had we not happened to get jobs in the industry.

Practicing safe food handling and storage will not only save you money by preventing food waste from spoiling, but more importantly, it will protect your family’s health. For some of you, it might be common sense, but my experience with the general public and relatives is that these are things the average person is simply not aware of. I won’t go into detail about bacteria and all that fun stuff; this is just a basic introduction to food safety.

Hand-Washing

These hand-washing practices should apply everywhere, not just in the kitchen, and especially when using the restroom – and even more importantly, when using a public restroom.

• Before handling food – be it preparing, eating or storing – wash your hands.
• Wash your hands in hot water and with an anti-bacterial soap.
• When finished washing your hands, do not use your hands to turn off the tap. Whatever bacteria was on your hands (and the hands of every other person who used the sink before you) is also on the faucet handle.
  • When in your own home and you are able to control the cleanliness of the facilities, this may not be as vital as opposed to a public facility. When at home, I often use my wrist or forearm to turn off the tap after washing my hands.
  • When in public, use the paper towel with which you dry your hands to turn off the tap – after drying your hands on it. Yes, it leaves the water running for a few seconds longer, but it keeps your hands germ-free. I also use the same paper towel to open restroom exit doors before disposing of it. This may seem overly paranoid, but you never know when you’re in public what other people have touched and left on a door handle or faucet for you to pick up (and later ingest).
• If using a towel, make sure the hand-drying towel is clean and used only for hand-drying. Change them frequently as damp towels in warm weather can mildew quickly. If using paper towels, make sure the paper towel roll is clean – hasn’t fallen on the floor, isn’t often handled when hands are dirty or used for cleaning around the house.

Some people may call this behavior paranoid or obsessive-compulsive, but it is important to be aware that bacteria is transferred by touching. This is an important factor when it comes to safe food handling. When working in food services, we were taught that if your hands touch anything that has not been sanitized, they are dirty and must be washed again before handling food.

Food Preparation & Storage

• When preparing hot food, it should be heated to above 170° F (77° C). If you don’t have a food thermometer, a good way make sure it is sufficiently hot would be to heat to boiling point, which is 212° F (100° C).
• Try not to leave hot food sitting out for longer than 2 hours.
• Try to keep hot food above 140° F (60° C) if not being consumed within 2 hours to keep bacteria from multiplying too fast.
• Cold foods and meats should be stored at temperatures below 40° F (60° C).
• After 2 hours, store the food in the refrigerator.
• Always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat, poultry, fish and dairy.
• Use an anti-bacterial dish detergent – at least for items used in preparing meats.

We’ve probably all left food out for more than 2 hours and have never gotten sick from eating it. I myself have done it and still do it sometimes, despite knowing the rules. But I feel is important to be aware of the correct practices and keep them in mind when dealing with food.

And remember that bacteria multiply faster in warm environments. So try to take more precautions than you usually would when handling and storing foods in warm weather. Teach your family the importance of good hand-washing and food safety habits. For the whole family to be healthy, it is important for each member to do his or her part.

One Last Tidbit – Grocery Shopping Carts

Shopping carts are one of the germiest things to be found in public. According to an article on ABC New, shopping cart handles have more germs than a public restroom. People touch it after handling food and money; kids stand or sit in them and teethe on them; food, raw meat juices and milk leak in them; birds poo on them in the parking lot; etc. It seems grocery stores have become more aware of cleanliness issues in recent years and some now offer sanitizing wipes for shopping carts.

When we lived in L.A. there was only one store in our neighborhood that offered cleansing wipes for shopping carts. Their prices were higher, but we often opted to shop there just because of it. If your grocery store doesn’t offer sanitation wipes, suggest it to the manager. Our local grocery store offers them and I always wipe down my shopping cart upon entering. The amount of black gunk that comes off it really quite frightening.

These were just a few basics garnered from from memory of training I received 5 years ago. For more information on food safety, visit FoodSafety.gov.

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While generic brand items, especially groceries, seem to have improved in recent years, there are still many things that you need to watch out for that may seem to save you money at the time of purchase but may end up costing you more in the long run.  With the advent of the Dollar Store, it has become very easy to find “bargains” on everyday personal and household things, but as we all know, cheapness and quality don’t always come hand in hand. Save yourself – money, time, aggravation and, most importantly, your family’s health – by not saving on the following things

9 Things to Not Skimp On

• Cheese

  A few cents per ounce can be the difference between delicious and gross. Luckily for us, the generic brand at our grocery store is really good. A lot of cheap brands of cheese are bulked up with potato starch which has a horrible texture.

• Shampoo and Conditioner

  Occasionally I fall for those 97¢ bottles of shampoo and conditioner because they smell like strawberries or coconuts. But experience has taught me that these yummy hair products promote an increasingly scruffy appearance. The difference in the quality of your hair after a single wash with a good shampoo is worth $3-$5 dollars a bottle. And a 40 oz. bottle of Pantene or Herbal Essence is very economical.

• Electronics

  Cheap electronics may save you money at the time of purchase, but it adds up when you have to make the purchase 3 or more times within the period that a well-made product would have served you. Not to mention the time lost and significant inconvenience. $20 or $30 more spent on a reliable brand will infinitely pay off in the long run.

• Batteries

  Cheap generic brand batteries don’t last as long as brand name batteries and may not be as well-constructed. Battery fluid is toxic so it is worth spending a few more dollars to make sure yours are leak proof, especially if you have children or pets.

• Household cleaners

  Kill germs, not your family. Cheap and little-known brands may cut corners and not list harmful ingredients. Overexposure to certain toxins lead to things like skin irritation, respiratory problems and cancer.

• Bakeware

  If you grease your pans and still have to pry out your food with a knife and spend more time scrubbing the pans than eating, upgrade your bakeware and you will be able to eat more of your baking.

• Dollar Store Pencils

  Dollar store brand pencils like “A+ Homework” will find you spending more time trying to sharpen the pencils than actually writing. The wood and lead are of such poor consistency that they splinter from beginning to end. If you are lucky enough to achieve the likeness of a sharpened pencil, it doesn’t write as well. And we won’t even go into the eraser.

• Pet Food

  Better quality pet foods will keep your pets healthier, improving your finances and quality of life. A pet with kidney disease, cancer, or other illness may cost you $1,000 or more a month. Poor diet in young animals may affect the development of joints, immune systems, and intelligence. I have also read that certain artificial food colors causes aggression in both people and animals.

• Human Food

  For the same reasons as pet food.

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When we brought Sophie home, we gave her a baby-wipe bath (she couldn’t have a real bath as she had recently been spayed) because she was so dirty from being at the animal shelter. As soon as we finished cleaning her up, she began sneezing. A couple of days later, after being licked about the mouth and face by Sophie, Wolfgang started showing symptoms of illness – low energy and clingy (our dogs tend to stick close to us and lean their heads on our shoulders or legs when they’re not feeling well), and a day after that he got a fever and stuffy nose.

In all the years we’ve had dogs and cats, we have never had one catch a cold before (we had a horse that did). We did some searching on the internet about dogs getting colds. Many people are of the opinion that dogs don’t get colds like humans do, but it turns out they do, and small dogs especially are prone to cold and easily fall ill and sometimes die from it.

Madoline made a sweatshirt for Sophie to help keep her warm and we kept her in her crate to keep from getting Ludwig sick, too. Her cold didn’t seem too bad; she slept a lot, sometimes sneezed, but didn’t seem to have congestion problems. Wolfgang, however, couldn’t sleep the night his nasal congestion began because he couldn’t breath through his nose. When awake, he panted through his mouth. Every time he put his head down to try to sleep, he couldn’t breathe again. Madoline stayed up with him all night, and first thing the next morning we took them to the vet.

While Sophie didn’t seem to be doing badly, we thought it would be best to have her checked out just in case she had brought something more serious from the animal shelter. Because Ludwig was still fine, we just had Sophie and Wolfgang examined. The diagnosis was an upper respiratory infection and were prescribed antibiotics. The trip to the vet, a 80-mile roundtrip, ended up costing $140 for 2 examinations and antibiotics, and about $40 in mileage.

We continued to try to keep Ludwig away from Wolfgang and Sophia, but the day after going to the vet, he started sneezing. And the day after that, he developed a fever and nasal congestion as well. But being more physically adaptable, he was able to breathe through his mouth while sleeping, and we decided not to take him to the vet. We try to avoid using antibiotics (for ourselves as well as our pets) as much as possible because while it is effective, it can have negative effects. We decided that as long as Ludwig could sleep, and as long as the cold didn’t get too serious, we would try to just let him get over it naturally.

All three dogs are fine now. Sophie, the instigator of all this trouble, seemed to have it the easiest, perhaps because of her small size. Poor Ludwig and Wolfgang are still walking around with drippy noses and snoring when they sleep.

Have you ever had a dog with nasal congestion? Well, it is messy. They sneeze just as humans do, but they can’t blow their noses. We can only try to wipe their noses for them, and wipe the … snot … off the floor, and our arms, and whatever else happens to be in front of them when they sneeze.

So, a little advice – Prevention is the Best Medicine (and Cheapest Cure):

• If you ever get a small dog, get him/her a few sweatshirts, even in the summer, because the air conditioning can make them cold. (Sophie sneezes whenever the A/C comes on, and we live in the desert where it’s 104 degrees outside and 82-83 in the house.) Even some long-haired toy dogs get cold.
• If you have more than one dog and one catches a cold, separate it from the others immediately. Try to limit activity and let him/her sleep as much as possible. And have the mop and Kleenex on standby.

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With the charms of summer also come not-so-charming and unwelcome visitors. With consistent 100+ degree weather in the desert we call home, 6- and 8-legged visitors (or really more like trespassers) are almost a regular part of life. But we have discovered a few safe and relative effective ways to keep the trespasser traffic under control without endangering our health or that of our children/pets Ludwig and Wolfgang.

Ways to Safely Repel and Kill Ants

Ants are the largest problem for us. In this desert, there are more types of ants than we have seen anywhere else we’ve lived – there are tiny red ants, medium ants, and jumbo ants (luckily the jumbo ones don’t see fit to come inside).

Prevention is the Best Medicine

The most basic, safest and easiest way to keep the ant traffic down is simply keeping the kitchen as clean as possible.

• Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
• Wash pots and pans immediately if you cook anything with meat or a lot of oil.
• Wipe the counters several times a day with soap. A minuscule crumb or little drop of something sweet can quickly bring a hoard of ants.
• Take out the kitchen trash everyday. Take out trash immediately if it contains meat, bones, greasy paper towels and napkins, meat packaging and sweet things.
• Avoid eating in bedrooms, and be careful of dropping crumbs in other rooms of the house.
• I’ve also found that having the air conditioner on helps.

Creepy Fact: When you dispatch an ant on duty, you are in fact killing a “she” and not an “it” (or “he”). Worker ants are all female. The males are only used for breeding.

Ways to Safely Kill Ants

Sometimes keeping clean doesn’t keep them away completely (scouts sometimes explore squeaky clean counters), or if you miss a crumb or two. If you have children or pets as we do, the fewer poisons you use around the house the better. Even if you don’t have children or pets, it is best to avoid using toxins as they will affect your health.

• Vinegar
  Vinegar is our preferred ant killer. It kills small ants almost immediately and is completely safe. Simply spray the ants and wipe them away.
• Yeast and Sugar
  Mix some dry yeast and sugar and leave it out in a place ants frequent. The sugar will attract the ants to the yeast, which once brought back to the nest and consumed, will expand in their bellies and kill them. This method might cease to work after a few times as the ants might wise up and avoid the yeast. Caution: Make sure the yeast is in a location that can’t be reached by your pet(s). It’s not poisonous, but ingestion can be dangerous.
• EcoSmart
  I recently discovered a natural and effective insecticide called EcoSmart, which is made of organic vanilla, cinnamon and rosemary oils. It kills ants and other insects on contact and smells nice while at it. It is also affordable at $3.87 per can at Walmart. This is the only commercial insect repellent and killer we use in our house.

Keep reading for tips on repelling and killing other insects (spiders, roaches, silverfish, etc.)

To Repel and Kill Other Insects (Spiders, Roaches, Silverfish, etc.)

Our main non-ant pest here is the black widow spider, which flourishes during the warm months. When we moved into our house in 2005, we were ecstatic to find that there were no roaches here. However, since then, many new houses have sprung up in the area and people moving in seem to have brought more than their kids and furniture with them. Starting late spring of this year, we have begun to see the first signs of cockroaches in the yard. Argh!

Really Creepy Fact: After a single mating the female cockroach may continue to produce multiple egg capsules for many months. The male cockroach may give the female an edible gift as part of courtship.

To prevent insects from frequenting or nesting in your home:

• Keep clutter down. Insects like hiding in boxes and among paper.
• Keep your yard free of dead leaves under which they can hide.
• Keep all food sealed tightly.
• Keeping humidity level down by having your air-conditioner on can help reduce cockroach population as they like humidity.

Ways to help repel insects:

• To keep them out of the house
  Spray EcoSmart (or your preferred repellent) around doorways, windows, and any other points of entry.
• To Keep them out of cabinets, drawers and closets
  • Remove the contents of your cabinet, drawers, etc. and spray EcoSmart into the storage space. Let it air-dry for a few hours and put contents back in the drawer when dry. There may be a little oiliness so be careful with delicate things.
  • Pouches filled with dried lavender flowers or cedar shaving (you can pick up a large pack in the pet section at Walmart fo $3.00) in your drawers can help keep insect population down. We like to use cotton, polyester, linen, and burlap fabrics, and you can get creative with your cedar pouches to make them look nice in your closets. For extra protection, you could spray the pouches with EcoSmart or some other safe repellent before putting in in your drawer. We also put a few pouches inside the bottom of our piano to discourage insects from nesting.

Creepy Fact: The average spider has eight eyes.

A few ways to safely kill insects:

• Vinegar
  Keep a spray bottle of vinegar handy. Not only is it a good safe cleaning agent but, it is also very effective for killing small to medium-sized insects.
• Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
  Rubbing alcohol (also kept in a spray bottle) is surprisingly effective on small to medium-sized bugs and spiders. We have not tried this on roaches though.
• Cleaning Agents
  For larger insects, spraying them with cleaning agents such as 409 and Lysol can kill them. While cleaning agents aren’t always the most eco-friendly things, I still prefer them over outright poisons such as Raid. My favorite is the 409 Multi-purpose Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner, which we use for everything including floors, because I figure if it is designed for kitchen use, it should be a little safer than those not designed for kitchens. Be sure to completely wipe the area clean after to prevent children and pets from getting any on them.
• EcoSmart
  When the above don’t work quickly enough and that giant spider looks like it’s getting away, I pull out the EcoSmart, which does the job straight away. As with the cleaning agent, clean it up when you are done. It is child and pet safe, but because it is made of vanilla, rosemary and cinnamon oils, it is oily and you don’t want your child or pet getting it in their eyes.

You might ask “Why not just bust out the EcoSmart on every creepy-crawler I see?” The vinegar and rubbing alcohol come much cheaper than cleaning agents and EcoSmart, with distilled white vinegar at just $2.50 a gallon at our local supermarket. Rubbing alcohol is a little more expensive at $2.29 per quart at our supermarket, so that is my second choice. Also, they are the safest and most natural alternatives.

Creepy Fact: Houseflies can only ingest liquids. To eat solid foods, they first spit out saliva to predigest the food before sucking it in.

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As for actual gifts, we believe most mothers would appreciate something you made or put some thought and effort into. Below are some suggestions for Mother’s Day gifts. Ideally, you would do some of these things all year round, but Mother’s Day is a good time for them too. Not all of these ideas will suit everyone, but hopefully some of these will work for you and your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, or any other maternal figure in your life.

Note: Not all of these suggestions are really “frugal” as in “cheap”, but they are frugal in that they are ideas for prudent, useful and practical, but still meaningful gifts that show you’ve put thought and effort into it and, therefore less likely to go to waste as many commercial Mother’s Day gifts tend to.

Hobby Gift Baskets

A few suggestions for baskets you can assemble. You can often find nice baskets at dollar stores or at thrift stores for a very low price. Many of the items recommended in the following list (i.e. books and music) can be purchase used and still in good condition. Used items often clean up nicely with a bit of rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. And even purchased new, these items still make useful gifts with lasting benefits.

• For the Literary Mom
  If she likes to read, scour used books stores and library sales for books she would like (mysteries, vintage books, classics, etc. – paperbacks suggested) and assemble a book basket. You could even include a few snacks to enjoy while she reads (cookies, chocolates, cocoa, tea or coffee mix).
• For the Crafty Mom
  A basket of yarns, fabrics, sewing, knitting or crochet supplies. You could pick out a craft instructions book, find a project she might like and assemble the necessary supplies for that project.
• For the Musical Mom
  CD’s, sheet music, and music books. You might pick a particular theme such as Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, romantic piano, or Italian opera or music from her youth. For older moms, you might have to include a CD player. For pianist moms make or buy a cushion for the piano bench (the unpadded ones are incredibly hard even for young bodies).
• For Moms with Pets
  Assemble inside a new litter box or pet bed: treats and necessities such as grooming supplies, pet vitamins, hair catching tools, odor control, collars and leashes, training equipment, hair bows, super odor suppressing cat litter, car restraints (seat belts), and/or an obedience class paid for by you.
• For the Gardening Mom
  An assortment of seed packets with flowers, spices, fruits, and vegetables. The frugal mom may save a lot of money growing her own produce. For areas with insect problems, herbs such as lavender may deter bugs from the home. You can also include a book on using herbs for health and beauty and include seeds for the plants described.
• For Culinary Moms
  Collect free recipes online to present on index cards or a handmade book. You might choose recipes based on a theme, such as appetizers, a certain ethnicity, a favorite ingredient, or health benefits. You might wish to include few kitchen gifts like a baking pans, knives, silverware bought on clearance (we got ours for under $5), cheese graters, rolling pins, seeds for herbs or young herb plants. Instead of a basket, you could give a blender filled with fruits and smoothie recipes.
• For the Scrapbooking Mom
  Scrapbook supplies and the promise to provide future memories for her to document. Look for creative scrapbook materials such as pretty paper salvages from greeting cards, gift wrapping paper, and nice packaging from things you buy. Ribbon, beads, lace, small toys, letters of the alphabet cut from magazines, cards, and used books. Doilies and decorative embellishments can be purchased at half price or less after a holiday. Glue and scissors might be useful too.

Home and Garden Help

• Clean her house for her (this is one of those that may not suit all personalities)
• Tidy her garden or yard for her
• Go through her house and look for things that need minor (or major) repairs and maintenance and fix them if you can, or arrange for professional assistance if necessary
• Clean all her windows, inside and out. This is a sure way to brighten a life.
• Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries if needed. Install a carbon monoxide detector if she doesn’t have one.

Favors and Services

• Make a nice breakfast and clean up afterwards
• Wash her car, vacuum the interior, clean the upholstery and carpet, take it for a tune up and oil change, check and inflate the tires if needed, and preset her favorite radio stations.

Flowers

• Buy some flowers to plant for or with her (small plants and flowers are often available for under $1.00 at garden centers and even drugstores like Rite-Aid)
• Instead of cut flowers, which while nice, are not very frugal because they only last a few days, you could give her a vase for putting flowers from other flower gifters (this way she’ll think of you every time someone else gives her flowers)
• Give attractive artificial flowers that last all year round. You could even fashion them into curtain tiebacks or trim a hat with them (just use hot glue).

Health and Fitness

• If she doesn’t get enough exercise due to weather, time, environmental or other constraints, consider a Pedal Exerciser that she can use while sitting at home – i.e. on the couch while watching TV. (We bought one of these for ourselves when we lived in the Bay Area where it was cold in the winter, and our grandmother took it because she said it was perfect for her situation.)
• Dumbbells in a pretty color. For the non-athletic mom, you might get a pair of 2 lb. dumbbells.
• Make slipcovers for her stationary bike, treadmill, or other exercise equipment.
• Spend the day with your mom, watching DVDs and pedaling or doing some other aerobic exercise.

Pets

While pets are not considered a frugal gift for the giver or recipient, they can bring a host of other benefits that make the cost worthwhile. Pets are especially good for elderly people who live alone and can use the companionship and are capable – physically, mentally and financially – of caring for them. If your mother lives alone and is fond of animals, a nice gift would be to help her adopt a pet. There are thousands of cats and dogs in need of good homes, and studies have shown that pets bring many health benefits, both physical and mental, to their owners including:

• Lower blood pressure
• Lower cholesterol
• Lower stress and anxiety levels
• Fighting depression and loneliness
• Faster recovery after illness
• Overall better health and fewer doctor’s visits

However, don’t surprise her with a pet. Rather, discuss it with her ahead of time and if she likes the idea and is sure that it is a commitment she is capable of taking on, go to a local animal shelter, pet rescue or other pet re-homing organization together and spend some time choosing a suitable pet for her. Be sure the animal you choose is suitable for in various ways:

• Type of Pet
  While both dogs and cats provide companionship, dogs tend to be more interactive and require more attention and maintenance than cats. Cats and dogs are not the only types of pets to be had, however. Birds, mice, gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas and guinea pigs also provide a presence and can help fill the space and quiet of an empty apartment or house.
• Size and Weight
  Make sure the animal is a size and weight that she can handle. If it is a dog, it should be a weight that she can easily control when walking on a leash.
• Age of Pet
  For elderly persons, mature pets are often more suitable, as they do not require as much physical interaction and activity as young animals, and will have reached a more stable mental, social and emotional level.
• Home Environment
  Make sure the animal will be compatible with the living space. Size isn’t necessarily the only factor to consider, but disposition. A small but high energy dog may or may not be suitable for a small living space, and there are older and larger dogs that can live happily and comfortably in smaller living spaces.

There is no end to the benefits and happiness pets can bring people, especially elderly people who live alone, so if you think your mother might be a suitable candidate for pet ownership, here are a few links to websites with more information on pet ownership for the elderly:

• How Pets Help People
• Animals and Your Health: The Benefits of Pet Ownership
• Safe Dog Breeds for Elderly People
• The Pets for the Elderly Foundation
• The Importance of Pets for Elderly People

Again, remember that pet ownership, regardless of the size or type of pet, is a responsibility not to be taken lightly and sprung on your mother without prior research and consultation with her.

These are just a few suggestions. Whatever you choose to do, remember that what your mother will appreciate most of all is the thought and effort put into the gift and not the monetary value of it.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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The Box

1. Leave the top of the box open to start.
2. Draw a line around three sides of the box at the level you want the box to open.
3. Using a box knife, or other old knife, carefully cut the lid on three sides.
4. You can now flatten the top, which skews like a parallelogram.
5. On the fourth side, score only halfway through the cardboard to make a hinge.
6. Tape the top of the box shut and you have your chest with a flip top.

Covering the box
Either fabric or paper (gift including wrapping paper) is suitable for this. I usually use white glue, but you may prefer wallpaper paste or decoupage medium as being more durable. It is easiest to cover a chest in several pieces. Have a little extra covering to wrap around the lip of the chest for a nicer finish. I used a navy twill which had to be withdrawn from my costuming business because of imperfections. A lighter or floral print material would give the box a completely different air. if you so desire, you may apply one or two coats of clear varnish to protect the box.

Trim (optional)
The edges of your chest can be trimmed with fancy paper, lace, fabric strips, fringe, ric-rac, other sewing trims, or things found around your house. For sewing and upholstery trims, hot glue is the easiest method of application. The same trim can be used to make matching handles on either the top or sides of the chest.

Closure (optional)
This chest will stay closed on its own so closures are optional or purely decorative unless you intend to carry your chest by a handle at the top. Closures can be as simple as two pieces of ribbon or cord to tie together or around a button. Clasps and buckles can often be salvaged from an old purses and bags. The button and loop on my navy blue chest are non-functional.

Lining (optional)
If you want your chest to be really fancy, or intend it as a gift, it can be lined with additional paper or fabric. The lining can be simply glued on like the outside covering, but who wouldn’t want a chest padded with a little polyester fill and lined with satin?

Savings

By using boxes, fabric and paper you already have around the house, you can create attractive storage boxes for little or no cost. If you don’t have enough of one type of fabric to cover a large box, you can piece together various scraps to make a collage. As for paper, use any paper you already have in the house – leftover gift wrap that’s just sitting around taking up space, construction paper, etc.

Compare with commercial storage box prices:

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