Even More Heat Tips.

www.LivingOnADime.com


We received some tips from our heating article and some comments on why people don't turn the heat down. I wanted other points of view to be represented too. I thought I would share the emails. Some of these we do or have done in the past but I thought I would save myself some typing.:-)
Tawra



we own 2 homes, and live part of the year in each location... for the inside of the house, we bought plastic drop cloth, used for painting and cut out pieces for each window, then used the putty knife to lightly seal around each window frame.... the windows we don't use during the winter were sealed tightly... the windows we will use will be loose at the bottom, so, as to air the houses out some on sunny days...we used heavier plastic for unused doors and sealed them with putty knifes too.
also, we took flat flannel sheets, we bought at garage sales, and hung them in the doorways on expandable shower rods, to keep the draft out..

and we purchased oil filled electric portable heaters and placed them in the middle of the dining and living room, and the family room and kitchen... they keep an even temperature... we have temp gauges, we purchased to monitor each room.. we stay at 70 degrees.. the bathrooms are always heated, the hot water tank keeps the laundry room warm... we will turn on the wall electric heat when the temp outside goes under 30 degrees on low... we keep the bedroom heat on low just when we sleep.. it gets turned off in the mornings.
we sewed stuffed socks together and made door stoppers to keep the drafts out.
we use throws, sleeping bags, pillows and watch TV. and dress with layered clothes.
we have little signs on the front doors, to ring the bell and go to the side garage door where we let guests inside... this way they can remove or clean their shoes inside the garage before entering the house.
love your ideas..
been saving on dishwasher detergent for the dishwasher... I use 1 tblsp. of dishwasher detergent from the general dollar store in the holder.. and i add 1 tblsp. of baking soda in the compartment under the holder... I use vinegar in the rinse holder.. my dishwasher has never been cleaner and my dishes are super cleaned.

when I use the washer, I use 1 tblsp of laundry detergent from dollar general with 1 tblsp. baking soda... I use 1 tblsp. of vinegar for the rinse water...
for white clothes, I use 1 tblsp. of detergent with 1 tblsp. of bleach and 1 tblsp. of vinegar for rinse...
for the dryer, I use 1/4th of a dryer sheet for each large load.... when I am out of those, I use diluted fabric softener, half water, half softener.. maybe 1 tblsp. on a sock ..it works great.
we dilute our shampoo with equal parts of water.... and use 1 tblsp of conditioner on our head and distribute with our hands, then rinse it out at the end of our shower last.
thanks..
good job you're doing for everyone.
crosse


Hi Tawra,

just a couple thoughts regarding heating - as related to personal weight loss during the winter months!! If you continue your weight loss efforts through the winter, you will probably literally feel like you lost your insulation. I find my own threshold of when to build a fire (we heat with
wood) and how many clothes it takes to stay warm is definitely different than when I was in the 200 lb. range. Plus without the extra body padding I find there are certain clothes or combinations of clothes I just can't wear any more. It is probably about 68 out here where my computer is and I am wearing stretch jeans, cotton turtleneck, fleece vest and fuzzy sox and am still feeling a little chilly. If I were to pile on any more clothes it would physically hurt. Same with how many blankets to pile on at night.

You'll probably need to ask for new winter clothes for Christmas :)

Also with our maritime climate the dampness makes everything feel colder than it is, and if we close off a room we find the mold has really exploded later. Just some tweaking we have to do with our situation.

Anyway, thanks for your work and efforts to get people to think outside the box. I see some of your and your mom's articles are posted on the Dr. Laura website - good going!

Christy


one way we save on propane is to only turn on the water heater when we are going to shower or do dishes. Hubby was surprised to see that we used 1/2 the propane we used to when the water heater was on all the time.

I learned this in Europe. The first water heater I had, I had to put chopped wood in the hole under the furnace to warm up about 20 gallons of water. I'd supplement that by boiling water in the tea kettle and pour boiling water in the bath, that really helped. So, when we moved and got a heater that all you had to do was turn the switch, it was quite a luxury. We only turned it on 20 minutes before a shower though.

Blessings,
Amylynn





I'm not sure about the comment of everyone getting sick as stated in the email below. I have heard of several studies that say it's not the cold but people being together so much in the winter. I thought I would post it just so some other points of view can be heard. Personally I say whatever works for your family, go for it! Tawra


I was commenting that we live in MN, I have six kids, the baby is just turned one- We live in a story and a half, four of the girls sleep upstairs, where there are no vents.
Everyone stays healthier, sleeps better, and is happier when the house is warm. The baby sleeps better, we all get to sleep faster, and I just feel like this is one place I will spend money. It is hard enough dealing with horrible weather outside and then being uncomfortable inside just doesn't make sense to me anymore.
I budget a lot, I've gotten to the point I will pay for heat and utilities without worrying about it too much, daily comfort is worth it to me.
Just a thought.
Tracy



Hi Tawra,
I just read your "heater" email..........that's crazy! We live in Wisconsin, so we also know the meaning of C-O-L-D! As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, one day it was 85 degrees and humid, and the very next day it was 45 degrees and chilly as heck. We are now consistently having chilly weather. I also said to myself, a couple weeks ago, "I am NOT turning on that heater" but when we were sitting on the couch watching TV, all wrapped up in blankets, and the house was at 62, I felt the tip of my nose, and it was DARN COLD. I got REALLY crabby/irritated and said, "this is ridiculous, I am not going to 'freeze' in my own home." So, I got up and turned that heat on to 67 to take the chill out. I now have it set at 67. In the winter, we will also go to 68.
Just thought I'd share......Jen/Wisconsin

More on Heating the House.

Wow! I never knew that heating your house could be such a controversy! We received several emails from people. I thought this is mostly common sense but I was surprised.

We had a lot of people say how they thought this was a great idea and they grew up that way too.

We had a few that said we were out of our minds, that we would have all kinds of problems physically and mentally! LOL

The entire point of the article is to get people to think. My family doesn't notice any difference except when we go into place that is 75 degrees we are "roasting". When we go into a place with the a/c set at 68 we are freezing. (we keep ours a/c at 78)

This isn't a new concept. Until about 20 years ago a lot of people lived with their heat turned down. If this doesn't work for your family that's ok. If you prefer to have the heat up and cut out something else I say go for it!

I do appreciate all the additional ideas and suggestions! I didn't know that talking about heat could cause such a stir! LOL

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!

My brain momentarily left me on Sunday. Mike was working 16 hour days for 4 days and so I was worn out too. Just dealing with the kids, talking to him when he came home late and David was waking up at 5 a.m.

I really need to get this house painting finished and it was nice so I decided to do a small section.

The kids wanted to paint a cat house BJ had built so I thought "why not?" We had some paint that was bright colors that I wasn't using. All kids want to do this at some time so I thought it would be fun. I put on ratty clothes, laid down sheets on the grass and let them go for it outside on the lawn.

I have no clue what I thinking letting a 7,6 and 2 year old do this!

I thought it would be cheap entertainment while I painted. WRONG!
They ended up with paint all over literally from head to toe! On their face in their ears, everywhere!


They were just soaked in paint.

I ended up having to carry each one into the house for a shower. In the process, I ruined a shower curtain I just loved with splattered washed off paint, ruined a hat, shirt, pants and socks that got in the mess somehow. I spent an hour cleaning them and the mess up.

Then the next day it still wasn't dry and the neighbor kids got into it. BJ decided to move the cat house and then got paint on him, again!

Augh! Talk about loosing all common sense! My "cheap entertainment" just cost me a shower curtain and some clothes. About $20 worth!

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Re-arranging.

My kitchen is small. It's 8x9 ft from wall to wall. There is 4 feet. of walkway in between the counters. When you go to unload the dishwasher there is 1/2 inch between the fridge door and the dishwasher door. You have to stop unloading then let someone through.

I have on my counters a toaster, electric tea kettle, my cookbook holder, canisters, cooking utensils, a griddle and stand up kitchen aid mixer. (I have about 14 ft. of counter top space)

Our toaster was a fire hazard. I went to clean it out and there was crud stuck on the bottom that I couldn't get out. I was afraid it would catch on fire so we bought a toaster oven. We are always baking a small batch of chicken nuggets or warming up pizza. It would taste so much better toasted than warmed up in the microwave. I could also bake 6 cookies instead of an entire batch for the kids and then I'm not tempted. (If it's there I will eat the sweets!) Was it a “need”? No, but for $10 over the price of a toaster it was worth it.

I didn't have any room left on my counter without loosing some work space. I love my kitchen aid but only use it about every two weeks now because I am trying not to bake so much. I could not find any place to store it. I didn’t want to put it in the garage because the thing is VERY heavy and I didn’t want to lug it up the stairs when I needed to use it. I also wanted to get my griddle off the counter but I do use it several times a week.

Well I just decided that I had to find space to store them. After looking around and measuring I just had to move just a few things around in the cabinets, adjust one shelf (which was a pain but worth it) and they both fit in.

Just try to re-think everything. Usually there is almost a better way to do something than what you are doing now. Now we don't "have" to have a larger kitchen, although I do admit it sure would be nice!

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Treasure hunt clues.

Order out Dining On A Dime today! Over 1200 recipes and tips to help
cut your grocery bill.
http://www.livingonadime.com/ordering.htm


****************************************************

www.LivingOnADime.com

The link on the website for the treasure hunt doesn't work so I thought I would pass the clues on.

This could be used for any type of treasure hunt. We make up different clues at Christmas and send the kids all over. When they get to the last one there is a really big gift under the tree. They don't cost much but do look impressive.

Last year it was a big body pillow for my niece and nephew and a body pillow cover put on their body pillows for my kids.
This is a tradition now and they just love it.
Enjoy! Tawra




Happy Halloween To You,
Get Your Flashlights to Look For The Clues
Don't Get Scared When the Ghosts Go Boo!!
Look Under The Rocking Chair for Clue #2!!



Jump for Glee
When You Find Clue #3
Under the Couch
It Will Be!!

Are You Ready To Go,
Outside the Front Door,
Sitting On The Chair is Clue #4


To The Back Yard We Go,
Inside On the Shed Door,
Let's All Look Alive
As We Find Clue #5

Clue #6 Is Under the Picnic Table In The Front Yard
Don' t Worry About Finding It,
It Really Won't Be Hard!
Are You Getting Tired Yet?

Clue #7 is Under The Bench By the Shed
Be Careful When You Look,
So You Don't Bonk Your Head!

Ellys Treasure Is Sure To Be Bound
Under the Slide Is Where It Is Found!

Alex Is Next
Let's All Go and See
In The Mail Box
Where It Is Sure To Be!!

Next To The House There Is A Tree
BJ's Treasure Is There
And Now We Have Found Three!!

Cody's Is Last
Did You All Have A Blast?
Out By The Well Is Where His Treasure Is At Last!!
Happy Halloween!!!!

Don't turn on the heater!

www.LivingOnADime.com

We finally got our first freeze last night. In a way I'm relived
because I'm tired of seeing my plants half dead but there was still
some life left so I hated to just let them go and allergies and bugs
will be gone. On the other hand that means winter is on the way. I
love winter but in Kansas we have about 2 weeks of fall and 2 weeks
of spring and that's about it. Fall is my favorite season so I hate
to see it go by so fast!

Last night it was cold. We still haven't turned our heat on yet.
There is just something in me that can't turn it on when the a/c was
on about 10 days - 2 weeks ago!

The house was down to 58. Was it cold, yes, but really not that bad.
When the kids got up they got dressed right away instead of staying
in their pj's for a little bit while they fully wake up.

I turned on the stove and made biscuits for breakfast. It added
some heat to house. They were yummy! I took a regular biscuit recipe
and added about 2 Tbsp. sugar and then dipped them in cinnamon and
sugar before putting them in a 9x13 pan instead of on a cookie sheet.

Anyway, back to the point. I put on a sweater and we kept our socks
on. Was it uncomfortable? A little, but really not that bad. We
keep a comforter and throw in the living room to keep us warm at
night while watching TV so that we can keep our heat at 68 in the
winter. By doing this our heat bill doesn't go over -$100 -$125 in
the worst months of Dec., Jan. and Feb. Yes, I know that may change
this year with the increase in prices.

Growing up we had a huge 2600 Sq. ft Victorian house that mom paid
off before we got sick. It was a pain to heat and air condition. The
kitchen, family room, bathroom and a small room were in the back
part of the house so we could close a door and just live in there
for the worst 6- 8 weeks of winter and summer. We slept on the
couch and floor in the family room. We just used our wood stove then
to heat that part of the house. The rest of the house was down to
around 40-50 most of the time. Most mornings there was ice on the
windows in that part of the house.

It's funny because even though we had to "rough it" it really wasn't
that bad. I do appreciate and feel we are very blessed to be able
to pay for and heat our entire house now.

Make it a game to see how long you can wait to turn on the heat.
~Do your baking on these kinds of days or dinners that bake in the
oven.
~Keep socks and sweaters on.
~Drink warm drinks like cocoa, tea and coffee.
~Wrap up in a blanket while watching TV.

It's kind of fun in a way to see how far you can push the limit. For
us this is about the limit but it's fun to see how long it will
last. Especially since I know we can pay for other things with the
money!

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Ask and you will recieve.

I was just thinking about the wood chip post below.

It occurred to me that the reason most people don't save money is because they don't ask. Start asking and you will start seeing some great bargains. If someone says "no" so what? Most the time you won't see that person anyway again.

Here's some examples of what we have asked people to come down on the price for.

Asked tree company to dump wood chips at our house, free wood chips.

Wal-Mart had some half dead plants that could be received. I asked if they would come down and they went from $5.00 a plant to $1.00. Same thing at K-mart. Dead flats (or they thought) of annuals from $12 to $2.

Yard sales. I almost always ask for them to come down unless it's a really good deal. More times than not it's "yes"

Tell people you are looking for something. Sometimes they will hear of somebody getting rid of something, like a crib and just give it to you.

Ask to borrow the neighbors tools. We have borrowed everything from chainsaws to paint brush extensions. Of course we don't just ask and never give. We try to always help out with anything we can or let them borrow our stuff too.

The sink was chipped at the home improvement store but it was small and could be fixed with a $5 repair kit. Saved over $50!

If paying cash at the dentist, doctor or hospital ask for a cash discount.

Always ask! It never hurts!

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Thanks for the cat tips!

WE decided to go ahead and get one.

They are $90 at the humane society already fixed. I about choked at the price! I didn't know they would be that much but it's the same cost as taking it to the vets to fix it.

I really appreciate all the input. I think it will be a great pet and I know it will be well loved, even by me! :-)

Tawra

www.LivingOnADime.com

Free Wood Chips.

We have been wanting to get some wood chips to mulch the yard. We have a large area to do under 13 trees that we trimmed this spring. We found some that the city piled up from the ice storm in Jan. and were going to borrow my brother's truck to haul them. We would need about 10-15 loads at a minimum!

Well, we have been putting it off because it was so hot. Today I went outside and heard the wonderful purr of a chipper shredder and chainsaw. (it's only wonderful when you need something. LOL!)

Anyway, the tree trimming company was on the next street over working on some trees. I went over and asked if they would dump them at our house and they said "sure"!


We will need two loads (4 tons) and the driveway is full. We saved several hundred dollars buy not having to buy it at the store or by the truckload at the wood recycling place. We wouldn't buy them of course, but even getting them free from the city we saved about 10 hours of work at least by not having to load them in the truck.

Call and ask the tree trimming places if they are dumping mulch. If one says "no" ask the next. They are usually happy to do it since they don't have to pay to dump them.

Tawra (who knows what the next project will be after the painting.)

www.LivingOnADime.com


P.S.
After I posted this I had a concern from a reader about using these. I wanted to post her message of concern and my response.
Of course, use your own judgment but as I said below, I have been doing this for over 10 years and went to school for horticulture and have never seen a problem.
Tawra


"Be cautious and careful of fresh wood chips around your plants and
trees.. They can carry diseases and pests that can kill your plants,
create unwanted heat and either way, can totally mess up the "freebie"
aspect of getting the wood chips...It is recommended to let the chips
sit for 6 months to a year before using them."

My response:
Thanks for the info. Yes, I did know about those concerns. I had forgot, I was going to put a disclaimer in there.

I've been doing this for over 10 years and have yet to have a problem. Yes, some nitrogen could be leached but most people add fertilizer or compost on the plants anyway so that really isn't a problem.

The heat. I've never seen a problem with that.
Pests, yes they could spread but you could just spray with an insecticide. The cost of those things is still much smaller than the cost of that many wood chips and most people do those things anyway.

If a person is an organic gardener then it would be best to let them sit. I'm not so I haven't had to worry too much about that.

I am a master gardener and went to school for horticulture and in all of my classes this topic was always brought up. In the end they all said that the benefits way out weigh the potential problems. If you have a particular expensive or special plant then I would recommend buying the mulch.

I should have known better than to put in the disclaimer so thank you for reminding me. I am going to go post it now!
Tawra

House Painting Chapter 5.

Well, we finally got started on painting the house.

Even though it's blue I think I like it better than the gray that was on there. It really makes the bricks looks nice.

Mike and I killed ourselves Monday painting all day (I was a dead person!) but we got 2 sides done. Yeah! They were the hardest part too. Mike had to get on the roof and do some of it and that was a pain! We set records here this week around 89 and it was HOT! Especially on the roof. It's just not right being in the high 80's in October and having to turn on the a/c!

Is it worth it? Yes! We will spend about 30-40 hours total working on it and it will save us $2,000. Mike makes $500 a week so he will not have to work month to pay for it.

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Great Cookies!

A friend sent me these. They so easy and good! She said she got them from Mr. Food.
I blew my diet and had 6 yesterday! I got the white chips from Aldis for $1.29. I also used only 1/2 bag and they were plenty full of chips.
Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com


Polka Dot Cookies

1 package (18.5 oz.) devil’s food cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
12 oz. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Coat cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, and eggs. Beat slowly with mixer until
well blended. Scrape bowl often. Batter will be thick.

With a spoon, stir in white chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are firm. Remove to wire rack to cool.

House Painting Chapter 4.

Well I painted a large section and it goes with the trim we have but not the gutters. Even though it's blue it looks good. I am going to paint the gutters that go over the siding for it to blend in and leave them on the top where it isn't noticeable. I am going to paint the trim too I just didn’t want to do two coats to cover up the old if we changed the color.

Mike is going to help me tomorrow and hopefully we will be able to get a lot done.

Pray I don't fall off the ladder! LOL. I'm the most clumsy person you've ever seen!

Tawra

www.LivingOnADime.com

I forgot to add in Chapter 3 that David (my 2 year old) also dumped in a bottle of yellow craft paint into the white. I forgot and left it out. That added another moment of excitement in this project. :-)

A few misc. household tips.

These are from Not Just Beans and Dining On A Dime.

http://www.livingonadime.com/ordering.htm



~Save on cleanser. Spray cleanser on the rag to save money and time. This way the extra cleanser is not wasted and you save time by not having to rinse the extra cleanser off.

~Buy cleaning supplies at a janitorial supply store. There you can buy concentrated enzyme cleaners to remove odors for $16.00 per gallon which works out to only 3 the price of cleaners at discount stores.

~Use a fine tooth dog brush to remove dog hair from furniture, carpet and bed comforters.

~Clean the bathroom sink and toilet while the kids are taking a bath.

~If you are late getting dinner started, set the table first. Then your kids and husband think dinner is on the way and they won=t get impatient.

~Disinfect and clean your telephone. It spreads germs easily.

~To help kids make their beds easier, buy a sleeping bag to match the decor in their bedroom. Then they only have to straighten the sleeping bag instead of a lot of blankets. Also when they need a sleeping bag, they have one.

~Use terry cloth tablecloths. They are attractive and they absorb spills so that there is less mess.

~If stuffed animals are dirty, throw them in the washer on the gentle cycle. They come out looking great.

~Spray your ironing with water instead of spray starch to make it look starched.

~Make a box with each child=s name on it. Put each child=s clean laundry in the respective box and then have them put away their own laundry.

I think we are getting a cat.

My son has just loved cats since he was 4. We have been trying to put off getting one but now that he's almost 8 we think it's about time.

We told him that he would have to wait until David was 3 on June 11. He said " mom I can't wait until June 12th." I said "why?". He said "because then I can get my kitty."

We thinking about surprising him for his birthday in 3 weeks.

We have been debating and debating whether we should do it. Both Mike and I aren't real fond of cats. I had one for a while and loved her dearly but in general we don't like them. Any animals we get in our family become a family member with their own Christmas stockings and everything so it would defiantly be loved. :-)

We have been rounding up supplies. My grandma had a cat bed and bowl from their cat. We are going to spruce up the bed with a new pillow. Mom is going to get him some cat litter and food. My brother will get him some toys etc. We were only going to get cat items for his birthday. We are going to have a separate party for his friends so he will get toys from it and mom has several furby's and toys for him too.

We shouldn't have to pay anything for a few months but the pound fees and getting it fixed.

I'm not sure I'm up to hearing a cat roam around all night or cleaning up hair, so we can still go back and not get it yet since he doesn't know. That's the only reason I'm debating getting one.

Any suggestions or tips? How do you keep the fur from getting into everything? Do you just vacuum everything, everyday? We had a cat growing up but she was long and fluffy and matted real bad but didn't shed much. How do you know if a kitten with long hair will shed or just mat?

Thanks for any advice. I just hope that we don't come home with a dog too! LOL My dog of 12 years died in Feb. He was living with my grandparents in Colorado because he didn't like kids and bit Elly twice. (She clobbered him both times when she was 18 months old) I wasn't able to be there when they put him down and when he was here the week before I didn't get to see him much because we had to keep him away from David. (Oh great, now I'm in tears again.)

Anyway, we don't need two pets so I will have to resist but when you see them at the pound and know what will happen to them if they don't get adopted it's so hard.

Any tips for the hair shedding thing?

Thanks! Tawra

www.LivingOnADime.com

I found a good deal.

www.LivingOnADime.com

They had cereal on sale last week for .99 a box! I normally don't buy in bulk but I bought about 30 boxes for that price. I will have saved over $21 at the Aldis price and $60.00 on the retail price at the grocery store I purchased them at.

Yeah!

Tawra

I need your help.

www.LivingOnADime.com

I could use your help if you have or have read Dining On A Dime. We have 100,000 books out in circulation now with the Books Are Fun. They sell to schools for book fairs.

My publisher can't figure out how to transfer the reviews from Not Just Beans. Since it's a revised version they can do it but just can't figure out how. So I need some reviews for Dining On A Dime on Amazon.com .
If you have enjoyed it and/or have found that it’s saved you money, would you please put a review on there for me? It would help get those books sold and they would re-order then.

I only get .20 from the sale of each book. Most of which we won’t see because it’s going to the business loan but it's good advertising and with the re-orders we might see some $ from this.

Here's the link below and if you take the time to do it, Thanks in advance!

Tawra


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0974255211/qid=1129133513/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-1915489-1961669?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Great Costumes for Less!

Great Costumes for Less!
By Tawra Kellam
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/


Our kids' costumes from October 2005

You can really come up with some cute and clever ideas for costumes, even if you don't feel particularly creative. Don't wait until the night before Halloween to start your costumes. Look at the people and things around you and ask yourself how " how can I recreate this?" Look at thrift stores and garage sales for costumes. Go ahead and buy the costume or piece of a costume if the price is right. You really can't go wrong spending $0.25 on a piece of costume. Even if it doesn't
work you haven't lost much.
Costumes can be very simple and still make a big impact. For example, instead of the usual witch robes, drag out your elegant black dress and add a witch hat with a veil of spider webbing stretched over your face. Cover the spider web with plastic spiders. For a man, a nice suit and tie and a funny mask makes a good simple costume. For a couple: get a REALLY big sweatshirt, both of you get in it and be Siamese twins! Some examples of costumes for kids are:


Sunflower - For the body, use a white sleeper or sweatsuit. Paint the child's face yellow, adding black spots to simulate seeds if you like. Make a flower to fit on the child's head out of felt or glue sunflowers on a white hat.

Angel - Again use a white sweatsuit or long white dress for the body. Make wings out of heavy white poster board and paint the edges gold. Attach tie straps to them that go around the shoulders. You can also shape a metal clothes hanger into a wing. Make two wings, hot glue fabric around them and add straps.

Pea Pod - Cut 2 small foam balls in half with an electric knife or a knife with a serrated blade. (Note: Do this BEFORE attaching them to the child!) Wrap in green fabric and pin them to the front of a green
sweatsuit. Make a hat out of 2 shades of green felt and a little brown felt for a stem.

Lion - Buy a yellow hat or dye a white hat yellow. Buy long brown fake fur, yellow fake fur and a yellow sweatsuit. You can get fake fur at your favorite fabric store. Add brown fur to the top of the hat (for a mane), hot-glue yellow fur into a long tail, adding a poof of brown for the end. Pin the tail on the back of the costume. Make an oval of the fur for the child's tummy and use eyeliner for whiskers.

Dalmatian - Pin black felt dots onto a pair of white sweats. Paint black polka dots on the child's face. Add more polka dots to a white hat, make some black felt ears and add black shoes to finish it.

I Paint, Therefor I Am - Glue a copy of a painting with a face on it on a piece of cardboard. (Ex. Mona Lisa). Cut out the face and then put their face in instead.

Race Car Stroller - Decorate a stroller as a race car by adding fabric or paper racing stripes and a number. Add two flashlights for headlights, plus some reflector tape. If you want to get really creative, add a wind foil, a foil covered paper towel roller for an exhaust pipe or whatever else your clever mind conjures up. Cut a
steering wheel out of cardboard for the child to hold. Your child can wear whatever clothes he wants. Just add an old helmet or baseball cap worn backwards.

Think of themes for all of the kids in the
family.

It can be fun for all the kids to dress up in costumes that complement each other. Some sample themes are - super-heros, vegetables, candy bars, rabbit family (or other animals) or cartoon characters (i.e. Mickey Mouse, Minnie and Donald Duck). They could also dress in pairs
like a mouse and cheese, a plant and a watering can or doctor and patient. The sky's the limit.

Christmas theme:
One child could go as a present, another a Christmas tree, another Rudolph and the 4th as Santa.

Ideas for how to make the costumes:

Rudolph - Dye an old pair of sweats brown. Put a light brown felt tummy on the shirt, make a set of cardboard antlers and paint the child's nose red.

Present - Wrap an old box that is big enough for the child to wear. Cut out the bottom of the box and make holes for the arms and head. The child can wear a turtleneck & stretch pants underneath it.
Christmas Tree - Cut two pieces of cardboard into the shape of a tree. Make two one for the front and one for the back. Hook them together with a piece of string over each shoulder. Paint the pieces green with
latex paint and attach old tinsel and ornaments with hot glue. Make a star head piece by gluing glitter to a cardboard cutout or use a Christmas tree angel as a head piece.

Santa - Trim a pair of red sweats with white fake fur and a large black felt belt. Make a beard with more fake fur, top off with a Santa hat and add a little "Ho, Ho, Ho" for good measure.

Of course if all else fails you could wrap the child head to toe in aluminum foil and send him as a frozen burrito...


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Tawra Kellam is the author of Dining On A Dime: Eat Better Spend Less. For more free tips and recipes visit her web site at http://www.LivingOnADime.com/. In 5 years, Tawra and her husband paid off $20,000 personal debt on an average income of $22,000 per year.

Update on Mike and Elly.

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Mike and Elly both had sleep tests about 6 weeks ago. We found out that the reason Mike is so tired all the time is that he has sleep apnea. It's not severe, just enough to wear him down. Unfortunately the insurance said they won't pay for a CPAP machine because it's not medically necessary. Now we have to decide if it's worth the $167 a month to rent it.

I have been suspecting Elly (my 6 yr. old) has Fibromyalgia too. I had a sleep test done on her because she will sleep up to 14 hours a day if we let her. She is always tired, very sensitive to pain in the trigger spots on her muscles like Fibromyalgia.
After the results of Mike's test I was certain she had sleep apnea too.

The doc called today and her sleep test came back as normal. Since she has had every other test done I am fairly certain she has FM but I am hoping that she will grow out of it. I was in tears. I feel bad that she got it from me. I don't want her to always be in pain and tired. I know that I'm just jumping to conclusions but after several of tests, tonsils removed etc. nothing else has worked. I keep telling myself that she could have something much worse like leukemia and I keep trying to be thankful that she doesn't but you know how it is.

Anyway, we had several people ask how they were doing and I wanted to share an update.

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

The paint story continues. Chapter 3.

Well, I thought I had the perfect paint color for the outside of the house. After mixing 10 gallons of white to 5 gallons of gray with some yellow I thought it would work. After looking at it with the sun at different points I think it's still too blue. I now have 15 gallons of blue/ gray paint to paint a gray house!

I was almost in tears yesterday.

I had a small amount of black and I started mixing spoonfuls of it just to see what I could get. Come to find out the perfect shade that matches what we have is 2 spoonfuls of white, 1 spoonful of black and 1/4 spoonful of the 15 gallons of gray I have. Apparently the gray I had was way more on the blue side than what I thought it was.

That just about put me in tears. Now I had 15 gallons of blue gray that doesn't match and we would need to buy 10 more gallons of new paint to get the house painted so $45 is down the toilet!

As I was lamenting the fact that my frugal reputation was ruined, my ever optimistic hubby said " don't worry dear all you need to do is buy about 200-250 gallons of black and white paint and find 7 friends who want to paint their house gray too!" LOL

That was a “I wanted to smack him but couldn't stop laughing moment”! LOL

I added the rest of the black and more yellow to the 15 gallons I have and it's darker shade of blue/gray that might work. It looked alright today but I'm not sure. Mom is coming over tomorrow so I will get her .02 on it. It's overcast today so it's hard to tell.

I just thought I would update everyone on our paint saga.

Tawra

www.LivingOnADime.com

It gets to be automatic.

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My daughter bought her teacher a mug for her birthday. They wrapped it in a huge wad of brown paper. As I picked it up today, I folded it and then put it in the office in my box of shipping filler. Then it occurred to me that I didn't even think of throwing it away.

After a while saving money becomes and automatic thing. It's like brushing your teeth, you just do it.

Yes, if you’re a spender you can change. My husband will attest to that!
Here's his story in case you missed it http://www.livingonadime.com/articles/mikestory.htm

The point it is, if one thing doesn't work, don't just give up on trying to save altogether. Just keep trying new ideas. It will eventually become a habit.


Tawra


www.LivingOnADime.com

Storage ideas.

I was putting up my glue gun and paints today and I thought I would share some storage ideas.

Our house doesn't have much storage. I put boxes under my bed that could slide out easily. I purchased 2 long under the bed boxes 8 years ago for $6 each and the others are recycled ones. You could cut a wagon box or something similar in half and that would work just fine.

In each box I have a different category. Craft paints, ribbons, glue gun, misc. (candles, potpourri makings, wall paper remnants etc.) On the other side I keep a long box with all my linens that I don't use on a regular basis.

We moved the office to the master bedroom. That left nowhere for our clothes. (we are sleeping downstairs in what was the family room) I hung 2 rods in the laundry room. One for Mike's stuff and one for mine. It is very convenient. I just hang up the laundry when done. It's next to the shower for him to get dressed easily and it's next to the family room where we sleep and get dressed.

Think outside the box when trying to find storage.

BTW, we put all the office stuff, papers, envelopes, tape etc. in the closet that used to hold our clothes. We also store things like extra boxes of cereal and the vacuum cleaner in there.

Tawra

www.LivingOnADime.com

Painting the house. Chapter 2.

Well, this is turning out to be interesting.

I mixed up the paint yesterday. When I mixed it in a small batch it seemed to turn out right but when I mixed the entire amount it turned out blue again! Now I have 15 gallons of blue paint! I'm going for a light gray.

I'm not sure how or if I can fix it. I called the paint store and they suggested adding yellow so I will go out and try that next.

I really don't want to paint it blue. I would have to repaint the trim and the gutters and I don't want to do that. I was just planning on painting the trim where it needed it so I wouldn't have to paint it under the gutters too.

The blue just doesn't go with the dark gray trim.

Hubby said he didn't know if it was worth it. I've spent about 2 hours mixing paint. That includes drying time in-between colors where I could do other stuff. If I can get it right working 3-4 hours on it and saving $200 is worth it!

I will let you know how it goes.

Tawra

Paying off your house quick.

My grandmother did something interesting. I haven't heard this as an option from other financial experts and thought I would share it.

They were going to have to pay flood insurance. I'm not sure why the insurance company decided it was a flood area now but they were going to have to pay a huge amount for that insurance.

They put the remaining balance of their house on their credit cards, $40,000. In 2 years paying 0% interest by transferring their cards they have paid off $20,000 of it! They had 15 years left on their mortgage before.

That's not a bad idea if you have your finances under control! Yes, there are some risks but it might be worth taking for some people.

Tawra

http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

High end clothes.

Since I've been buying clothes to replace my old ones that are too big I've noticed something.

The high end clothes really do seem to be a better quality. The colors are brighter, the seams don't come undone and buttons are on tighter Even buying used they don't look used and the colors aren't as faded.

I think this may be one area that it does pay to buy high end name brands. There's no way I would pay $40 retail for one shirt but it certainly is worth $1.98 at the thrift store!

Tawra

Save your receipts!

You can return almost anything to Wal-Mart if you have your receipt. I have tried two different sets of knives that were useless. I was able to return both of them.

While there I found out that if you buy paint and the color isn't right, if you haven't used it except to test the color you can return or exchange it when your receipt.

Save your receipts! It's worth it to take things back!!

Tawra
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

Great Deals at the thrift store.

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I was able to update my wardrobe for about $25 total! I was able to get 3 dresses, 4 really cute dress shirts, a pair of shorts, pair of dress pants and 6 or 7 nice everyday shirts. The entire amount was the same as one dress! I saved over $200! That is the prices at Wal-mart and most of the clothes were from Eddie Bauer, Lands End and Christopher Banks. If I would have purchased the clothes there they would have been $400 minimum!

I still need one or two pairs of jeans and have been looking for a while. I may have to break down and buy new ones. I think every woman must be a size 14-16 because they don't have many of those sizes!

It feels so good to go from a size 20 to 14-16 and from a XL to a L! Yeah! Now if I can just keep it this way. I am getting rid of my old clothes so that I can't go back.

Tawra
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

Update on the camera.

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Mike's boss said that we would have to pay the $2500 used price instead of the $5,000 new price for the camera. They were going to sell it anyway so that is only fair. We wouldn't have paid the new price anyway. They took 3 months to tell us that so we were able to put off 3 months worth of payments. Yeah!

We are going to try and find a 0% card to put it on until we can pay it off. We are just sick because we had a 0% offer with no fees but it expired on Aug. 31. Oh well.

Tawra


http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

We have an unexpected $1,000 coming! Yeah!!

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I referred a reader to the Wife Swap show because we didn't qualify. Well she got on and I get a $1,000 referral fee! (She gets 20K for being on the show. Cool!)

We are so excited. We are going to put $500 into savings so our savings will now be $1,000. That way if something breaks down we don't have to charge it.

The other $500 we are going to put in savings to keep us floating because Mike's job is barely covering our expenses.

Yeah!! It feels good that we won’t be so close to the line.

Tawra

http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

People just don't get it.

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I was watching the news last night (which I rarely do) and they were having how much prices are going up because of the hurricane.

They had this one lady on who said she is just sending a small amount to everyone she owes just so they don't think she has forgotten about them. She said how she can't make ends meet with her truck payment, utilities etc. Now with the new higher prices she has to get a second job to pay for gas for her truck. Her water bill is over $800 and is getting ready to go to a collection agency.

Well they showed a picture of her putting gas in her truck and the thing was huge and brand new! Why is she driving a new truck? Maybe she needs it for her job or something but they didn't say or even imply that. Even so, buy used!

If times are that hard then you are just going to have to cut some things out. Not buy or sell the new car or truck. Stop buying new clothes and shop at the thrift store, cut out the junk food and soda. This isn't rocket science but people don't think they have any choice at all but to charge all this stuff because they can't "make ends meet".

Yes, life might not be as comfortable as it was but most people aren't going to really "suffer". The average family isn't going to go without food or shelter.

This is also a wake up call to get out of debt, pay off your house and get some savings. If the economy does go down the toilet then if your house is paid off them at least you have a place to live.

Just my 2 cents!
Tawra

http://www.LivingOnADime.com/