1 packet Unflavored Gelatin
3/4 cup Water (Boiling)
1/2 cup Clear Liquid Soap or Bubble Bath
Essential Oils - (Not Fragrance Oils which irritate the skin)
Food Coloring - optional (a few drops will not stain your tub).
Small objects (silk flowers, toys, small plastic figures, etc)
Clear container with lid: Check your local dollar-store, yard-sale, garage sale.
Combine Gelatin and Hot water in a small bowl, stirring until completely dissolved, gradually add in the liquid soap & 10 drops of whatever Essential oil you choose. To avoid foamy, do not over mix.
Gently pour mix into a clean, clear container. Carefully place your objects inside the jelly, and continue to add mixture until jar is full.
Allow to set in the Fridge for 3-5 hours.
To use: scoop out about 2 T of jelly and drop under warm running water to dissolve. (In the Bath)
Decorate the jar with raffia, a cute card, anything your heart desires. This makes a lovely addition to a gift basket.
Various Ideas:
* Try adding fish for a lovely aquarium bath gel.
* Create a deep blue and add glow in the dark stars for a children's bath that's sure to please
* Propose to your Sweetie by suspending a ring
* For Valentines, add heart confetti & a couple drops of red food coloring the possibilities are endless!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
budget help tips
Gift Buying
1. Do it yourself. For an old- fashioned, inexpensive homemade present, consider assembling a mulled-cider kit. When prices drop on 64-ounce jars of apple juice or cider, “grab as many as you can,” says Teri Gault, CEO and founder of the online-grocery site TheGroceryGame.com. Then wrap three sticks of cinnamon and about a tablespoon of whole cloves or allspice in cheesecloth, and tie the packet to the bottle with a bow. Include instructions (“Add the cheesecloth package to the juice and heat until bubbles begin to form”). “It costs maybe $1.50, and it’s a really sweet gift,” Gault says.
2. Check company perks. Your company may have retail partners that offer special deals to employees, like a percentage discount at various retailers, movie chains, or museums. But check company policy before you go crazy. Some discounts are for employees’ use only and can’t be applied toward gifts.
3. Surf the Web for the best prices. Comparison-shopping sites search for the best deals online. A standout: NexTag.com, whose price-history feature charts the highest, median, and lowest prices of products, so you know when you’re getting a steal. Its Price Alert feature will e-mail you when the price drops to the level you choose. (A recent good buy: A Cuisinart convection-oven toaster broiler, with a list price of $150, was selling for $115 at press time.) Another resource is Google’s shopping tool, Froogle. Enter the item you’re looking for (be as specific as you can), then click on “Price: Low to High.” And Cairo.com searches off-line deals, from jeans to groceries, in and near your ZIP code.
4. Calculate the extras. When you’re figuring your gift costs, don’t forget to include taxes, gift wrapping, and shipping charges in the amount you’ve set aside. Less than 21 percent of consumers include those expenses when planning their holiday shopping, according to Visa USA research. Adding $15, plus state and local tax, to the cost of each item will help you stay within your budget.
5. Redeem your reward points. Most airline frequent-flier programs allow you to convert miles into magazine subscriptions, dining certificates, or electronics. MilePoint.com converts miles from America West, Continental, Midwest, Hawaiian Airlines, and Northwest into points that can be redeemed for magazine subscriptions (which cost from 300 to 6,000 miles). Credit-card rewards programs also offer gift-worthy loot. Blue from American Express, for example, will let you cash in 5,000 points for a $50 gift card for Pottery Barn or Bloomingdale’s, among other retailers.
6. Stock up on stocks. Get nieces, nephews, and godchildren stock certificates. “People don’t realize how inexpensive it can be,” says Adela Rios, a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch. “Many kids shop at Wet Seal, for example, and that stock has been trading between $2 and $10.” Imax, Atari, and Blockbuster are other relatively inexpensive stocks that might interest kids. Keep in mind that stocks can be volatile, so this is a fun present, but it also might pique kids’ interest in investing. Buy the stock in your account and have the stock certificate issued in the child’s name. Ask your financial-services firm to contact the transfer agent for whatever stock you choose and it will arrange to have the stock certificate sent.
7. Convert loose change. Coinstar offers holiday shoppers a special deal. If you take your pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to a Coinstar machine and trade them for gift cards from Amazon.com, Hollywood Video, Pier 1 Imports, or Starbucks, you won’t have to pay Coinstar’s usual 9 percent commission. Check www.coinstar.com for a nearby location.
8. Buy in bulk. Holiday hostess gifts — a box of truffles here, some fancy olive oil there — can put a dent in your wallet. Plan ahead by purchasing a case (12 bottles) of an interesting wine, such as an Argentinean Malbec (try Alamos by Nicolas Catena, about $10 a bottle) or a South African Sauvignon Blanc (try Steenberg, $8). “When buying wines by the case, you can often save up to 20 percent,” says Anna Wallner, who with Kristina Matistic wrote The Shopping Bags: Tips, Tricks and Inside Information to Make You a Savvy Shopper (Dutton, $20, www.amazon.com). Ask your liquor store what discount it offers on cases; often you won’t need to buy all the same label to get the price break. Another hostess-friendly gift that can be purchased in discounted volume is coffee. Seattle Gourmet Coffee (www.seattlegourmetcoffee.com) takes 10 percent off orders of five pounds or more. Or buy a large quantity of mixed nuts and wrap small amounts in cellophane (available at your local party-goods store; or at www.perfectpartystore.com, 20 bags for $2.50).
9. Make a group effort. Board games, croquet sets, hammocks — these are presents all ages can enjoy, and one big gift for a family is often less expensive than a bunch of smaller ones. Some families even agree not to exchange presents among the adults, says Jacqueline Whitmore, founder of the Protocol School of Palm Beach, Florida, and the holiday-etiquette expert for Office Depot: “People are usually OK saying, ‘Let’s just give to the children this year.’” Similarly, Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute, in Burlington, Vermont, advocates group gifts for the boss. When everyone chips in a few dollars, he says, “you take away competition and any ‘me-against-you’ feeling.”
10. Sock it to them. Choose quantity over quality in stuffing stockings. Dollar stores, drugstore clearance aisles, and party-supply stores are ideal for picking up everything from crayons to little toys. Another cheap thrill: lottery tickets.
11. Recruit your kids. A roll of brown kraft paper or white butcher paper costs under 5 cents a foot (about one-third the cost of regular wrapping paper), and you can use it year-round (try your local craft store or www.centralpack.com, which sells a 1,000-foot roll of white butcher paper for $34.50 and a 1,000-foot roll of kraft paper for $19.50). Spread a roll across the floor and arm your kids with crayons, paint, or rubber stamps. You can even slice a potato or a pear in half and cut out a star shape in lieu of a stamp — just press it to an ink pad. For inexpensive postal wrapping paper, cut open brown-paper grocery bags, turn them inside out, then trim to fit.
Shipping
12. Watch the calendar. Ship packages by ground; upgrading to air costs two to five times more. The domestic standard ground-shipping deadlines for a package to reach its destination by December 25 are:
• U.S. Postal Service (parcel post): at least 7 to 10 days before December 25.
• United Parcel Service (UPS): December 13.
• DHL: December 15.
• Federal Express: December 16.The U.S. Postal Service is the cheapest of the four, but bear in mind that it doesn’t offer free tracking or deals on insurance on its ground packages, as the others do. (UPS, for instance, offers free insurance for the first $100 at which your item is valued.)
13. Keep it light. A box that weighs one pound, for example, costs $4.05 to ship from coast to coast with U.S. Postal Service ground. If it weighs 10 pounds, the price shoots up to $20.25, while a 20-pounder would cost $38.35. Don’t bother with insurance unless you’re shipping something expensive or with sentimental value. (For something valued at $500, insurance costs $6.50.) Also, if you end up shipping by air, pack gifts in the smallest box possible (though experts suggest leaving two inches of cushioning), because you’ll be charged by size as well as weight.
14. Think flat. For last-minute gifts, buy books, DVDs, CDs, gift cards, gloves, and scarves — anything that fits in a U.S. Postal Service flat-rate envelope. Sending them by two-day Priority Mail, which can technically be used until midnight on December 22 (though most post offices close at 5 p.m.), costs $3.85; next-day-delivery Express Mail, which can technically be used until midnight, December 23, costs $13.65.
15. Shop around. Buy gifts from online retailers that offer free shipping. Because most sites don’t offer this freebie all the time, it pays to check coupon sites like Couponhut.com, MonkeyBargains.com, and Savester.com. There you’ll find free-shipping codes, especially in October and November, when sites try to outdo one another with promotions, says Karen Hoxmeier, founder of MyBargainBuddy.com, which lists product information, coupons, and free-shipping services. Some online retailers always offer free shipping, like the shoe site Zappos.com; others offer the perk once you’ve spent a certain amount ($25 for both Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com) — in which case you might decide to make it a one-stop shopping trip. Still others, like Staples.com (during November and December) and Overstock.com (from December 14 to 21), run holiday-only free or deeply discounted shipping promotions. The day after Thanksgiving, Yahoo! Shopping will list free-shipping and special-offer codes among its 250,000 merchants at www.shopping.yahoo.com.
16. Rev your engines. Everyone knows about Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity for finding cheap airfares. But newer “meta” travel search engines comb through these and other sites, rooting out even deeper discounts. Run searches for airfares, hotels, and car rentals through FareChase (farechase.yahoo.com, which works with the browsers Safari 1.2 on Macs and Windows Netscape 7.1 on PCs), SideStep (www.sidestep.com), Mobissimo (www.mobissimo.com), and Kayak (www.kayak.com). Each site has a different agreement with airlines, car-rental services, hotels, and independent sites (like CheapTickets.com), so they won’t display the same results. Southwest’s fares won’t show up at all; it is the one major airline that doesn’t participate in these types of programs.
17. Watch your weight. First airlines took away free food. Now they’ve instituted luggage surcharges. Though airlines differ, you can generally check two bags weighing less than 50 pounds each for free on domestic flights. A bag weighing between 50 and 70 pounds usually costs about $25 extra, while luggage over 70 pounds costs about $50. (Bags weighing over 100 pounds will usually not be allowed on the plane.) An extra bag will cost $80. Remember to check with your airline, as these rules can change. To be safe, either ship gifts to your destination (far in advance, so you can use ground shipping) or pack them in two separate, medium-size bags.
Decorating and Entertaining
18. Skip the tree skirt. Instead of buying a fancy tree skirt that makes an appearance once a year, buy or use a tablecloth or a piece of fabric that is four to five yards long. Wrap it around the tree’s base during the holiday season, then wash and reuse it as a tablecloth during the rest of the year.
19. Lighten up. Add sparkle to your decorations with energy-efficient LED holiday lights. They save electricity, last up to 200 times longer than traditional bulbs, and stay lit even when one of the bulbs burns out. Most hardware and home-goods stores carry them, and though the initial cost is higher than that of traditional lights (at www.christmaslightsetc.com, 70 multicolored LEDs cost $18, while 70 multicolored regular lights cost $6), the investment is worth it. “LED lights are far more efficient than incandescents, which translates to bigger savings on your energy bill,” says author Anna Wallner, and they give off less heat than ordinary incandescents. Putting holiday lights on a timer is another easy way to save electricity. To avoid a fire hazard, be sure to turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave your house. While you’re doing your lighting makeover, consider replacing regular bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs ($10 for a six-pack at Home Depot). They illuminate as much as a 60-watt bulb and are similarly shaped but use only 16 watts of energy; they also last for 10,000 hours, 13 times longer than standard bulbs. “You’re saving 44 watts every hour they’re on,” says John Vacher, an energy-efficiency expert at Home Depot. “When you calculate that for all the bulbs in the house, your savings can be quite astonishing.”
20. Switch bubblies. Who needs a pricey New Year’s Champagne when you can raise a glass of Prosecco (a fizzy wine from Italy) or Cava (from Spain), both available at most liquor stores for about $10 a bottle? “They’re sexy and good and don’t cost an arm and a leg,” says Erika Lenkert, author of The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining (McGraw-Hill, $15, www.amazon.com). Zardetto Prosecco Brut and Paul Cheneau Cava Brut are good choices.
21. Grab your sweater. For every degree you turn down the heat, you’ll save up to 3 percent on your heating bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. A hot-water heater accounts for about 14 percent of a home’s utilities bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy; setting it at 120 degrees Fahrenheit will “save a significant amount over the season,” says Mary Hunt, editor of the newsletter Debt-Proof Living. But don’t go any lower than that temperature, she adds — it’s the lowest that still kills bacteria in washing machines and dishwashers.
22. Talk cheap. Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, use your cell phone — not your landline — for bidding family and friends good cheer. Most plans offer free nights and weekends (“free nights,” meaning no minutes are deducted from your plan, start anywhere from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., depending on your carrier). Some also offer free calls when you’re dialing a cell phone from the same carrier, in what’s known as “free mobile-to-mobile.”
23. Take a (tax) break. Before the year speeds to a close, spend a couple of hours gathering gently used items for Goodwill or the Salvation Army and earn a 2006 tax deduction on your donation. Winter-coat drives are another way to donate during the holidays; check the Hands On Network (www.handsonnetwork.org/our-network) for programs in your area. Keep a detailed list of the goods you’ve donated and their estimated values (which depend on location). Some branches offer price guidelines. If yours doesn’t, estimate what each item would fetch at a yard sale. Snap a few photos if you’re donating a considerable amount of goods or an expensive item or two, just in case the IRS comes knocking. Be sure to get a receipt from the charity, too. Use IRS Form 1040, the basic tax return, and Schedule A, the deduction-itemization list, to claim the deduction.
Getting Organized
24. Start a blog. A family blog can cut down on everyone’s long-distance phone bills, and it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Go to Blogger (www.blogger.com) and create a free account, then invite family members to access the blog by clicking “Comment.” You can post a calendar (so no one fights over party dates) and a sign-up sheet for who’s bringing what to the holiday feast. Karli Bertocchi, founder of the organizing service Organized With Style, in Chicago, discovered that a holiday blog saved her money and time when she was arranging her extended family’s holiday last year. “Our family cut down on phone bills and, most important, miscommunication,” she says.
25. Click “send.” No snail-mail addresses? No problem — and no licking envelopes, either, when you send free holiday e-cards. Check sites like www.hallmark.com and www.amazon.com (type “eCards” in the search box); Yahoo! Greetings (www.yahoo.americangreetings.com) also offers some cards gratis. Or, for $8, you can send tasteful animated e-cards from Jacquie Lawson (www.jacquielawson.com) for a year (preview “Christmas Cottage” and “Sugar Plum Fairy” for free). For hipper “season’s greetings,” try iCards (www.apple.com/icards).
1. Do it yourself. For an old- fashioned, inexpensive homemade present, consider assembling a mulled-cider kit. When prices drop on 64-ounce jars of apple juice or cider, “grab as many as you can,” says Teri Gault, CEO and founder of the online-grocery site TheGroceryGame.com. Then wrap three sticks of cinnamon and about a tablespoon of whole cloves or allspice in cheesecloth, and tie the packet to the bottle with a bow. Include instructions (“Add the cheesecloth package to the juice and heat until bubbles begin to form”). “It costs maybe $1.50, and it’s a really sweet gift,” Gault says.
2. Check company perks. Your company may have retail partners that offer special deals to employees, like a percentage discount at various retailers, movie chains, or museums. But check company policy before you go crazy. Some discounts are for employees’ use only and can’t be applied toward gifts.
3. Surf the Web for the best prices. Comparison-shopping sites search for the best deals online. A standout: NexTag.com, whose price-history feature charts the highest, median, and lowest prices of products, so you know when you’re getting a steal. Its Price Alert feature will e-mail you when the price drops to the level you choose. (A recent good buy: A Cuisinart convection-oven toaster broiler, with a list price of $150, was selling for $115 at press time.) Another resource is Google’s shopping tool, Froogle. Enter the item you’re looking for (be as specific as you can), then click on “Price: Low to High.” And Cairo.com searches off-line deals, from jeans to groceries, in and near your ZIP code.
4. Calculate the extras. When you’re figuring your gift costs, don’t forget to include taxes, gift wrapping, and shipping charges in the amount you’ve set aside. Less than 21 percent of consumers include those expenses when planning their holiday shopping, according to Visa USA research. Adding $15, plus state and local tax, to the cost of each item will help you stay within your budget.
5. Redeem your reward points. Most airline frequent-flier programs allow you to convert miles into magazine subscriptions, dining certificates, or electronics. MilePoint.com converts miles from America West, Continental, Midwest, Hawaiian Airlines, and Northwest into points that can be redeemed for magazine subscriptions (which cost from 300 to 6,000 miles). Credit-card rewards programs also offer gift-worthy loot. Blue from American Express, for example, will let you cash in 5,000 points for a $50 gift card for Pottery Barn or Bloomingdale’s, among other retailers.
6. Stock up on stocks. Get nieces, nephews, and godchildren stock certificates. “People don’t realize how inexpensive it can be,” says Adela Rios, a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch. “Many kids shop at Wet Seal, for example, and that stock has been trading between $2 and $10.” Imax, Atari, and Blockbuster are other relatively inexpensive stocks that might interest kids. Keep in mind that stocks can be volatile, so this is a fun present, but it also might pique kids’ interest in investing. Buy the stock in your account and have the stock certificate issued in the child’s name. Ask your financial-services firm to contact the transfer agent for whatever stock you choose and it will arrange to have the stock certificate sent.
7. Convert loose change. Coinstar offers holiday shoppers a special deal. If you take your pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to a Coinstar machine and trade them for gift cards from Amazon.com, Hollywood Video, Pier 1 Imports, or Starbucks, you won’t have to pay Coinstar’s usual 9 percent commission. Check www.coinstar.com for a nearby location.
8. Buy in bulk. Holiday hostess gifts — a box of truffles here, some fancy olive oil there — can put a dent in your wallet. Plan ahead by purchasing a case (12 bottles) of an interesting wine, such as an Argentinean Malbec (try Alamos by Nicolas Catena, about $10 a bottle) or a South African Sauvignon Blanc (try Steenberg, $8). “When buying wines by the case, you can often save up to 20 percent,” says Anna Wallner, who with Kristina Matistic wrote The Shopping Bags: Tips, Tricks and Inside Information to Make You a Savvy Shopper (Dutton, $20, www.amazon.com). Ask your liquor store what discount it offers on cases; often you won’t need to buy all the same label to get the price break. Another hostess-friendly gift that can be purchased in discounted volume is coffee. Seattle Gourmet Coffee (www.seattlegourmetcoffee.com) takes 10 percent off orders of five pounds or more. Or buy a large quantity of mixed nuts and wrap small amounts in cellophane (available at your local party-goods store; or at www.perfectpartystore.com, 20 bags for $2.50).
9. Make a group effort. Board games, croquet sets, hammocks — these are presents all ages can enjoy, and one big gift for a family is often less expensive than a bunch of smaller ones. Some families even agree not to exchange presents among the adults, says Jacqueline Whitmore, founder of the Protocol School of Palm Beach, Florida, and the holiday-etiquette expert for Office Depot: “People are usually OK saying, ‘Let’s just give to the children this year.’” Similarly, Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute, in Burlington, Vermont, advocates group gifts for the boss. When everyone chips in a few dollars, he says, “you take away competition and any ‘me-against-you’ feeling.”
10. Sock it to them. Choose quantity over quality in stuffing stockings. Dollar stores, drugstore clearance aisles, and party-supply stores are ideal for picking up everything from crayons to little toys. Another cheap thrill: lottery tickets.
11. Recruit your kids. A roll of brown kraft paper or white butcher paper costs under 5 cents a foot (about one-third the cost of regular wrapping paper), and you can use it year-round (try your local craft store or www.centralpack.com, which sells a 1,000-foot roll of white butcher paper for $34.50 and a 1,000-foot roll of kraft paper for $19.50). Spread a roll across the floor and arm your kids with crayons, paint, or rubber stamps. You can even slice a potato or a pear in half and cut out a star shape in lieu of a stamp — just press it to an ink pad. For inexpensive postal wrapping paper, cut open brown-paper grocery bags, turn them inside out, then trim to fit.
Shipping
12. Watch the calendar. Ship packages by ground; upgrading to air costs two to five times more. The domestic standard ground-shipping deadlines for a package to reach its destination by December 25 are:
• U.S. Postal Service (parcel post): at least 7 to 10 days before December 25.
• United Parcel Service (UPS): December 13.
• DHL: December 15.
• Federal Express: December 16.The U.S. Postal Service is the cheapest of the four, but bear in mind that it doesn’t offer free tracking or deals on insurance on its ground packages, as the others do. (UPS, for instance, offers free insurance for the first $100 at which your item is valued.)
13. Keep it light. A box that weighs one pound, for example, costs $4.05 to ship from coast to coast with U.S. Postal Service ground. If it weighs 10 pounds, the price shoots up to $20.25, while a 20-pounder would cost $38.35. Don’t bother with insurance unless you’re shipping something expensive or with sentimental value. (For something valued at $500, insurance costs $6.50.) Also, if you end up shipping by air, pack gifts in the smallest box possible (though experts suggest leaving two inches of cushioning), because you’ll be charged by size as well as weight.
14. Think flat. For last-minute gifts, buy books, DVDs, CDs, gift cards, gloves, and scarves — anything that fits in a U.S. Postal Service flat-rate envelope. Sending them by two-day Priority Mail, which can technically be used until midnight on December 22 (though most post offices close at 5 p.m.), costs $3.85; next-day-delivery Express Mail, which can technically be used until midnight, December 23, costs $13.65.
15. Shop around. Buy gifts from online retailers that offer free shipping. Because most sites don’t offer this freebie all the time, it pays to check coupon sites like Couponhut.com, MonkeyBargains.com, and Savester.com. There you’ll find free-shipping codes, especially in October and November, when sites try to outdo one another with promotions, says Karen Hoxmeier, founder of MyBargainBuddy.com, which lists product information, coupons, and free-shipping services. Some online retailers always offer free shipping, like the shoe site Zappos.com; others offer the perk once you’ve spent a certain amount ($25 for both Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com) — in which case you might decide to make it a one-stop shopping trip. Still others, like Staples.com (during November and December) and Overstock.com (from December 14 to 21), run holiday-only free or deeply discounted shipping promotions. The day after Thanksgiving, Yahoo! Shopping will list free-shipping and special-offer codes among its 250,000 merchants at www.shopping.yahoo.com.
16. Rev your engines. Everyone knows about Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity for finding cheap airfares. But newer “meta” travel search engines comb through these and other sites, rooting out even deeper discounts. Run searches for airfares, hotels, and car rentals through FareChase (farechase.yahoo.com, which works with the browsers Safari 1.2 on Macs and Windows Netscape 7.1 on PCs), SideStep (www.sidestep.com), Mobissimo (www.mobissimo.com), and Kayak (www.kayak.com). Each site has a different agreement with airlines, car-rental services, hotels, and independent sites (like CheapTickets.com), so they won’t display the same results. Southwest’s fares won’t show up at all; it is the one major airline that doesn’t participate in these types of programs.
17. Watch your weight. First airlines took away free food. Now they’ve instituted luggage surcharges. Though airlines differ, you can generally check two bags weighing less than 50 pounds each for free on domestic flights. A bag weighing between 50 and 70 pounds usually costs about $25 extra, while luggage over 70 pounds costs about $50. (Bags weighing over 100 pounds will usually not be allowed on the plane.) An extra bag will cost $80. Remember to check with your airline, as these rules can change. To be safe, either ship gifts to your destination (far in advance, so you can use ground shipping) or pack them in two separate, medium-size bags.
Decorating and Entertaining
18. Skip the tree skirt. Instead of buying a fancy tree skirt that makes an appearance once a year, buy or use a tablecloth or a piece of fabric that is four to five yards long. Wrap it around the tree’s base during the holiday season, then wash and reuse it as a tablecloth during the rest of the year.
19. Lighten up. Add sparkle to your decorations with energy-efficient LED holiday lights. They save electricity, last up to 200 times longer than traditional bulbs, and stay lit even when one of the bulbs burns out. Most hardware and home-goods stores carry them, and though the initial cost is higher than that of traditional lights (at www.christmaslightsetc.com, 70 multicolored LEDs cost $18, while 70 multicolored regular lights cost $6), the investment is worth it. “LED lights are far more efficient than incandescents, which translates to bigger savings on your energy bill,” says author Anna Wallner, and they give off less heat than ordinary incandescents. Putting holiday lights on a timer is another easy way to save electricity. To avoid a fire hazard, be sure to turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave your house. While you’re doing your lighting makeover, consider replacing regular bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs ($10 for a six-pack at Home Depot). They illuminate as much as a 60-watt bulb and are similarly shaped but use only 16 watts of energy; they also last for 10,000 hours, 13 times longer than standard bulbs. “You’re saving 44 watts every hour they’re on,” says John Vacher, an energy-efficiency expert at Home Depot. “When you calculate that for all the bulbs in the house, your savings can be quite astonishing.”
20. Switch bubblies. Who needs a pricey New Year’s Champagne when you can raise a glass of Prosecco (a fizzy wine from Italy) or Cava (from Spain), both available at most liquor stores for about $10 a bottle? “They’re sexy and good and don’t cost an arm and a leg,” says Erika Lenkert, author of The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining (McGraw-Hill, $15, www.amazon.com). Zardetto Prosecco Brut and Paul Cheneau Cava Brut are good choices.
21. Grab your sweater. For every degree you turn down the heat, you’ll save up to 3 percent on your heating bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. A hot-water heater accounts for about 14 percent of a home’s utilities bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy; setting it at 120 degrees Fahrenheit will “save a significant amount over the season,” says Mary Hunt, editor of the newsletter Debt-Proof Living. But don’t go any lower than that temperature, she adds — it’s the lowest that still kills bacteria in washing machines and dishwashers.
22. Talk cheap. Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, use your cell phone — not your landline — for bidding family and friends good cheer. Most plans offer free nights and weekends (“free nights,” meaning no minutes are deducted from your plan, start anywhere from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., depending on your carrier). Some also offer free calls when you’re dialing a cell phone from the same carrier, in what’s known as “free mobile-to-mobile.”
23. Take a (tax) break. Before the year speeds to a close, spend a couple of hours gathering gently used items for Goodwill or the Salvation Army and earn a 2006 tax deduction on your donation. Winter-coat drives are another way to donate during the holidays; check the Hands On Network (www.handsonnetwork.org/our-network) for programs in your area. Keep a detailed list of the goods you’ve donated and their estimated values (which depend on location). Some branches offer price guidelines. If yours doesn’t, estimate what each item would fetch at a yard sale. Snap a few photos if you’re donating a considerable amount of goods or an expensive item or two, just in case the IRS comes knocking. Be sure to get a receipt from the charity, too. Use IRS Form 1040, the basic tax return, and Schedule A, the deduction-itemization list, to claim the deduction.
Getting Organized
24. Start a blog. A family blog can cut down on everyone’s long-distance phone bills, and it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Go to Blogger (www.blogger.com) and create a free account, then invite family members to access the blog by clicking “Comment.” You can post a calendar (so no one fights over party dates) and a sign-up sheet for who’s bringing what to the holiday feast. Karli Bertocchi, founder of the organizing service Organized With Style, in Chicago, discovered that a holiday blog saved her money and time when she was arranging her extended family’s holiday last year. “Our family cut down on phone bills and, most important, miscommunication,” she says.
25. Click “send.” No snail-mail addresses? No problem — and no licking envelopes, either, when you send free holiday e-cards. Check sites like www.hallmark.com and www.amazon.com (type “eCards” in the search box); Yahoo! Greetings (www.yahoo.americangreetings.com) also offers some cards gratis. Or, for $8, you can send tasteful animated e-cards from Jacquie Lawson (www.jacquielawson.com) for a year (preview “Christmas Cottage” and “Sugar Plum Fairy” for free). For hipper “season’s greetings,” try iCards (www.apple.com/icards).
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
63 Gifts Under $10
1. Gourmet coffees with a personal coffee cup
2. Pound of pistachios
3. Child's artwork, framed
4. Journal with special inscription inside
5. Teacup with box of herbal tea
6. Deck of cards and book of card game rules
7. Homemade cocoa mix in a pretty jar
8. Collage of special photos
9. Gel pens and pretty stationary
10. Bottle of sparkling cider
11. Home baked bread, include recipe
12. Disposable camera or rolls of film
13. Basket filled with deli cheese and fruit
14. Craft supplies
15.
16. Pretty basket filled with special jams or mustards
17. Decorative napkins and napkin rings
18. Fancy chocolate bars tied with a ribbon
19. Gardening gloves with a plant or flower seeds
20. Photo album, hand decorated is even better
21. Makeup tote
22. Prepaid photo developing envelopes
23. Homemade cookie mix with instructions for baking
24. Variety of bread mixes
25. Special coffee cup filled with candy
26. Fancy magazines tied together with a pretty ribbon
27. Gourmet popcorn and flavored oil
28. Locally made barbeque or steak sauce with basting brush
29. Pancake or waffle mix and a bottle of real maple syrup
30. Movie theater gift certificates
31. Board games
32. Jar of sourwood or pure honey with biscuit mix
33. Note cards and book of stamps
34. Picture frames, buy them on sale!
35. Specialty cookbook
36. Pretty glass jar filled with candy
37. Collectible sports cards
38. Muffin mixes with muffin pan
39. Books, there are still a few for under $10
40. Set of dish towels and dish cloths
41. Nail polish kit
42. Pretty night shirt
43. Basket filled with kitchen gadgets
44. Video rental gift certificates
45. Pepper mill and fresh peppercorns
46. Handwritten copies of your favorite recipes
47. For the pets, gourmet dog biscuits or cat treats
48. Baking pans and supplies
49. Prepaid long distance phone cards
50. Small clock or radio
51. Pretty box for keepsakes
52. Colorful Post-It notepads
53. Address book
54. Christmas ornaments
55. Puzzles
56. Blank video or cassette tapes
57. Sewing supplies
58. Flashlight with batteries
59. Favorite quote embroidered on a nice handkerchief
60. Makeup brush set
61. Expensive socks, still under $10
62. Special soaps and bath puff
63. and don't forget my absolute favorite... home baked cookies!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Mother's Survivial Kit
Instructions:
htis Mother's Survivial Kit. For anyone who wants to use it this way, here is what you include and the poem you use":
- A toothpick to pick out the good qualities in your child.
- A candy hug and kiss to remind you of the power you get from lots of hugs and kisses.
- A button - to remind you to button your lip (sometimes).
- A band-aid to help with all of life's hurt feelings.
- An eraser to erase any mistakes you might make along the way.
- A lifesaver to remind you of the times others need your help, and you need theirs.
- A candle to light your way when things are their darkest.
this idea came from about.com
Travel Box
Help beat boredom in the car! Create a unique travel box for hours of entertainment. TaniaHop shares these wonderful suggestions to help you create a special travel box.
I made these great activity boxes for an upcoming 8-hour trip I am going on with my kids (age 4 1/2 and 1 1/2). They are full of enough activities to keep them busy for hours and are personalized to the kids' interests. I think they'd make great gifts, too. And better yet, I made mine for under $5 each, including contents, by using things I had around the house.
Materials Needed:
- Hard Plastic or Metal Box (approx. lunch box size, preferably with a handle)
- ChalkBoard Spray Paint (available in hardware or paint stores. I know that Home Depot and Wal-Mart sell it for $3 - $4)
- White Contact Paper
- Other decoration as desired (see below)
- Activity contents (eg. chalk, dry erase markers, magnets (if using metal box), clings, small toys, whatever). Gear this to the age of the child and his/her special interests.
I made these great activity boxes for an upcoming 8-hour trip I am going on with my kids (age 4 1/2 and 1 1/2). They are full of enough activities to keep them busy for hours and are personalized to the kids' interests. I think they'd make great gifts, too. And better yet, I made mine for under $5 each, including contents, by using things I had around the house.
First, select a box to use for the project. Maybe you already have something perfect. I bought plastic lunch box-sized boxes at Marden's for 57 cents each. Other sizes can work, too. Larger boxes provide for more writing / drawing / activity space on the sides, but you want it to fit in the child's lap. A metal box allows you to add magnet activities but is not necessary. A handle makes a nice feature for portability. Be creative!
Next, create a chalkboard on one of the flat outer surfaces of your box. Follow the directions on your chalkboard paint. Mine called for applying two thin layers of the spray paint to any non-porous surface and allowing to dry for 24 hours. Then "prime" the surface by covering the entire area with chalk and wiping clean. Now your chalkboard is ready for hours of writing, drawing, tic-tac-toe, hangman, etc. (I recently saw that fabric stores now carry a PVC vinyl material with a versatile chalkboard surface. It should be primed in the same fashion. I think this is too cool!)
On the other large surface of the box, apply white contact paper. This side is an ideal canvas for dry erase markers (wipe with a felt cloth), washable markers (wipe with a damp cloth), vinyl clings, or even sticker scenes. In addition to being readily available in stores, vinyl clings and stickers can be created on your computer using sticker or cling paper, which you can buy at an office supply store. If you are using a metal box, this surface is perfect for magnets, too. How about the alphabet magnets on your fridge for beginner spellers?
Complete the outside of your box by decorating and personalizing as you want. Use permanent markers or paint to write the child's name, if you want. Get creative! Stickers can be cute. If you are artistic, paint cars, planes, flowers, dinosaurs - whatever the child loves! Make it as simple or as fancy as you like. Voila! The outside of your child's very own activity box is done!
I made one other surface inside, which could be removed and played with atop the box. For my four-year-old daughter, I made a simple felt board. First I cut two pieces of cardboard to the inside size of my box. I wrapped a piece of felt around one piece of cardboard and glued securely in the back. When that dried, I glued the other piece of cardboard over the back of the board to cover raw edges and add stability. We have tons of felt clings that my daughter has received as gifts, but any shapes cut out of felt will cling to this board just like the expensive kits you buy.
If your Travel Activity Box can rest comfortably in the open position on the child's lap while in the car, the third surface can be permanently mounted inside the box using a hot glue gun. If you prefer, the chalkboard or contact paper could be an inside surface to allow easier access to your supplies. You could also consider making a double-size surface that folds in half for storage in the case but offers more surface area.
For my 20-month-old son, I painted a winding road surface, traffic signs, etc on a sized-to-fit piece of cardboard and included his small cars and trucks. It seems like he can drive them around for hours.
The last step is filling your box. This is where to really use your imagination! Don't forget chalk, markers, magnets, stickers and clings. We always bring kid songs and books on tape from the library. For artistic kids, you can also include paper and crayons, colored pencils, etc. Maybe travel bingo or a purchased activity book.
If using the activity box for a long trip, remember to hold out some stuff to add when they get bored, as well as for the return trip. And last, but not least, never under-estimate the power of fun snacks to cheer up road weary kids.
this idea came from about.com
A no-sew throw that's easy to make
A no-sew throw that's easy to make and is perfect for personalization by finding a print that's fits what the recipient collects. Most of the throws can be made for under $20.
You've probably seen versions of these throws in the stores, but why not make your versions as quick and inexpensive presents. There are fleeces that can be used for just about every collector and this is a one-of-a-kind edition they won't already have!
The washable fleece comes in a multitude of colors and patterns, I guarantee you can find one to fit the recipient. There are licensed sports teams, licensed characters from Disney, Sesame Street or Warner Bros., Nascar, etc. But you don't need to use a licensed design, the generic designs can fit just as well.
For example there are fleeces for horse, dog, frog or cat lovers and collectors. Vintage western prints that remind me of old travel postcards. Trains, planes and automobiles for transportation enthusiasts. Teddy bears, patriotic for Americana collectors, galaxies for Star Trekkers, Coke, football themes for sports collectors, bowling prints, and numerous holiday prints.
Note: Many fabrics can be found online at stores.
The fleece throw shown here was made for an Oklahoma University student who usually doesn't miss a home game, and also has a small collection of school memorabilia. Although it's not a licensed fleece, the school colors are in the background diamond pattern.
I had several choices for the reversible side, but after putting a few combination's together decided the black fleece was the best bet. The white was very pretty as a reverse fabric and I would have used it--if the throw was for a girl. It was just a little too pretty for a guy.
Fleece Throw No Sew Pattern, Step One
Although the throws can be made in any size desired, since most fleeces are sold in approximately 54' widths, the ones I've done are 54" by 54.Gather supplies
- 1 1/2 yards of patterned fleece
- 1 1/2 yards of coordinating (solid) fleece
- sharp scissors
- large straight pins
Step Two
Instructions- Spread out both pieces of fabric on a large flat surface.
- With right sides facing OUT, smooth fabric out until there are no wrinkles or fabric bunching.
- Pin the two pieces together a few inches from the edges, don't worry if one piece is slightly larger than the other.
Step Three
Trimming the edges- Trim off the unsightly selvage edges of the fabric
- Also trim the fabric so that both pieces are the same size,
- After trimming, smooth fabric out again so there is no bunching or wrinkles in the two pieces
Step Four
Cut a 4" square out of each corner of the fabric.Step Five
The size of the fringe depends on your personal preference. The width and length can be adjusted to the look desired. Do a few test "ties" before cutting all the fabric.This picture shows the reverse side of the throw, with 5" cuts.
- Cut 4" to 5" slits in the fabric, approximately 3/4 to 1" wide
- If a 5" cut provides the desired look, you will have to adjust the 4" corner cut to a 5" corner cut.
Step Five
Now the fun part -- tying the fringe.- Starting at one corner tie the first two pieces of fringe together. Remember you are tying the patterned fleece to the plain fleece.
- Tie with a double knot -- the knot shouldn't be super tight.
- Tie a few fringes in on each corner (which helps keep the fabric straight). {li]Finish tying the rest of the fringe around the throw.
Step Six
The Finished Product!
this idea came from about.com
Professor Albus Dumbledore's Magic Sand Art Cookies
Clearly one of the finest wizards known, Albus Dumbledore is Hogwarts Headmaster.
Layer the following in a Jar
· 5/8 cup all purpose flour
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
· 1/2 cup all purpose flour (additional)
· 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
· 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
· 1/2 cup Nestle' semi-sweet chocolate chips
· 1/2 cup Nestle' vanilla (white chocolate) baking chips
· 1/2 cup walnuts
Attach Card
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x9 inch square baking pan.
Combine the following:
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 2/3 cup vegetable oil
· 3 eggs
· 1 Jar Mix
Beat until just combined (do NOT over mix). Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
this idea came from http://www.budget101.com/
Hermione Granger's Love Potion Soup
(Hermione is one of Harry's best friends. A bushy browned hair little girl, with muggle parents, she is one of Hogwarts Brightest students.)
Layer the following in a Jar:
· 2 recipes of Lipton Onion Soup (or 1 box)
· 1/2 cup dried split peas
· 1/2 cup alphabet pasta
· 1/2 cup shell pasta
· 1/2 cup small colored pasta
· 1/4 cups dried lentils
Attach Card
In a Crockpot Cauldron, add 7 cups of cold water, 1/2 pound of uncooked hamburger and dry mix. Stir Cauldron well. Cook over medium heat all day, serve with cornbread.
this idea came from http://www.budget101.com/Madam Hootch's Crazy Cake Mix
(She is the Quidditch Instructor)
Layer the following in a Jar:
· 2 cups flour
· 2/3 cup cocoa powder
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
· 1-1/3 cups sugar
Attach Card:
Crazeee Cake
Pour Jar into a 9x13 cake pan,. Add 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons white vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla & 2 cups water. Use a wire whisk & Blend well. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 minutes.
Cool cake completely before frosting or sprinkling with powdered (confectioners) sugar.
this idea came from http://www.budget101.com/Fatlady's Pancake Mix
(She is in the portrait guarding the entrance of Gryffindor Tower)
Layer the following in a Jar:
· 3 cups flour
· 1/2 cup brown sugar
· 3 tablespoons baking powder
· 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
· 1 teaspoon salt
Attach Card:
Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Pancakes:
Beat 1 egg, 3/4 c. milk & 3 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Add 1-1/4 cup of mix until moistened. The batter will still be lumpy -- do not over mix. Cook in greased fry pan (med heat) until just right.
this idea came from http://www.budget101.com/Hedwig's Dropping Muggle Gift
(Hedwig is Harry's owl)
Place Chocolate Covered Raisins or Chocolate Malted Ball Candy in a Small plastic bag & attach a pretty Ribbon & Card
Attach Card:
"I hear you've been bad
And that's the scoop...
So today you can have some of
Hedwig's Poop"
this idea came from http://www.budget101.com/
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