Goldfish Party Pinata

This was so cute I just had to blog about it. My five, almost six, year old is stretching her frugal wings and it makes me smile.

I recently bought a big package of Goldfish. (You parents out there know the size I am talking about, the one that opens like the school lunch milk cartons.) When we were done I put it by the garbage can to throw it out.

DD2 (Dear Daughter 2) saw potential in it and snagged it from the garbage. She wanted to make something from it. I was against the idea. In my mind I saw this big package kicking around the house driving me crazy. However, DD2 quickly came up with the idea of turning it into a pinata for her upcoming birthday party.

She glued printer paper to the outside then colored pictures of mermaids on all four sides. We will fill it from the spout, close it up, punch a couple of holes in the top to hang it, and presto a FREE pinata that she absolutely LOVES, and I do too :).

Pantyhose Power

So you are getting ready for a very important event. One that calls for your little black dress. You have taken great care to get ready BEFORE you put the dress on, to avoid getting the LBD dirty. However, you put it on and even though you were so careful you still get the dreaded antiperspirant white marks - AAAAGGGHHH!

Don't worry, take a pair of pantyhose and rub them over the mark and it will disappear. (I learned this tip from the man who actually invented pantyhose. He was my textiles teacher in college. You will hear about him periodically because I learned a TON from him.)

*Did you know that during the testing phase of pantyhose about 1,000 women were asked to wear them to work. By the end of the day the pantyhose had disintegrated while the women were wearing them. So back to the drawing board. If you don't succeed try, try again.

Goggle over Google

Google is amazing to me. They not only help you search on the computer, but they also have an information phone number. Not only that, but it is FREE. If you are using your cell, you just pay for the minutes you use.

So here it is... 1-800-GOOG-411 or 1-800-4664-411. I LOVE this number. It makes it so much easier to make appointments or to call a store for info before I drive out there. It is a lifesaver when I am out with the kids and need a number quickly. I don't have to take the time to look up a number.

They have also included a search feature. Let's say you want to find a pizza parlor in Mountain View, California. You tell them the category and the town, then they give you the top eight results.

Then to top this all off, they will automatically connect you. You don't have to worry about finding a piece of paper and pen while you are driving, just tell them which one you want, and they will connect you. LOVE IT!!

One thing though, it is all automated and the computer does voice recognition. Sometimes it doesn't understand you so it may take a few tries, but hey I'll be patient. A FREE service that is super handy, I'll take that.

Piping Pizza

Here is a way to reheat your pizza to avoid the soggy crust that comes with the microwave. Place the pizza piece on a hot skillet to reheat it. This will make the crust crispy again, and you don't have to reheat your whole oven to do it. Gotta love that!

Ripening your Romas

Tomato season in on - YEAH!!! However, if you have some tomatoes that have fallen off and are green, I have a trick for you. Put them in an empty egg carton that has the lid still attached. Close the lid and let them sit on the counter.

The tomatoes (along with other fruits) releases a gas that helps them ripen. This is why leaving the lid closed is so important. This is also why grape bags have holes in them to let the gas escape.

If you need other fruit to ripen. You can place them in a bag with no holes and let them sit out on the counter as well. (My mom used to use brown paper bags so that the fruit wouldn't stay moist on the outside and rot).

Happy Gardening!

Shave $ off shaving cream

Here's a quick tip for saving money on shaving creams for the ladies. Instead of buying the expensive shaving creams, use cheap hair conditioner instead (like suave - free with coupons and sales).

Buy Used and Save a Bundled!

I have been so excited about my latest find, I just have to write about it. (This has to be quick I only have 10 min. :) To delay any suspense this is about how I got a killer deal on a killer range/oven.

For a while I have been wanting/some what needing a new oven. The one we had was a cheap one from 17 years ago, and so today was starting to wear out. I have been mulling over this purchase over in my mind for two and a half years now, but not wanting to pay full price for a new one. So I have been keeping my eye out for a good deal - remember for two years now.

One day on a whim I decided to check Craigslist.org to see what they had. I found this BEAUTIFUL Kenmore Convection oven that retails for $1,500 before taxes. This particular oven was two years old and barely used. The asking price was $500.

Now keep in mind I never pay full asking price for ANYTHING used (even on already deeply discounted items). Through some negotiating I got the price down to $450! Less than 2/3rds off the original price!

When I went to pick up the range, the lady asked me if I wanted anything else (they were doing a total kitchen remodel). She had two chandeliers that would retail for around $500 -$600 for the both of them. I ended up getting them for $48 for both. Less then 10% of retail!

I wish I had time to write about the negotiating (my hubby is sitting right here waiting to go to sleep). However, the bottom line of this post is: BUYING SECOND HAND SAVES YOU BUNDLES OF $$$. I think of it this way, letting other people use your stuff for a few years/months saves you a ton of money!

Some websites to try:
www.Craigslist.org
www.Freecycle.org - for FREE stuff
also check out the Internet classifieds on the local news station/paper website. For instance in Utah www.KSL.com is a huge one as well.

Happy Hunting!