Readers' Tips

I was involved in the planning of a retirement party for someone who had worked 35 years at the company. These were some of the best ideas of our event.

Collect photographs from the working environment from day one to present. Try to have about 100 or more photos. Scan the photos into a PowerPoint presentation and set the presentation on "loop." Set this up in a corner of the room and just let it run all night. We even got some family photos from his wife and put those in the presentation too. People will migrate over to the slide presentation the whole evening long. We also copied the presentation onto a CD and gave it to our retiree. It was his favorite gift.

For table decorations, we gave each table a theme. Our retiree was a civil engineer, a boy scout leader, a photographer, a father, a husband, an antique car buff, an Army veteran, and a collector of hats. We used each of these parts of his life as a theme for each of the tables. At each of the tables, we provided a short description of the reason these items were here and how they applied to the retiree's life. The result was magical and impressive. For example, at the Civil Engineer table, we placed blueprints, hardhat, drawing tools, boots, etc. Our retiree's wife was very helpful and let us scrounge through their house for decor items. The tables created quite a sensation among all the guests, and since we borrowed the items, it was free!
Lois

more suggestions on throwing a retirement party

Do not turn off your furnace when leaving a home in cold. Otherwise, you are likely to return home to a frozen mess when water pipes burst. I speak from experience.

Instead, turn your heat down to about 55 degrees and turn off your water heater if it is in an enclosed area which never goes below freezing. If you wish, slightly lower the setting on your refrigerator. You can do this because it will not be opened, which lets in warmer air.

It can be useful to invest in a variable timer, which turns lights on and off at random times, so the house looks lived in. In the resort area where my parents live full-time, their neighbors ask them to park in their unused driveways while they are away. You might have neighbors who are willing to do this to make your house look occupied.
Barbara

more suggestions on how to safely leave your home during winter months

Emergency car expenses may have to go on the credit card, but medical bills should not. If you are unable to pay your medical bills, you should call the provider and discuss the situation with the billing office.

They can set you up on a payment plan (and I don't believe they can charge you interest, although that may vary depending on the provider and the state). As long as you contact them and are making payments on the bill, they cannot turn it over to a collection agency.
Allison

Besides cleaning the dryer vent, periodically take the top of your dryer and vacuum out the inside. You would be surprised at the amount of lint you will get. When I had to replace the belt on my second hand dryer I was shocked at the amount of lint inside, even mice had built nests in it at the previous owners.

If the belt had not broken I would have ended up with a major fire. By the way, I have a flexible hose with a vented plastic cup at the end. I fill the cup halfway with water and it catches lint being expelled.
Ida-Mae K.
Proton Station, Ontario, Canada

Last summer, I bought a few pair of knee-high wool socks at a yard sale for mere pennies, and filled them with generic brand white rice. Some people use sand, but your socks would have to be very closely woven. Placing them along all doors and drafty windows have definitely kept my toes warmer this winter!
I believe these are called draft dodgers.
Nichole N.

Here's an idea for parents of children that are frequently invited to birthday parties. I store a box under my bed, and if I find something on clearance for the ages of my children, I pick it up. For gifts for the friends of my nine-year-old girl, I find something I know she would like.

They almost always go to parties for kids their age. Then when we get an invitation, we look in the box. I don't have to make a special trip and I didn't spend much.
Karrie H.

Our five children have always worn something that we call "secrets" when they are out in the snow. "Secrets" stands for "a secret weapon against cold wrists". Cut the foot portion off an old sock, leaving the ribbed cuff portion. Cut a very small slit (it will grow with use) about 1/2 inch from the end. Put your hand into the ribbed tunnel so that your fingers come out the end and your thumb comes out the slit. Now put jacket and mittens on. The gap between mittens and cuff is no more and you don't have to worry about trying to pull the cuff of your mitten up over your jacket sleeve.

You can take your mittens off to tie your shoe or put your skis on without taking your "secrets" off since your fingers are free.
RD

As I read through the Dollar Stretcher on line, if I see an article or tip that I want to remember, I highlight it, click on "copy" under my edit feature and paste the item into a new email that I mail to myself. I make sure to put the general subject nature in the subject line. Once the email arrives in my inbox, I put it into a folder that I have designated "frugal letters & tips."

I usually scan through the titles about once a month so I remember what I have. Recently I used an article on purchasing the best kind of slow cooker when I needed a crock pot. I printed the article and took it to the store with me. This approach has worked well for me, since I know I'll never remember all of the great tips I read.
T. C.
Noblesville, IN

Put white vinegar in your washer dispenser or add 1/4 cup to rinse water. No need for fabric softener, which isn't good for towels and diapers anyway. It takes care of lint, static, it's cheaper and it will not smell bad.
MS

I like to wear fragrant lotions like the ones sold at Bath and Body. Sometimes the fragrance can be too powerful, so I have learned to use some of the lotion and then cut it with a cheaper lotion like Jergens. It mixes quite well and you have more of your Bath and Body lotion. You could use any lotion to mix.
Schelle

When my dishwasher is done washing and rinsing, I open the washer door and let the dishes air dry. I'm saving electricity by not using the dry cycle, and when I open the door, I release the steam from the washer to put some moisture back into the air. It really helps.
Pam

Since I have small children and don't want the back seat of my car destroyed, I wanted to put a seat cover back there. However, when I checked out the prices of seat covers, they seemed a bit much. I then wandered over to the sewing section and found some fleece panels on sale.

I purchased a very pretty fleece panel with a nice scene on it for about $5. With that one panel, I folded it in half then cut a slit along the fold, leaving the ends intact. I then tucked the panel around my seat, using the slit in the center so I could pull the seatbelts through. Then I tucked the panel above and below the seatbelts.

When I was finished, it looked gorgeous. It comes off easily to be cleaned. And when I get bored with a particular scene, I just buy a new panel.
Bobbi M.

I have an easy tip for readers should they become victims of a purse or wallet theft or simply lose their purse or wallet. Take a photocopy of everything in your wallet and keep in a safe and secure place at home. I would also recommend taking a photocopy of your passport and keep that in a secure spot.

If you should become a victim of a theft, you will have easy access to what credit cards need to be canceled and don't have to rely on memory. The information in your wallet can then be placed into the local and national crime information databases that law enforcement personnel use to check for stolen identifications. It will also speed up your police report, making it easier for you to replace your stolen driver's license.
B.

Spray the seals around your car door with Pam. WD-40 works well, too. It keeps the doors from freezing shut in cold weather. Also, don't forget to spray the door locks, if you use a key to open them, with WD-40. It doesn't do any good to have un-frozen door seals if you can't unlock the doors.
Nancy H.
Santee, CA

A well-meaning friend just gave us a gift certificate for Fannie Mae candy and another friend gave us a gift card from Pier 1 as a house warming present. We're not big candy eaters and the things in Pier 1 are nice, but not really anything we like. So, I plan on keeping the gift cards/certificates, and the next time that I need to buy a gift, I will "cash" them in and get someone else a nice gift and it cost me nothing!
Annette

I clean carpets for a living. If you want to clean your carpets yourself, mix 1/2 cap of liquid laundry detergent to about a gallon of water in a bucket. Scrub soiled areas with a stiff brush. Get carpet pretty wet to make sure it gets clean. Load a home machine with hot water only, no soap. You'll just be using the machine to rinse. Dry by using a fan.

It's cheap, and it works if you don't have the spare $150 to pay a guy to come in and do them.
SA

There are many things that people simply don't have to buy. We all know, for instance, that one can get materials from the library for free, but I keep lists of books, videos, and periodicals and regularly go through the library catalogue with my list. A surprising number of new titles are in there.

I never buy compost, potting soil, and very seldom, seedlings. I can easily do this myself. (Learned through library garden books). Remember that perennials produce year after year with little effort.

I do every thing I can on my computer that would cost me more at the store. I make my own business documents, greeting cards, flyers, labels, calendars, etc.

Share, share, share! If you are only going to use something briefly and infrequently, see if you can borrow it. This is especially good if you are considering a purchase.

Never pay for information if you can get it for free. The phone book is full of toll free numbers, agency and government numbers, not to mention the library.
Mary D.
Washington

It is imperative that buyers read expiration dates on all products they buy and that they contact the manufacturers of items that have mumbo-jumbo dates that the buyer cannot decipher and ask the manufacturer to change to a marking that the consumer can read.

We have found, among those products whose codes we can read, so many products, especially food, that are out of date. We have found chocolate that was over a year old, soft drinks that were beyond their expiration date, over-the-counter medicines that had expired code dates, and even meat with maggots in it. No kidding!

My wife just bought an electric shaver from one of the largest discount chains and could not find replacement blades. A call to the manufacturer told us this model razor had been discontinued over two years ago and asked where it was bought. When told, they said this company was bad about buying leftovers and out-of-date merchandise.
Ed H

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