Readers' Tips
Seeking Professional Help to Quit Spending
As a retired psychotherapist, I recommend that "B" start by asking for a psychiatric referral from her internist or family doctor. If she does not have one, or if she has no insurance, then I recommend seeking out a medical school-based clinic or a state or county mental health clinic in her area. The latter usually charge on a sliding scale.
Once she has an appointment, she should carefully consider her goals in seeing the psychiatrist. Even a very competent psychiatrist will not be able to meet the needs of every patient. She needs to ask how the doctor works with patients. For example, does the doctor provide a medical assessment and medication only or does the doctor also provide psychotherapy. If the doctor does not provide therapy, is there someone else in the office who does provide it or someone nearby with whom the doctor collaborates?
My personal belief is that the best doctors work with patients
rather than dictating treatment. B needs to know which
approach feels comfortable and to ask the doctor which is
used. I have a few more suggested questions to ask. How long
is my treatment likely to last? What outcome can I expect if I
work with you? Do you also offer group therapy (which should
cost considerably less and provides support from other
patients with similar problems)?
Barbara in CT
editor's note: For more on Seeking Professional Help, please click here or check out the discussion in The Dollar Stretcher Community.
Better Than Office Christmas Gifts
Our office decided several years ago to give up purchasing
Christmas gifts for each other. Instead, we all contribute
what we can afford to a fund and use that money to purchase
for children on our community "angel" tree. We are a small
group and the managers agree to cover the office for a day
while the rest of us get a day to do the "angel" shopping and
have lunch together. Everyone pitches in to wrap the gifts. We
are able to purchase much more (and nicer) items for the
"angels" than we could have done individually. It's fun, low
cost and definitely creates a happier holiday for someone who
isn't as fortunate!
S. K.
editor's note: For more on office gifts, please click here.
Oh, Yeah???
We have a 250-gallon buried propane tank, and were recently quoted a price of $3.29 per gallon. After calling around and finding lower quotes at $1.99 per gallon, we called the supplier back, and they agreed to lower it "just this one time only."
So we will be switching providers when the next fill up comes
around, but in the meantime, we saved several hundred on this
fill. Outrageous that this industry can get away with ripping
off unsuspecting people!
Marcia T.
Apple Season Memories
When I was a child, we had four apple trees in our yard. Every
year, my mother and I would gather the bulk of the harvest and
make homemade applesauce. We would freeze it in containers we
had saved from other foods like sour cream, margarine, whipped
topping, etc. We never bought any containers. This applesauce
froze wonderfully and was just as good warm as it was cold.
Boy, how I wish I had some of mom's homemade applesauce today!
K.P. in Ft. Myers
editor's note: For some great apple recipes, please click here.
A Simple Check Saves Money
I recently checked some information on my auto insurance
policy and found out I was listed as renting my house instead
of owning it. I changed the information to owning my house and
saved a little over $60 a year. I could have been saving that
for the past three years! I guess it helps to spend five
minutes checking out your information.
Chris G.
Say "No" to Storage Containers
I was in the process of changing out my seasonal household items, going from summer to fall, and was on my way to the store to purchase those big plastic bins with lids. I got to looking at them and the cheapest ones were still between $8-$9 each! I considered what I had at home and it occurred to me that I have many pieces of large luggage that are just sitting there empty.
So I put all of my summer items inside one and slid it under
the bed. I will then use another when fall is over to store
those decorative items in. Since I have four good-sized
pieces, I figure I can use each one for the different seasons
plus save about $40 from not purchasing those bins!
Dawn C.
The Luxury of Scented Powder
I make my own scented powder. I just mix equal parts of baby
powder and baking soda in gallon size resealable bag. Then I
spray my favorite perfume on a cotton ball and put the cotton
ball in the bag with baby powder and baking soda. After
closing the zipper tightly, I shake it to mix thoroughly.
After two or three days, I transfer the powder into my old
powder container.
RG
Once a Month Canning
I spend one day every month at a friend's house canning. We
make pasta sauce, pizza sauce, jams, and soups. We buy the
ingredients at the warehouse club and use fresh fruits and
vegetables as much as possible. When we are done, there is
enough to last the month and it costs us about half of what we
would normally spend on the pre-made items. The best part is
spending the day with a good friend.
Nancy K. in Evergreen Park, IL
Before You Buy Clothing
Before you buy clothing, check whether it is a "dry clean
only" item. I recently purchased a suede leather jacket for
$20. It was a great bargain until I got the dry cleaning bill
for $49.99. I had purchased two of the jackets and just
pitched the other one when it got soiled.
M W
Liquid Laundry Detergent Warning
I recently had to replace my washing machine. I bought a new one at Maytag. As the owner was going over everything about the new washer and how to keep it tip top, she mentioned to use only powder detergent. I asked why and she explained that liquid detergent can get into the seals of the lid and clog other things in the washer, shortening the life of the washer.
I laughed thinking that she was nuts and pointed to the small
sample of Tide® that comes with the washers and asked why
would they send that if you weren't supposed to use it. She
explained that Tide pays to market their items and some
marketing is through samples. She then pointed to a small
section in the owner's manual that said you should only use
powder detergent in your washer. I never knew this and have
wondered how long my other washer would have lasted had I used
the powder detergent!
Chandra S.
Basic Land Line Service
Today I called our phone provider to turn off our landline. I
explained we no longer needed it because we have cell phones.
The representative indicated she could offer me a limited call
plan of 50 calls a month for $5.95. This price needed to be
added to the list of taxes that totaled $10.49, so the total
monthly charge would be dropped to $16.44 compared to our
previous $36.31. I decided to take the limited plan since we
have small children that know to call 911 for emergencies. The
call took about seven minutes.
Theresa in Richmond, VA
The Family Tree
The holidays are not far away and I have a suggestion for all
those newsletters that you receive from family and friends. My
husband does genealogy and I suggested to him that those
"wonderful" newsletters that come in and contain information
on births, marriages, graduations, etc. would be useful in his
genealogy work. So now we put them with all the other family
information that we accumulate.
Lorraine S.
Food Storage Containers
I use Scotch® tape (either the green 'invisible' or the purple 'gift wrap' variety) on my plastic containers to write the date and name of the contents on with a permanent marker. This sticks beautifully to the container until you're ready to remove it. Just be sure the plastic isn't cold, greasy, or moist. This also works well for containers you're taking to a potluck. Be sure to label the lid and the bottom.
Also, to keep your containers from staining by tomato-based
foods, spray the container with cooking spray before putting
the food inside.
Nancy in Santee
Line Clothes Drying Secrets
Drying clothes in the sun can really make colors fade. If you have a lot of dark or bright clothes, hang them in the shade or inside the house. Another way to cut down on fading is to make sure your darks and colors are inside out when you dry them, so that the sun only hits the inside. The outside, the side that you see when you wear the clothes, doesn't fade as much.
To keep your clothes soft, take them off the clothesline just
before they are totally dry and pop them in the dryer for 10
minutes to finish. They'll be fluffy and lint free.
Diane
editor's note: For more on air drying clothes, please click here.
Cheap and Easy Paint Brush Storage
Washing or replacing paintbrushes gets expensive when jobs are multi-coat or on stop-and-start schedules. Save paint thinner, brushes, and your money by recycling a plastic bottle. For a full-sized paint brush, cut a two-liter jug at the centerline; for trim brushes, use a water bottle.
Put a couple of inches of paint thinner, for oil paints and stains or water for latex paints, in the bottom section. Re- cut the top section so that the neck just supports the brush handle when the sections are recombined. Place your brush handle in the neck, the brush in the bottom, then refit the two sections just securely enough to hold the brush upright. Wicking will keep your brush moistened and soft.
When you are ready to resume the job, pull the brush out, beat
the excess thinner out against a rock, and start painting with
your nice soft brush. The same thinner can be used for many
days, as long as you are using the same paint or stain color.
Margaret T.
Simple Winter Window Insulation
For extra window insulation in the wintertime, we use bubble wrap. It can be purchased at your office supply or at Sam's Club. A box that costs $20 will cover four to five windows. We even covered French Doors with it.
All you need to do is spray the inside of the window with
water (we used glass cleaner). Then place the cut-to-fit
bubble wrap pieces on the inside of your window. Friction
holds everything in place. We did this for a house in the
mountains two years ago and the pieces are still holding. The
great thing about this is that light still comes through the
window and it adds privacy. If you need to peek out, just pull
a corner up. Then it's easy to put back!
Pat in NE TN
editor's note: For more on frugal home winterization, please click here.
Finding Alternatives
Look for the alternates. At my daughter's school, using "Pro
Wrap" as a headband is very popular. Unfortunately, buying it
at "fashion" stores can be very costly. Pro Wrap's original
usage is as a wrap to protect the skin under athletic tape
when, for example, an athlete gets his/her ankle taped to
prevent and/or protect from injury. Shopping at sporting good
stores provides a wide variety of colors and the cost is a
little more than half the cost of the fashion stores.
R in Wisconsin
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