Thriftiness is All Around
September 12, 2007 by Karen Weideman
Filed under frugal living, news, odds and ends
I found an article today written by Telegraph, a British newspaper website. The article is 50 Ways to Be More Frugal.
I found it interesting to see the difference in cultures. There were many things that I did not understand because I have not been exposed to them, and things that did not seem relevant to southern U.S. climate.
It is also interesting and encouraging to know that others around the world are trying to cut back and be more frugal. Here are some tips that I found:
- Steam iron (or freeze) woollen clothes during winter to kill moth eggs. It’s the larvae, not the flying moths, that do the damage. And conkers make very good ‘mothballs’. [This one made me very thankful that is doesn't get cold enough here to wear wool. My eczema would flare up so bad!]
- Tights last longer if you freeze them overnight before you wear them. We don’t know why, but since it costs nothing it’s worth doing.
- The best shower-door cleaner is white vinegar. Wipe it on, leave to soak for a few minutes if the door has disappeared under a layer of white gunge, then rinse well, using a squeegee blade and polish dry. [Yay for vinegar!]
- Save quizzes or riddles from papers and magazines and store them for using in Christmas crackers. [I didn't know what this one meant. Does this mean for shipping the crackers?]
- Always eat the core of an apple. And fine everyone in the family one penny every time they throw it away.
- Use empty Coke cans as air freshner.
I googled Christmas crackers and got this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker
Freezing tights and empty coke can air fresheners? LOL!
regarding saving puzzles for Christmas crackers, they are refering to a popular party favor in the UK. The “cracker” is a cardboard tube (picture bath tissue tube) filled with small treats, and usually a paper crown, the tube is wrapped in tissue and opened by pulling apart the tissue on both ends, one side of which is usually rigged with a small fire “cracker” fuse that causes a loud pop. You can find them in the US at Christmas and New Years. Great fun for the kids and since they haven’t caught on yet here, you can usually find them on clearence after the holidays. Try target or linens n things using thier frequent coupon.
Christmas crackers are a bit of a British tradition. They look like oversized candy wrappers, but when pulled make a banging sound, like a party noisemaker. I’m guessing they were saving the paper to make their own crackers and fill the insides with it.
Hope that helps!!
Crackers in this sense means a type of party favour made from a roll of paper that’s then wrapped. You pull an end to open it and treats come out. The noise is something of ‘crack’, hence the name I suppose. Here’s a picture: http://www.internationalcrackers.com/Products/Crack%20a%20Tune/w%20cat%20party%20tray.jpg
My readers are so smart. Thanks everyone!