A NOTE FROM RANDAL

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our new readers and thank you to all who share this newsletter with others.

Holiday season is upon us and it is so easy to forget our frugal tendencies, when it is for others. I implore you to stand firm and use these ideas and others that you will find on the web to make a difference in someone else's life without having to be in debt.

Frugally yours,
Randal

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE FORUM

Add your advice for these questions at The Frugal Life Forum. Ask your own questions or leave your favorite frugal tips while you are there.

Clutter/Organizing

1. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to organize stuff kept in the bathroom like makeup, makeup brushes, hairbrush, oral higine stuff. I keep all this on my bathroom shelves and its very messy. Thanks.

Critters

1. After having a toilet pulled for a water leak, I have found there is an infestation of carpenter ants that have eaten away the seal, bees wax. Any ideas as how I can kill these buggers without taking up the floor. I sprayed some RAID but can't see if they are all dead.

Personal Care

1. I believe I saw information about melting down and reusing leftover crystal deodorant at this site. I think after it was melted it was put into a tomato paste can. Does anyone remember this or have information about how to do it. How is it melted? I hate to throw away the left over pieces.

Pets

1. I've read a lot of these topics, but my scenario is a little different and could really use some advice. Our 8 yr old cat won't poop anywhere near his box. He'll urinate in it, but won't poop in it. Nothing has changed in our house. No new pets, no kids, no change in the litter we use - everything has been the same since the day we got him 8 years ago. Nothing medical either, we had him checked out thoroughly. Why won't he poop in his box now? He'll poop everywhere but. I'm so tired of having to watch where I walk and finding little treasures hidden a week down the road. UGHH! Any help you can give is GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks! Livinnuts

OUR HOME BUSINESSES - JOIN US!

Nature's Sunshine Herbs and Supplements

Essential Oils Home Spa Parties

Flint River Ranch Oven Baked Pet Foods

Healthy Pet Net Foods and Supplements

FRUGAL FINANCES

Opt Out Of Credit Card & Insurance Offers

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make firm offers of credit or insurance that are not initiated by you.

More junk mail and more sharing of your private information.

But! The FCRA also provides you the right to "Opt-Out", which prevents Consumer Credit Reporting Companies from providing your credit file information.

Through www.OptOutPrescreen.com you can opt out of this process.

Tips and Articles on Finances

FRUGAL COMMUNICATIONS

• 3.9 Cent Long Distance With No Access Numbers to Dial
• Save on Cellular Phone Plans
• Prepaid Phone Cards
• Internet Service

No hidden fees or charges at Blessed Hope Communications.

FRUGAL FUN

Holiday Celebration: Family Trivia Game

When holidays come that have lots of family in one location, you can keep things lively by having a Family Trivia game. Have each family member write 20 trivia questions on index cards with the answer on the back. When everybody is together, shuffle the cards and let the game begin. One by one, family members draw a card and try to answer the question. If there are any new in-laws in the group, it's a great way for them to get "filled in" on the past. It's a great time of laughs, tears and bonding too!

FRUGAL HOW-TO

Do Not Call Registry and Telemarketers

If you got on board to stop those annoying telemarketing calls years back, your registration may have expired. You have to renew every 5 years. We just renewed ours.

If you're one of those people that just didn't believe it would work, let me assure you it does! We haven't had a telemarketing call since a couple months after we registered.

It doesn't stop political and non-profits, but we get few calls from them. You can request to be taken off their lists verbally.

If you get calls 31 days after registering, you can report the caller's phone number (which they are required to show if they're a telemarketer) or the name of the company.

You can also begin right away by saying, "According to my legal rights, I'd like to have this telephone number removed from your call list."

Register now through DoNotCall.gov website or toll-free at 1-888-382-1222.

Re: Cell Phones

It's a myth that telemarketers are going to begin calling cell phones. Wireless companies and the FTC will not release subscriber information to telemarketers.

FRUGAL HOLIDAYS

Creative Holiday Idea For Lonely White Socks

There's always those lonely socks that have lost their mate. They make good dust rags, but how many dust rags do you need? In an issue of Albemarle Family, Jennifer writes:

White socks make the cutest snowmen. Fill the bottom third of the sock with sand and pink it off with a rubber band, fill the next third with more sand and tie a fabric scrap around it for a winter scarf. Then fill almost to the top with a smaller amount of sand and tie a knot atop. Fold the sock top over the knot to look like a hat. Draw or glue on some eyes, a nose, a mouth and some buttons.

FRUGAL TIPS

Ways To Reuse Paper In The Season of Giving

Trees have it rough this time of year. Not only are they cut down to decorate for Christmas, it's also the prime time for paper use: Christmas cards and wrapping paper. Here's some green tips for cutting down on your contribution to a sea of crumpled red and green.

1. Make home-made cards from cereal boxes and decorate with collages from catalogs that you haven't yet called to have them stop sending.

2. Wrap gifts in newspaper and grocery bags. Dress them up with raffia or some real mistletoe, holly or evergreen clippings.

3. Use real dishes for your holiday events and cloth napkins. You'll impress your friends and family and have some good memories from gathering around the kitchen sink to clean up. Some of my fondest holiday memories are from the kitchen clean-up time.

4. Save wrapping paper and gift bags when you get gifts and reuse it.

Search The Frugal Life Forum for answers to your questions or to share tips with other frugal folks.

FRUGAL REUSING

What To Do With Christmas Cards Received Last Year

We all get a bunch of holiday greetings that are very special to us and we set them back for a few years until space limits us from "keeping them all" and it's time to go through and find a use for them. Here's a few things Donna has done with them over the years:

• Cut out a cute part of the scene, punch a hole in the corner, and use it for a gift tag. Some can be used on gifts other than Christmas depending on the scene.

• Cut out scenes and use in scrapbooks to surround your photos.

• Use them for notes around the holidays as you leave messages for family members or neighbors.

• For the most savings of all! Make them postcards with your own Christmas greeting. This will save buying cards, save trees since you won't need an envelope, provide a reuse instead of recycling option, and on top of all of that, you'll save 15 cents postage compared to the cost of sending a greeting card.

FRUGAL PETS

Healthy Pet Foods

Pet food ingredients can create a lot of health problems for our pets, and that can cost a lot of money with recurring health issues feeding that drain our budgets for the veterinarian. Be an informed pet owner when it comes to what's in pet foods. You already know that you feel better if you eat right. Help them to feel better too. View this video or site to be an informed pet owner.

Natural Remedies and Herbal Heartworm Programs

Yes, there are natural ways to deal with heartworms and there are herbal prevention programs also. Get more info on heartworms.

Pet Topics Information Site

Healthy Pet Corner provides informational links for dogs, cats, birds, horses, rabbits, and reptiles. Visit Healthy Pet Corner.

FRUGAL LEARNING

Singing Success At-Home Study Course

100% guaranteed. The Singing Success Vocal Training Program, by celebrity vocal coach Brett Manning, is the only vocal training program that guarantees a full octave increase in your vocal range. And you can do it at home. You'll learn to sing as easily as you speak, completely eliminating vocal strain, and you will learn to master the techniques of vocal style, including runs, licks and trills. Get a full refund if it doesn't do all it promises. Read more about the Singing Success Program.

FORWARD TO A FRIEND

If you enjoyed what you read today, please forward this newsletter to your friends by clicking on the white envelope below --- or send them the link to this site.

QUICK LINKS TO OUR SPONSOR: TheHerbsPlace.com

Current Specials
Online Catalog
Products A-Z
Home Business
Women
Men
Children
Pet Health Topics
Essential Oils
Natria Beauty Products
Non-toxic Laundry and Cleaning

MORE COMPLIMENTARY NEWSLETTERS

The Herbs Place offers several newsletters with topics such as natural health, pets, emotions, and the natural world. More about newsletters.

COPYRIGHT, LEGAL DISCLAIMER & REPRINT INFO
© 2003-2007 Randal J. Watkins

Information in The Frugal Life News (TFL) has been derived from sources believed accurate and reliable. In no event shall *The Frugal Life,* Randal Watkins, or the corporate sponsor, Sunshine Life Center, Inc. staff be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of information herein.

There is no remuneration for suggestions, tips, or ideas submitted by readers. All suggestions, tips, and ideas, submitted for publication in The Frugal Life, become the property of The Frugal Life, notwithstanding similar rights of the reader submitting such suggestions, tips, or ideas. TFL publishes readers' names with their suggestions, tips, and ideas unless a reader requests otherwise at the time of the submission.

Forwarding and Use of This Newsletter
You may forward this newsletter in its entirety and/or use this copyrighted newsletter on a website if you include the following credit with an active link:

Editor, Randal J. Watkins, of TheFrugalLife.com, provides this free newsletter to subscribers. Visit The Frugal Life website to subscribe or find frugal information to live well on what you already have.

1 Comments:

 Anonymous said...

Go Randal! You always pack each issue with a ton of useful information. What a resource for us frugal-hungry folks! Thanks for taking the time to do this and gathering such great information! Mable S.

P.S. I also shop at TheHerbsPlace.com for Nature's Sunshine products. Thanks for the fast shipping and great products.

10:45 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home