Miscellaneous Tips

[Guardian Angel]

Easier thank you's

When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mom sends the thank you's, they're all addressed!

MINE!!!!!

If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. if the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns the bike.
Janet, Carthage, IL

Reopening envelope

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include
something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for
an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.
Conditioner

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a
great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...


Take baby powder to the beach

Keep a small b ottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you're
ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder
and the sand will slide right off your skin.
 

[Guardian Angel]

GOOD ONE!

Three Little Words That Work !!

(1)The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."

Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would  make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.


(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.


This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.


What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to have your name in their system any longer !!!

(3) Junk Mail Help:

When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope.

Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right?

It costs them more than the regular 37 cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before! the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes.

One of Andy Rooney's (60 minutes) ideas.

Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back!

If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them.

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 37 cents.

The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it...Twice!

Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea !

If enough people follow these tips, it will work----



I have been doing this for years, and I get very little junk mail anymore and I don't bother to remain anonymous either.  Maybe I have been taken off thier lists........

[Butterfly]

FlyLady fans will be blessed with St. Louis visit

Every day more than 300,000 women -- and a few men -- around the world fire up their computers and open their email to read reminders to shine their sinks, "reboot" their laundry, "swish and swipe" their bathrooms, even to drink their water.

The reminders aren't coming from their mothers, their sisters or their friends. They're coming from FlyLady, an online mentor who dispenses reminders to do the routine chores of life, homespun humor and daily musings.

In the last few years, FlyLady -- Marla Cilley, a middle-aged North Carolina woman -- has found herself the object of legions of adoring fans that turn to her to set them straight when it comes to clutter, organizing their lives and running their homes. During a recent visit to Seattle, people waited in line for more than three hours to chat with her and have her sign their books.

Story

[Bingo]

When you send a get well card to the hospital, put the patient's home address as the return address on the envelope. If the person goes home before the card reaches the hospital, the card will be 'returned' to the address on the envelope.

[Guardian Angel]

That's a great idea Bingo.....................

[Butterfly]

Green challenge: Help the planet

Your closet may not be the first place you'd think to look to reduce your CO2 output. But clothing manufacture involves agriculture, industry, and commerce, so our fashion choices make a statement about greenhouse gasses as well as style.

http://www.slate.com/id/2151797/?nav=tap3&GT1=8805

[Butterfly]

I had to come here and tell you about these things I bought to make it easier to move furniture.  They are called sliders.  They are large disks with a cushion on the inside.  They kinda look like a smaller version of a Frisbee.  I bought them a while ago and had forgotten about them until I needed them today.  I moved the large heavy couch with them to vacuum underneath it.  I could almost push it around with one finger.  I don't remember where I got them, but I imagine it was Lowe's or Home Depot. 

[Guardian Angel]

A friend told me over the holidays that the perfect way to water your Pointsetta plants is to put 2 ice cubes in the pot daily....works!

[Butterfly]

 If you must choose between two evils, pick the
 one you've never tried before.

[Guardian Angel]

Who knew?

Eliminate ear mites.  All it takes is a few drops of Wesson corn oil in your cat's ear...Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.

Kills fleas instantly...Dawn dishwashing liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations. Good-bye fleas.

Rainy day cure for dog odor ...Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.

Did You Know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-- without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional 'pain relievers.'

Did you know that Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns.

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 Tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil, for instant relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-- even though the product was never been advertised for this use.

Honey remedy for skin blemishes ... Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus. Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Easy eyeglass protection... To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer ... If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover.  Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Hunt's tomato paste boil cure ...cover the boil with Hunt's tomato paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Balm for broken blisters... To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine.  a powerful antiseptic.

Vinegar to heal bruises ... Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... It's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

[Guardian Angel]

Got this in an email and thought it worth passing along....if anyone tries it let me know if it works......



Subject: How to remove a  tick
 
Please forward to anyone with children. or  hunters, etc!! Thanks!
 
A School Nurse has  written the info below -- good enough to share --  And it really works!!  I had a  pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to  remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with  tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark  hair, etc.
 
Apply a glob of liquid soap to a  cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball  and let it stay on the repulsive insect for a few seconds  (15-20), after which the tick will come out on its own and  be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.  This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that  was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient  and easier for me.
 
Unless someone is allergic to  soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in  any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she  had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with  tweezers. She used this method and immediately  called me back to say, "It worked!"
 
Please pass  on; everyone needs this helpful  hint.

[Butterfly]

Thanks for that on GA.....I hate those little buggers and any way to get them off without touching them is OK with me.

[Guardian Angel]

CLICK ON YOUR AREA & IT WILL TELL YOU THE STREETS THEY ARE WATCHING!!
 

SpeedTrap Exchange
http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/stetlist.asp
 
 

[Guardian Angel]

I looked all over for this one and saw Butterfly posted it today on AAD so I brought it over here where I can find it when I need it....

My mail carrier told me that the US Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow jackets away. Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The yellow jackets just veer around you.
It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.

It also repels mice.. spread them around foundation areas, or in trailers, cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.

It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

Repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

Eliminates static electricity from your television (or computer) screen. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

Put a Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.

Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food.

Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.

Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.

Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. Keeps them smelling fresh.

[Guardian Angel]

I got this in an email and thought it was good enough to share.

Pumping gas - good to know

    I've been in  petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years,  currently working for the  Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose , CA .

We deliver  about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe  line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline.  We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Here are some tricks to help you get your money's  worth:

1.   Fill up your car or  truck in the morning when the temperature is  still cool.   Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks  buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline.   

When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the  afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a  gallon.  In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and  temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other  petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped.  A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for  businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at  their pumps.

2  If a tanker truck is  filling the station's tank at the time you want  to buy gas, do not fill up;  most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is  being stirred up when gas is being  delivered, and you might be  transferring that dirt from the bottom of their  tank into your car's  tank.

3.  Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank  the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's  warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating  'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere,  thereby minimizing evaporation.)

4.  If you look at the  trigger you'll see that it has three delivery  settings: slow, medium and  high.  When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of  the nozzle to the high setting.  You should be pumping at  the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are  pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations  act as a  return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been  metered.

If you are pumping at the high setting, the  agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank, so  you're getting less gas for your money. Hope this will help  ease your  'pain at the pump'