Tips from T.

Recently I was reading in some magazine (probably one someone brought to the hospital) the many different ways to save money. It was more like.....if you want this thing, then just go to your cabinet and get this, put it with this other thing and shazaam....you have what you wanted to begin with. There was no way to just create more money or how to make kids do what they are told the first time, but there were some pretty good ideas on other items of my interest.
So, today I share some of my trivia (two from experience and one from the magazine). Some of you will think: "Hmmm that is pretty good redneck stuff" and some of you will think: " No way, and what has she been smoking".

#1...When you spill a half full $26.00 bottle of hair care (that silk stuff) product in you suitcase you quickly throw everyone in the house into the shower. As each comes out of the shower, you scrape the product out of the suitcase with a flat type of spatula and then proceed to have them rub it on. It is great for keeping the tangles out of chest hair, leg hair, eye brows and lashes, as well as for the hair on your head. If you should get a good heavy glob...immediately get it into the bottle. Who cares if there are small pieces of gum, paper, dust and other things. It was a ding dang expensive bottle that has been protected for months because a dime size will do you.
Don't laugh...........you have done it at least once! If not...never say never!

#2... When the garden spits out 23 spaghetti squash at one time, or the local grocery has a great sale on them and you decide to buy that many, you do the following. Bake several in a pan which contains a couple inches of water. Once baked and cooled, cut each down the middle length wise, scrape out the slimy seedy part, and then begin to get the good stuff out. Place the "fruit" of the squash into ziploc baggies, and freeze. This winter when they are $3.00 a pound, you will be pulling those things out; adding butter, salt and pepper, or spaghetti sauce. Grown at home! Cheaper than a bag of noodles! And....healthy.

#3...This is my favorite find. I have a new shower buddy. NO..get your mind out of the gutter! I love to loofah (did I spell that correctly?). Love those bath/shower gels with the gritty stuff which makes you feel soft and smell all florally. However those are sometimes very expensive and no one ever gives them as hostess gifts for wedding/baby showers, so I make mine stretch for months. Now I don't have to worry. I have a new loofah buddy, and it leaves me with a more attractive smell. I would say that the lingering aroma is almost as alluring as leather, gunpowder, or that outdoor woodsy smell. (I can already see Sarah laughing!) So.... I read an article where they suggested that you use your morning coffee grounds as a loofah. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I decided to try it. Makaley even loves it! I put my grounds in a container and let them dry (so as not to get moldy). The next morning I grabbed my wash cloth, coffee grounds and headed to the shower. Now let me get to the point. OH MY Goodness! My skin was so soft (I didn't need to use lotion). I sprinkled the grounds onto the wash cloth, poured on my liquid soap, and went to scrubbing. This big old body didn't even need the full "six cup" grounds. Just a little will do you! Yes, it makes things a little messy, so I would only do this in the shower, not in a tub filled with water! You know that there is bound to be some "coffee color" left in those grounds. I figure that my skin tone is a little more tanned after a few hundred mornings. So, I am saving on that spray on tan junk. There were only a few glitches though. One is that if you have rolls like mine, you better be sure that you rinse every crevice well! Of course I don't use it in "certain" locations since I am not fond of the feeling of sand in my crack! Also be sure to rinse really well under the arms. You don't want to raise your hands in church and everyone wonder why you have little brown seeds in your pits. Also, you don't want to start sweating and then go to dripping coffee. I use decaf coffee so if I bathe at night, I won't be kept awake! For those of you who are married....well, if your husband loves the smell of coffee then be warned now that IF you aren't in the mood, be sure to use with caution. Another warning is not to use vanilla lotion after your bath. You are a lady not a latte.
If you don't have coffee grounds at home, ask a neighbor, or the office! If you are embarrassed to tell them why you need them, you can always tell them that you heard coffee grounds are good for plants and grass, and you are wanting to put it in your flower bed! That is what my mom uses her grounds for. She has some beautiful plants. Of course she puts coffee grounds, egg shells, and out of date vitamins in the garden for dad to till into the ground during the fall. Then during the summer you end up with a zillion cucumbers and 23 plus spaghetti squash.

#4..I have dabbed honey on a zit! I got mixed results on that one. Be sure to put the band aide over the honey....otherwise you end up with honey on the pillow, then it gets in your hair and well...it is not a pretty sight. Now it is your hair and your "stickin' with it!" ha ha.