Thursday, January 13, 2005
Thrifty Fun
Yes, yes, it was "fun" what made lured me in. And "thrift" what roused my junkly sensibilities. And when I found myself clicking through the various articles in Thrifty Fun, I knew that once again my ceaseless seeking had lead me only slightly astray.
It's an online community, is what it is, of people who exchange tips on how to save money on this and that, and talk about things like Alternative uses for dryer sheets and Uses for old toothbrushes. And, well, it is fun. Like Junkyard Sports are fun. Inherently fun. Just to figure out ways to reuse stuff you'd normally throw away. Because it frees you a little from that whole getting and spending commercial consuming thing. And it challenges you to think outside of the, well, box. And it's play-like, because you don't have to do it. And, with online communities like this, it connects you with people of like mind. And it's kind of a game. And it pays off, even.
Did you, for example, know you can use used dryer sheets to:
1. Get rid of ants: It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.
2. Musty book smells: It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
3. Repels mosquitoes: Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
4. Eliminates static electricity from your television 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.
5. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
6. Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
7. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
8. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
9. Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
10. 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 and the pan while the fabric softening agents soften the baked-on food.
11. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
12. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
13. Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
14. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
15. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
16. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so they will smell better in the AM
It's an online community, is what it is, of people who exchange tips on how to save money on this and that, and talk about things like Alternative uses for dryer sheets and Uses for old toothbrushes. And, well, it is fun. Like Junkyard Sports are fun. Inherently fun. Just to figure out ways to reuse stuff you'd normally throw away. Because it frees you a little from that whole getting and spending commercial consuming thing. And it challenges you to think outside of the, well, box. And it's play-like, because you don't have to do it. And, with online communities like this, it connects you with people of like mind. And it's kind of a game. And it pays off, even.
Did you, for example, know you can use used dryer sheets to:
1. Get rid of ants: It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.
2. Musty book smells: It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
3. Repels mosquitoes: Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
4. Eliminates static electricity from your television 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.
5. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
6. Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
7. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
8. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
9. Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
10. 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 and the pan while the fabric softening agents soften the baked-on food.
11. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
12. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
13. Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
14. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
15. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
16. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so they will smell better in the AM
