Thrifty Tip : Cleaning your Coffee Maker

No need to go out and buy special products to clean and deodorize your coffee maker... read on!   Tips collected from all over the internet and assembled here for your convenience.  :o)

Apply a paste of baking soda and water to the inside of the coffee pot, let it set for a little while.  Adding a bit of salt will give more abrasion if there are stains.  Scrub with a wet cloth and rinse.  (You can add some vinegar if you want the bubbles)

Scrub down your coffee pot with hot soapy water, inside and out. Rinse the pot after cleaning.

Run one of the following through the brewing cycle (a full coffee pot full - use a filter)):

- mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar

- straight white vinegar

- water with two denture-cleaning tablets

- water with the juice from a whole lemon (or two)

- water with dissolved citric acid (a packet of Tang!)

- water with baking soda

This will not only deodorize the coffee pot but the brewing unit itself.

Run three fresh pots of plain water through the unit to get rid of any residue.

Thrifty Tip : Non-Toxic and Inexpensive Carpet Cleaning

I have a carpet cleaner, and I love it.  But I don't love the $8+ price tag for carpet shampoo, especially since it doesn't always deliver results, and some people suggest that using carpet shampoo actually leaves your carpet MORE dirty in the long run as it turns the fibers into sticky little dirt magnets.  So, what to do?

This is where plain old, ordinary white vinegar is a shining star yet again.   Add a cup or so of white vinegar to the water tank of your shampooer and clean the carpet like normal.  No, the vinegar smell in the air will not stay around after the carpet is dry, even though you will smell it a bit while you're working.  If you'd like, you can add a teaspoon or two of dish soap, laundry detergent or even your own shampoo, but don't go crazy as you don't want a lot of suds happening.  You can also add your favorite essential oil for scent or for disinfecting.


Other recipes:

Disinfectant Organic Rug Shampoo
(http://organic.lovetoknow.com/Organic_Rug_Shampoo_Recipes)

Use this recipe to disinfect your rugs from pet accidents or if it is often walked on while people are wearing shoes. This shampoo can be used in any carpet cleaner.
Mix equal parts vinegar and hot water. This amount varies depending on the size of the carpet you're cleaning and how much liquid the rug shampooers "soap" tank holds.
Add five drops of tea tree, lavender, Eucalyptus or thyme essential oils per eight ounces (one cup) of liquid.
Clean your carpets according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Thorough Carpet Cleaning Instructions and Recipes
(http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf248794.tip.html - read all the way down the page for more ideas)

There are five phases to getting your carpet really clean and keeping it looking like new.

1. A thorough vacuum, preferably with a vacuum that has a beater bar to remove as much dirt, dander, and dust as possible
2. Lightly pre-spray the carpet with my home-made prepared solution then wait 30 minutes
3. Shampoo the carpet with my carpet shampoo in the machine
4. Rinse the carpet with my rinse formula
5. Make sure you have good ventilation to dry your carpet - open all windows and doors to get good air flow. If you carpet takes too long to dry you can end up with mildew and brown stains, so if it's cold turn on the heater.

Recipe for pre-spray: use an enzyme laundry powder and mix to the ratio as for clothes in cold water. This breaks down grease, dirt and dander.
Recipe for carpet shampoo: Palmolive Green dishwashing liquid (or Cussons or similar - but Palmolive is best) and washing soda (aka Lectic Soda; soda ash; sodium carbonate). The mix is 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid and 1/4 cup soda to 3 gallons (about 11 liters) water. This is where the action is and wow can't you see it in the throw out water.

Recipe for rinse: mix 1/4 cup "white" vinegar per gallon of water (3.7 liters). Cheap white vinegar is perfect. This step is very important as it removes any residue and prevents the brown staining that can occur. The browning happens because the carpet has been over wetted and dissolved dirt in the fibers is drawn to the surface again. The vinegar mix is slightly acidic and prevents this from occurring. It also deodorizes the carpet. Worried about the smell? Don't be, it goes as soon as the carpet is dry.

Because I have so much traffic, muddy paws, dogs lying about on the floor, etc. I do my carpets between 2 to 3 times a year. In between I regularly vacuum (twice a week) and to keep the carpets fresh, monthly I give a generous sprinkle of bicarb soda (aka sodium bicarbonate, baking soda) work into the pile with the beater bar (vacuum turned to nozzle) wait 30 minutes then vacuum. Buy generic home brand - it's the same as the more expensive brands. For a nice smell add 20 - 30 drops of you favorite essential oil and work into 500g before sprinkling.

TIP: place cardboard coasters under any wooden legs of table etc., otherwise the wood will almost irreparably stain your carpet.

Oh, by the way, this mix can be used on upholstery too! But as always check in an inconspicuous area first. Happy Carpet Cleaning! (10/20/2008)

Thrifty Tip : Homemade Citrus Cleaner

This great tip comes from "The American Home" - go check out her blog for lots of great old-fashioned tips, tricks and recipes!


SIMPLE CITRUS CLEANER made from Vinegar & Orange Peelings

Add the clean and washed peelings from 4 oranges to one gallon of white or apple vinegar. Allow the vinegar to sit for 6 weeks. Then strain through a cloth and pour into spray bottles to use for cleaning all through the house. Mopping floors, cleaning woodwork, and cleaning counter tops are just a few of the uses we have found for this homemade cleaner. This cleaner is quite strong for example to mop floors use a 1/2 cup of cleaner with one gallon of warm water! The smell is wonderful and for a few coins you have created enough cleaner to last quite sometime.

HINT: You may use any citrus peelings you have to create this wonderful cleaner.

Thrifty Tip : 10 Ways to Save on Fuel

10 Ways to Save on Fuel

Mary Hunt, Debt-Proof Living

To save a gallon of gas, you need to cut about 22 miles of driving from your week. Here are 10 easy ways to do that:

1. Hop on the bus, Gus. Even if you think this is not an option for you, check out PublicTransportation.org. You may be surprised by all the options that you have never considered. Or carpool. Leaving the car at home and sharing your commute occasionally can help you reach your gallon-goal quickly. Sharing the ride--and expense--with another person regularly can cut your gas costs in half. Check out your carpooling opportunities ateRideShare.com and CarPoolConnect.com.

2. Take it easy. The faster you drive, the more gas you use. If your average commute includes 20 miles of highway time and you drive it at 60 mph instead of 70 mph, it will take you only three minutes longer to get there, and you'll save approximately 1.3 gallons of gas in a five-day work week.

3. Trip-chaining. Need to pick up a prescription, mail a package and go to the bank? Instead of spreading these tasks out over a few trips, chain them together by doing all of them at one time. Park in a central spot and walk from place to place.

4. Shop online. Save the trips to the store, and consider other online services to minimize errands such as banking, buying stamps and paying bills.

5. Drive a sipper, not a guzzler. If you own vehicles of differing size, take the smaller, more fuel-efficient one on any long trips that you can.

6. Take a hike (or ride a bike). Instead of driving everywhere, lace up your sneakers and get some exercise while you save gas. A bicycle can help you rack up car-free miles even faster.

7. Work in your sweats. If you have a job for which working from home is possible, ask the boss if you and your coworkers can telecommute one day a week to save gas. If you are the boss, consider making it a company-wide initiative.

8. Drive as if gas is being rationed. The time may come that you will be allowed only a set number of gallons per week no matter the cost, no matter your needs. Drive now as if you are on a 10-gallons-per-week limit. The practice will do you good.

9. Share school rides. Instead of picking up your kids from school every day, ask a neighbor with kids in the same school to help. You can each take turns picking up the tykes.

10. Keep the trunk light. The heavier the load your car has to carry, the more gas it guzzles. Don't use your trunk for long-term storage.
How to Trip-Chain
Plan ahead. Take a moment to plan out your route and think about what else you might need to get done.

Make a list. Think about everything that you need and get it all done at once to avoid last-minute trips.

Find the best route. A number of Internet sites can help you plan the shortest, most efficient route. GPS receivers also can help.

Try making only right turns. Studies show that left turns tend to take more time and waste more gas than right turns because drivers often have to wait for traffic to clear and lights to change. Avoid backtracking by following a more efficient, preplanned route.

Combine errands. Pick up your dry cleaning on your way to the grocery store to avoid an unnecessary trip.

Use closer stores. Explore neighborhood shops, and try walking to lunch at a nearby restaurant instead of driving to one farther away.

Group your appointments together. Combine trips to the dentist and doctor when possible.

Consider one-stop shopping. Many stores and shopping centers may offer the opportunity to get all your errands done in just one stop.

Thrifty Tip : Phantom Power

No need to call the Ghostbusters, but "Phantom Power" is a rather insidious fellow who loves to put a drain on your wallet.  Check this out, then go phantom hunting.  


Take special note of the costs for computers... a desktop computer and CRT monitor, left on 24/7, will cost you about $7.71 per month.  How many computers do you have running?

How can I reduce standby power use in my home?

• If you aren't frequently using a device, unplug it. Warning, don't frequently unplug and plug in appliances because you could get electrocuted from frayed wires and plugs.
• Use a switchable power strip for clusters of computer or video products. That way you can switch everything to zero with one action.  Warning, some electronics like computers and printers need to be properly turned off in order to shut down correctly.  Power down, THEN flick the switch.
• When shopping, search for low standby products.  ENERGY STAR products have lower standby.
• Buy a low-cost watt-meter, measure the devices in your home and take targeted action. You will certainly be surprised at what you discover and this exercise might even pay back the cost of the meter in savings. 

Limited research suggests that an informed and aggressive approach can reduce standby use by about 30%.

Here's an easy conversion factor for the following table: if a device draws 1 watt constantly for a year, then its energy consumption was 9 kWh.  Multiply the number of watts by 9 to get an item's annual power consumption, then that number by your current power rate to get an approximate idea of how much a given appliance or electronic item is costing you.


This table is borrowed from here:  http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-table.html.   I have modified it by adding the last column "cost" which is the Average (W) column multiplied by our January power rate of 7.4 cents per kWh, giving the total approximated cost for running the given item steady for a year (divide by 8765 if you want a cost-per-hour).   This is per unit, so for example landscape lighting on the list refers to each individual lamp.  Some of the numbers are miniscule, of course, but it all adds up.  And take note of the cost of running your computer 24/7, in particular.

Product/Mode	Average (W)	Min (W)	Max (W)	COST
Air Conditioner, room/wall
Off	0.9	0.9	0.9	$0.59
Charger, mobile phone
On, charged	2.24	0.75	4.11	$1.49
On, charging	3.68	0.27	7.5	$2.45
Power supply only	0.26	0.02	1	$0.17
Clock, radio
On	2.01	0.97	7.6	$1.34
Computer Display, CRT
Off	0.8	0	2.99	$0.53
On	65.1	34.54	124.78	$43.36
Sleep	12.14	1.6	74.5	$8.08
Computer Display, LCD
Off	1.13	0.31	3.5	$0.75
On	27.61	1.9	55.48	$18.34
Sleep	1.38	0.37	7.8	$0.92
Computer, desktop
On, idle	73.97	27.5	180.83	$49.26
Off	2.84	0	9.21	$1.89
Sleep	21.13	1.1	83.3	$14.07
Computer, notebook
Fully on, charged	29.48	14.95	73.1	$19.64
Fully on, charging	44.28	27.38	66.9	$29.49
Off	8.9	0.47	50	$5.93
Power supply only	4.42	0.15	26.4	$2.94
Sleep	15.77	0.82	54.8	$10.50
Fax, inkjet
Off	5.31	0	8.72	$3.54
On	6.22	2.89	14	$4.14
Fax, laser
Off	0	0	0	0
On	6.1	6.1	6.1	$4.06
Ready	6.42	6.42	6.42	$4.27
Heating, furnace central
Off	4.21	0	9.8	$2.80
On	339.71	70.5	796	$226.25
Hub, USB
Off	1.44	0.95	1.81	$0.96
On	2.06	1.06	3.55	$1.37
Modem, DSL
Off	1.37	0.33	2.02	$1.31
On	5.37	3.38	8.22	$3.58
Modem, cable
Off	3.84	1.57	6.62	$2.56
On	6.25	3.64	8.62	$4.16
Standby	3.85	3.59	4.11	$2.56
Multi-function Device, inkjet
Off	5.26	0	10.03	$3.50
On	9.16	3.9	17.7	$6.10
Multi-function Device, laser
Off	3.12	0	4.7	$2.08
On	49.68	5	175	$33.09
Night Light, interior
Off	0.05	0	0.34	$0.03
On	4.47	0	27.97	$2.98
Ready	0.22	0	1.2	$0.15
Phone, cordless
Ready, handset	2.81	1.05	4.89	$1.87
Ready, no handset	1.58	0.59	3.09	$1.05
Active (talking)	1.9	0.59	3.38	$1.26
Off	0.98	0.54	1.8	$0.65
Phone, cordless with answering machine
Ready, handset	4	2.15	7.4	$2.66
Ready, no handset	2.82	1.72	4.7	$1.88
Active (talking)	3.53	2.2	6.5	$2.35
Off	2.92	0.9	7.4	$1.94
Power Tool, cordless
Ready, charged	8.34	1.82	14	$5.55
Active	29.53	1.39	66	$19.67
Ready	1.74	0	4.7	$1.16
Printer, inkjet
Off	1.26	0	4	$0.84
On	4.93	1.81	22	$3.28
Printer, laser
Off	1.58	0	4.5	$1.05
On	131.07	1.7	481.9	$87.29
Range, gas
Ready	1.13	0.7	1.7	$0.75
Scanner, flatbed
Off	2.48	0.27	8.2	$1.65
On	9.6	1.71	15.6	$6.39
Security Systems, home
Ready	2.7	2.7	2.7	$1.80
Set-top Box, DVR
On, no recording	37.64	25.95	49.2	$25.07
On, recording	29.29	27.27	31.3	$19.51
Off	36.68	23.3	48.6	$24.43
Set-top Box, digital cable with DVR
Not recording, TV off	44.63	44.38	44.87	$29.72
Not recording, TV on	44.4	44.2	44.6	$29.57
Off by remote	43.46	43.3	43.61	$28.94
Set-top Box, digital cable
On, TV off	24.65	14.2	74.74	$16.42
On, TV on	29.64	14.1	102.23	$19.74
Off by remote	17.83	13.24	30.6	$11.87
Off by switch	17.5	13.7	26.3	$11.65
Set-top Box, satellite with DVR
Not recording, TV off	28.35	25.8	30.9	$18.88
Not recording, TV on	31.37	24.2	36.3	$20.89
Off by remote	27.8	22	33.6	$18.51
Set-top Box, satellite
On, TV off	15.95	7.69	33.2	$10.62
On, TV on	16.15	7.69	33.2	$10.76
Off by remote	15.66	6.58	33.05	$10.43
Off by switch	15.47	6.58	32.7	$10.30
Speakers, computer
On, no sound	4.12	0.69	9.84	$2.74
Off	1.79	0	5.6	$1.19
Stereo, portable
CD, not playing	4.11	1.29	6.83	$2.73
Cassette, not playing	2.42	1.16	5.92	$1.61
CD playing	6.8	3.96	9.2	$4.53
Off	1.66	0.7	5.44	$1.10
Radio playing	3.3	1.36	8.25	$2.20
Television, CRT
Off by remote	3.06	0.3	10.34	$2.04
Off by switch	2.88	0	16.1	$1.92
Television, rear projection
On	186.09	186.09	186.09	$123.94
Off by remote	6.97	0.2	48.5	$4.64
Off by switch	6.6	0.2	48.5	$4.39
Timer, irrigation
Off	2.75	1.5	5.9	$1.83
Ready	2.84	1.5	5.9	$1.89
Tuner, AM/FM
On, not playing	9.48	5.08	16.4	$6.32
On, playing	9.92	5.07	17.7	$6.60
Off	1.12	0	3.37	$0.74
Amplifier
On, not playing	33.99	21.4	70.93	$22.64
On, playing	39.16	21.11	69.3	$26.08
Off	0.27	0	1.8	$0.18
Audio Minisystem
CD, not playing	13.99	1.67	36.95	$9.31
Cassette, not playing	13.85	1.67	33.14	$9.22
CD playing	19.09	5.2	41.2	$12.71
Off	8.32	0.3	24.58	$5.54
Radio playing	14.41	2.98	38	$9.59
CD Player
On, not playing	8.62	4	25.7	$5.74
On, playing	9.91	5.8	25.6	$6.60
Off	5.04	2	18.4	$3.36
Caller ID Unit
Ready	1.27	1.27	1.27	$0.84
Cassette Deck
On, not playing	4.53	4.36	4.7	$3.02
On, playing	5.72	5.2	6.25	$3.81
Off	0.54	0	1.08	$0.34
Clock
On	1.74	0.99	3.61	$1.16
Radio playing	2.95	1.7	4.2	$1.96
Coffee Maker
Off	1.14	0	2.7	$0.76
Copier
Off	1.49	0	2.97	$0.99
On	9.63	3.6	14	$6.41
DVD Recorder
Off	0.75	0	1.5	$0.50
DVD Player
On, not playing	7.54	0.24	12.7	$5.02
On, playing	9.91	5.28	17.17	$6.60
Off	1.55	0	10.58	$1.03
DVD/VCR
On, not playing	13.51	8.48	20.5	$8.99
On, playing	15.33	9.43	22.37	$10.21
Off	5.04	0.09	12.7	$3.36
Game Console
Active	26.98	5.4	67.68	$17.97
Off	1.01	0	2.13	$0.67
Ready	23.34	2.12	63.74	$15.54
Garage Door Opener
Ready	4.48	1.8	7.3	$2.98
Low-voltage Landscape
Ready	1.13	1.1	1.17	$0.75
Microwave Ovens
Ready, door closed	3.08	1.4	4.9	$2.05
Ready, door open	25.79	1.6	39	$17.18
Cooking	1433.	966.2	1723.	$954.38
Musical Instruments
Off	2.82	1.2	4.2	$18.78
Receiver (audio)
On, not playing	37.61	17.1	65.2	$25.05
Off	2.92	0	19.7	$1.94
Subwoofer
On, not playing	10.7	5.8	20.6	$7.13
On, playing	12.42	5.9	20.6	$8.27
Surge Protector
Off	1.05	0	6.3	$0.70
On	0.8	0	6.92	$0.05
Telephone Answering Device
Off	2.01	1.31	2.55	$1.34
Ready	2.25	1.42	2.83	$1.50
Television/VCR
Off by remote	5.15	2.15	13.3	$3.43
Off by switch	5.99	2.15	13.11	$3.99
Turntable (audio)
On, not playing	6.01	1.72	12.8	$4.00
Off	0.2	0	0.6	$0.13
VCR
On, not playing	7.77	3.8	11.62	$5.17
Off	4.68	1.2	9.9	$3.12