Touch Up Scuffed Walls Fast

While rearranging the bedroom furniture, your dresser slid against the white wall and left a big black scuff mark. To easily conceal the damage, skip the melamine sponge (which may discolor the paint) and do this instead: In a bowl, combine one part water and three parts powdered milk. Stir the mixture and brush over the blemish until it's no longer visible. Then let dry for 24 hours before applying a few coats of clear nail polish. This final step will seal in the cover-up and re-create a glossy finish that blends in with the rest of the wall, so your handiwork goes undetected.

Erase Hairline Cracks in Fine China

You've noticed a tiny crack in a plate that's part of your china service. Before you replace it, try this: Place the damaged dish in a pan with 1 1/3 cups of powdered milk and 3 3/4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. (Allow the mixture to cool before handling). As the milk bubbles, the protein "casein" expands to fill in fissures, bonding the china together flawlessly.

Softer Skin in Minutes

It's now time to break out the skirts and short-sleeve shirts. The winter months have zapped our skin of its usual radiance, leaving it dull and ashen. You can get the glow back with a milk-and-honey bath. Pour 3 cups of powdered milk and 1/2 cup honey under running water, then get in and soak for 15 minutes. The milk's lactic acid gently sloughs off the layer of dead cells, allowing the honey ( a natural humectant) to penetrate deeply into skin, leaving it soft and supple.

Soothe Poison Ivy Itch

Now that Summer is right around the corner, we will be dealing with poison ivy again. When calamine lotion does not take care of the itch, try this fast-acting alternative: In a shallow bowl, combine one part powdered milk with two parts water and add a pinch or two of salt. Using a cloth, apply to the infected area and leave on for 20 minutes. Repeat this process three times daily. the absorbent salt granules will soak up poisonous oils from the skin's surface while the anti-inflammatory compounds in the dry milk instantly calm irritation.

Speedy Furniture Varnishing Tip

It's that time of year when we are working on projects around that house that we have put off for so long. The weather is nice and you've decided to stain your patio set. You are dreading it because of the time commitment that you think it is going to take. Here is a tip from the pros: Put on a rubber glove, then top it with an old sock. Dip your covered hand in the varnish and use it to coat the furniture. Not only do you cut the labor in half by using your fingers to get into every crack and crevice, you'll also breeze through cleanup by throwing away the sock instead of having to wash paintbrushes.

Fix Pen Marks on Handbags

You discovered a pen mark across your new leather handbag. Don't panic! Squirt anti-bacterial hand gel onto a cotton swab and use to lightly cover the stain. Wait 10 to 15 seconds, then remove any excess with a clean cloth. The alcohol in hand sanitizer will dissolve the ink's oils, making the stain come right off. The gel also has moisturizing properties, so it won't dry out leather.

Pro-tip for Perfect Picture Placement

I wished I would have thought of this one a long time ago. I am always re-arranging pictures around on my walls and find it very difficult to place them right where I want them when it's time to put the nail in the wall. Here is a tip that will make that process much easier. Grab a thumbtack and tape it with the pointy side outwards. Tape the thumbtack directly under the mounting bracket. Then position the picture where you want it placed on the wall and push to make a slight indentation on the wall with the thumbtack. You will soon be creating a museum-worthy display.

Tip on Mail Photos

Don't discard that empty light-bulb package. Instead of buying padded envelopes to mail pictures in, use the empty cardboard from the lightbulbs to mail pictures. Flatten the lightbulb packaging and slip the photos inside before placing them in an envelope. The corrugated cardboard will protect the pictures and be delivered crease-free.

Check the Unit Price

Start checking grocery store tags to see how much an item costs per ounce, per pound or by some other unit of measure. Comparison-shop by unit price and save.

A pack of 40 diapers at our local drug store cost $13, or 33 cents per diaper. A box of 144 diapers cost $35, or 24 cents per diaper. A difference of 9 cents may not seem like much, but when you change a diaper six to eight times each day, that amounts to a savings of $16 to $22 per month.

Don't buy in bulk if you won't use it all -- otherwise, you wasted your money, no matter how good a deal it was.

Use Coupons

I'm sure you already know all about grocery coupons, but don't overlook bargains for dining out.

At Restaurant.com you can get a $25 gift certificate to local restaurants for only $10. Use the coupon once a week, and you'll save $60 per month.

Before you dine out, check out the web at http://www.retailmenot.com/coupons/food and you can quickly find printable coupons and codes for dozens of eateries.

Buy Generic

My husband laughs and says that when he was growing up, he thought a name brand was called "Generic". My parents raised us on generic foods also. When we shop, we purchase the store brand instead of the name brands. I was behind someone a few weeks ago and every single item in a lady's cart was all name brand items. I'm talking the most expensive, best item you could buy. I think she spent over $300 at the store in one visit and she did not have that much. I was thinking to myself, "I sure would hate to pay that every week". Many times, people get caught up on name brand items. I will tell you that the store brands, many of them are just as good, if not better than the name brands.

We also shop generic on prescriptions as well. My husband is on different types of medications and we recently went from paying $500 a month (with insurance) on all his medications to $80 EVERY three months with all generics. We were already getting a couple of his medications on generics. We asked the doctor to change all his prescriptions to the generics. It has saved us MUCH money!

Check the pharmacies that have the $4 medications and this will also save you much money. I have earlier postings about this.

Don't Buy Bottled Drinks by Singles

Don't purchase a soft drink or a bottle of water individually. Purchase them by a six-pack or by case. You can usually find them on sale. Buying them individually you will spend at least $1.00 - $2.00 each drink. Example- We drink a lot of bottled water around our house. My husband used to purchase it and take a case on the road with him (when he was truck driving). By purchasing it by the case, it cut down on him grabbing a bottle or two at the truck stops every time he stopped. We could purchase a case of our favorite bottled water for $3.88 for 24 bottles. If he would have bought singles at least $1.00 each, he would have spent at least $24. What a savings!

My kids like to drink Mt. Dew in the cans. I found it on sale the other day for around $4.00 a case. Much better than paying at least $1.00 out of a machine or from the convenience store.

Bring Your Lunch to Work

Spending just $2 a day on a home-made lunch versus $6 a day on the sandwich shop next to the office will save you about $80 a month and $960 each year. WOW!

Breaking Restaurant Routine

(Picture shown is from one of our most favorite restaurants... Famous Daves!)

We are all creatures of habit and convenience. Especially after we have worked a long, hard day and we come home tired and the last thing we feel like doing is fixing dinner. So we end up going to a restaurant. Make an effort to cut back a little, such as dining out once a week instead of three nights a week. With $20 meals, this simple act will trim your expenses by $160 month.

You could also try something different and cheaper. Pick up a restaurant guide or a tour book of your city for budget-friendly suggestions. Go online and find sites that you can print out coupons to your favorite restaurants. If you are wanting pizza, many pizza restaurants will actually match prices of their competitors! If you eat out three times a week, cutting just $5 from each meal ticket will save you $60 a month.
Or, try something different –- and cheaper. Pick up a restaurant guide or a tour book of your city for budget-friendly suggestions. If you eat out three times a week, cutting just $5 from each meal ticket will save you $60 a month or $720 a year.

We used to eat out on the weekends, especially on Sundays after church. Sometimes during the week I would run to McDonalds and get something for the kids so I would not have to cook. It was so much easier, but it also takes its toll on the finances. Very rarely do we eat out on Sunday afternoons anymore. Usually I will prepare something at home in the crock pot or in the oven and it is ready when we come home. There are 8 in our house now, (the 3 month old doesn't eat out of course) so you can imagine how much we would end up spending every time we eat out. When we do go out, we expect to spend anywhere from $75 - $100 (with tip) at a decent sit down restaurant. Folks, that really adds up quick!

Fewer Trips to the Grocery Store

Believe it or not, making less trips to the grocery store WILL save you money! Almost half of all shoppers that go to the store three or four times a week spend far too much money. Shoppers go in for a "quick trip" and they usually end up spending 54% more than they had planned.

If you go to the store three times a week and spend $10 on impulse buys each trip, that adds up to $120 extra per month. But if you go only once a week, you'll spend $40 per month on impulse buys. That saves you $80 per month, or $960 per year.

We were going to the store once a week and getting our groceries for a week at a time. Now that my husband has changed jobs and gets paid bi-weekly, we now go once every two weeks. We actually sit down and make a menu up for two weeks at a time going over our items on hand and comparing it to what we will need to purchase at the store. This not only cuts down on impulse buying and buying things we do not need, but it cuts down on food sitting in the cabinets that we will not use. It used to be nothing for us to spend $150 a week and sometimes more than that on groceries and it still seemed like we didn't have what we needed. Now, we can get by on spending anywhere from $50-$100 a week.

I encourage you to give this a try! It takes discipline to take time planning your menus. There are many, many wonderful blogs on the internet with great recipes. Many have even planned the whole week of menus for you. There are many sites that have recipes posted for you as well, thus making it an easier task for you to accomplish. Going to the store does not have to be such a dreaded thing anymore.

I actually enjoy cooking more now that I don't have to spend so much time in the kitchen each evening looking through the cabinets wondering what I can "throw" together to cook. Now, we know from day to day and I already know that I have everything I need in the cabinets and don't have to make an unexpected trip to the store. Life is so much simpler!

Inexpensive Entertainment

If you enjoy student musical performances, film festivals, art exhibits, theater productions, dance recitals, sporting events and more, try looking around college campuses. Many are free or incredibly inexpensive to attend.

Cobb Theaters- FREE Summer Shows

Visit the Cobb Theater site for more information and for location near you!

Clearview Cinemas-Free Admission

It's Never Too Early to Make Your Summer Plans!

8 week series of family films

Thursdays 10:30 am

Starting June 26th

Check their website for schedule and locations near you!

Classic Cinemas- Wednesday Movies $1

The Wednesday Morning Movie Series will be returning for the summer on June 17th! This year, the series will be 9 weeks and will run every Wednesday starting June 17th - August 12th. The series will only be showing G and PG rated films, which makes it perfect for all ages! Admission is only $1 per person.

Check their website for the movie schedule and location near you.

AMC Summer Movie Camp

Check their site and enter your zip code for locations near you.


All admission and concessions proceeds* from AMC Summer MovieCamp will benefit Variety – The Children's Charity and the Will Rogers Institute.

Families, schools and organizations alike are invited to see great kids' movies during AMC Summer MovieCamp. Available at select AMC theatres, this fun-filled program brings you:

• $1 movies from June 17 – August 5
• Shows starting at 10:00 a.m. every Wednesday
• Great field trip opportunities – groups can purchase tickets one week in advance starting June 10 at the box office or online at participating theatres

*Excluding applicable taxes & operating costs

Source: AMC Theaters