Prudent and Practical » fun

Happy (Belated) Halloween

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 03:39:59 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween. We had 50 trick-or-treaters on Thursday evening, which is when my town decided to have Halloween.

I don’t like to purchase pre-packaged costumes because I don’t like how they feel and then I feel like I’ll only wear it once. Of the five Halloween’s we’ve spent in this house, we’ve been around and dressed up for three. Year one I dressed up as a pirate, year two I dressed up as Slash from Guns ‘n’ Roses, and this year D and I dressed up as the Super Mario Brothers. All of these costumes can be mostly made from items around the house. For Slash and the Mario Brothers, I purchased inexpensive hats and embellished them myself. And aside from the hats, the entire costume can be reused! D looked so awesome as Mario that he plans on dressing up as him every Halloween now.

Costume:

Overalls. If you keep an eye out, you can find them at thrift stores for cheap if you already don’t have any. I found khaki colored ones and dyed them blue.

Long sleeved shirt. Red for Mario or green for Luigi.

White gloves.

Work boots/shoes.

Hat. Instead of buying the official hat for $20, I bought a newsboy hat for $5 and cut the letter emblem out of felt to glue on.

Optional:

Mustache. We had them but decided against wearing them. You can also draw on a mustache.

Power flower. Spray paint a $1 dollar tree stem/bunch so it’s red, yellow, and white. This took only a minute to do.

And now for the finished product…

Homemade Dog Ear Cleaner

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:30:35 +0000

Disclaimer: I’m not a vet. This recipe is what we use on our dogs and it works for them. You should consult your vet first before trying this to make sure that your dog’s ears are healthy and unscratched and that the eardrum is intact.

Yes! That is Reggie doing his Gene Simmons impression...

Reggie is our crazy Cocker Spaniel. His nails and fur grow at a ridiculous rate, his tongue is too big for his mouth, and his ears are always the source of some type of trouble. Those ears bring in seeds in the spring, leaves in the fall, are always getting dirty when he eats and drinks, and they’re just too tempting for Gunner during playtime. If you have a dog with long, furry ears you know what I’m talking about!

Over time we noticed that Reggie started scratching the side of his head on the carpet. We then noticed his stinky ears. Reggie, like many Cocker Spaniels, had reoccurring earwax buildup. I had some dog/cat ear cleaner, but it was expired and only to be used for routine cleaning. Worried, I went online to check things out pertaining to Cockers and found Zim Family Cockers web site. The Zim’s breed Cocker Spaniels and were given an ear cleaning recipe by the former Secretary of the Cocker Spaniel club of San Diego county. This ear cleaner helps with earwax buildup and ear infections, which can be costly to treat.

Here’s how to make an inexpensive ear cleaner with items you probably have on hand. This can be used on both dogs and cats.

Ingredients

6 ounces Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
1/2 tablespoon Powdered boric acid
2 ounces White vinegar
1 teaspoon Povidone-iodine (Betadine) – do NOT get Betadine “Scrub” as it contains a detergent
Applicator with a long tip – something you can find at a beauty supply store
An old towel for cleaning up

Ask your pharmacist for help if you can’t find this stuff. Our grocery store pharmacy had all but the boric acid, which we found at a bigger pharmacy.

Directions

First, please be careful, especially with the boric acid. If the boric acid or iodine get on your skin, wash it off immediately. Second, follow the directions! Bad chemical reactions will happen if you don’t do it right!

Pour the alcohol in the applicator bottle.
Add in the boric acid.
SHAKE WELL, until the boric acid has dissolved.
Pour in the vinegar.
SHAKE WELL.
Pour in the iodine.
SHAKE WELL.
It should now be a pretty amber color, like beer… or iced tea.

Application Directions

This is a 2-person job. If there’s just you, you should either have super grip or use a grooming table and noose. Wear appropriate clothes and do this outside…
1 person is the dog holder and the other person is the ear squirter.
Fold the ear flap back.
Clean the ear with a cloth, cotton ball, or Q-tip if there are crusty or gooey bits, like ear wax. And please don’t go digging for gold deep in the poor dogs ear canal – you could hurt him!
Squirt the solution in the ear so it completely fills it up the ear canal – you need super grip here as Mr. Doggy is not going to like you at this moment.
Fold the ear flap back over.
Smoosh the base of the ear so that the solution gets squished around in there.
Push your dog to run away from you. As soon as you let go of his ear, you’re going to get showered (so hopefully you’re wearing old clothes)
Call doggy back and clean him up with an old towel. You don’t want this going into his eyes or mouth.
Repeat with the second ear!

We did this every other day for two weeks and noticed a huge improvement in Reggie’s ears. The stink and the scratching were pretty much gone!

If you’d like additional information, please visit Zim Family Cockers Ear Cleaning page. They explain the process in depth and have a list of FAQs regarding the recipe. They also have a lot of cute puppies on their site!

Do you use any homemade pet remedies?

Does your dog do anything crazy, like stick their tongue out all the time?

What We’re Doing in Vegas

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:16:47 +0000

What I’ve Been Up To

Hi all! I’m writing this as I look out my bright picture window onto the strip. Ceasar’s Palace and the Flamingo are in front of me. Vegas is a lot more expensive than I thought it was going to be – someone once told me that flights to LV and the food are cheap so that you spend your money on the slots. Not true, except for the $9.99 one pound ribeye meal advertised – makes you wonder where it came from as I can’t even purchase unprepared ribeye that cheap at the grocery!

I landed at LAS on Thursday, October 15 and attended Blogworld and Wordcamp 2009 Friday and Saturday. I learned a lot about blogging straight from the pros and got to meet John Chow and Zac Johnson. I also exchanged passing smiles and “hi’s” with Alli Worthington and Guy Kawasaki! I was excited to learn about freelance opportunities from multiple companies.

What about saving money?

Flight from Des Moines was $149 – regular price
Lodging – D got a 3-free night credit from a previous stay
Food – D found a deal on Slickdeals that included 6 free buffets. Now that the convention is over and the free buffets used up, we’ve been using coupons (average $5 off a buffet for up to 2 people). A tip – go to the registration or concierge desk and ask if they have any coupons for the restaurants in their casino.
In-town travel – I took a $6 shuttle from the airport and walked
Entertainment – so far we’ve done a lot of walking! Walking through the casinos is fun as well as most are themed. You can also get freebies by signing up for the “player’s club” card. There is a free show at the Rio featuring installations that move on the ceiling. We thought this show was Mardis Gras themed but it is not anymore – the installations and stage below feature scantily clad women and shirtless men dancing provocatively.

I’m getting bugged about lunch, so I’m off for now and will post photos later! What’s your favorite frugal thing to do or place to go in Vegas?

Visiting Hiawatha’s Market and Bass Farms

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:00:48 +0000

Sunday Farmer’s Market

The concert weekend was topped off with some great time alone with Mom and Dad. After having breakfast at Perkin’s, we visited Hiawatha’s Sunday Farmer’s Market where I bought a package of beef brats. It was $8 for 2 pounds (8 brats). This isn’t much more expensive than what the regional grocer sells and it’s locally grown at Heritage Point Farm in Center Point, Iowa.

Before the crazy wind started knocking tents over, I managed to talk to one of the guys from Creative StoneWerx. They engrave collegiate symbols, names, and addresses on Indiana limestone. An Iowa State engraved stone would be a wonderful Christmas gift for D, so I got their business card.

The farmer’s market is at a park in Hiawatha. If you’re coming from Edgewood Road, turn East onto Blairs Ferry Road. Keep an eye out for signs on the left (north) side of the road.

Bass Farms

Mom and Dad have been telling me about Bass Farms. “Oh my gosh! You have to see this place!” So they drove me out there. The owner is a 24 year-old local.

What I liked: It’s all nice, new, and shiny. I like that someone is taking a risk with an operation like this near Cedar Rapids and the owner’s were quite friendly. I liked the watermelon and the green pepper I bought. The texture of the watermelon and the aroma of the pepper were unlike anything you can get at the store.

What I didn’t like: The overuse of a gas-guzzling gator to bring produce up a short distance from the field. A Gothic arch greenhouse, a brand spanking new shed, and many acres of land outside of a metropolitan area = a lot of money was sunk into this place. Premium fruits and veggies are hauled in from Chicago. “Premium” meaning tropical fruits and more cultivars of produce he already sells. The tomatoes I purchased, one from the farm and one premium, were not exciting.

Bottom line: I’m not sure yet. I hope that Cedar Rapidian’s will be open to something new like this. Organic products are still a new concept in the Midwest and Bass Farms is filling the organic produce void in the Cedar Rapids area. I’m interested in seeing how things unfold with this place and I’d love to give it a second-chance visit next year.

Bass Farms is located along Highway 30 across from Palisades-Kepler State Park.

The Mansion in the Middle of Town

Every time I’m in Cedar Rapids, I drive past an interesting home. It’s along the drive between D’s parent’s home and my parent’s home. The story goes: a man won the lottery. He built his home and then attached a Mother-in-Law’s “suite” on the right side of the house and then built his sister a home right next door. Nobody I know likes it. You can click on the photos below for a bigger version. I even took a shot of their typical neighbor’s home to show you how out of place this house really is. It looks like an office building amidst a residential area. It’s even creepier at night. They installed security lights all around the house right under the eave. There is absolutely no backyard. If I won the lottery, my house would not be entirely brick with big-box-retailer retaining wall blocks in the front, nor would it be in the middle of town in the middle of houses one-third the size. It’s sad. The short street only has about six other homes besides the mansion – two of them are for sale. My guess is that it is not because of the recession. The house has now been in build-mode for the past year. Every time I visit home, I think something will look different on it. Alas, the windows are still frosted over and no signs of life exist. At the intersection of O Avenue and Edgewood Road Northwest, go west. You can’t miss it.

If you’re around Cedar Rapids, stop at these places. I’d love to hear what you think!

$100 Home Depot Gift Card Giveaway

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:00:20 +0000

Home Depot has sponsored One Project Closer’s September’s giveaway. That means a $100 Home Depot gift card is up for grabs! The gift card can be used on Home Depot.com or at your local store.

THIS ENDS AT 11:59PM EST September 30, 2009! So get over there and enter!

I would love to win this. We are currently looking for basement carpet and this would help defray the costs. It would cost us $139 to get HD to drive all the way here (60 miles one way) to measure and install it versus $4.50-$5.00 per yard (at least $280) for a local contractor to install it.

Where I’ve Been Part 1: Concerts

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:24:57 +0000

I’ve been slacking the last couple weeks with getting new content up. I’ve been out with family a lot. I probably won’t see them all for another couple months, so I took advantage of the opportunities. Here is part one of my adventures.

August 7-9, 2009 I’ll call the concert weekend. That Friday night D and I traveled to a small town 40 minutes away to see some of his friends perform. The group calls themselves Olive Street Band and their inspiration is Bruce Springsteen among others. Although I didn’t know a lot of the songs that they sang, I thought they were great performers! We really enjoyed getting to spend some time with them during their breaks.

Be sure to visit their Facebook fan page or their web site for more info!

We drove back home that night to get ready to go back to our home town the next day. While D stayed in town with his family, I snagged my little sister and headed to Davenport for Rock the River. RTR is part of the Billy Graham Foundation. We saw Franklin Graham speak as well as some fantastic (very contemporary) Christian bands perform. The lineup included GRITS, The Afters, Decemberadio, Fireflight, and my favorite, Flyleaf! I took some shaky video footage with D’s camera. We were pretty far back due to the unexpected huge crowd there but as soon as Flyleaf was up, E and I went to stand just outside the mosh pit.

Dollar$ and $ents: Aside from all the driving, it was a pretty cheap weekend. It cost nothing to see OSB perform, however I did purchase a couple rum and cokes for $6. Rock the River was a $10 donation and I spent $8 on lunch for E and I. I also bought some water and snacks before going because it was an all day thing and it was so hot! That put me back another $8.

The night concluded with Franklin Graham making some closing remarks and encouraging the concert-goers to seek God. Although I’ve been spending more time with God lately, I went up to get one of the packets the helpers were handing out. I figured a little extra help can’t hurt It included a pen, some commitment information, and the Gospel of John.

“Jesus, You died upon a cross and rose again to save the lost. Forgive me now of all my sin. Come be my Savior, Lord, and Friend. Change my life and make it new. And help me Lord, to live for You.” ~Salvation Poem

SKIL RAS900 Router Table Giveaway!

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:43:29 +0000

I JUST saw that Ethan over at One Project Closer has reviewed the SKIL RAS900 Router Table and now SKIL is giving a brand new one away to one lucky winner!

THIS ENDS AT 11:59PM EST TONIGHT! So get your butt over there and enter!

Here’s a little bit about the router from the One Project Closer web site:

This is the One Project Closer August 2009 Giveaway!

SKIL is giving one lucky OPC reader a brand new RAS900 Smart Design Router Table – a $150 value!

On the heels of their recent lithium ion drill driver combo release, SKIL is back at it with two brand new offerings in the woodworking / capentry department: the RAS800 and RAS900 Smart Design Router Tables (official site).

Both of SKIL’s router tables were designed for the junior and mid-level woodworker–someone who wants the capabilities of a router table without the usual $300-500+ price tag. As a bonus, for those of us without much tool storage space, both tables fold to less than 10 inches high and store neatly on a workbench or garage shelf. For more information, check out the full SKIL Router Table Review.

You must live in the US or Canada to be eligible to enter.

10 Ways to Save Money on Books

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:05:15 +0000

To me, my love of reading is both a blessing and a curse – I have this undying thirst for knowledge. There’s nothing like curling up with a good book and a steaming cup of hot chocolate or herbal tea to learn something new! At the same time, that “thirst” can get overwhelming, especially when I have to put reading on the back burner. I feel like I can’t read fast enough to keep up with the growing list of books I want to read.

Most recently I completed reading the Twilight series because I wanted to see what all the fuss is about. I’m currently reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, Permaculture magazine, the Bible, and a couple inspirational books. I only purchase fiction that I’ll re-read, textbooks for school that I often re-sell, and reference books. Following are some of my tips on saving money with your book addiction!

Most of the time, I find books I’m interested in online. I read the reviews on Amazon to see if the book is even worth looking into. If I’m still interested in it, I go to the bookstore or library to check it out. When I was a college student, I could go to the university library. I’ve studied at three different universities and all of them have had three-week check out periods, with the option to renew the books for another three week period – this gave me ample time to finish a book and not spend a cent. From there, I decide if I want to purchase the book. I rarely purchase items at a brick-and-mortar bookstore because I can usually find better deals online. If you’re not crazy about shopping online, there are other options for purchasing books at a discount.

Rent books through local library, college, or online.
Borrow or buy books from friends/coworkers.
Become a member of your local bookstore.
If you live near your alma mater, you may be able to get an alumni membership to use at the campus bookstore.
Visit used book stores.
Seek out bookstores going out of business.
Visit church sales, school sales, fundraisers, and bizarres.
Your local library may have an occasional or ongoing sale through the “Friends of the Library” group.
Check out new and used book websites such as Amazon and Half.
Check out eBay for one book or a “lot” of books. I recently saw a 25,000 book lot go for under $1000!

If you decide to purchase or rent books online, make sure you check a couple different sites for the best bargain and be sure the check on the seller’s reputability.

I just love reading! Ever since I was little, I’ve been reading for enjoyment. I was even inspired to write a few short stories based on what I read. Here are some of my favorite books over time:

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino and Steven Kellogg
Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch and Sheila McGraw
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Ron and Judi Barrett
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
The Unicorn Treasury by Bruce Coville
The Babysitter’s Club series by Ann M. Martin
Every book by Lurlene McDaniel
The Wind Blows Backward by Mary Downing Hahn
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Books on gardening, knitting, crocheting, organics, design

See you soon!

5 Ways to Save Money at the Movies

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:43:43 +0000

This article originally appeared on December 8, 2008.

MOVIE MONDAYS IN DECEMBER #1

My husband and I enjoy going to movies together, and try to make it out a couple times a month. Unfortunately, at nearly $20 just for tickets to a single show, and another $10 for food, the cost becomes somewhat prohibitive. Fortunately, there are many ways to save a little $$ when going to the movie theater.

Here are a few of the things we try, generally using these tips you can reduce the cost of going to the movies by over half, and it doesn’t have to involve sneaking in food in your purse or coat

Go to a matinee or a super matinee – you can save a couple dollars by going to an earlier showing or the first showing of the day, even on the weekends.
Join the theater’s club – Some theaters offer an MVP card: every time you purchase tickets or goods at the concession stand, points are added to the card. These points can then be redeemed for discounts and freebies. Check with your theatre.
Don’t be ashamed of your age – many theaters offer discounts for students up to 22, children, and seniors.
Discount, Dollar, or Cheap theaters – these theaters show movies usually a month after disappearing from the regular theaters, but at a discounted price.
Discount days – Wednesday’s seem to be a favorite around here. I’ve seen $1 admission at the cheap theatre and free 46 ounce popcorn at another theatre.

Stay tuned for more, or subscribe, because I’ll be posting more tips in the coming days!

Free Movies! Need I say more?

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:00:06 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Redbox has become my favorite way to rent movies. It’s conveniently located in our grocery store, so I don’t have to waste time and gas going all the way across town to rent an overpriced movie. The Redbox locations are usually in busy places that are open long hours such as fast food restaurants and grocery stores. You can also see what movies are available at all kiosks and reserve movies from the comfort of your own home before picking it up.

The movies are only $1 + tax per night and I like this “freedom”. I feel like I pay for the time I watch the movie. With RedBox, I return the movie by 9pm the following night or I get charged another dollar for another night. When I rent a movie elsewhere, I usually don’t watch it over multiple days – I watch it once. At this point I forget to return it three or four days later, incurring another $4 charge.

In addition to the dollar movies, RedBox offers multiple ways to get one night free.

Sign up for their emailings – you get a free rental for being a new member
Enter your cell phone on their website and opt in to receive texts every Monday
Free movie Wednesdays (so far only for March) by getting a code off their blog

The following messages have come straight from RedBox.

GET A FREE NIGHT’S RENTAL EVERY MONDAY… Sign up for Free Movie Mondays! Join the Redbox Free Movie Monday SMS program and get a promo code sent to your phone every Monday!

It’s March Movie Madness for Redbox, so get in the game… on Wednesdays! Visit Redblog every Wednesday in March for your Free Movie Wednesday code. Then visit your local Redbox kiosk for your FREE 1 NIGHT’s RENTAL.

I’ve used multiple cards and email addresses to receive the codes. One that I’ve gotten twice is BREAKROOM. There are also sites and forums out there catered to finding new RedBox freebie codes.

InsideRedBox keeps track of all new and expired codes, passing them on to you for free.
Slick Deals also has an entire thread devoted to RedBox codes.

Happy Movie Watching