THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 23, 1994 TAG: 9411230076
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E01 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
IT'S AMAZING HOW much money people waste every day.
For instance, I'll bet quite a few spendthrifts out there use shoe polish to shine their shoes.
I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't one of them. But then you probably have plenty of money and like to toss it off the back of trains just to see the bills swirl.
Not me. I haven't used shoe polish all week. Nope, I have a banana for breakfast each morning. Then I wipe my shoes off with the peel.
It's worked very well so far. Could be that by mid-summer, strangers will stop me on the street and say: ``Pardon me, but did you know you are wearing fruit flies on your feet?''
But, so far, it works great. My shoes look like a waxed car. The banana peel idea came from The Skinflint News, a moneysaving newsletter that comes in the mail each month.
The Skinflint News says using the inside of a banana peel will not only polish shoes but leave oils in them that treat the leather so it will last longer.
That newsletter made me wonder who was sitting around dreaming up the newsletter's moneysaving hints.
Turns out it's Melodie Moore, the Princess of Thrift, who lives in Palm Harbor Fla. She and her husband publish the newsletter.
``We both come from thrifty families and are fourth generation skinflints,'' she explained. The Moores bought a house in Palm Harbor and were determined to pay off the mortgage in five years by saving every penny possible.
``We did it in two years rather than five,'' she said. ``People began asking us for tips on saving money. So we decided to do the newsletter.''
The newsletter now has 40,000 subscribers spread across all 50 states, and Melodie does a TV show in Florida passing along tips to budgeters.
I challenged Melodie to give me a super hint for the holidays that women could use, and she stopped me in my tracks with this one: PANTY HOSE ON ICE.
``It's true,'' Melodie said. ``You can make your panty hose last longer by keeping them in the freezer, overnight, before you wear them. It makes the fibers stronger so that they resist running. They will last twice as long.''
Hey, is this a useful column or what? While Melodie was on the line, I asked her to pass along some more moneysaving hints. Here are a few:
To make milk last several days past the expiration date, add a pinch of salt to the milk. The salt will not change the taste of the milk but will make it stay fresh longer.
Place a rib of celery in the bag with day-old bread to make it fresh again. Leave the celery in the bag to keep the bread fresh longer.
Don't use expensive fabric softener dryer sheets. Instead keep a sponge soaking in diluted liquid fabric softener. Simply toss the squeezed out sponge in the dryer.
Open bars of soap as soon as you buy them. They will dry out and last longer when you use them. Store them in drawers to make clothes smell fresh.
Use charcoal briquettes to absorb refrigerator odors. Place several in a margarine tub and punch holes in the tub.
Use rubbing alcohol to clean windshield wipers. It is inexpensive and will make them last longer.
To mend a leaky plastic bucket, heat an old knife with a match and press to the spot. The hot knife will melt the bucket and seal it.
To make inexpensive fire starters, gather lint from the dryer and wrap it with used fabric softener sheets. Toss one or two into the fireplace to start the fire.
Melodie didn't tell me what her next newsletter will contain. Maybe a quick way to thaw panty hose. Possibly a cheap and easy insect repellent for flies on shoes. Who knows?
If you'd like a free copy of the Skinflint News, send a long (No.10) self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Skinflint News, P.O. Box 818, Palm Harbor, FL 34682.
Tell 'em old banana shoes sent you. by CNB