aren't we all trying to conserve more these days? i love zip lock bags and use them for storing lots of things, but i hate to buy them. i buy lots of produce that comes in zip lock bags, grapes especially. the bags are vented and with a rinse they are brand new. i use them to store small projects and fat q's and anything else that comes to mind. the bags with holes are especially good for longer term storage because moisture can't build up to cause mold.

anybody have any more money saving tips? i would love to hear.

When my rotary cutting blade starts to get dull I put it into a cheap cutter I bought and I use it for cutting paper. It is usually amply sharp for this and it "buys" me a little more usage before throwing it out :D

I use the 'junk mail', such as the shiny postcards advertising an event,etc that you get in your snail mail to make my templates for applique. You can cut out the shape you want and iron the fabric w/the 1/4" edge. I even use steam to make a sharp press. They will come out perfect over and over again! Skeat

i have a long arm machine so when i finish a large quilt i save the cut of batting strips and then i can use them in a smaller or baby quilt just line them side by side they quilt up nicely and you would never know they were scraps in there

In our Guild, there are a few ladies who work at the Animal Adoption Center. We give them our scraps of fabric and batting to stuff doggie or cat beds and toys. Also any larger pieces of fabrics not suitable for quilts can be used for making the beds. ( Our Quilting For Others group in the guild often gets donated fabrics not suitable for quilting) We just pass these things along and not waste anything. The 4-legged fur-balls are so cute playing with their toys and resting on there beds. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Pam W.

We just went to a system of using power strips in our house to save electricity. They've been running ads in my area saying that anything with a little clock or light in it like the coffee maker or toaster or your TV which turns on by remote and sits on standby all day are wasting power. All our appliances are grouped anyway in the kitchen, computer and TV/Stereo and sewing machine areas so we put them on power strips with the red light up switches and switch them off when we're not using them. I'm eager to see if it saves any money on the bill next month but in the meantime it's not inconvenient and I feel like at least I'm doing my little part to save the planet.

Also have been using reusable bags (got 35 cents for that from King Soopers yesterday!) and compact flourescents. As for those, they now make them in a color corrected blue light so I like them better now.

excellent tips. i love to hear how everyone uses their noggins to save a penny or a dollar, or even just save a few minutes for more quilting.

I bought a package of those "green bags" for produce a month or so ago---they work. :thumbup: Can't blieve how much food I'm saving.

They really work??? I've been thinking about them.

I use the small long strips of batting that are cut from a quilt to pad hangers, then wrap with leftover material, making the pretty padded hangers that sleeveless shirts stay on better. I hang all my shirts, t's and tanks, and hate when they fall off hangers. I even add buttons on the "shoulder areas" of the hangers to help tanks stay on better. I have several wider neck shirts that this works good for too. and I save money by not having to pay the fancy hanger prices. :lol: