This is the time of the year that I set a date for my yearly garage sale. The garage sale date is my goal date for my whole house to be decluttered.

I plan to have my garage sale the first weekend in May. Each day I will take 15-30 minutes a day to clean out items I no longer want or use. I do this yearly so it takes less time than if it were my first time.

Even If this is your first time to tackle decluttering, it is still a good idea to only set aside 15-30 minutes a day. Do one section of a room every day. If you have never decluttered you may want to set a later date, such as sometime in August for your goal date. This will give you more time, but will not be overwhelming since your only working on it a few minutes a day.

Having a date for your garage sale will keep you motivated. The feeling of freedom you have when your house is decluttered and organized is even better than the extra money you will make from the items you sell.

Organized Home has a nice list of yard sale checklists and  printables to get you started.

What about you? Do you have a yearly yard sale? Do you have any favorite tips or tricks as far as preparing or making the most money from your sale?

This week Midge is where most of us have been when we first discover the joy’s of cooking.  She has progressed from a pizza box to a double boiler, and I am proud.  Now to find her a new one…

Guest Blog by: Midge

I have already explained about some of my ineptness in the kitchen.  Really, I am trying my hardest!  I learn more new things daily and am surprising my husband with my newfound pride in our daily dinners.  He has had to put up with eating the same meal repeatedly because once I try a recipe I have to retry it over and over again until I get it just right!

Before I left on my unexpected maternity leave, my co-workers were giving me a bit of guff about being a stay-at-home mom.  I went back and had lunch with a couple of my closer associates a few times after little Sarah was born.  This time I was invited to a retirement party for one of my friends and I thought I could impress them with newly learned baking skills.

I should have just stuck with the Creme Brule.  Instead, I tried an old family recipe of made-from-scratch brownies which are heavy on the chocolate and melted caramel.  I was ready to begin after two phone calls and four emails to my mother about the exact ingredients for this recipe.

This recipe calls for a pre-made German Chocolate cake mix, evaporated milk and a few other odds and ends ingredients.  I mixed the dry and wet ingredients together perfectly.  Then, in the middle of the recipe, it called for the use of a double boiler.  After another quick phone call to my mother complete with a picture of the aforementioned pan in a text message, I was sure that what I pulled out of my cupboard was the boiler.  She emphasized that the boiler would need to have water in it at all times.  Easy Peasy!

I started my water boiling and placed the other part of the pan on top.  I could hear the water boiling so I thought that ensuring the water level was going to be a piece of cake.  I put my soft caramels in the top and followed the recipe from there.  Occasionally, I would stop to listen to the sound of my boiling water, being very diligent to follow the instructions my mother had given me.

Slowly cooking chocolate in the double boiler looks so much easier than melting caramels! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am sure by now you see where this is going!!!  I started to day dream about handing out my brownies to my co-workers as I waited and waited for the caramels to melt.  They would be so super impressed with my nifty new homemaking skills.  I glanced down at the pot and could heard the boiling but the caramels were still not melting.  Walking out of the kitchen for a minute, I called quietly to my husband, since my daughter was sleeping, to come into the kitchen to give his opinion on my non-melting caramels.

As I walked back to the stove, I noticed it.  The pan was a bit lopsided and it looked like silver liquid was spilled all over my stove!!!  You guessed it!  The pan had run dry and the bubbling I was hearing was the slow melting of my pan to the stove.  I quickly turned off the stove just in time for my husband to walk into the room to my big fiasco!

The next day, I bought some ice cream bon bons at the store to share with my co-workers.  And now, to buy a new double-boiler and a new surface element.  Augh!

Have you ever had one of these kinds of random kitchen accidents?  I would love to hear your story!!!

Maybe I should have read this article before starting my cooking project:  What do I use instead of a double boiler?

Do you have an inkling to use your double boiler after reading this?  Try these recipes!

Babies can be a test of frugality as Midge well knows!  Here is her latest adventure…

Guest Blog Featuring: Midge

I know; I am a bit behind the times.  While others were cooking side by side with their moms, I was learning the fine art of microwave-ing a Hot Pocket.  No real fault lies with my parents or for that matter, with me.   My parents were busy running their own 24 hour business and I was busy with school and after school activities.  So, I just sort of skipped the part in life where “learning kitchen skills” was a necessity.

Off I went to college, where my pizza ordering skills were honed to perfection.  My few forays into the cooking realm usually involved a roommate or two with a late night quesadilla.  Making things from scratch?  No problem, right?  I just scratched the box open and VOILA, a ready made meal!

Now, I find myself in a bit of a pickle.  My daughter Sarah is now eating solid foods.  I really desire for her to eat healthy, organic baby food.  I’ll bet a few of the readers of the econobusters’s blog have mastered the art of making baby food!  But, me, well, I still struggle with cracking eggs to remove the yolk.

My baby food jar... still empty. Image via Wikipedia

I saw the Magic Baby Bullet (Say that five times fast!) at the store and thought I could do this project for cheaper!  In the sale section that day was a baby generic Cuisinart food processor.  Bingo!  I walked out of the store $10 lighter and was on my way to a “make your own” baby food adventure.

Anytime I have ever tried to go cheaper without fully visualizing the whole plan, I have fallen on my rump!  In this case, the mini food processor would not chop my veggies down to small enough pieces.  I had started with organic baby carrots and cooked them in a microwave-able bowl.

Up until this point I had never cooked “non-frozen” carrots in the microwave.  I assumed there must have been something wrong with my microwave because half of the carrots ended up undercooked and the other half overcooked.  Maybe I just cooked them the wrong way?  I cut up the carrots with a knife after a bit of adjusting and cutting off the bad pieces.  Then, I placed them into the food processor.

The end result was not pretty.  It was shredded carrots with lumps and chunks of larger carrots mixed in.  I tasted the carrots and they were awful.   I even tried adding a bit of formula to soften it up, make it juicier and more baby food like… but, to no avail.  I imagined my little girl spitting them back up on my shirt, my face and all over my hair.  Ugh, where did I go wrong?

Going cheaper is not always better… should I have invested in the Magic Baby Bullet, get a really good baby food cookbook, or just stockpile organic baby food coupons?

Oh and one more thing…the mini food processor now resides in a special spot deep within the dark recesses of the back of the cupboard.

I ran out of my normal fabric softener today. I knew I needed to use something because I was drying clothes that always have static. I remembered reading somewhere that you can put 3 drops of lavender essential oil on a small sheet and throw it in the dryer like a dryer sheet. Those few drops are supposed to last 3 loads. I put 3 drops of lavender essential oil on an old wash cloth. I also added a few drops of orange and lemongrass essential oil just for fun. Not only were the clothes softer than they usually are, but they smelled great and so did my laundry room.

I know very few people who look forward to scrubbing the floor.  But my friend Jill Clark sees it as a delightful job.  Here she is to tell you how!

 - Molly

My husband just retired after 23 years in the Air Force. Over the years, we have lived in many different houses. One thing that has changed with each house is: How I scrub the floor.

Sounds crazy doesn’t it? I mean scrubbing the floors isn’t rocket science. But each house we have lived in has had a different type of flooring. Linoleum, hardwood, laminate, tile,and each kind of flooring takes a slightly different approach. The worst floor to scrub was when we lived in base housing in Montana. It was a rather old house and the kitchen linoleum had a pitted pattern that caught all the dirt and held it. A scrub brush was the best for that floor.

But, now we are living in a house that has large, 12 inch ceramic tiles throughout the entry, kitchen and dining area. They are a smooth, light gray. They are very nice, until something drops on them, then every spot shows. So I finally came up with a good, cheap way to clean my tile floors.

The area we live in has extremely hard water. Our house has a water softener to help, but there can still be spots.When I used commercial floor cleaner, it just left streaks. My mother told me to scrub my floor with vinegar and water. This has worked very well for me. At first, I was filling my bucket with white vinegar and water and using a mop. But now I have found an even better way than the bucket method. I put the vinegar and water mixture into a spray bottle and use a micro-fiber mop I found at Wal-Mart for around $12.00. It works wonders. Easy to use, just pull the squirt bottle from under the sink and grab the microfiber mop. The pad of the mop easily comes off to throw in the washer when it is dirty. The vinegar kills germs, and softens the water even more so no streaks or spots are left. This method also dries very quickly. I have found that since there is no bucket to manipulate even my 8 and 10 year old can scrub up their messes quickly and easily.

So, how do you scrub your floors? Do you dread the task, or enjoy it? Have you found a method that works great for you?

My cousin Midge had her first adorable baby girl this past July! Leaving a career behind that she loved in order to focus all of her attention on raising her little girl, she is now aching for adult conversation. According to Midge, homemaking skills are something that she works hard at honing. After laughing at email after email that she sent me regarding her kitchen experiences, I finally asked her if she would share a few of her stories with you! She will be on the Econobusters blog every Thursday and will have a short feature in each newsletter. You’ll also hear from Midge in each upcoming Molly Green Magazine. I hope you enjoy her fun introspectiveness as much as I do! ~ Molly

From this week’s newsletter (sign up via the yellow note at the top of the blog if you don’t already subscribe!):

“Does owning a Chia Pet count as Container Gardening?”
In the game of gardening, I have to say that I have always scored a big fat zero! Maybe it goes back to my very first experience with gardening, when my grass seed was the only one that would not grow in Kindergarten. The teacher even appeared confused when all that was left in my white Styrofoam cup was dirt.

I have never actually owned a Chia Pet. I bought one for my sister once and watched and waited for the little hair to grow on the back of the Chia pig. It grew in beautifully. However, if I did buy one, it would probably stay bald forever. My green thumb is definitely lacking.

But, I am hip to trying new things….

The rest of the story (newsletter follow-up):

So, I went to the official website. I decided to order a Chia pet and try it so I would sound knowledgeable about container gardening. On the site, I was distracted by the multitude of products they have available. Did you know you can buy Chia Omega 3 pills? I did not read the whole description. But, in my mind’s eye, I pictured my tongue growing a little Chia fur and it was not a pleasant vision. This is also the same company that makes the Ove Glove and the Clapper.

All of the old commercial jingles for these products started swimming in my head. I started laughing and called my husband into the room. Of course, we both started re-enacting the old 80’s commercials with the bad acting. By the end of our laughing session, we had ordered a Clapper to entertain our friends with at our next party.

Oh, but where was I? Yes, container gardening… that may just have to wait a few years until my little girl, Sarah, gets older. I am hoping that she has inherited a few of Molly Green’s gardening genes. And when her Chia Pet starts to grow, I am sure I will clap for her… hey, who turned off the lights?

~Midge

Are you a frugalite who loves to write? Do you have a financial success or makeover story to share? If so, we’d love to read your ideas for possible inclusion in upcoming issues of my Molly Green Magazine!  Submitting a proposal for consideration is easy!

Since the weather is warming I thought I’d re-post this frugal transformation from March of last year. Maybe it’ll make you grab a piece of furniture and your sander and head outdoors!

You know how when you have a ton of things that need done, you’ll suddenly find yourself doing something that wasn’t even on the list? (Please tell me I’m not the only one!!)

We have company coming this weekend and I decided it would be a good idea if I could finish painting all my lower kitchen cabinets. The ones from the kitchen makeover that I started this summer and never finished. I did the counter, backsplash and upper cabinets, but just never got to those bottom cabinets. Well, I did one section. So I had one section that was brown, one that was green, and one that was white (don’t ask).

But as I was taking off cabinet doors and sanding them down I decided it would be a good idea (this is the unrelated project part) to sand and stain the top of our coffee table. This coffee table is one that I bought for $5 at a yard sale. It’s sturdy and big. That’s about it. But I had little boys and you KNOW you don’t want a nice coffee table with little boys. They have to be able to race Hot Wheels and build things and knock them over and such on the coffee table. If you invest in some piece of beauty that can’t be scratched or scuffed, you’re just asking for a trip to the Funny Farm.

Hence, my $5 coffee table. The one with the top that looks like this:

But, since my boys are getting older, I’ve been intending to paint the table. Or maybe just the top. I can’t decide. Not only can I not decide whether to paint the whole thing or just the top, I can’t decide what color.  And so, the eyesore remains. And it bothers me. Every day.

OK, back to the sanding. As I’m sanding the cabinet doors I realize that I could just sand down the table top and use some remaining stain to stain the top. The top would be darker than the legs, but I rather like that look. And then, when (if) I decide what color I want to paint the table, I can still do that down the road.

So I yanked the table out onto the porch and sanded her down. It took probably 30-45 minutes, tops. She was so pretty I almost wanted to leave her like that.

But I grabbed my leftover can of stain and went to work. In another 30 minutes, I had a nice looking finished product. I’ll probably add a coat or two of poly and call it good. I can’t believe what a difference it made with only a short investment of time and no money at all. Now I just wish I’d done it sooner.

Molly Says:  Cloth or disposable?  That is the question.   Today, Midge is going to tell us how she decided what to use.  Enjoy!

Little Suzy Homemaker (Photo credit: HA! Designs - Artbyheather)

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Do you have a wish list? I do.  Some of the items on my wish list are scented candles, plug-in air fresheners or one of those lovely wickless candle warmers.  While these choices aren’t always frugal, there are quite a few DIY ways to keep your home smelling fresh.

Give one or two of these a try and enjoy your fabulously-frugal smelling home!

-Simmer cinnamon sticks and oranges on the stove (or on low in a small crockpot) – it’s better than any candle or artificial fragrance.

-Whenever you use fresh squeezed lemon juice, throw the rinds in your garbage disposal… it freshens up your kitchen.

-Baking soda sprinkled on the carpet and vacuum it up.  You can also put vinegar in a dish and let it sit out a bit if you need to absorb some stinky odors.

-A little liquid fabric softener diluted with water in a spray bottle makes a frugal Febreeze.

-Perfume samples from magazines or a spritz of nice perfume on a cotton ball can be placed in discreet places for the scent… or you can use vanilla extract as well.  Use herbal tea bags as sachets and put one in your vacuum if it has one of those cup filters instead of the bags.

-Essential oils can be dabbed onto a cotton ball and tucked around the house.   I use different scents for different seasons, like Lemongrass and Grapefruit, Lavender or Orange.

-Vacuum often, and spritz with vinegar…  it stinks to high heaven for a couple minutes then smells fresh!  Keep windows open and run a fan to circulate air, also mix a few drops of tea tree oil with water in a spritzer bottle and spray that after vacuuming.

-Leave out whole coffee beans in a pretty bowl (or nestle a candle into a basket surrounded by coffee beans, when the candle warms up the scent of the coffee beans will increase).

-Press cloves into the skin of an orange, all the way around. Hang them from ribbons. Smells great, even after it dries all the way up…which takes a couple of weeks.

-Add a couple of drops of Essential Oil on your furnace filter… it lasts for a couple of days and the whole house smells wonderful.

-You can dab a bit of vanilla extract or diluted essential oil mixture onto light bulbs (while turned OFF!). When they’re turned back on, the gentle heat of the bulbs distributes the scent. This is good when you don’t want to add moisture to the air. If no one in your family is chemically-sensitive, you can dab a bit of air freshener stuff or tiny bit of perfume (a little goes a long way!) onto light bulbs.

-Use Baking Soda!  Use it on carpets instead of spending extra money on the carpet fresh stuff, just use regular baking soda.  Also use it in your garbage disposal with vinegar.

-Put a little pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon in a small pot with a little water and simmer it on the back burner of the stove for awhile. It makes the house smell like an apple pie is baking.

-Put a tablespoon of vanilla in a microwave safe dish – ‘nuke’ it for 25 seconds and set the dish wherever you want it to smell good.

-In your bathroom,  place a small cup of Fabuloso floor cleaner behind the toilet on the floor. You can’t see it, and it smells so good!

-Put a few drops of Peppermint Oil on a cotton ball and hide them around the house.  They will freshen it up along with keeping out rodents!  You can also hide dryer fabric sheets in furniture, closets etc. to keep things smelling fresh.