Sometimes a spring cleaning idea comes out of the blue, and that was the case late this afternoon. My partner Art had used the kitchen sponge to clean the sink after washing a chicken — cut to blood curdling, “Noooo” from me, keeping in mind this post.

It went into the trash (but thankfully, it was time to replace it anyway). I knew I had a new one under the sink, but I knew it was also in the back of the cabinet. So, I figured, “I’ve got to take everything out to get to that sponge, so I might as well clean under the kitchen cabinet at the same time.” Fifteen minutes later, the cupboard was sparkling.

I removed all the items — cleaners, trash can, etc. Wiped down the bottom of the cabinet with an all purpose cleaner (and I was surprised how dirty it was!) I sprayed some Raid at the rear of the cabinet, anticipating ants as the weather grew warmer. Then just replaced all the items.

A couple tips:

Like I said, I was surprised how dirty it was under there. I had probably cleaned it last about 6 months ago, but there were still rings on the base, as well as miscellaneous items that missed the trash can. But 15 minutes later, it was clean as a whistle — an easy 15 minute Spring cleaning task.

You know in these times, I know several people who are trying to save money wherever they can, and that’s why I started my weekly ProHomemaker Best Grocery Deals for our area.

Each week when the store fliers come out, I go through them all and note the killer, loss-leaders at each store on a notepad. I then type them up quickly on a list, and email them off to my neighbors and friends who I know appreciate a good deal.

I’ve received such positive feedback for this service that I think it’s a great way in which to help your fellow budget-watchers. Just last week, a neighbor came by and said they print the list each week so they know the specials to hit when they pass a certain store. Now that made me feel good.

It’s also a way in which to tell other folks about how you save money with coupon shopping and with the easy lists found at Couponmom.com. But even if they just use the loss leaders at stores without coupons, your friends can save a lot of money.

Sure, it takes a little time, but there is a side benefit to you, too — you have a comprehensive list of all the specials, so when you have an extra 10-15 minutes, you can pop in a store and snag ‘em, too. You’re organized — and helping others, too.

Try it this week. I just got all the fliers in the mail today, and I am getting ready to do my ProHomemaker Shopping Tips for the week … oh, and it would be nice if you told ‘em about my blog, too.

I got a call from good friends last week, asking whether they could come by and visit this past weekend. “Yes,” was my immediate answer and invited them for dinner Saturday night.

I knew within 10 minutes what I was going to make — my favorite roast chicken, my new cornbread dressing recipe and an apple crisp. But what to do for a centerpiece? I didn’t have the budget for flowers, but then I remembered an idea I spotted in the lobby of the 4-star Omni Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

Near the check-in desk, the hotel had on display tall, clear vases filled with a multitude of orchids submerged in water — it was truly elegant. I had seen a similar treatment in which lemons and limes were piled in a vase, and then it was filled with water. Much more in my budget!

So, with one pound of limes at $1 and two pounds of lemons at 99 cents a pound, I had my centerpiece for $3, just using a large lead crystal urn I already had. I think it turned out beautifully.

You could do a similar arrangement with oranges, apples, etc. The secret is to fill it totally with the fruit, and then add the water. You can’t be skimpy. But it’s the time of the year to get good deals on fruits (I just got apples for 25 cents a pound today), so it is still very economical.

Just wanted to pass this idea along, and show how it turned out.

I’ve been having a minor pity party going on for the last few days, lamenting my drop in income. (But I did get my hair cut Friday, and I felt so blessed! Spent $13 — and even gave my normal barber a $5 tip — but he made me feel so good!)

It’s hard to stay positive nowadays, but I read this article in our local paper today that made me tear up and realize it’s not as bad as I think.

I highly recommend it as a 5-minute read for those going through a tough financial time.

Bottom line? It ain’t so bad.

Mr. Ries helped me more than he will ever know. I even have a smile on my face! Click this link for the story.

I satisfied my inner-consumer today at Walgreens, buying $20.07 in candles, scents, and more, and only spent 81 cents. I was so happy, I could have smoked a cig! After sales tax, I walked out spending $1.76 and my Material-Self was satisfied. This harkens back to my “Frugal Fatigue” post.

I got this fab-o expensive motion sensor Glade Sense and Spray ($10.79), an incredibly expensive soy candle (great apple smell) ($6.79), two battery operated tealights ($1.50) and a reusable shopping grocery bag (99 cents) — and all I paid was 81 cents plus tax!

And it was simple to garner these types of deals!

Each month, the drugstores put out their super rebates specials (many times you can get them for free), but none of these deals required it (but you can learn those deals in this post). The Sense and Spray was last month’s deal for which I got a raincheck and combined with a manufacturer coupon. On the apple candle, I combined the coupon from the Walgreens monthly SuperSaver catalog and an online one. To get the battery operated tealights, I used a store flyer circular coupon. Finally, the free grocery tote bag was an Earth Day online special. Oh, and did I mention Walgreens also gave me 15 percent off my total order today with the Earth Day coupon?

Honestly, the checker was worried I would owe nothing, but the one single battery operated tealight candle handled that. And I walked out in 15 minutes with $20 in merchandise for 81 cents! It only took me less than 15 minutes to get ready for the shop — that’s $40 an hour to be a smart consumer!

Now you don’t have to be a mind reader to get these deals. Just follow the Monday CouponMom blog noted at right under “Blogroll” and on her site, CouponMom.com. The list is updated every Sunday.

The best part is I walked out with a lot of foo-foo merchandise that normally I would not buy, but would love to have — and I spent less than most people using the “value” menu at a fast food joint!

But the drugstores deals are also great for many health and beauty items that you get for free or nearly that. But know when you go, you’re not there for 20 products, you walk in, hit the specials and leave. But oh the savings!

Thanks to my pal Traci at Coupon Belle for encouraging me to shop the drugstores and her great post, Walgreens 101. She’s the Queen.

Try it in May — those specials are about to come out!

This week, many of my blog pals were posting photos of their front doors, and that brought to mind, “How clean is your front porch?”

I can tell you this morning, mine looked like the Munsters had moved in — dust, dirt and cobwebs on the bistro set near the front door. It’s not surprising, because anyone with a garage normally enters their home through it. But it’s the front porch that the public sees — it’s your face to the outside world. So, is yours dirty?

The situation is quickly resolved — easily in 30 minutes or less. Just remove the front door mat (replace if needed) or shake it out. Then, take your garden hose, and wash down everything — the door, the threshhold, the eaves and the front porch light.

This is one of the first hints I gave to my clients selling a home, because it’s the first thing the public sees as they wait to go inside — your friends and neighbors are just the same. Make it a good first impression.

Personally, I have always loved having some sort of decoration on the front door — be it a wreath, a charming wall hanging, etc. But have you looked at yours lately? Time to wash it, too.

When I lived in condos for 10 years, it wasn’t possible to hose down the front, but I could sweep, swat down cobwebs, and even take a bucket of soapy water and wash down the handrails to my second floor unit (who wants dirty hands as they walk up the stairs to your home?).

So, I just wanted to plant a bug in your ear — now that winter is gone, make sure you are putting your best face forward to the public.

And, wouldn’t you know, as soon as I finished, our new next-door neighbor came by. And I knew I made a good first impression.

I was perusing my favorite recipe web site and saw in several reviews, “I will add this to my rotation,” but that got me to thinking — “Are you in a menu rut?”

God love my Mom, but there were seven dishes she could make, and on the eighth day was a sampling of everything from the past week. I made a joke on a cruise we were on when the waiter told me, “Tomorrow is International Night,” I said to our tablemates, “That’s code word for leftovers.”

It only takes a little effort to think outside the box. Of course, there are times when you rely on the good ol’ favorites, but by taking a little time, you can find so many other great dishes to make.

One tactic I took tonight was to use the “ingredient” search on Allrecipes.com. I had ground beef and searched for it in its highest rated recipes — that’s how I came upon this recipe for Shepherd’s Pie. I hadn’t made it in months, and the best part is that it’s dinner all in one — meat, veggies, and a starch.

Of course, I still tweaked the recipe a bit, reading the reviews, but dinner smells wonderful.

So, try and think out of your rotation to something new. It doesn’t have to be Osso Buco, but something to make your family say, “Hey this is good.” If not, you blew one dinner, but you still have tried.

And to show I practice what I preach, I am going to make my 49 cents chicken legs in chipotle sauce tomorrow — a recipe I found two weeks ago.

Bottom line? Try something new — it’s good for you (creative-wise) and good for the family (expand their horizons)

Re-visiting a post from a year ago, but it fits so well with our spring cleaning theme (plus I am pooped from work today). But I am gonna squeeze this in tomorrow. By the way, I was true ProHo this evening — still managed to whip up some of this great chili recipe and it was all the quicker ’cause I had froze pre-cooked ground beef with onions two weeks ago for just such a dinner emergency, as noted in this post. So, yes, I may be lazy tonight, but I gave you links to four great tips!)

We’ve all heard that guests like to look in the medicine cabinet. But even if not, today we have a 10-15-minute clutter control/cleaning tips in this staple of the bath as part of our
“One week to a cleaner bathroom” theme.

Let it be know, I preach what I say, and just did ours in the master bath (pictured at left). I hadn’t done it in a year, so it was time — and I’ve got houseguests coming!

This is an easy-peasy task that you can do in 10-15 minutes tops. Grab a grocery bag for trash, roll of paper towels, glass cleaner, and a general purpose cleaner. You’re ready to roll!

Here’s the order to a clean medicine cabinet:

That’s it!

If you’re storing daily toiletrie items here, it’s time to revisit “One Week to a Cleaner Bathroom” posts (just click the link for the first one). At any rate, at least you now have a clean and orderly medicine cabinet.

I found this dish on Allrecipes, and tweaked it per the reviews (which I highly recommend you check out on any recipe — it takes the learning curve away. If you see a similar suggestion over and over, go for it).

This is such an economical addition to my favorite Roast Chicken recipe. Last night, I made it to go with just some of my 49 cents chicken legs. If you think ahead, you can make the cornbread the day before, using this great recipe. Just be sure and cut the sugar in half for a more savory taste.

Finally, for gravy, I found the sauce for scalloped potatoes is a great, pantry-friendly chicken gravy. I will add that at the end of the Cornbread Dressing recipe.

As Rachael Ray says, “Yum-o!”

Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:
3/4 of Premade Cornbread (see recipe in post)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small onion
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoons dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Prepare the cornbread. Cool and crumble about 3/4 of the cornbread.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9×13 inch baking dish or 2 quart casserole.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the celery and onion until soft.
4. In a large bowl, combine the celery, onions, 3 cups crumbled corn bread, eggs, chicken stock, sage and salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
5. Place into prepared dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Easy Chicken Pan Gravy

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
Dash garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter; stir in flour until smooth. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly and then switch to whisking. Add salt and pepper, and a dash of garlic powder. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly.

I was reading the business section in the paper over the weekend, and there was actually good economic news! It said consumer spending was up in March. One economy expert chalked it up to “frugal fatigue” — in other words, people have watched every dime they’ve spent for so long that they just want to buy, at least, a little something.

Oh honey, they are preaching to the choir here! I am going 7 months without even going to the barber shop (thanks to my handy-dandy home clipper set). TJ Maxx sends me, “Miss you” letters, and Target has put out an APB for me since I was last spotted there in December, buying two $10 gift cards for my nephews.

Yes, my name is ProHomemaker, and I am suffering from frugal fatigue.

This not only leads to long hair (in my case), but also a decided lack of anything new in the house. Right now, getting my blinds cleaned would be the biggest luxury I can think of.

But, alas, I also got hit owing taxes (that self-employment tax gets me every time), a $400 homeowner insurance bill, a $250 car insurance bill, and the dear folks at Blue Cross just informed me my health insurance premiums are now $602 per month. Even a Calgon bath couldn’t take me away.

However this brings up a point. The reason I am suffering from frugal fatigue is because I have had zero, zip, bubkes outlet to have just something — anything — as a treat. I splurged today and got V8 juice with a $1 coupon. Sad, but true — that $2 bottle of fiber-rich beverage I considered a splurge. Yep, I feel as happy as the housewife in the picture (by the way, these are from Charles Phoenix’s great web site — a super, fun look at retro America.)

Just as I was getting ready to slit my wrists, I remembered my advice from a long-ago post — that I titled Affordable Luxuries. Click the link now and do a quick read. I need to, also.

Hey, that was pretty insightful — and funny enough, I posted it nearly a year ago today. So, you know what, I am gonna follow my own advice and give myself a budget of $20 to buy something, something that would raise my spirits. I think I need an affordable luxury — stat! What about you?