Happy National Pie Day… this holiday created by the American Pie Council and celebrated today was the inspiration for this week’s frugal fun Friday post. It’s simple… just make a pie. Any pie.

You may want to start by making a batch of easy pie crust. Then it’s time to decide what kind of pie you want to make. You could make up the all American apple pie, some yummy berry pie, a cream pie or since we are still in the winter months a pumpkin or sweet potato pie. Or how about a savory pie for dinner. A Chicken Pot Pie or a Quiche Lorraine would both make a delicious meal. You can find some of my favorite pie recipes right here.

My personal favorite is a slice of apple pie. How about you? I’d love to hear what your favorite pie is and if you’d like, leave your favorite pie recipe as a comment.

I don’t know about you, but between we tend to spend more time on the couch this time of the year than during summer, spring and fall. As I was sitting in front of the TV this morning waiting for the inauguration ceremonies to start, I noticed that all this extra time and attention left its marks on my couches.  Both of them had way too many blankets and pillows piled on them and inbetween were hidden toys, and a remote. Add to that various magazines and books scattered around and on the coffee table and you get a pretty good picture of the bad shape my living room was in.

I spent a little time here and there throughout the morning straightening out the couches. Here ate the little baby steps I took while keeping an eye on the happenings on TV and of course spending time with my family. All in all it probably took me about 45 minutes.

• Fold blankets and putting most of them away, keeping just one decorative throw
• Returning lost toys etc. to their “homes”
• Take out seat cushions and give them a good “beating” outside
• Dig out change and small toys from in and under the couch
• Vaccume couch
• Clean surface of couch depending on material

We have microfiber couches in the living room and the best way to clean them, get the dust off and really get them looking better again is to take a soft clean cloth and just barely dampen it with a little water. I then use it to lightly wipe down the couches.

I’m sitting on one of the couches right now and it feels even more comfortable than before. Definitely well worth the effort.

For more cleaning tips, take a look at the following Hillbilly Housewife Ebook

Spring Cleaning Guide

It’s been a busy day for us, since tomorrow is our daughter’s 6th birthday, so I’m just now getting a few minutes to share this week’s frugal challenge with you. I think she’s a little excited about it… I just had to put her back to bed for the third time

But let’s get back to this week’s frugal challenge. I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but down here it’s been pretty cold. It’s tempting to turn up the thermostat and make sure it’s nice and toasty inside when it’s freezing outside. Unfortunately that can pretty quickly drive up your heating bill.

That’s why I’m challenging you this week to turn down the thermostat in your home by a degree or two. Just put on some extra clothes and curl up with a blanket when you relax on the couch at night.

There are also a lot of little things you can do to keep all that warm air in. Don’t leave the doors open unnecessarily long when you get in and out of the house. If you feel air leaking in at the bottom of your front door, roll up a towel or blanket and stick it down there. Here are some other winter heating tips you can quickly and easily implement.

By the way, if you keep your house pretty warm right now, just turn it down a degree at a time and then give yourself and your family a day or so to adjust to the new cooler temperature. It’ll make the changes easier on everyone and help you stick with it in the long run.