This is a guest post from Kevin, who writes about how to get out of debt, stay out of debt, and build wealth at No Debt Plan.

When my wife and I purchased our first home a few years ago we needed a lawn mower for our small yard. I ended up buying an electric lawnmower that fit our needs.

Whether you use a traditional gas mower or an electric like me you will run into maintenance issues. With a traditional gas mower these include air filters, engine oil, topping off the gasoline, and mower blades.

Thankfully with an electric mower the maintenance issues are minimized. There is no oil. There is no gasoline. I need to look as I’m not sure if the thing even has an air filter (because there is no need for air to mix with gasoline in the engine).

However, we did run into one maintenance issue recently: mower blades. And that makes sense — all mowers have blades, right?

(Photo by somegeekintn)

Comparing Cost of Replacement Vs. Sharpening Mower Blades

Did you know you can have your lawn mower blades sharpened? A lawn mower blade is a piece of metal like a knife. Over time through continual use it becomes dull. Dull blades don’t cut grass as well as sharp blades. Cutting with a dull blade is also not great for your grass.

The cost of a new blade for my mower is $17 through Amazon. That’s not bad, and I actually plan to purchase a second blade. (More on that in a moment.)

I called around to a few lawn mower shops (Google: “lawn mower sharpen” and your city) and found a shop that would sharpen the blade for $8.

That’s an easy comparison: $17 for a new blade versus $8 for a “new” used blade. I could sharpen my current blade twice for every new blade I needed to buy.

Rotate Two Blades

As I mentioned above I plan to buy a second blade. At the end of the day having two blades makes life a lot easier than owning just one blade.

Take me, for example. I discovered my mower blade was quite dull the last time I mowed. I determined I needed it sharpened, but didn’t have a spare handy. This would seem like an easy fix: just go to the store and buy another blade, and get the original blade sharpened. Since I had purchased an electric mower online my properly sized replacement blades were only available online. (Just my luck.)

Having a second, sharp blade on hand makes life easy because you can take the old blade off and get it sharpened at your leisure. The new blade should last for quite a while giving you and I time to procrastinate on finding a sharpening shop while not sacrificing the quality of our mowing.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have this leisure and had to hurry to find a shop, get the blade off the mower, and have my wife take it down to the shop to get it sharpened. The sharpening took an hour and was back in our hands the same day.

Safety First When Changing Lawn Mower Blades

I can’t finish this article without clarifying some safety issues. As a general rule mowers are dangerous and have full capabilities to remove an unhealthy chunk of your body from you.

Safety first:

• Disable your mower in as many ways as possible. With gasoline mowers make sure you disconnect the spark plug. With plug-in electric mowers make sure the mower is not plugged in. (For battery mower users, I can’t help you. No idea how they work.)
• Blades are sharp. Be careful. Wear gloves or use a towel to hold the blade while you are loosening/tightening the socket that holds it in place. And make sure that when it comes loose that you haven’t been pushing too hard with your arm — you could push the blade into your hand as it comes loose.
• Always use a proper sized and balanced blade. If your mower takes a 19″ blade, get a 19″ blade. If you get the blade sharpened make sure that it is still in balance. To do this just balance it on your finger or some other device to insure one side isn’t higher than the other — an unbalanced blade will shake the mower and generally isn’t a good thing to operate with.

You also have the option of sharpening the blades yourself with tool files. While I’m sure this is a relatively easy skill to learn I’d rather not deal with the hassle of doing it wrong or ending up with an unbalanced blade. The $8 spent is already a savings of $9 over the regular blade cost. That’s frugal enough for me.

Trust TruGreen for your lawn care, lawn maintenance and landscaping needs.

It looks like winter temperatures have finally left most of the U.S, and that means it’s time to give way to spring.  It also means it’s time to brush up on our frugal lawn care tips.  From checking lawn sprinkler systems and sprinkler heads, to putting down some post-emergent weed killer, the spring lawn care work you put in will pay huge dividends later in the summer by producing a beautiful, healthy lawn.

Photo courtesy of Mish Bradley

How Often Should I Water My Lawn?

Some of this depends on how well-established your lawn is, and the kind of conditions you live in.  For new lawns, it is recommended that they get daily watering (or at a minimum, every other day) until the lawn has established a strong root system.  Older, more established lawns, should only be watered two or three times a week to encourage roots to dig deeper for water sources, which leads to a healthier root system.

What’s the Best Time Of Day to Water My Lawn?

The best time of day to water your lawn is early morning, just before sunrise. The temperatures are relatively cool, so no worries about evaporation. Watering in the heat of the day can be counterproductive because much of the water will evaporate when it hits the surface of a hot lawn.  Watering in the evening can lead to fungus and grass disease because the lawn blades do not have adequate time to dry before nighttime.

How Short Should I Cut My Grass?

Mowing height depends on a variety of factors, such as the type of grass, your climate, etc.  Generally speaking, grass should be cut relatively short early in the year to discourage weed growth. As the spring wears on, and the temperatures begin to rise, it is recommended to raise your mower blade slightly as well.  A taller lawn will withstand periods of extreme heat and be more drought-tolerant than a lawn with shorter grass.

When Is The Best Time To Put Down Weed Killer and Fertilizer Products?

The best time to put down weedkiller is before weeds appear. In early spring, before the weather begins to warm, putting down a pre-emergent weed killer can significantly reduce the number of weeds in your lawn.  Once weeds appear, treat them with a “weed and feed” product that acts as both a fertilizer and weed killer, or spot treat with a liquid weed killer. Take care in selecting the type of weed killer to use to be sure it is safe for your type of lawn.  If you are unsure, ask a local nursery, landscaping company, or agricultural extension. Click here for all natural pesticides from Gardens Alive!

Inspect Lawn Sprinkler Systems and Sprinkler Heads

If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, spring is a good time to run it through all the various zones to make sure sprinkler heads are properly adjusted.  If you discover a broken sprinkler head, pick up a replacement at a home improvement store.  Though most sprinkler heads are simply threaded onto the PVC pipe running below, take care removing them or you could pull a pipe joint loose somewhere downstream and have a bigger mess to clean up.

Putting these spring lawn care tips into practice will help you establish a beautiful, green lawn for many seasons to come, improving your curb appeal and the value of your real estate property.

Earlier this year my wife and I decided to stay put in our current home.  Now we are in the “how can we make this work” mode where you walk room to room with the realization that you will be here for a while, and the chances of building or buying a new home with all your needs will sit on the back burner for a while.  Here are a few ideas for making the existing space around our home more productive.  We’ve already implemented a couple of these items, and the remaining ones are on our to-do list.

Ways To Make Spaces Around Your Home More Productive

Convert spare bedrooms, garages or back porches to a home gym.
Our neighbors recently closed in a garage and added some gym-quality exercise equipment.  They now have a full squat rack, Smith machine, an elliptical machine, bike and treadmill.  To say I was a little jealous would be a major understatement.  I’ve always wished I could lift weights at home, mostly because I don’t care for the social setting at most gyms.  While I don’t think I’ll be able to close in the garage, I could put a weight bench with a bench press rack on the back porch.  I could also add a small set of dumbbells, a used exercise bike (for rainy days), and a heavy bag.

Create a home office with just a feet of empty wall space.
When I started writing here at Frugal Dad, I recognized quickly that I would need to carve out a quiet area to do most of my writing.  My requirements were simple:  a door, enough room for a table to hold my laptop and a few notepads, magazines, books, etc.  Finding a spot with a door proved to be the hard part.  That is, until I got creative.

Our washer and dryer are in a large utility room.  We have a rolling metal rack in there to hold canned goods, along with a spare freezer to store meats and vegetables we occasionally find on sale and stock up on.  The room may have looked full to the “unfrugal” eye, but I saw an opportunity.

I set up a four-foot folding table and small rolling task chair with no arms.  My laptop, a small lamp, a couple bookends to hold five or six of my favorite books, and a scratch pad for making notes all fit perfectly on the table.  The chair easily pushes up to the table, and is out of the way when doing laundry.

Plant vegetables in a table top, square foot garden on your balcony or porch.
Who says you have to have a ton of green space to grow a beautiful garden?  Consider building a square foot garden, or planting in containers, on your balcony or other outdoor space. I had a friend who grew beautiful tomatoes and a variety of other salad vegetables on his balcony.  Before dinner, his wife would pluck a few tomatoes to slice and eat along with their meals.  She also maintained a variety of herbs and flowers.

Turn your formal dining room into a den, study or playroom.
How often to you eat dinner in your formal dining room?  If you are like us, probably not that often.  Maybe a few times a year we gather there to host Thanksgiving dinner, or a similar occasion. But, for the most part it sits empty as a placeholder for our dining table, chairs and hutch.  Consider converting this space to a den, a playroom for the kids, or perhaps a study or home office (the latter may require adding a door or two).

One word of caution:  I once pitched the idea of replacing the dining table with a pool table.  I was half kidding (only half), but let’s just say it didn’t go over very well.

Create a reading and meditation nook.
I’ve frequently heard this advice, but it really stuck when listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer once describe how everyone should have a little “nook” where they can go to get lost in their thoughts.  It could be as simple as a quiet corner of a bedroom, or as large as an unused guest room.  The point is to create a quiet corner in your home, surrounded by things with positive energy such as pictures, drawing, motivational posters, etc.

When thinking about rearranging your home, keep in mind that any configuration changes you make may not be desirable to future homeowners.  Unless you plan to stay put forever, think long and hard about knocking down (or adding) any walls, hanging doors, etc.  For the most part, consider enchancements to your home’s space that do not require any structural modifications.  But don’t be afraid to get creative, and don’t be afraid to make the space work for you and your family.  After all, homes are meant to be lived in.

The Christmas holiday is one of the most anticipated times of the year.  Unfortunately, criminals also look forward to the season as more people are out shopping and leaving their homes unattended during holiday travel.  Here are a few holiday safety tips to protect you and yours this season.

Safety Tips Around the House

Before traveling, contact your local law enforcement agency and ask to have your home placed on “vacation watch.”  Most municipalities offer this service.  The nearest patrol officer will ride by your home for a safety check once during their shift.  Be sure to notify authorities when you have returned.  Note, please do not call 911 to discuss this service.  A non-emergency number should be listed in your phone book. 

Try to make your house look lived in while you are away.  Consider picking up some inexpensive timers for lights and radios, and have them come on at times when you are normally home.  I even suggest staggering the timers so that living room lights come on and off early in the evening and bedroom lights come on later.  This is consistent with most schedules, but adapt it to fit your family’s routine.

Do not broadcast your plans to everyone.  You may be proud that you are taking your family on a week-long cruise over the holidays, but don’t brag too much.  You never know who might be taking note of your travel plans.

Leave a spare key and emergency telephone number with a trusted neighbor or friend.  In an emergency it may be necessary for someone to enter your home (water heater busted, etc.), so it is a good idea to leave a key with someone local. 

Pay someone to rake up leaves and/or blow off your drive way.  Tall grass in the summer and down leaves in the winter are a sure sign of an unoccupied house.

Silence the ringer on your home telephone.  One trick of the criminal trade is to stake out a house and call the phone number.  If the phone rings and rings with no answer it is a safe bet no one is home. If the phone doesn’t ring at all, crooks may suspect they are dialing the wrong number, or someone is home and using the phone.  Do not mention your travel plans on voicemail or answering machines.

Remove garage door openers from cars parked in the driveway.  It is a good idea to leave a second car parked in the driveway, but be sure to remove the garage door opener.  Burglars can easily bust out a window and open your garage with the click of a button.

Lock garage entry doors.  If you live in a home with an attached garage, lock the door from the garage to the home when leaving for Christmas vacation.  Garage doors have been known to malfunction, or be manually forced up, allowing access to your home.

Trim shrubbery and trees close to your home.  Overgrown shrubs provide the perfect cover for a burglar working to pry open a window.

Do not leave remnants of Christmas morning by the curb.  Large appliance boxes and containers are a sign Santa was really good to someone in the neighborhood!  They are also a sign to theives that the house just got a new plasma television for Christmas.  Break down boxes and put them in cans or black garbage bags to conceal the products that were inside them.

Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

Use the buddy system.  It is always a good idea to shop in pairs as theives are less likely to target two or more individuals. 

Lock your gifts in the trunk.  An electronics store bag filled with goodies sitting on the back seat in plain view is tempting for a smash-and-grab burglar.

If shopping at an outdoor mall or outlet stores, consider moving your car when you drop off presents.  No one likes to lug around too many items from store to store, so most people return to their cars several times to drop off purchases and resume shopping.  When you do this, consider moving your car a few lanes away.  Thieves like to stake out parking lots for people leaving purchases in their car and returning to stores.  If they see you get in and drive away they will likely assume your shopping trip is over and look for another target.

Ask for a security guard escort.  If you approach your car and see an unsavory character staked out nearby, return to the store and ask for someone to walk you to your car.  Most store security personnel are used to this, so there is no need to feel embarrassed.  Besides, better to be safe than sorry!

Have keys ready, and don’t take your time getting in your car.  There is nothing I hate to see more than a single woman approaching her car while digging through a purse for her keys.  With her head down and her attention diverted she is such an easy target.  Find your keys before you leave the store and have them in hand.  Walk quickly and confidently to your vehicle, and unlock, enter and lock the doors in quick fashion.  Once safely inside you can verify receipts, store away purses, etc.

Park in well-lit areas.  If you know you will be shopping for a long time, anticipate coming out into a dark parking lot and look for light poles to park under.  Besides providing light, light poles also serve as a reference point in a crowded parking lot to remind you where you parked your car.

Parents, park next to the shopping cart return area.  When you are finished shopping it is nice to put Junior in the car seat and return the shopping cart one lane away, rather than walking fifty feet away with Junior alone in the car, or you toting him and three bags of groceries.

These are just a few things to keep in mind while out and about this holiday shopping season.  Actually, they are good tips for any time of the year, but especially during times when criminal activity is high. 

I’d like to hear from you.  Please add any additional holiday safety tips in the comments below.

Few products out there have as many household uses as vinegar.  From soothing feet to cleaning a computer mouse to removing streaks from your dishes, vinegar is definitely a product to have on hand in large quantities.  I’ve compiled a list of just a few of the many household uses for vinegar below.

Vinegar foot soak to remove dry skin.  This was a new one for me, but one I learned while visiting my mom in the hospital recently.  Nurses came in and asked if she wanted a vinegar foot soak. They poured up a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water, and dipped two bath towels in the vinegar solution. After wringing out the towels, they wrapped them around my mom’s feet and let them “soak” for about twenty minutes.

When they removed the towels and wiped her feet down with a fresh towel the dry skin practically fell off, leaving her skin smooth. I think she still deserves a nice pedicure when she leaves the hospital, but I was impressed by this frugal solution to dry skin.

Substitute for expensive rinse aids in dishwashers. I learned about this vinegar tip from Amy over at MomAdvice.com.  Skip the Jet Dry and simply put some vinegar in the rinse aid compartment of your dishwasher.  Dishes will come out “squeaky clean” and without streaks. If you are skeptical of this one, note the primary ingredient in commercial rinse aids is, what else, vinegar!

Clean trackball computer mouse.  I use a Logitech TrackMan Wheel mouse at home and my lone complaint about the device is that over time dust and lint accumulates under the trackball and impedes its movement.  Disconnect the mouse, remove the trackball and use a soft cloth dampened in a 50/50 vinegar-water solution to wipe off fingerprints, dust and accumulate grime from the trackball itself.  Then use a cotton swab or Q-tip moistened in the same solution to clean out the little chamber the trackball is housed.  Let parts dry about two hours before replacing the trackball and plugging the mouse back in.

Removing mildew. We recently had some mildew build up in a hard-to-reach corner of our shower, and instead of using a costly commercial bleach cleaner, I had success with white vinegar. Simply apply a solution of equal parts vinegar and water to the mildew (for heavy build up you may need to try full strength vinegar). The nice thing about using vinegar is you don’t have the ventilation or skin irritant concerns you have when using commercial cleaners.

Remove stickers and window decals.  Vinegar is great for removing stickers and decals. Apply full strength vinegar to the sticker and let it sit for a few minutes.  Then scrape the sticker off using a credit card (preferably one you paid off!).

Make your car windows frost-free. In the winter I spend a few minutes each morning scraping frost from my windshield.  Inevitably, the later I am for work, the heavier the frost!  I am implementing this tip to save myself some time, and from potential frostbite on my right hand.  Spray windshields with a solution of three parts white vinegar to one part water. Each application can last up to several weeks.

Remove bad odors.  Have you ever had this experience?  We recently found a three-month old container of tuna fish in the very back of the refrigerator.  The smell was almost bad enough to peel paint from our kitchen walls.  Even after running it through the dishwasher it still smelled like seaweed rotting on a beach in July.  We soaked a slice of white bread in vinegar and left it in the container overnight.  Voila, no more bad smell!

Disinfect cutting boards and counter tops.  After chopping up chicken for tonight’s dinner, it is a good idea to disinfect your cutting board and surrounding counter tops to remove bacteria and bugs such as Salmonella.  Wipe them clean with full-strength white vinegar. The acetic acid in vinegar is an excellent disinfectant.

Freshen up your garbage disposal.  After a few weeks, garbage disposals start to smell a little like that old container of tuna fish as foods rot and bacteria grows.  Instead of buying those expensive disposal deodorizing tablets, make your own at home.  Mix equal parts vinegar and water and freeze in an old ice tray.  Drop a few cubes in the disposal once a week and flush with cold water.

Remove cigarette odors from suits and coats.  Ever been trapped in the same room with a smoker for a couple hours?  Chances are your coat or suit jacket now smells like cigarettes.  To eliminate the odor, fill a bathtub with the hottest water your water heater will produce and pour in one cup of vinegar.  Hang your suit or coat on the shower curtain bar and close the bathroom door overnight.  The smell should be gone by morning.  Warning, lock the bathroom door, or avoid this tip altogether if you have small children as a filled tub presents a potential drowning hazard. I keep this tip handy on trips, and have used it to remove wrinkles from clothing after unpacking my suitcase.

As I stated in the opening, this is only a partial list of the many household uses for vinegar.  Please share with us your frugal vinegar tips in the comments below.