Making Your House Smell Good on a Budget

I have found that natural air fresheners are the way to go. You get amazing smells without all those harmful chemicals.

My number one way to freshen the air in my house is to boil spices and food flavorings (vanilla, almond and even butter!) or essential oils on the stove. There is no science to it. I just fill a pot with water and dump in the spices or essential oils I feel like smelling that day. You may be thinking about how expensive it is to buy spices JUST to boil them. It can be very expensive unless you are on the lookout!
I get my spices from a variety of places and for not much money.
- The Dollar Store carries off brand spices. They are food grade and can be used to cook as well as for a simmering potpourri.
-The bargain bin at your local grocery store. When spices expire the stores will mark them down dramatically to get rid of them. You can get high quality spices in a pretty decent variety for almost nothing.
-After the holidays are the same as the bargain bin. When January hits the stores are trying to unload all the extra stuff they bought and you can really stock up!
-Garage sales: Yes, I buy spices from garage sales but I will NOT cook with them. I don't think anyone would try to poison spices but I don't take a chance! ; )
Here is what I got on Saturday from a local estate sale.

The whole lot cost me $5.00. The bottles and cans of spices are full and the jars of liquid flavorings are full. This is a tremendous bargain because just ONE of the Spice Island jars is almost $5.00!! What I have pictured here will last me until December at least. 

The salt and Knox gelatin are not used in a simmering potpourri they will be used for a solid air freshener. There are a ton of recipes out there. I found this one on one of my favorite healthy home blogs.

Homemade Essential Oil Air Fresheners

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce granulated or powdered gelatin
• 2 cups cold water, divided
• 20-30 drops of your choice of essential oil
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• optional, food coloring to tint the air freshener

Also needed:

• heat-proof jars to hold the hot gelatin liquid
• a disposable chopstick or skewer to use as a stir stick

Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the boiling water and whisk until smooth and all the gelatin is dissolved.  Add the salt and the second cup of cold water and whisk.  Set aside.
Add the desired amount of essential oil and food coloring, if using, to the jar(s).  Quickly pour the hot liquid gelatin over the essential oil and food coloring.  Stir until evenly colored.
Allow to cool, uncovered on a heat-proof surface.  When it reaches room temperature, place wherever you want a lovely scent.
You can find a variety of recipes for various scents using the above recipe at Foodie With Family.

Enjoy a great smelling house for not much money! : )