Do we really need show lemons?

I've been struggling with a desire to buy stuff. Join the club, right? We moved in to our house more than a month ago and I've had it with bare walls. At our first rental we barely hung anything on the walls because I was afraid of making holes. Then I realized how easy it was to putty up a white wall so I hung lots of things up at our second rental. And about two months later, we moved. Grrrr. In with my father-in-law, who had just remodeled and, understandably, didn't want any holes in the walls. GrrrrrRRRR!

So now I don't care. Putty is made for a reason! So is white toothpaste! So I want stuff on the walls. I'm going to hold off on painting, which is what I really want to do. Makes no sense to invest in the walls on a month-to-month rental. But we sold most of our decor items in garage sales to make way for Jack and to consolidate our stuff to fit in my father-in-law's garage.

I've taken up a hobby, therefore, of window shopping on the internet, bookmarking things I want and things I'd like to have a cheaper substitute of on my Amazon WishList. It's kind of addicting. Side tables and art and bedframes, oh my!

My issue is balancing buying things I think are pretty with living within our means. I want to buy a print of a painting to hang in the kitchen, but wonder if I should just deny the urge and put the equivalent value toward our looming credit card debt? Does the empty wall bug me more than the bills? No. But it's just difficult for me right now to figure out where spending a little (or a lot) on making a house a home fits in our budget, or if it really matters.

I want a coat rack. Or at least a series of hooks on the wall by the front door. We want a full or queen bed in the guest bedroom, obviously. With that should come a nightstand. And a lamp. And a TV stand for the living room that actually contains the game consoles and wires. And might as well get a flatscreen tv, right? Kidding, kidding... Do I really NEED two prints of songbirds in the bathroom? Or another tablecloth?

In the movie, The Break-Up, Jennifer Aniston gets extremeley irritated with Vince Vaughn because he doesn't buy enough lemons to display in a bowl on the table as a centerpiece. Not lemons to use, necessarily, but to show off. Do we really need "show lemons" to make us feel content? Where does that fit in with bills? Am I buying something to make me happy, or look impressive? Hmmm...

Cleaning house...

I really believe that God does work in our best interest. It's obvious. We really wanted that house on L-4 on 2.5 acres. We loved it, even though the house was very old and run down (the hallway wall was wavy!). We were excited about having space between neighbors, no lawn (save money on water!), the ability to go for walks without leaving the property and a fenced in yard for Jack and Brownie to play. Then the landlord said we couldn't use about 2.25 of the acres. And we couldn't park in the back of the house using the second gate that would have afforded us the luxury of not worrying if Brownie ran out in the process. And that was before we even met the ownwer or John even signed the lease. So it was great when Century 21 let me out of the lease.

Now we're four miles north of that area in a beautiful, newer house. Four and two. Nice neighbors on one side and vacant house on the other. Close to a school (which hopefully equals no child molesters nearby). Close to family. Much MUCH smaller property, but no real restrictions. That makes me very happy. God is good.

But now I have to clean it.

Luckily it was fairly clean to begin with. Stains on the carpet won't come out, so that's not my problem. We sold about half of our stuff when we moved into Allen's house, so we don't have a whole lot of clutter. That makes the house pretty clean all the time as it is. (Praise God!) That also means we don't have a whole lot of decorations, but I can't really put anything below waist level or Jack uses it as a bludgeoning device, so perhaps it's for the best.

With a little one, I am trying to go for all-natural cleaning products. With a tight budget, I am trying to go for cheap materials too, like using vinegar and water to wash the linoleum. With a job, I am trying to clean with minimal time and effort.

My question is, how do you clean house? What's your schedule, or do you have one? What tips and tricks do you have for cleaning? So...what do you do to keep house? What shortcuts have you discovered and what products do you use that are efficient and inexpensive?