Friday, February 24, 2012

Thrifty is nifty!!

I never thought I'd see the day that I'd be thrifty...I'm sure that most of the people who know me would agree with that:)  Believe it or not, it's happening though!!  I don't know what's gotten in to me, but I have to say that it's kinda fun.  It started with the whole couponing thing and has now spilled over into other areas of my life.  About 6 months ago I made my own liquid laundry soap (see recipe posted below).  I just thought I'd try it and see how it works.  I found everything I needed at Kroger and it only took about 30 minutes to make it...very easy!!  It can be used in HE washing machines and works as well as anything else I've ever used...and the best part, it cost less than $10 to make 10 gallons!!!  I'm guessing, with what I still have left, that it will last me another four or five months!  I can honestly say that I will never go back to buying detergent at the store...I'd rather save the money for some really cute shoes anyway:)  I also purchased some lavender essential oil at The Vitamin Shoppe in Columbus for scent (http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=IF-7093), but you don't have to do that.

The great thing is that I still have plenty of Borax, washing soda and lavender to make at least a couple more 10 gallon batches.  The only thing I'll have to buy before making some more is a Fels Naptha bar, which is only $1.39.  So if you math people run the numbers, it's really costing even less that what I said.  Also, I went to Lowe's and bought a 5 gallon bucket to store it in and held onto a few of my old laundry detergent containers to refill (half water and half homemade detergent).  Some people have asked where I store the 5 gallon bucket...I just keep it on the counter covered with a towel next to my washer in my laundry room.  Someone told me that I could get a lid in the paint department for the bucket so I'm going to do that!!  That's really about all there is to it...seriously, it's great!!

So in my continual countdown to 40, I'm working on being more thrifty...not only for the savings financially, but also to focus on using more natural ingredients and staying away from the harsh chemicals used in so many products.  My next project is homemade fabric softener and dish soap...before you know it, I'll be making my own clothes...OK, probably not:)  Happy laundry soap making!!  


The Duggar Family - Duggar Recipes :: Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value



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