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Friday, November 20, 2009

Frugal Friday

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Did you know that you can make your own laundry soap? Did you also know that not only is it better for the environment, but it also ends up being cheaper than buying it at the stores. Most places break it down to being about 5 to 10 cents per load when using the homemade product. And it is easy! There are liquid recipes that involve cooking and stirring the product but I just make the dry recipe, which ends up as a powdered laundry detergent.



You will need a bar of soap. Zote or Fels Naptha is usually recommended but you can use just about anything, just check to make sure it isn't leaving a film on your clothing. I used to find Fels Naptha at a small grocery store but they stopped carrying it. I was overjoyed when I found it at Lehman's for $1.50 for a huge bar, I end up using just half a bar per batch. You will also need Borax and Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda). Washing soda can usually be found near the Borax. Our Walmart doesn't carry it so I get it at our grocery store.

Grate the bar of soap up. Many people use a food processor for this job. I just use a cheese grater. I usually use the smallest grate possible but with the Zote it was softer and just wasn't grating up so I used the bigger side of the grater. I have had no problems with it no dissolving in the washing machine, but I recommend you trying to grate it as small as possible.

Mix equal parts of Borax and Washing Soda into the soap shavings. I used 1/2 a bar of Zote and about 1/4 of the box of Borax and 1/3 of the box of Washing Soda. You can experiment to see what you like. You can also add a cup of baking soda if you would like. Mix thoroughly and it should look like this...

I just store this in an old extra large pickle jar that I have.

Use 2 to 4 Tablespoons per load of laundry. I use two of those small scoops that is on top of the jar. This does not suds up like regular laundry detergent but it gets the clothes clean and leaves a light, clean scent on them. One of these jars should last us over a month and that is for washing clothing, bedding, and towels of five people and lots of pets. It is economical and works!

To continue on about my pantry cooking, I will recap the meals we have recently scrounged from the cupboards. We had tuna helper, brussel sprouts, and a pumpkin roll for dinner yesterday. Popped popcorn was for a snack.

For breakfast today I had Cheerios and the kids had frozen waffles. For lunch the kids had a cheese sandwich and crackers and I had a peanut butter sandwich. We have been snacking on celery and yogurt. For dinner I will be making french toast, eggs, and turkey sausage links. Tomorrow morning will probably be oatmeal or cocoa wheats. And then we will go shopping!

I have been clearing out the cupboards and using food that I forgot about. I have been saving money as well. It has been a win-win situation and I am going to try doing this at least once every few months...skipping a whole week of shopping and just using things from the cupboards, freezer, and fridge. Just think, if my weekly grocery budget is around $75 and I skip a whole week of shopping (except for bread and milk) that means I save us $75! A win-win situation!

10 comments:

  1. Elizabeth,
    I really enjoy reading your blog. I'm not trying to be mean or negative, but I think your attitude about money is way over the top. There is nothing wrong with trying to save money but there's alot more to life than pinching pennies. You have stated that you live on a very limited budget. Maybe your husband should go back to school or something so he could get a better job. My wish for you would be that one day you could just go out and shop all day, buying whatever your heart desires!

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  2. Hi Laura-
    I'm glad you enjoy reading my blog. It's hard to convoy our whole life in a few blog postings and I am sure it is easy for people to make assumptions based on what I write. I could write a whole blog post about this (and may in the future!) but just wanted to say that penny pinching is my hobby, it is what helps me stay home with my kids. My husband has a good job and while it doesn't make us rich we do okay on it.
    The motto is true, "The more money you make, the more you spend." I know families who make triple what we make and are worse of money-wise than us. We have no debt except our home mortgage and a car note, which will be paid off within a few months of obtaining it.
    I actually do shop and spend money on things my heart desires! I just save money while doing so! :)

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  3. Great post Elizabeth & I applaud you on how you replied to that comment. I wouldn't have been so nice. Some people don't understand that what other's heart's may desire are different from their own. I love to save money as well & my heart desires anything involving my kids. Material things mean nothing! Love the pantry idea!! I will have to do this!

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  4. Does the washing powder dissolve well in cold water? I've had trouble in the past with that. I'm a little intimidated by the liquid homemade detergent, but I think I could pull this off.

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  5. Becky-
    I've had no problem with it not dissolving, and I almost always use cold water. If you are uncertain you can always dissolve it in a cup of hot water before dumping it in your machine.

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  6. I LOVE that this is used as a dry powder detergent... most I have seen require dissolving the solution in water and storing a large amount of liquid detergent...

    For issues with dissolving, I sometimes start my wash load on warm, add detergent and once it's dissolved (or mostly) I switch back to cold and add my clothes in.

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  7. Elizabeth,
    Love your blog and your great money saving ideas. I started making my own laundry soap some years ago and have found the only two ingredients that I need are baking soda, a cleanser and deodorizer and borax, which gets the tough stuff out. I started out with the fels naptha and washing soda and borax and after working things around a bit to see what works for me I have found one part borax to two parts baking soda is just what I need. I ix it up in a plastic bucket and then just use about an 1/8 c. per washload. I do add some oxy-clean when I need to get yellowing out or some such thing. I really like the idea of saving a bit in this area and using what I save for other things. Great answer to above comment. Very gracious reply.
    :)

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  8. Does this work with a front loader?

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  9. sarahg-
    I do not have a front loader but have seen on most recipes that it works for one. Maybe cut down on the amount you use and see what amount tends to get your clothing cleanest.

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