Frugal Friday- Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I have been making my own dishwasher detergent for a few months now.  I think it works just as well as Cascade, but at a fraction of the cost.

So here's how you do it....

Ingredients Needed:

Washing Soda, Kosher Salt, Lemon Shine, and Borax

 In a Ziploc Baggie or an Airtight Container mix: 1 Cup Washing Soda, 1 Cup Borax, 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt, and 1/2 Cup Lemon Shine.

I have an old OxiClean Scoop to measure out the detergent.  About 1 Tablespoon will work.

Easy!!!

My Thoughts

1. I'm not sure how the detergent works on really dirty dishes.  I basically wash my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher, so this detergent works really well for me.

2.  I have seen other recipes that call for Citric Acid from the canning stuff or Lemon KoolAide.  I bought the Lemon Shine to see how it would work.  Next time I'll try the KoolAide.  You have to have some sort of acid to prevent your glassware from getting that cloudy residue.

3. The Kosher Salt helps keep the mixture from getting lumpy.  The slightest bit of moisture will cause the detergent to basically turn into a solid piece.  Not Fun to chip away at it.  I learned the hard way and that's why I started using the Ziploc.

Come back next week for another money saving tip!

Frugal Friday: Less is More!

I've said it a million times and I'm sure I'll say it a million more, But I am ALWAYS looking for ways to cut back on our spending.  Every penny adds up!  

One way that I am stretching my dollar is to cut things in half.

So what do I cut in half.....

Dryer Sheets

Pot scrubbers

Paper Towels

(When using for small jobs)

Dry Sweeper Cloths

(I actually flip it over and use the other side)

It may not seem like a lot, but it's all about the little things.

Come back next week for another money saving tip!

Frugal Friday: Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have been making our laundry detergent for a few months now and I don't think I will ever go back to purchasing it at the store.  Even with coupons and sales, making it myself saves us so much money!

Like less than a dollar can make us 6 weeks worth of detergent!  

Crazy.  I know.  

And it is so super simple!

Materials Needed:

Large Pot, Grater, Laundry Soap (Zote, Lirio, Fels Naptha) Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, Borax, Measuring cup, spoon, empty laundry detergent containers (Not Pictured)

1. Grate 1/3 of a bar of laundry soap. And put into pot.

 

2. Add 6 cups of water and allow to simmer on medium low until soap is dissolved.

3. Add 1/2 cup Borax and 1/2 cup Washing Soda. Stir until dissolved.

4. Add 1 Gallon of water, plus 10 cups of water.  Stir well. Remove from heat.

5.  Cover and allow to stand for 24 hours, so the detergent can congeal. Consistency will vary.

After 24 Hours....

6.  Pour Laundry detergent into empty containers and Voila! 

The dispenser cap things pop off for easy filling.

**A few side notes**

1.  I think the laundry detergent works great.  I truly believe that you are paying for the scent of a laundry detergent, not the cleaning job it does.
2.  The homemade laundry detergent kinda smells though.

3.  I broke down and bought this. I use about an ounce per load.  

I used a coupon, so that still makes it Frugal right?

I just wanted my laundry would smell good....... 




That's all for now!  Come back next week for a new money saving tip! 

Frugal Friday: Ditch Cable!

Ditch your Cable!

Seriously....It's a BIG waste of money!

Inspire yourself to be more active, take walks in the park, visit family, read a book.....


And if you can't handle all that....


Invest in Netflix.

We have Netflix and are able to instantly stream movies through our Wii and we get 2 DVD's in the mail.  We used to get three, but Netflix raised their prices, so we cut back on the number of DVD's we receive.  


We are cutting back by not having an expensive cable, but we do splurge on Netflix.  Which it is a splurge.  Our Justification- We do...I mean I watch a movie almost every night to bed. When we do find a series that we like, we watch one episode each night.  I watch documentaries and other TV shows during the day when the only think on basic tv are soaps.  If we didn't have Ava I probably wouldn't have Netflix, because I wouldn't have time for it.  I was always on the go before I got pregnant!  


Netflix works for us and our lifestyle.


That's all for now!  Come back next week for a new money saving tip! 

Frugal Friday: Homemade Foaming Handwash

 Who doesn't love foaming hand soap?

Since Kroger stopped tripling their coupons, I'm not getting hand soap for free, so I needed to find an inexpensive alternative.


1. Get a regular refill bottle of hand soap and empty foaming hand wash dispensers.

2. Fill a foaming hand soap container with an inch of soap.

3. Add tap water slowly to the container.

'

4. Screw the pump back on and slowly... SLOWLY....flip the container every which way. Up. Down, Spin to the left. Spin to the Right. Flip forwards. Flip backwards.  Resist the urge to shake.  Yay!!! Foaming Hand Wash!

Let's Do the Math:


The refill was like $3.50 (I think.)
A new bottle of foaming hand wash is $1.49.
There's 64 ounces in the refill bottle.
I put around 2 ounces of soap in the foaming hand wash bottle.
That's 32 bottles of foaming hand wash per refill bottle.
If I were to buy 32 bottles of foaming hand wash it would cost $47.68. Not including tax and assuming each bottle is $1.49.
The cost to make 32 bottles of foaming hand wash using refill soap is $0.11.  Yeah 11 cents!  $3.50 for 32 bottles of foaming hand wash. 


Do I need to go further?

$47.68 or $3.50?  

Seriously. Does it get any easier than that?  


Just in case you aren't convinced.....


Think about how many empty bottles of foaming hand wash you aren't throwing into a landfill every week, month, year, lifetime....That's a lot of bottles.  
Recycle your refill bottle.  


That's all for now!  Come back next week for a new money saving tip!

The Start of Something

I am always looking for ways to s-t-r-e-t-c-h my dollar...Actually, I am always looking for ways to stretch my penny!  We are a one income family, with a bright future and big dreams.  The only way we can get there, together, is to have a strong financial plan!  So we- Mainly Mommy-- are always looking for ways to save money.... 


I have always thought that the little changes add up and can make a really BIG difference!


So what I want to do is share the little things... some may be bigger than others, but in the end they save a little money.  


So tune back tomorrow (I hope) for my first "Frugal Friday" post... I know, I know, lots of people have a frugal friday thing or link up or whatever, but I want to do my own...maybe I'll join in later...not really sure how all of that works!