Here goes the final installment of the series!
After a month or so of use, we've decided that homemade powdered soap is definitely the way to go. Here's why:
1. Powdered is less messy to use. The "liquid" version has the consistency of runny oatmeal, and comes out in clumps when poured. Its hard to control portions. When shaken in the recycled liquid laundry bottle, it oozes out of the top from the lip/pour spout.
2. Powdered seems to work better. The powdered recipe I've used contains the same ingredients as the liquid version, minus the water, with the addition of baking soda. Perhaps this makes the water even softer so that the other ingredients can clean better? I dunno. But although both clean normally soiled loads as well as store-bought versions, the powdered just seems to do a little better on mud stains (which, in this season of my life, are prevalent).
3. In her book, The Tightwad Gazette, Amy Daczyn pointed out that liquid laundry detergents cost more per load of use than powdered. It seems that the same holds true....once you explain to your husband that you only need 1/5th a scoop per load and not a whole, heaping scoop per load. Also, in purchasing liquid soaps, you're purchasing an ingredient that is essentially free: water.
4. My ma asked what the different recipes smell like. Well, you KNOW that is a pointless question to ask me. I have no idea. But it would probably be easier to add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the liquid concoction, although not impossible to the powdered, it would be difficult to ensure it was wholly mixed. Maybe some lavender blossoms would work through the whole batch? I don't think it has any smell without it. But, then, it depends what bar soap is used.
5. Andy made a new batch of powdered detergent using what we had on hand because (see #3, above). .... We used a bar of Ivory soap and 1 1/2 bars of Octagon. Many recipes call for Ivory soap (99 44/100% pure, plus it dissolves well), but I wanted to use Octagon too since its touted as a stain-fighter, and we've lost so many clothes over the years here to stains. The new recipe, using Ivory soap for part of the mix, seemed to work well on the first few loads.
6. Its easier to store powdered soap, too. We put ours in a large cleaned out "Tidy Cats" litter container that has a snapping lid. I'd tried to pour the liquid into milk jugs, but they were hard to fill due to the consistency of the detergent, and using a funnel to get it in there just made the mess worse.
You don't need a recipe to MYO fabric softener. Just add a 1/2 cup white vinegar to the last rinse. Vinegar "kills" the soap and allows for a clean rinse. There's no smell afterwards, either (that is, so I've heard, and Andy has never reported one).
So I think we're going to go this direction for awhile. Making our own powdered soap takes about 15 minutes, start to finish, and costs less than buying a good quality laundry detergent from WM, even with coupons.
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Homemade Laundry Soap
Guess what I made this morning! The recipe I used yielded about 3 gallons. I'm no math whiz, thus the queasy feeling I get when someone springs a word problem on me, but even I can figure out that this will save us money - one way to recoup the $500 we spent on the installation of a water softener over Christmas.
I've researched this idea off and on for years, and finally all the ingredients were easily obtained, so I gave it a shot. The recipe I ended up using seems to be pretty standard in the blogosphere. I found this at TipNut. Interestingly, when I consulted The Tightwad Gazette, there was no recipe for a laundry soap mentioned. Whether this was an oversight in the final text or what, I wonder.
You can look at the recipe at the link above, but here are the ingredients I had to purchase:
1 box Borax from WM ~ $3.50
1 box A&H Super Washing Soda from Alice.com* $2.76
1 bar of Octagon Soap** from Bartley's Meat Market ~$.79
I had on hand:
water
big jug
funnel
empty milk jugs
empty detergent jug
Notes:
* I looked high and low for this product, and two years ago could only find it online at a case price of something like $13 plus shipping. I discovered Alice.com, a site that offers free shipping with only a minimum 6 item purchase. They market themselves to folks who want to avoid trips to the grocery store for essentials and bulky items. They occasionally have great clearance sales on things like razors, Lipton tea, etc. Their prices are average, in my opinion, and generally I can get better prices at Kroger by shopping sales and using coupons. But I was elated to see Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda there at a very reasonable price.
** Andy FREAKED when he saw 2 bars of Octagon soap on the kitchen counter yesterday. I mean, FREAKED. He backed across the kitchen with his hands up in front of him as if fielding off a bad dream and said, "Ohhhh, no, you're not bringing THAT stuff in the house!" Further investigation revealed that he has an intimate knowledge of Octagon soap a la:
Hmph.
Anyways, it appears that per the label on the empty laundry detergent jug I used will yield about 44 loads per container, and I made 3 containers with the recipe, or about 3 (scant) gallons.
So, if my math logic is correct, it means that the recipe yields approximately 130 loads. The cost of the ingredients - the initial purchase - was $7.04. Do you divide 130 by 7.04 or is it the other way around?? Well, one way comes out to $18 a load and the other comes out to just under $.05 a load. I'll go with that one. Considering that say, I can get A&H (my usual brand) on sale for about $3 a jug for 32 loads, at $.09 a load (or $10.60/load, depending on your math), it comes to a savings of about 50%. (I say "about" because I have NO idea how to figure actual percentages!)
Of course, the proof will come out in the wash. I'll have to do another post on whether it works, whether it smells OK, whether it gives us a horrible rash and whether Andy has flashbacks and needs to be hospitalized for shock therapy. That will be a fun post to write!!
I've researched this idea off and on for years, and finally all the ingredients were easily obtained, so I gave it a shot. The recipe I ended up using seems to be pretty standard in the blogosphere. I found this at TipNut. Interestingly, when I consulted The Tightwad Gazette, there was no recipe for a laundry soap mentioned. Whether this was an oversight in the final text or what, I wonder.
You can look at the recipe at the link above, but here are the ingredients I had to purchase:
1 box Borax from WM ~ $3.50
1 box A&H Super Washing Soda from Alice.com* $2.76
1 bar of Octagon Soap** from Bartley's Meat Market ~$.79
I had on hand:
water
big jug
funnel
empty milk jugs
empty detergent jug
Notes:
* I looked high and low for this product, and two years ago could only find it online at a case price of something like $13 plus shipping. I discovered Alice.com, a site that offers free shipping with only a minimum 6 item purchase. They market themselves to folks who want to avoid trips to the grocery store for essentials and bulky items. They occasionally have great clearance sales on things like razors, Lipton tea, etc. Their prices are average, in my opinion, and generally I can get better prices at Kroger by shopping sales and using coupons. But I was elated to see Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda there at a very reasonable price.
** Andy FREAKED when he saw 2 bars of Octagon soap on the kitchen counter yesterday. I mean, FREAKED. He backed across the kitchen with his hands up in front of him as if fielding off a bad dream and said, "Ohhhh, no, you're not bringing THAT stuff in the house!" Further investigation revealed that he has an intimate knowledge of Octagon soap a la:
Hmph.
Anyways, it appears that per the label on the empty laundry detergent jug I used will yield about 44 loads per container, and I made 3 containers with the recipe, or about 3 (scant) gallons.
So, if my math logic is correct, it means that the recipe yields approximately 130 loads. The cost of the ingredients - the initial purchase - was $7.04. Do you divide 130 by 7.04 or is it the other way around?? Well, one way comes out to $18 a load and the other comes out to just under $.05 a load. I'll go with that one. Considering that say, I can get A&H (my usual brand) on sale for about $3 a jug for 32 loads, at $.09 a load (or $10.60/load, depending on your math), it comes to a savings of about 50%. (I say "about" because I have NO idea how to figure actual percentages!)
Of course, the proof will come out in the wash. I'll have to do another post on whether it works, whether it smells OK, whether it gives us a horrible rash and whether Andy has flashbacks and needs to be hospitalized for shock therapy. That will be a fun post to write!!
Monday, November 3, 2008
my JOB
I thought I’d write and share some about MY job. Andy and I both feel that God wants me to be a SAHM (stay at home mom), and therefore, with His help, I have had to develop some new skills to save us money to enable this to happen. The first place I really looked at was clothing for the girls. To that end, we make use of yard sales, hand-me-downs (mostly Hannah to Abba now, but when I was in Tidewater, my pal BF kept me stocked – those clothes are now on kid #4!) and thrift stores. Thrift stores are limited in Alleghany, so when we go visit family in Tidewater, we make the most of our trip and hit Thrift Store City (“sigh”- Anna!!) and a new one over near Bayside High School, my old stompin’ grounds.
That part is easy and fun, but it was the weekly grind of grocery shopping that really had me stymied for awhile. Once I got the hang of it, however, it is where I can save my family even more and make our dollars go farther. Here are some of my tricks:
First, we have a budget. We aim for $75/week for groceries…usually that runs over, but never over $100. By groceries I mean basically whatever we can buy in Food Lion, so it includes dipes, vitamins, cleaning products, paper goods, etc. Some folks who figure out a grocery budget separate some of that stuff, but I include it. I hope to change this to a cash-only envelope system so that if we have money left over it goes into next weeks’ envelope, savings, or whatnot. We’re just not there yet. I need a small desk of my own, I think, to better organize myself here.
Second, before I shop, I make three lists. The first is an ongoing, “we’re almost out of” list that’s posted on the fridge. The second is my “stockpile” list, which includes shelf-stable or freezable items we keep an inventory of. I research these to get the best price (with coupons+sales) and buy in bulk when I get them at a great price. By stockpiling, I am not stuck running out to buy, say, tomato soup not on sale, because I can wait a couple months for it to go on sale and buy 10 cans. The third list is also one I research well by finding internet coupons, newspaper coupons and alerts on deals from some of my favorite money-saving websites. These are bonus items – can’t pass up deals - such as the Nestle hot chocolate mix I got from Wal-Mart on Friday – it was $2/2 packages. I had two $1/off coupons, so I got 2 boxes for FREE. Also, a $30 Bayer Contour 2 Blood Glucose Monitor at CVS…it was on sale for $30 and I had a $30 coupon, so it was free….I don’t need, it but I will donate it to the church or a local adult home…but, even better, I had a CVS coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase, so I got $5 back – meaning they paid me $5 to take that glucose monitor. Pretty cool! So, this third list is stuff I might not be looking for or it might be something I don’t normally buy, but if it is 75% + off, then I will get it as long as I stay in budget. I match up the store circulars with the coupons I have on file, then I put my lists (all written down on one piece of paper so I can see it all at a glance) at the front of my coupon notebook and off I go to the store.
Third, I organize my shopping trips. I have three stores to choose from: Food Lion, Wal-Mart and Kroger. Kroger is about 12 miles further to drive to than the other two, but it is right near Andy’s office. If we go there, we usually make a day of it and pack a picnic lunch so we girls can get some extra Daddy-o time. Some weeks I will only go to one store, but other times I’ll hit all three, especially if Food Lion has a 3-day only sale. I shop when the girls are in good moods, well-rested, or else I leave Hannah home with Andy. I am less likely to impulse buy with a list, and I stick to my 50% rule – it has to be 50% off (with coupon) if I’m going to buy a non-necessity. I carry my coupon notebook into the store with me in case I come across an unadvertised sale – or better yet, find something on clearance (like the True North Almond Clusters I found at Wal-Mart once for $1.50/bag, normally about $4 a bag and I had 3 $1 off coupons! Gotta love it!)
My reward? I get great satisfaction knowing that I have saved money and am able to contribute in a tangible way to our economic goals. I generally save about 40-50% on our total grocery bill ( I like shopping at Kroger because it shows at the bottom of the receipt how much you save, and I hold off giving my MVP card till the end at FL so it takes it all off at once after it has been subtotaled). It is also a challenge and a little mental gymnastics. I hope that I am teaching my girls the value of Daddy-o’s work – that we don’t just go and randomly get things, but that we are good stewards of our money. I hope that I am teaching them that we are disciplined in what we do and don’t buy, that we wait and do without some of the “fluff” sometimes – but our needs are always met. I hope that they see what I do as important so that they will be inspired to take their household management jobs seriously – be they married, single or still living at home. Money management is something that I just don’t have a firm grip on. By staying in a budget and working hard to pay off credit card debt (a whole ‘nother post) we are showing them and ourselves that our actions have consequences, and we are indeed slaves to our debt at this point.
Whew, this was a long post. But I just got back from Food Lion where the register rang up $105.10, I handed over my coupons and my MVP card and it flickered to $55.45, so I thought I’d share with you how I did it.
Have any questions? Want more ideas/tips? Wish I’d just go away?? J
That part is easy and fun, but it was the weekly grind of grocery shopping that really had me stymied for awhile. Once I got the hang of it, however, it is where I can save my family even more and make our dollars go farther. Here are some of my tricks:
First, we have a budget. We aim for $75/week for groceries…usually that runs over, but never over $100. By groceries I mean basically whatever we can buy in Food Lion, so it includes dipes, vitamins, cleaning products, paper goods, etc. Some folks who figure out a grocery budget separate some of that stuff, but I include it. I hope to change this to a cash-only envelope system so that if we have money left over it goes into next weeks’ envelope, savings, or whatnot. We’re just not there yet. I need a small desk of my own, I think, to better organize myself here.
Second, before I shop, I make three lists. The first is an ongoing, “we’re almost out of” list that’s posted on the fridge. The second is my “stockpile” list, which includes shelf-stable or freezable items we keep an inventory of. I research these to get the best price (with coupons+sales) and buy in bulk when I get them at a great price. By stockpiling, I am not stuck running out to buy, say, tomato soup not on sale, because I can wait a couple months for it to go on sale and buy 10 cans. The third list is also one I research well by finding internet coupons, newspaper coupons and alerts on deals from some of my favorite money-saving websites. These are bonus items – can’t pass up deals - such as the Nestle hot chocolate mix I got from Wal-Mart on Friday – it was $2/2 packages. I had two $1/off coupons, so I got 2 boxes for FREE. Also, a $30 Bayer Contour 2 Blood Glucose Monitor at CVS…it was on sale for $30 and I had a $30 coupon, so it was free….I don’t need, it but I will donate it to the church or a local adult home…but, even better, I had a CVS coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase, so I got $5 back – meaning they paid me $5 to take that glucose monitor. Pretty cool! So, this third list is stuff I might not be looking for or it might be something I don’t normally buy, but if it is 75% + off, then I will get it as long as I stay in budget. I match up the store circulars with the coupons I have on file, then I put my lists (all written down on one piece of paper so I can see it all at a glance) at the front of my coupon notebook and off I go to the store.
Third, I organize my shopping trips. I have three stores to choose from: Food Lion, Wal-Mart and Kroger. Kroger is about 12 miles further to drive to than the other two, but it is right near Andy’s office. If we go there, we usually make a day of it and pack a picnic lunch so we girls can get some extra Daddy-o time. Some weeks I will only go to one store, but other times I’ll hit all three, especially if Food Lion has a 3-day only sale. I shop when the girls are in good moods, well-rested, or else I leave Hannah home with Andy. I am less likely to impulse buy with a list, and I stick to my 50% rule – it has to be 50% off (with coupon) if I’m going to buy a non-necessity. I carry my coupon notebook into the store with me in case I come across an unadvertised sale – or better yet, find something on clearance (like the True North Almond Clusters I found at Wal-Mart once for $1.50/bag, normally about $4 a bag and I had 3 $1 off coupons! Gotta love it!)
My reward? I get great satisfaction knowing that I have saved money and am able to contribute in a tangible way to our economic goals. I generally save about 40-50% on our total grocery bill ( I like shopping at Kroger because it shows at the bottom of the receipt how much you save, and I hold off giving my MVP card till the end at FL so it takes it all off at once after it has been subtotaled). It is also a challenge and a little mental gymnastics. I hope that I am teaching my girls the value of Daddy-o’s work – that we don’t just go and randomly get things, but that we are good stewards of our money. I hope that I am teaching them that we are disciplined in what we do and don’t buy, that we wait and do without some of the “fluff” sometimes – but our needs are always met. I hope that they see what I do as important so that they will be inspired to take their household management jobs seriously – be they married, single or still living at home. Money management is something that I just don’t have a firm grip on. By staying in a budget and working hard to pay off credit card debt (a whole ‘nother post) we are showing them and ourselves that our actions have consequences, and we are indeed slaves to our debt at this point.
Whew, this was a long post. But I just got back from Food Lion where the register rang up $105.10, I handed over my coupons and my MVP card and it flickered to $55.45, so I thought I’d share with you how I did it.
Have any questions? Want more ideas/tips? Wish I’d just go away?? J
Thursday, August 21, 2008
homecoming
We are hot off the road from an extended visit to Tidewater...we were gone almost a week! Time just flies when you're having fun - truly! Lessee, after an 8-hour trip down (TRAFFIC), we destressed in the spa on my parents' deck (read: blue baby pool), vistited friends (OK, only Naurine & Emmy, and a quick pop-in to Lynn) and family (did the ole' SURPRISE drop-in on Andy's dad...I think it worked!). 
Enjoyed a "berry" lovely dessert with Gaga, Aunt Robin, big brother Josh....
Met a very nice African tortise named - - - RootBeer - - - - at a marina where my Dad's company is bidding a job....
Sugar Baby became rather proficient at walking.....
and horseback riding - and keeping Han away from the horse.....
You know, I can't say that I am "sooooo glad" to be home! I mean, I AM glad, but we really had a good, relaxing time down there. I got to do my favorite: nap in the afternoons, shop at some really good thrift stores....most importantly, though, it was low stress. To those friends who we missed visiting - SORRY!! But we just can't do it all and still maintain...um....not get the girls over tired. We have a short window to do anything and we just can't do it all every time!
Enjoyed a "berry" lovely dessert with Gaga, Aunt Robin, big brother Josh....Met a very nice African tortise named - - - RootBeer - - - - at a marina where my Dad's company is bidding a job....Sugar Baby became rather proficient at walking.....and horseback riding - and keeping Han away from the horse.....You know, I can't say that I am "sooooo glad" to be home! I mean, I AM glad, but we really had a good, relaxing time down there. I got to do my favorite: nap in the afternoons, shop at some really good thrift stores....most importantly, though, it was low stress. To those friends who we missed visiting - SORRY!! But we just can't do it all and still maintain...um....not get the girls over tired. We have a short window to do anything and we just can't do it all every time!
A highlight was my visit to Thrift Store City and a new thrift store over near Bayside High School, where I used to work....good thing it wasn't open 4 years ago when I was working there, or else I'd be in there 4 days a week!! I got Hannah some cute clothes (they had Hanna Andersson like new dresses for $4!) (who is Hanna Andersson? I seem to remember they have a catalog with $30/baby outfits as their cheapest item...those days are long gone - I have a $75/week grocery budget now) (!!!)
Well, enough about us, thought you might like to see the pictures.
P.S.
Jean: we're praying for you that you don't get waterlogged with all the rain from Fay down there in (sunny?) Florida.
Sabrena: I don't have time to blog. I carve it out of my laundry time. That is why I go to thrift stores so I don't have to wash clothes. For months.
Andy: wasn't Abba sooo cute the way she was so glad to see you yesterday?
Ma: Why don't you read my blog????!!!!
Alleghany County: Its good to be home!!!!
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