Frugal Friday

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!