Day 44: Saving $$

So I  posted on Facebook that we were looking for good money-saving tips.  And I got loads of awesome responses.  But I think this was my favorite:

"I make my own laundry detergent for less than $6 dollars for an entire year. Let me know if you want the recipe."

Hell, yeah - we ALL wanted the recipe.  Here it is:

2 cups water
2 ounces grated bar soap (she uses Kiss My Face Olive Oil variety)
1/2 cup Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax (which we already had for science experiments)
1.5 gallons water

In a large stock pot, melt grated bar soap in 2 cups water over med/high heat, then add washing soda and borax. Sitr until disolved then add 1.5 gallons hot tap water. Stir, cover, let sit overnight.  Fill used clean laundry detergent bottles with laundry detergent. Shake well before each use. Use 3 ounces of detergent for each full load of laundry. This is also safe for hand washables. (And hE machines.)

I mixed it up last night.  I made a half recipe because I didn't have a bottle big enough for 1.5 gallons.  The half recipe fit perfectly in a large Tide bottle that probably cost my mom $12 at the store. 

The homemade batch cost me about 60 cents.  It took about 10 minutes to prepare.

Sure, you say.  But did it work?  Did it get stink out of clothes?  Foody stains?  Dirt?

Yep.  I just did two loads of icky boy clothes and everything came out very clean and fresh.  No real fragrance to them, but they don't smell stinky like they did before they got washed. 

I'm a convert. 

Grateful today for friends with awesome money-saving tips like this one.

:-)