HOME MADE

§  I feel bad that I haven’t posted in a while, but trust me I have been busy.  Van, my son, has been keeping me up all night.  Thank God for coffee.  Anyway, some of you may know that I am not returning to my part-time job.  I previously worked at the After School Program for the ARC.  I didn’t want to say anything officially until I sent in my resignation.  I liked this job, but with both of my kids and Devin’s new job, it was impossible for me to stay.  

§  Even though Devin now has a job, leaving the arc stills means less money.  I have been trying to find ways to save, and I noticed that one of my friends has been using a web site called “Frugal Girls”.  I tried it out.  I found many ways to save.  Some of these may sound crazy.  I have not tried all of them yet, but I could not wait to share.

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I just finished making homemade laundry soap.  It was so easy and if it works, it will save me about 20 dollars each time I make it.  One container of laundry soap could cost up to 20 dollars and I made the same amount for like a dollar. 

§  I also made homemade fabric softener.  All I needed was container and vinegar.  Just finished a load of laundry with it and the clothes feel so soft.  If you use suave and store brand vinegar it only cost like 3 dollars for a gallon of it.  

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§  Finally, I made homemade wipes.  Devin wasn’t sure about these, but they seem to be working.  I took old t-shirts, cut them up, and then put them in a mixture of baby oil, baby shampoo, and water.  You wash them and then reuse them.  Oh, what did I just GO GREEN!  Well I am happy that I am saving green.  The t-shirts are softer then regular baby wipes and I use less of them because they absorb more.  The wipes also smell wonderful, better than the ones I was using before.

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I almost forgot.  I made homemade leave in conditioner.  It is so easy.  Just take your spray bottle, put a little conditioner in to it (whatever smell you like) and a little water, and shake it up.  I tried it this morning and it works great.  I didn’t even need regular conditioner just the spray.  I saved money because you only need a little conditioner for the entire bottle.  I used suave strawberry.  The entire bottle of conditioner cost like a dollar.  It could last me all year, and my hair feels great!

Home Made Laundry soap

What you need

§  1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}

§  1/2 Cup: Borax {print a coupon here}

§  1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar}

§  Bucket {2 gallon size or larger}

§  Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent.

What You’ll Do:

§  Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap over large pot or saucepan…

• Add 6 cups of Water.
• Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
• Add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• Pour 4 cups Hot Water into bucket, and then add Soap Mixture.
• Stir, and then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water.  Stir.

§  Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.

§  Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.

Home Made fabric softener (I tried it and loved it.  I would probably put more conditioner in next time to make it smell better.)

What You’ll Need:

§  6 cups HOT water

§  3 cups white vinegar

§  2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}

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What You’ll Do:

§  Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.

§  Add the vinegar, and mix well.

§  Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}

§  Pour into a downy ball… or the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!

Home Made Wipes

•2 1/2 cup Water

•2 tsp Baby Shampoo or Baby Bath

•1 tsp. Baby Oil

•1/2 Roll Paper Towels (Bounty) I used scarps of old T-shirts.

Directions

Take old t-shirts.  (I had just gone through our closet and took out anything that was fading, ripped, or didn’t fit anymore.)  Cut them into pieces.  Mix water, shampoo and baby oil in a container.  Put the scraps into the mixture and let them soak.  (I would wring the out and then put them into the baby wipe container.  Be sure to make extra so.  While you are cleaning one load of wipes, you can use the others.  I made an entire box full of scrapes.  Keep a laundry basket (one with a lid) next to your changing area.  I would wash these wipes by themselves in your washing machine.

Anyone have any other ideas.  My kitchen has become a lab!