Money Saving Monday

     Over the summer, I'm going to try to blog on a daily basis. I've been thinking of different things to write about, and the first will be this: I will try to do a "Money Saving Monday" post, every Monday, to help you save money. It may be a do-it-yourself, gift idea, coupons site, store, online deals, recipes for household cleaners, etc. Not sure how well this will go, since my schedule often gets changed from what I originally plan, but here's today's post.

My first money-saving tip is to make your own laundry detergent. The cheap brands don't work anyway, and the ones that do cost over .25/load, often close to $10 for a container. This detergent works really well, using safe, environmentally safe ingredients that have been around for 100 years or more. I have been asked for this recipe for years and never had a single person tell me they were allergic to it, or it didn't work. The cost is only about 1 penny per load!!! The ingredients will make multiple batches, so you spend less than $10 on them once, then make 6 gallons with most of the ingredients left over. You just have to buy another bar of soap to make the next 6 gallons, and keep using your original box. Mine lasted a year.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT RECIPE

3 Pints Water
1/3 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, Grated
1/2 Cup Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer, but not baking soda)
1/2 Cup Borax detergent

You'll need a large 2 gallon bucket or larger, but be sure it's something you can later lift and pour out of later. I use a storage tub, then transfer the finished detergent into empty gallon water/milk jugs.

1.  Heat ingredients on low on your stove stirring continuously until dissolved.  Bring to rolling boil.  

2.  Pour hot ingredients in bucket.  Add hot water to total 2 gallons. Stir well.

3.  Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Stir occasionally. Store in milk jugs or empty laundry soap containers, give it a good shake to mix and then pour. 

* Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load. You don't need a full cup like other powders.

On a side note, I did try adding Oxy Clean to the mix. It maybe worked a little better, but it wasn't significant. Feel free to experiment with your own ideas.