So frugally awesome - DIY Laundry Detergent

10/13 Update:  Thanks to everyone from Pinterest who are stopping by!  I've been using this as my detergent for the past year and still love it:)  I've experimented with other soaps and each time has worked out well, so feel free to change up the soap of your preference to get different results.  I'd love it if you would follow the blog and leave comments about your experience with home made detergent - it would be fun hearing how it works for other people:)  Also, if you have any other tips, mention them in the comments.  I know some others have been adding downy and/or laundry enhancers to theirs and I've enjoy hearing how that works!  See you around!


Back in October I experimented with making laundry detergent.  I wasn't sure about this whole thing.  But the thought that I could make a 3 or 4 gallon batch of detergent for less than $5 was baffling to me?  How much money would I save?!  A lot!  Considering that even on sale, 1 HALF gallon may cost $5.  Every once in a while it may be less.  But not all the time! Right now a little over a GALLON (150 ounces) of Tide at Shoprite is $16.99? 

So my BFF, Heather, & I made our first batches of the detergent.  Here is what you need, except I put the wrong box in this picture - the Arm & Hammer should be WASHING SODA - which looks a lot like baking soda...I grabbed the wrong box for this pic.  You need the washing soda, Borax, and Fels-Naptha.  Fels-Naptha is bar soap, a laundry bar soap and it smells lemony and lovely!  All these items can be found in the laundry aisle in any major store - I happen to get mine in Wal-mart (gasp!  I cheated on Target?!?!) and spend $3.89 on the three items.  Score!

 I bought a cheese grater just for this detergent.  I can't imagine sharing my regular one with soap.  That would not taste very good!  So you grate your soap down to ribbons...

Like so...

Then, you boil 4 cups of water on the stove top...once its rolling drop in your soap!

Boil and stir and boil and stir until all the soap is dissolved, it'll look all frothy:



Oh and don't walk away from it.  My BFF may or may not have done that the 2nd time around.  And it may or may not have been a disaster in her kitchen!  Heather, I hope you don't mind me sharing that, I feel it's important enough to warn;)  It totally could've happened to me because that is something I would do.

This will make your house smell so wonderful and clean, even if it isn't!!

Unfortunately this is where my photo's end.  I'll have to add more the next time I make it.

Next, you take a 5 gallon paint bucket (buy it at Home D or Lowes, buy the lid too - its only about $5 or less for the set) and I fill it a little over halfway with warm water, about 3 gallons.  I have to fill it in my bathtub because my sink isn't that deep.  Or I could fill it in the basement in my utility sink.  

Then dump in your dissolved soap mixture!  Stir it up nicely.  Then add 1 cup of washing soda and a 1/2 cup of the Borax.  Stir it well and then stick the top on and keep it in your laundry room.  Let it set for about 24 hours.  Stir it again.  Don't be alarmed by its....goopiness.  That is the official word!  It looks gross but it smells delightful.  It works awesome!  I get compliments on the way my clothes smell, and they are CLEAN!  This is crazy?!?! 

I feel so domestic.  I feel like I belong in Little Women or some movie like that!?  I am making my own laundry detergent!!  How did we get so dependant on main stream products to stop making things ourselves?  I have over 3 gallons of laundry soap that cost me hardly anything!  You spend less each time you make it, because really you only have to buy the soap every batch because the boxes of Washing Soda and Borax last that at least 4-5 batches!  It is really amazing, and feels great to be doing something so close to being natural, and frugal! 

One batch lasted us 2.5 months.  I made mine in early October and I had to make my next right before Christmas.  We do at LEAST 6 loads a week (seriously I am being modest when I say 6, it may be more like 8 or 9 a week) so that is 60+ loads.

We aren't so strapped for money that we can't afford laundry soap or anything, but it's the principal of the matter!  Why pay $10+ a MONTH for this stuff if I can make it myself!?  As a up and coming couponer and frugal lady - this is one of the things that makes me proud and happy!  I love saving money on everyday things!!

By the way, I have front loading machines, HE and all and this works great.  No worries, no spills, nothing.  It's awesome.  Use about 1 cup for a regular load.  You'll be hooked, I swear!

Progress!

It has been a long Monday! 

I've started to re-do the old bloggity blog here...so please excuse me while it is transitioning:)

I'm also starting some fun, Pinterest related projects soon!  Just as a preview, more specifically...these things:

This fun "BOO" Halloween decor, from here :

Also, I'm dying to try this, from here :



More updates on those as I get the projects underway.  I am totally excited about doing home decor stuff again, cooking fun new things, reading fabulous new books, and sharing it all here for you!  Good night!

Goodbye Spring Break:(

Oh where oh where does the time go?  5 days just flew by me in a flash.  I had a great break though!  I finish two whole books, almost my goal of finishing 3;)  I'm working on Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey now (book 2 in this series...)

I totally repurposed a while IKEA sofa table I had, sanded it and painted it black to go in our hallway for our "launch pad" entry table....only to realized after I did all the work that it doesn't fit in that spot!  It's too big!  OH MAN!  It's really nice too, looks like new.  So now we have to 1) find where to put and use this new beautifully redone piece of furniture (pics to come) and 2) find something else to put in our foyer hallway.  Moral of the story: always measure your furniture to make sure it fits.  We've only lived here a year and already we have more furniture than we have room for.

I got a lot of cleaning done, but mostly a lot of hanging with with family and friends.  Thu I went to my parents to help work on the house, at night Katie Drost (Hi Katie!) and I watched HP 7 Part 1 together.  Friday I went to the Lancaster Outlets for some shopping, it was so fun.  Then Dave and I got ready and went down to Bmore for the Orioles game but it go cancelled:(  We ended up ordering pizza back home and having a quiet night it.  Saturday I went shopping with Katie Mac (Hi Katie!) and then spent the evening going to church with Dave, Ashley & my MIL Joyce, and going to DuClaw after with Dave.  Yesterday was a day full of fun and family, Easter service at Joyce's church and dinner and Easter Egg fun times.  Here are some pictures.....

 Connie, MIL Joyce, Ashley and Dave....

 me, Ash, Dave - my family:)

 Just me - with the pretty tree....

 Dave & I hiding eggs for Ashley to find...

 Ashley hunting the eggs...

 Then Ash hid them for us and we found them, gotta love joining in on the fun!

 We celebrated Ashley's 12th bday, which is actually today, with ice cream cake and gifts later at the house...

 Make a wish!

 Oh, here are our eggs - solids and tye dyes....

 Ashley at home, getting ready to find all her gifts.  Dave & I wrapped and hid them all and came up with clues so Ashley went on a Scavenger Hunt to find them all....we hid them is crazy places...

 This chair was all set up in here room, she started here....

 We hid one in the dryer,

 In the shower, sorry its so blurry...

 In the craft room....

 These were just a few of the clues, there were 10 all together I believe,  it was so fun watching her scramble around excited to find her gifts.  It was a cool way to present her gifts too - she loved it.

All done and ready to open!  Again, sorry for the blur!

Today for Ashley's actual bday we spent the day at Six Flags America riding rides like the Superman and Batman and Jokers Jinx, my head is still rattling around!  It was a perfect day, actually a little too hot to be there and not have access to the water park (it's closed til summer) but overall it was so fun.  Then we took her out to Olive Garden fora big dinner.

My break was awesome.  I spent time with a lot of people I love, shopped for the first time in ages, and ate way too much!  Tomorrow it's back to work and reality.  I'm not ready!!  I hope everyone had a wonderful, fun and relaxing Spring Break. 

The Saturdays, and Sundays....and Mondays:)

Finished Book 5: The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright



It was so cute!  So you know how I am on this big "kidlit" kick right now.  This is definitely a kids book, its short and sweet - which is sorta why I chose it.  I had to give up The Host and Maybe this Time, because they were due back at the library and I was out of renews for those.  So I had to replace them.  The Saturdays was one of those, and I'm not sure what the other one will be yet! 

This book was about 4 children, brothers & sisters, who come up with a Saturday club where they put all their allowances together and go on fantastic adventures only on Saturday.  It's such a sweet book and any kid will love it, big or little:)  I give it a 4:)

Oh my, Spring Break has gone by way too fast!   Today was such a lovely day - going to church with family, eating dinner at my MIL's and dyeing & hiding & hunting Easter eggs, letting Ashley open her bday gifts early (we did a scavenger hunt - it was so fun!) and just beign together.  Tomorrow (Monday) is my last day off.  It is Ashley's birthday and we are taking her to Six Flags America for the day.  It'll be so fun and a perfect day for an amusement park, 80 some degrees and sunny!  I've gotten a lot done this weekend and I've had lots of fun - I'll get into details tomorrow.  Now I have to start a new book and get ready for tomorrow!  Happy Easter Everyone!

Totally redeeming myself....

After getting NOTHING done over the past two weeks, I am proud to say I've been getting soooo much done.  I miss staying at home, I need to be a homemaker - which I'd never thought I'd want to do!!!  Is that what marriage does to women?  I want to be all domestic and 50's like...it's so weird. 

Anyways, I've cleaned my downstairs for the most part - I still need to do the baseboards and the walls and a few of the windows, but the floors and all the surfaces and the kitchen is clean and the clutter that has built up is gone. 

Last night I made dinner and cookies, and they turned out so lovely, see:

I also started working on the "launch pad" table for our foyer, and it's looking good.  I can't wait to finish it (tonight) and set it up so I can start hanging the cute little city plates up and our "B" for Bland, its going to be so cute! 

I also when shopping today, yay!!  I don't shop for me much, as in clothes and girly stuff.  But Dave & I decided that this pay we would spend a little bit on us.  I needed NICE clothes, stuff to wear to work and church and out, some of my work clothes are years old and are old and don't fit right, they need to be thrown away.  So this am I hopped in the car all by myself and went to the Lancaster Outlets.  Dave had to sleep all day, and honestly I love shopping alone, because I don't have to worry about someone waiting on me or wanting me to hurry up - I can take my time and do my own thing.  It was so fun!  I went to Gap and Banana and got a LOT of stuff for under $130.  Then I came back and went to Kohl's and bought a cute dress for $21 thanks to a coupon:)

I even helped mom out yesterday for a few hours, we demo'd the sink in their bathroom, it was a learning experience and really fun.  Now I can know out our sink/countertop when we re-do our bathroom instead of paying someone $1000 to do it!  Wooo!

Tonight we were supposed to be at the O's game in Baltimore, we drove down there and ate at Pickles Pub, went into the stadium only to learn the game was postponed because of rain.  Boooo.  It's ok though, we automatically get to go to the make up, and hopefully it'll be a nicer, warmer, sunnier day!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Spring Break/Easter Weekend!!  I know I am!  Remember the reason we get to celebrate this time of year...it's important:)



Yes, I'm alive!!!

Oh man, its been a WEEK since I've posted last!  It's so sad!!

I've been so crazy busy, it's not even funny!!  I've been on ONE book for over a week because I haven't had any time to read - I havent cleaned my house or done laundry or done anything in the way of house projects.  Its bad!! 

It's spring break so I have 5 days off school.  Honestly, it's time for ME time....I've spent so much time on other people, doing things for other people, which is wonderful and fulfilling but everything happened all at once and I've had absolutely no time for me, to do things that I need to get done or want to get done (like reading...)

Of course..when I got home from work today instead of DOING things that need to be done, I made dinner and fell asleep on the couch for 3 hours.  Now I'm too sleepy to do anything.  Tomorrow, I've told my parents that I will help in their house more for a few hours...siiiiiiiggghhhhh, so my house stuff will have to work around it.  They need the help and hey, they pay me to help renovate so it's all good, its just hard for me to say no sometimes when I know people need the help. 

Honestly, I've had no time or motivation to stick to my April Happiness Goals.  So sad.  I havent been getting up to work out, I've neglected my food diary, and my one line journal.  I set myself up this month for failure by giving myself too much to remember!  I'd still like to do the Happiness Project, but this month should've been "Focus on others" because I'd be a winner on that one:)  So I'm tweeking my "Be Healthy" goals for April, even though it's almost over, to just working out - to do at least 10 minutes a day, no matter what it is:)  I can do that!  Sometimes we have to let ourselves fail to learn a lesson. 

So what's on the ME agenda for this break?  Here is my mile long TO DO list.  It won't all get done, but I plan on putting a good chip in it:

1.  Get hair cut
2.  Go shopping for some clothes (I need work clothes!) for every item I buy I get rid of something I dont      wear! 
3.  Start spring cleaning:

• kitchen - clean floors, counters, appliances, walls, baseboard
• first floor - clean floors, dust surfaces, wash windows, clean clutter, clean walls and baseboards
• our bedroom - put winter clothes away, dust, vacuum, clean windows, baseboards, walls
• vacuum upstairs
• clean bathrooms, baseboards, mirrors, walls, counters and shower/bath
• get clutter out
• put stuff in attic (from room and basement)

4.  Work on "launch pad" new foyer table and hang pictures
5.  Finish books 4, 5, and 6..
6.  Work out!!
7.  Spend time with family and friends

That's my list so far, I'm sure there is more I want to do but can't think of right now.  I can't believe that April is going by so fast.  Does anyone else feel that way?  It'll be over next weekend?  How did that happen? 

Ok, game plan for tonight.  I'm going to start putting winter stuff away, getting summer stuff out, get rid of some more clothes, then take a nice hot bath, and then read until I fall asleep again.  Seeing as it's 10 pm I really cant launch a cleaning spree right now:) 

I've learned that two of my books are overdue at the library - so I may end up switching those out for two I have here - it's hard for me to keep up with library books during this busy month! 

More posts coming this weekend as I actually get stuff done thats blog worthy around here:)

Catching Fire....

Before I review Catching Fire: Book 2 of Hunger Games, I need to review Book 1 officially.

Last week I made this Book 1 of April, since I was trying something new out of it and I like to have at least 1 cookbook on my list a month where I find a new recipe:



I give this book a 4. 

Its awesome!  I love making these cake pops, there are so many options of pops to make, I am going to do them again and again until I have all sorts of designs, maybe even open an Etsy shop selling my own?  We'll see....but the possibilities are endless with these tasty treats!  I recommend it if you love baking and love being creative.  Its a craft that you can eat.  How awesome is that??

Now for Book 2 on the April list:



This book gets a 5!

I did not want to put this one down!!  Just like the first one - but this time I made myself.  Since I am trying to Be Healthy this month, I couldn't stay up all hours of the night reading it.  But that was really hard.  Sleeping.  Going to work.  Not when there was such a good book to finish (one of the benefits of being a housewife in the winter...I could read right through a book in a day, no problem)!  Katniss' story continues and I can't even say what happens because if you haven't read the first book, it would just ruin it.  Read this series.  It's amazing!  I love love love it!  No, not as much as Harry Potter - but its right up there with Twilight fighting for my number 2 favorite series;)  I don't think it'll beat Twilight in that fight, but it's close!  LOL.  Book beating humor....what a dork;)

So tonight I am moving on to Book 3 (making up for lost time!) for April which happens to be Book 3 in the Hunger Games (last book) called Mockingjay.  I am sure that book will be done by Sunday, if not tomorrow.  It's the weekend and it's raining and I don't mind curling up on my couch and reading as much as my heart desires, with breaks for food, maybe some sleep, def some cleaning and cake popping;)

I've got some projects brewing for this weekend too, I'm hoping to get a few fun things done around the house so be on the look out, TeeBCrafty this weekend;) Have a pleasant Friday evening!

Oh what a week!

Oh man!  I'm finally starting to feel better!  Yay!!  My head feels clear, I don't feel flu-ish, my congestion is still kicking but less fiercely.  The only problem is, I'm still really tired.  I can't seem to kick that yet - but hopefully tomorrow I will feel more energy.  I haven't clocked a lot of shut eye the past two nights.  Tuesday was the sad, sad anniversary of Dave's fathers passing - we had a late night of being with family and remembering such a wonderful man.  Then, last night...this happened:

Poor Dave!!!  He has been so sick too, but he hasn't been getting better:(  He has this terrible cough and wheezing and pain in his chest, so we went to the ER last night to get him checked out.  He's ok - DR thinks its a bad virus or a minor case of pneumonia.  But alas, we were there from 6:30 to 11pm - not a great way to spend an evening after working all day (but totally worth it for him feeling better!).  This is him getting a bunch of breathing treatments (he sanctioned this blog mention, btw!) because of his crackling, wheezy lungs.  Poor baby, feel better soon!!

So that is why I haven't been sleeping too well the last few nights!  Whew!  No celebrating St. Pattys Day for the Blands, this year anyways.  However, I did make a delightful Irish dinner: Irish Shepherd's Pie with warm bread, it was SO yummy, look:

Its a beef and veggie dish with mashed potatoes baked on top.  DE-licious!  That's our St Pattys Day celebration, that and sitting on the couch for the rest of the night.  Being sick really stinks.  Especially if it's a virus, which we think I may have too since he does its just not as bad with me - viruses just make you so tired!

But enough of that ick - i - ness!! 

Since Dave & Ash both have bad allergies sometimes, and we are on a quest to be healthier as a family overall (pretend you don't see that huge 1000 calorie dinner pic up there!) I have decided to slowly change over all our household products to all-natural supplies.  There are so many options in this area.  In the one blog I adore, a bowl full of lemons , the host of this blog sells Shaklee products.  Once I read about the Basic H product I was sold. Then I read how BAD regular cleaning products are for you and your household (words like allergies and cancer were thrown at me!) I was REALLY sold.  So after lots of research I ordered the Basic H product AND the Scour Off product which is for deep cleaning like on and in the stove, etc. 

The Basic H comes in a 16oz bottle and then you can put it in the dripper bottle and so LITTLE of it goes into the spray bottles full of water.  Its SO economic, first of all.  For instance, the window cleaner - if you just uses that Basic H bottle for window cleaner (1-2 drops to a full spray bottle of water) it equals something like 5,800 bottles of Windex?!?!  Um, hello???  That's awesome!  Plus it's all natural qualities that will keep our house clean will being good for US and the environment is all good times!!

Theres another line called Norwex and a few friends of mine are hosting parties for this line.  I still want to check out their all natural products too - they seem to have a lot of good stuff but nothing equivalent to this awesome stuff. 

That is my quest to making our home more healthy and green.  I never really cared about that before, but if it helps US be more healthy I'm all for it.  Does anyone else use these products?  I can't wait to start cleaning with them this weekend, I wish I could now but I have not the energy!  I'll let you know how I like them when I do!

Oh and book 4 is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I love it so far! 

Reviews and love about this book hopefully tomorrow.  I have some serious catching up to do on reading - I can do it!

I hope everyone is having a great week.  Mine is looking up!  I have got lots of projects to do this weekend, including a Budget Box and jazzing up my guest bedroom and craft room.  That means lots of organizing - oooo that excites me! 

Becoming Debt Free!!

In wake of my finishing up Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (I'm so close - I told you I was going to take my time on this one!!!) this week I am joining A bowl full of lemons weekly challenge (man, I love these challenges - they are life changing!!)  The challenge is becoming debt free!!  Now, that can't happen in a week of course, not with a mortgage and at $20K school loan (thanks Hopkins for my Master's degree!) but it can be STARTED.  So - I encourage everyone to read this book its financially life changing - we are going to be sitting down this week and coming up with our budget (Dave R calls it a zero-balance budget) and figuring out our road to financial freedom. 

FYI Dave R has a whole lot of free printables for budgeting on his website, a budget sheet and a debt snowball sheet (tackling each debt smallest to largest - it creates motivation and a I CAN DO THIS attitude) you can find those here.

Toni is giving away a Dave R package if you link up with her this week too!

See what my reading has motivated me to do?  Try to get out of debt!  Can't complain about that;) 

I'm more then halfway through Committed - it's not at all what I thought it was going to be but it's been a really good read!  More on that later...

I'm feeling a tid bit better - the fluish feeling is starting to go away which is great because I am NOT missing work again tomorrow.  When you are only working for 12 weeks it's rough to miss even one day, because there is so much to do and so many students to help, it's emotionally taxing to not be at school for a day!  I'm pumping my body full of water and OJ and vitamins today!  I may even venture out to the store today and soak up some Vitamin D while I am at it, its SO pretty out and feels springish and I think I need to experience that:)

I've missed a lot of cooking and cleaning this week, and my instinct is to get it all done today.  I can't do that.  So I am also really making using of my HM binder To Do lists today and spreading out all the things I desperately want to do TODAY over the next week.  I can't be superwoman when recovering from the flu - no matter how much I want to.  Yesterday I tried moving furniture and it almost killed me (yeah...I know, what a dumb idea!).  So learning how to slow down and spread stuff out is part of life this week, I always get myself in trouble when I do too much too fast.

Have a wonderful, sunny, BLESSED Sunday!

10th book!!!

BOOK 10 FOR FEB:

Alright, I've chosen my 10th book!!!  It's Dave Ramseys Total Money Makeover!!  The whole point of this challenge is to help myself be a better person, to expand my knowledge and to just learn so why not try to be better, financially?  I've read parts of Dave Ramseys TMM before...but this time I plan to LEARN it and APPLY it to our lives - Dave (my husband) and I both want to. 

We've been trying to figure out what is the best thing, financially, for our family.  With me not working and trying to pick a job (I've been on 5+ interviews...have potentially accepted one job that I'm not sure I really want, have hopefully landed one that I def want but haven't been offered yet...) and trying to figure out where we want our life to go...we need help figuring it all out.  We want to be in control of our money, super control over it!! We've been very blessed lately, with borrowing cars and help with some major expenses that we weren't expecting...we've been making it work but that is not to say it hasn't been hard, we really appreciate all the blessings!  Anyways, Dave Ramseys TMM will help us on our way to "financial freedom" and hopefully shed some light on where we want to go from here.

It's been nice being a housewife, both in the summer and over the past two months, and I can definitely SEE myself doing this...maybe when I have a baby...which we don't know when we want that either.   But on the other hand, I just got done my Master's degree, and I do NOT want to waste it!!  Why did I put myself through school?  To be a school counselor.  That is what I really want.  Really!  I know I may have to make sacrifices or take a different job until the right one comes along...I loved my time at Bo Manor in the fall, and maybe I have a chance at another job like that in the spring...but only God knows. 

The point of all this rambling is that we need to get our life together...not completely but at least thinking and praying about what we want and what is the best thing for us right now.  I think reading Dave R TMM will help that a little.  Unfortunately, money is what makes the world go round...I wish it didn't, I hate money!  But, we've got to figure out the best way to use the resources that God has blessed us with!!  Dave has a great job...I may or may not get a great job...and with that comes the responsibility of what to DO with our money:)  So let's sort it all out!!

So Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover is Book 10....yay!  Month 2 is well under way:)  I'm more than halfway done with The Mysterious Benedict Society...I love it.  It's so cute.  If you have a young reader...maybe 11 or up that likes to read (Ashley is 11 but the book is 480 pages long...it's a little much for her since she doesn't like to read books that big...) they will absolutely love it.  I'll rate it tomorrow and also give you a brief synopsis of the story.  I'm really enjoying it.  I'm really enjoying the Challenge over all.  It's so fun!!

Oh by the way, do you think Frodo feels that he isn't getting enough attention now that I am reading so much???  He is laying over top the book I'm reading right now....you decide???  LOL!