Being Thrifty

There is so much I need to do to prepare for selling the house, and to prepare for living on so much less money.

I mentioned before that I do couponing.  A lot of times, with the use of sales and coupons, I can get smaller bottles of laundry detergent for very cheap or free.  It may not be a name brand, but it is what I can afford.

I ran out of my stock, coupons and laundry soap.  That's rare for all 3 to happen at the same time.  To be honest, I haven't been keeping up on the coupons like I used to.

I decided to try homemade.  I already had the ingredients.  I was just putting off trying it.  Tonight, I made a small batch.  The hardest part was grating the soap.  I used Fels-Naptha.

I made the dry version, because the liquid version required a bucket large enough to hold several gallons of water.  Everything I've read says either recipe is good for HE machines and normal machines.  I need to play around with how much to use for my top-loading washer.  2 tbsp. was fine for clothing, but it didn't seem to be enough for the towels.  I have hard water, so that's probably why.

Dry Laundry Soap

1 bar of soap (Fels-Naptha, Zote or Ivory)
1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1 cup Borax

Grate the soap with a fine grater.  Some people grate it larger, let it sit and dry out for a day or two, then run it through a blender to make it powdery.
 Mix all ingredients for several minutes with a spoon to blend it very well.  Store in an airtight container.

HE machines are only supposed to use 1-2 tbsps.  Top loaders can use up to 1/4 cup.  Start small and use more each time until you are satisfied.  Some add a few drops of essential oil to give it "fragrance".

I've seen differing recipes, but all call for the same 3 ingredients.   For my first try I used a 1/2 bar of soap, 2/3 cup Borax and 2/3 cup washing soda.

Another recipe called for 1 bar of soap and 2 cups of the soda and borax.  I think I will try that next.

I've read where several people made the liquid version and mixed it with their store bought to make it stretch farther.  I don't know if I'd do that or not.

I saw a dishwasher detergent one, but people were not as pleased with it as they were with the laundry recipe.  I will try several and see if I can find a version that works for me.

Hopefully all this made sense.  This cold is bad enough that even my eyes are watering making it a bit hard to see.