After tackling the big things such as housing, transportation, and food costs we discovered various household hacks to save money.
Laundry Detergent
After reading various blogs, I discovered that making one’s own laundry soap from scratch was a thing. The first reason I started doing this is because I have extremely sensitive skin, and even most hypoallergenic laundry detergents irritate my skin. Most recipes include washing soda, Borax, and flaked soap. In looking into this more, we found out that flaked soap was an emulsifier for grease. If your clothes were not greasy or oily, it wasn’t really needed.
Many laundry detergent recipes include mixing the ingredients in water, we found that to be cumbersome. We simply put one box of borax with one box of washing soda into a large plastic container and then shake. We then transfer it to a smaller container and put a heaping teaspoon (or ⅛ cup) per load. This costs about ten cents per load, and we have used it for many years.
Reading the history of borax and washing soda is fascinating, and we have come to understand why our ancestors used it. I break out when using normal detergent and this has been a great-cost effective solution. Homemade detergent doesn’t have these problems. We still keep some Tide around for heavily stained clothes that need the enzyme action.
Homemade Spray Cleaner
We use a third cup of ammonia, a third cup of isopropyl alcohol and one and a half cups of water in a spray bottle for general cleaning. We also add a few drops of essential lemon oil for a nice smell. Be careful using this on painted walls as the paint can come off. It works great on counters, stoves, refrigerators, and microwave.
Bar Towels and Cloth Napkins
To cut down on paper towels, we bought a couple of dozen bar towels for spills and cleaning, and we reuse them because they can be thrown in the washer. We also use cloth napkins and wash them. These two changes have reduced our need to by paper towels and napkins, and is good for the environment.
The Late Frugal
