For those wanting to be more self sufficient...

[Southern28Chick]

Just thought of another one and then I'm going to bed:

Cloth napkins instead of paper towels. Use REAL plates instead of paper plates.

 

[countryentertainment]

Well here's one you will all have at least one of the ingredients for if you are reading this!

Shampoo- put one egg in the blender on the very lowest speed (use a large egg if you have long hair or a small egg for short hair)

when it is nice and foamy

add 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar and blend a little longer, to mix in.

Pour it into a plastic container and use right away on your hair.

Just pour it on your hair and spread it around- no need to scrub or rub it in, just run your fingers through your hair a few times to spread it.

Rinse with warm not hot water or you will find cooked egg in your hair.

I rinse with a gentle spray and then a stronger spray and then a gentle spray again to smooth my hair.

Well are you all to chicken to try it?

I've been using eggs on my hair for at least a year now and my hair is in better shape than it ever was when I used shampoo.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I always uded the egg/shampoo thing when I was younger and had long hair, also beer/shampoo too..(MD will love that!!) but both make your hair really soft and especially shiny...can't remember if it smelled like beer though and dont want to be drug tested at work so probably wont do one that anyway, just in case I would some out of the shower smelling like a brewery

 

[Southern28Chick]

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So do you never use shampoo? Does egg clean your hair or just moisturize it? I'll try it this weekend.

 

[MissPrissy]

The vinegar strips the dirt and oil from your hair and the egg conditions it. It makes my hair look like a brillo pad and I have very long hair. I use mild shampoo and do the egg and beer for conditioning and shine.

Southern, I have made a shampoo bar in the past that worked nice. Have you tried any?

 

[karri25]

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!! My BF and I try to make evrything we can. WE are poor, stay at home, homeschool, and we each have tons of kids, plus we love the Earth

Here's one for cleaning out your oven:
-pour ammonia into a small bowl and leave in your oven overnight.
-put baking soda on a dish cloth the next morning and scrub your oven.

It cleans your oven, doesn't cost as much as the store bought stuff, and ammonia isn't as harsh as all of the terrible chemicals in the oven cleaner.

 

[Patchofheaven]

I haven't gotten into making alot homemade items, but I've found someways to cut costs grocery shopping. We are a family of 5 (me, my husband, father-in-law, 16 yr old son and 12 yr old son (both boys eat like men)) We shop once a week and use to spend 150-200 each week. I use the weekly sales ads for all of the competetion (Krogers, Randall's, HEB, Budget Chopper, Brookshire Bros. and Fiesta) Wal-Mart will match their prices on everything except for buy one get one free ads. We also use coupons.

Since I've been doing this for 3 years - our weekly groceries are now 75-100. Please don't be mad at me - I'm usually the one that's slowing down the cashier - it may take a little longer in the checkout line that everyone else, we are trying to save money.

 

[MissPrissy]

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That is me! I get alot of dirty looks but if you have a coupon use it!

 

[patandchickens]

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Cloth diapers are great, and nothing like the trouble some people make them out to be.

You DO NOT need to buy or make the fancy expensive newfangled fitted things though. Just get a couple dozen prefolds (they are so cheap it's not even worth making your own, buy from a wahm - and they are *super super* useful around the house once outgrown) and 2-3 pairs of good qualility vinyl pants (I like Bummis) or wool knit pants (more expensive but natural and work just as well) and you are in business. (Make sure to pre-wash the prefolds as per directions before first use)

DO NOT use the wet diaper pail method - just toss em into a dry pail (after washing the worst of the poo off in the toilet - you can buy a squirty thing that easily attaches to your toilet plumbing to make this easier if you don't like the dunk-and-flush method), then launder like any normal 'heavily soiled' load every 2-3 days. Machine-drying makes diapers softer; line-drying fixes any lingering smells; you may want to combine or alternate.

I actually do use disposables on long outings, or even on a short trip to store if I think a poo is imminant or a good place to do a change may be hard to find. But cloth is no problem when you're out, just carry a waterproof bag to take the used diaper home in.

And then when the kids are toilet trained you have these marvellously soft absorbent cloths to use for all sorths of other household purposes!

Good luck,

Pat, with 1 out of diapers and 1 still in

 

[jeaucamom]

I LOVE all these ideas... I really want to try the laundry detergent. My SIL who lives in SO CA makes everything they use and I've always envied her ingenuity....

That being said, I have to say...

Even with all these great recipes and ideas, they all start with items you have to buy also, so we are really not being more self sufficient, just more earth and body freindly, not to mention saving tons of money.

Great ideas on here, can't wait to read more, and hey.... I would love that biscuit recipe