Just curious who else is living super frugal

[ChickenKABOOM]

Wanna go frugal!
I started making a crochet white elephant out of plarn. Yes PLARN. PLASTIC YARN. It works great, I'm gonna do a chicken next!

 

[Arielle]

Time to make an other batch of laundry detergent. My first batch is running out. It lasted about 15 months. Not bad for less than $4.00.

LG what is your $4 recipe???

A local friend shared her recipe but with 5-7 ingredients,, cant quite remember, the cost was huge initally. She said it was very economical long term. I need a start. I hate looking at the box of Arm and Hammer.

 

[lazy gardener]

1 bar Fels Naptha soap grated very fine. Melt it in a pot of water. (1 qt is enough) Pour this into your 5 gal. bucket. Fill the bucket 1/2 way with very hot water. Add 1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and 1 cup Borax. Mix very well. Continue mixing while you fill the bucket the rest of the way. I use my immersion stick blender, and get it completely mixed before adding the rest of the water. At that point, you can mix it with a long handled spoon. Let it sit over night, and then use the stick blender to mix it up again. Don't be surprised if the stuff morphs into a solid gel mass. Just mix it up. Shake before every use. After I do the next day mixing, I pour some of it off into large jugs, leaving enough room for shaking. If it gets a bit globby, that's not a problem, it will still work just fine. I use about 1/2 cup in front loader. You might need more for top load, or maybe even less, depending on how hard your water is. It's a low sudsing detergent, so perfect for a front loader. Beware, it's very pungent smelling when you are mixing it up. I melt the soap in the kitchen, then finish the mixing process out on the deck. I was working at 20* last time I made it, and heated the water on the stove b/c I didn't want to use hot tap water that had been sitting in the water tank. Not that that would matter!

 

[LittleLakePhil]

1 bar Fels Naptha soap grated very fine.  Melt it in a pot of water.  (1 qt is enough)  Pour this into your 5 gal. bucket.  Fill the bucket 1/2 way with very hot water.  Add 1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and 1 cup Borax.  Mix very well.  Continue mixing while you fill the bucket the rest of the way.  I use my immersion stick blender, and get it completely mixed before adding the rest of the water.  At that point, you can mix it with a long handled spoon.  Let it sit over night, and then use the stick blender to mix it up again.  Don't be surprised if the stuff morphs into a solid gel mass.  Just mix it up.  Shake before every use.  After I do the next day mixing, I pour some of it off into large jugs, leaving enough room for shaking.  If it gets a bit globby, that's not a problem, it will still work just fine.  I use about 1/2 cup in front loader.  You might need more for top load, or maybe even less, depending on how hard your water is.  It's a low sudsing detergent, so perfect for a front loader.  Beware, it's very pungent smelling when you are mixing it up.  I melt the soap in the kitchen, then finish the mixing process out on the deck.  I was working at 20* last time I made it, and heated the water on the stove b/c I didn't want to use hot tap water that had been sitting in the water tank.  Not that that would matter!  

I keep trying to tell my wife she should make some.... Maybe I will

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: Phil, if you do make it, you HAVE to make it outside. It messes with my breathing. The mixing over a hot cauldron would be your undoing. It's not so bad if you can do it outside. One of those paint stirrers that goes on a drill would be awesome for this. I have to say that it is the best detergent I've ever used.

 

[Beekissed]

That's so funny, LG! My boys and I LOVE the smell of the FN when I make the soap and can't get enough of that smell throughout the house. When the boys make a comment about something other than food smelling good, I know it must not be my weird liking for certain smells.

 

[lazy gardener]

Asthma and making laundry detergent do not go well together. Many smells that I grew up with, that give me that "home" warm fuzzy feeling send my lungs into a screeching hissy fit. The most noticeable ones being the smell of fresh lumber, and the faint smell of wood smoke. Driving down the highway, if the car vent is not on recirculate, if I drive past a home that is exhausting wood smoke, or if I drive behind someone who is smoking cigarettes in their car, I will get completely choked up. Same thing when someone is wearing perfume or after shave. I've had to get up and move when in public buildings before b/c some one is wearing a stinky fragrance.

 

[Talithahorse]

Asthma and making laundry detergent do not go well together. Many smells that I grew up with, that give me that "home" warm fuzzy feeling send my lungs into a screeching hissy fit. The most noticeable ones being the smell of fresh lumber, and the faint smell of wood smoke. Driving down the highway, if the car vent is not on recirculate, if I drive past a home that is exhausting wood smoke, or if I drive behind someone who is smoking cigarettes in their car, I will get completely choked up. Same thing when someone is wearing perfume or after shave. I've had to get up and move when in public buildings before b/c some one is wearing a stinky fragrance.

Boy to I understand that, my mother and son both have asthma. My mom and I had to give up our yearly tickets to the theater for a while due to a lady who wore her perfume exceedingly strong.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

Phil, if you do make it, you HAVE to make it outside.  It messes with my breathing.  The mixing over a hot cauldron would be your undoing.  It's not so bad if you can do it outside.  One of those paint stirrers that goes on a drill would be awesome for this.  I have to say that it is the best detergent I've ever used.

Asthma and making laundry detergent do not go well together.  Many smells that I grew up with, that give me that "home" warm fuzzy feeling send my lungs into a screeching hissy fit.  The most noticeable ones being the smell of fresh lumber, and the faint smell of wood smoke.  Driving down the highway, if the car vent is not on recirculate, if I drive past a home that is exhausting wood smoke, or if I drive behind someone who is smoking cigarettes in their car, I will get completely choked up.  Same thing when someone is wearing perfume or after shave.  I've had to get up and move when in public buildings before b/c some one is wearing a stinky fragrance.

I can't be behind a deisel of any kind..... Even way behind.... Or my asthma goes nuts

 

[Tikkijane]

Phil, if you do make it, you HAVE to make it outside.  It messes with my breathing.  The mixing over a hot cauldron would be your undoing.  It's not so bad if you can do it outside.  One of those paint stirrers that goes on a drill would be awesome for this.  I have to say that it is the best detergent I've ever used.

I do it dry in my mixer......