This year for Christmas I'm doing all homemade and VERY frugal!! I don't have the budget to do traditional gift giving this year so I'm doing what I know best, making things and saving money! I made this Play Dough as a tester yesterday and let me tell you, it's AWESOME!! =) It's so soft even I wanted to play with it.
Recipe:
1 C Water
1 C Flour
1/2 C Salt
2 Tbsp Vinegar
2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
Food Coloring
Instructions:
1. Mix flour and salt in bowl
2. Mix water, vinegar, oil, and food coloring in seperate bowl or cup
3. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredient and mix until smooth.
4. Cover bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes
5. Let cool then knead dough until soft and smooth
6. Store in ziploc or airtight container.
If you're more of a visual person check out my video below. =)
Check out how you can save 91% just by making your own laundry detergent...
I've come across many recipes for powdered laundry detergent so there's plenty of wiggle room to experiment and decide what combination works best for your needs. I am NOT chemist and have no knowledge based on the chemical compounds of these products. I chose this recipe because there is no measuring and each batch should last between 6 months to a year for my family of 6. Other recipes only call for one bar of Ivory, but I'm putting three. You can use any bar soap of your choice. Maybe next time I'll make it with only one bar and see how I like it. I bought the Borax and A&H Washing Soda in the laundry isle of my grocery store, Publix. There is NO expiration date on the detergent. =)
To make enough to last my family all year I would have to double the recipe below.
Recipe
3 bars Ivory soap, 13.5 oz
1 Box Borax, 76 oz
1 Box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda , 55 oz
(NOT Baking soda)
Grate the bars of soap or cut it into chunk and use a food processor to grate them.
Mix ingredients well in a large container.
Keep covered with lid and out of reach of children & pets.
Use 1 Tablespoon per load, 2 Tbs for heavily soiled loads.
For whites you can add some OxiClean to the wash to help with stains and brightening.
Price Breakdown
I have a family of 6 and wash about 8 loads of laundry each week.
8 loads x 52 weeks = 416 loads/year
Tide Ultra Powder HE Formula
56 oz, 40 loads, $9.45 x 11 boxes =
616 oz, 440 loads, $103.95
You can increase that savings by using coupons on the Ivory. I usually get them for free when they go on sale at CVS for 10/$10. If I have a $1/1 manufacturer coupon, it's free.
Here's what my savings actually were since I got my Ivory soaps free with coupons...
Another GREAT thing about this is that it's safe for HE washers because it doesn't have a lot of suds like commercial detergents and it cleans just as well as they do. However, because it is a soap and not a detergent I recommend running an empty load of hot water and 1 cup White Vinegar once a month to cut any soap residue from the inside of your washer.
Another tip: White vinegar is great as a natural fabric softener. It cuts soap residue, naturally whitens and brightens clothes without bleaching them, absorbs odors, and softens cloths and "fluffs" towels perfectly. =D Just add 1/2 Cup of White Vinegar to the wash during the rinse cycle. =)
My husband get razor bumps and ingrown hairs every time he shaves. Because of this we have spent quite a bit on Tend Skin. It comes in a blue bottle and helps with ingrown hairs and razor bumps. It works very well, but keeps getting more and more expensive. I checked the price on sephora.com a few days ago and a 2.5 oz bottle costs $17!! That's before shipping and tax! That teeny bottle only last him about a week. The yearly cost would be $884 not including tax or shipping! Crazy huh?
While I was searching for the price I came across a homemade recipe comparable to Tend Skin. I already had the ingredients on hand so I tried it out. It works just as good for my husband and I use it as well for breakouts. We both use it twice a day and will NEVER buy another bottle of Tend Skin again!
This video is my 2nd batch, take a glance...
Recipe
Solution 1
18 Aspirin tablets, crushed
5 oz Rubbing Alcohol
Solution 2
8 Aspirin tablets, crushed
2.5 oz Witch Hazel
Mix the two solutions.
Shake before each use.
Price Breakdown
Tend Skin 2.5oz $17 ($884/year)
Homemade 48oz $10.06/year
One 180 ct CVS Aspirin $.99
Two 16 oz CVS Rubbing Alcohol $2.19 each = $4.39
One 16 oz CVS Witch Hazel $4.69
TOTAL: $10.06
This is enough to make 6 batches, 7.5 oz each, total 45 oz.
Each batch will last one person using it twice a day for 2 months.
So $10.06 for an entire years worth of your homemade product.
That's an $874 savings per year, 99%!!
PLUS, you can always get aspirin on sale with coupons to save even more!
