Thrifty Thursday

It seems like all the rage these days is how to save money. Most people I know have taken a look at their spending habits and are not happy so they're making changes and trying to be a little more "frugal or thrifty". In my opinion, no matter the wording it all means the same thing... being economical. With the downturn in the economy, for some it's been a necessity, for others it's just being wise. I'm hoping to incorporate my "wise, thrifty, frugal ideas/purchases" on my new series Thrifty Thursday. 

This week I'm going to share a recipe for my DIY laundry detergent.

It's no secret that I'm addicted to Pinterest! I searched Pinterest high and low and came across several recipes for DIY laundry detergent. However, most recipes called for 5 gallon buckets and made up HUGE batches. Since it was my first time to make my own detergent I really didn't want all the hassle of dealing with so much detergent just in case I didn't like it. Then I happened to stumble across this blog One Good Thing by Jillee. This lady is amazing.. like seriously, my new hero. She's a recovering alcoholic and has become a little Suzie Homemaker in the process... Check out her blog!! Seriously, you'll be wowed! Anyways, this is where I found my recipe.

Ingredients: Fel-Naptha Soap, Borax powder, Washing Soda and Water.

1. Grate your Soap

2. Add your grated soap to a stock pot

3. Add 8 cups of hot water. Bring to a slow boil, stir until soap dissolves

4. Add 1 cup each of Washing Soda and Borax

5. Bring to a boil again.

6. Remove from heat and divide evenly into two containers. I used two 1 gallon milk jugs.

7. Then add water just a few inches from the top of the jugs and your done. (I used my blender to pour the water into the jugs). It's easier to add the water out of a container instead of under the tap. (Less suds to deal with). The mixture will thicken... quite a bit, but don't be alarmed. Just take the end of a wooden spoon or whatever you have on hand and stir. You can also add a little extra water to the detergent when you use it to loosen it up a bit.

Use 1/2 a cup per each load of laundry.

Also when you use your new detergent, don't be alarmed if it's not sudsy. This detergent doesn't get very sudsy but t doesn't mean it's not working. Several bloggers have said that it's not the suds that get your clothes clean, so just a forewarning. :-)

It sounds like a daunting task, but believe me, it's so easy and simple and it saves you TONS of money. My total out of pocket expense for the borax powder, washing soda and soap was around $7.00! All of these supplies will make several gallons of detergent! The only item I will have to go back and buy is the Fel-Naptha soap and it's only around $1.20 per bar!! With Tide being around $10-15 per package, I'd much rather make my own and save that extra money!! Give it a try... I'm sure you'll love it!