Frugal Friday

My frugal tip this week is laundry soap. My hero actually loves making our laundry soap. I shared the recipe here. It cost us 18 cents a gallon. We make a 5 gallon bucket at a time. We have tried making the powder and it works just as well but it does not last as long.

Frugal Friday

1 cup salt
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
2 cups water
food coloring
2 tablespoons oil
mix all ingredients in a sauce pan on low heat, stirring constantly. stir until pulls away from the sides. Then I put it on a lightly dusted with flour table and knead until not sticky, If it is sticky add a little more flour. If you want it to smell good add kool aid. I store it in a air safe container and it stays for months

for sale $2 per container

Friday

This week Frugal Friday is something I have been thinking about for a while. I love childrens clothing consignment stores. I love to shop at thrift shops. I love yard sales. But you know what? I also love Gap and childrens place just as much. We recently moved I know you know, it is all I talk about and we live in the middle of no where well kinda, wal mart is 15 minutes away, a mall is 25 and target is even father. There is a Dollar General about 2 minutes from my house so I find myself there all the time. One day I saw a little girls outfit and thought I would try it. So I put it on Grace and fell in love. I have gone back and bought her 5 more Dollar General outfits and we love them. I also have started making the girls skirts. Last week I made Faith and Hope a skirt and Grace a pillowcase dress. If you include the shirts I found on sale for $3.50 each I still did not spend $20 for 3 new church outfits for the girls.

Frugal Friday

I have lots of way I try to be frugal. I have spoke about them before but this week I am going back to oldy but goody. Recently MckMama asked for suggestions and said she may talk about it when she is on Focus on the Family. I will be honest I do not normally listen to it. I want to I just forget to. I happen to be on facebook when it popped up. So I listened here and was thrilled when I heard my name. Laughed because she said when you send her your suggestions say something like Pam from NC but I said Pam from Wherever the army sends me. Anyways feel free to listen. MckMama is at about 36 minutes in. You might want to listen to the whole thing because it was really neat to hear all they had to say.
this is our laundry soap recipe.


Okay a few weeks ago we made powdered laundry soap and I love it. I did buy different soap. I bought Yardley soap because that is what I found at the dollar tree. I have made 7 batches of the powder and last night we made the liquid.
this is the duggars reciepe
TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)



Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

I got this recipe from the Duggards website

If you want to know how we make fabric softner you can find a recipe on my recipe blog or try our newest one, which is
6 cups water, 5 cups vinegar, 16 ounce hair condioner (I found VO5 on sale for 44 cents)