I have started adding videos on Youtube! Check out this one about my recent CVS trip!
http://youtu.be/wA8bnzTyzUA

Enjoy!


~Remember to put God first, and everything else will follow~

Homemade Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap

For several months I had toiled with making my own laundry soap. I wasn't sure if it would really work. I was afraid that if would leave my laundry looking "dingy" and not smell clean! My mother-in-law starting making her own laundry soap and really liked it. I had looked up many recipes on YouTube.com  and found they were mostly the same. I talked it over with the hubby and he wasn't so keen on it. He thought it would be too much work so I left it at that. I knew I wanted to get away from all the harsh chemicals in laundry soap. Who really needs 20 plus ingredients in your laundry soap?? And, why should we have to pay bookoo's of money for all natural and organic?? I started buying Organic Laundry soap at Sam's Club because I could get it in bulk and pay less for it. The only problem was that our "local" Sam's club is about 45 minutes away! SO, I factored in the drive up there, time spent, and amount used and decided to give making my own detergent a try! I bought everything I needed and one day I put it all together! The recipe called for Ivory Soap but I instead used Irish Spring (my favorite bar soap)! I made a 5 gallon bucket of it for CHEAP!! I started to do laundry and really didn't notice a different in the store bought and homemade. I had fallen way behind on laundry and had it piled high in just about every room of the house. We were leaving for vacation in a week and I knew I needed to get all this laundry done. I used my homemade soap. It works awesome! I have been working on the 5 gallon bucket for the past 2 months and I still have about 1/4 of the bucket left!! I use a little more than the recipe called for per load because I have 2 kids who love to play in dirt! I also add about a 1/4 scoop of Oxy Clean to help boost the detergent for those tough stains! Only using a 1/4 scoop of the Oxy Clean, I am able to stretch that further...saving more money!! 

This is just one way that we are going green! We are not having to deal with all the "chemicals" in our laundry soap and we are saving money by making our own and making it in bulk! I also have a recipe for stretching your fabric softener and making homemade house cleaners! But, that's another blog! For now, here is the recipe for homemade laundry soap (my way)! 

Oh, and by the way, Hubby is on board with it now!!! 

Homemade Laundry Soap

3 1/2 gallons hot water

1 1/2 gallons boiling water

1/2 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda, NOT BAKING SODA

2 bars of soap ( I use Irish Spring, but you can also use Ivory)*see note below

5 gallon bucket

Grate 2 bars of soap. You can use a food processor or hand grater. Fill bucket with 3 1/2 gallons of  hot water. I usually have hubby take it into the bathroom and fill it in the tub with hot water. On the stove, add 1 1/2 gallons water to a large pot. Add grated soap and stir until melted. I use a whisk at the beginning and then at the end I use a slotted spoon to make sure its all melted. The soap will foam up, just turn your heat down and keep stirring. Once it is melted, Take the Borax and Washing Soda and add to bucket of water and stir till dissolved. Add in soap mixture and stir until completely combined. You may notice that this is not a really smooth mixture. It will start to "gel" up with is normal. Replace lid and let it sit over night. the next morning, remove lid and stir, it will be gel like. I use 1 cup per load. I always do extra large loads. If you are doing medium loads, use 1/2 to 2/3 cup. This soap doesn't suds up like store bought. That could be because it doesn't have all the Chemicals in it!! 

* I use 1 1/2 bars of Irish spring and 1/3 bar of Fels-Naphtha, which is a laundry bar soap that you can find in the laundry isle of any store. I don't care for the smell of Fels-Naphtha, that's why I use 1/3 bar. It helps with stains as well!!

I hope you enjoy!!

Next time I make a batch, I will video it and add it on here!

~Remember to put God first, and everything else will follow~

Krogering!

As I mentioned in my last blog, things will be changing on here! I have recently gotten into couponing! More on that later, but I wanted to share with you my deals that I got today while making a quick trip to the store!

I purchased What would have been over $35 worth of groceries for only $19.15. I wanted to stay under $20 this trip since I needed very little to get us through to the next big shopping trip next week! I took advantage of Kroger's 10 for $10 deals this week. (no you don't have to buy 10 items to get the sale) The following items I purchased:

2 jars Kroger brand pickle spears ( I must has pickles in the house, I am addicted) ($1.99 ea.)
1 jar Kroger brand pickles slices (these pickles I paid full price for :( $1.99)
4 bottles Dawn Dish Detergent ($1.00 ea)
1 Kroger brand cream cheese ($1.00)
1 bag Kroger brand Tortilla chips ($1.00) I actually prefer these over name brand!
1 tub Kroger brand Ranch dip ($1.00)
1 box Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix ($1.00)
3 boxes Crest toothpaste ($1.00 ea)
1 bag Kroger brand shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 block Kroger brand Cheddar Cheese (both of these for 3 for $5 but I just got 2, had a coupon for .50 off 2)
1 pkg ea. White Gravy Seasoning Mix ($1.00), Kroger brand Brown Chili seasoning mix ($.52), and Kroger brand Brown Gravy Mix ($.69)
1 tub Kroger Brand Reduced Fat Sour Cream ($1.00)

My coupons were as follows:
3 $.50 off one Crest Toothpaste (which Kroger doubles to $1.00 making the toothpaste free plus $.5 tax each!)
3 $.25 off one Dawn Dish Soap (which Kroger doubles to $.50 making each bottle $.50 each plus tax)
1 $.50 off one Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap (which Kroger doubles to $1.00 making this bottle free plus tax)
1 $.50 off Kroger Coupon for and 2 Kroger Brand Cheese item (Kroger does not double its own store coupons or e-coupons)

MFG Coupon Saving :$2.25
Bonus Coupon Saving: $2.25 )This is where Kroger doubles the MFG coupon)
Kroger Plus Saving: $12.78
Total Savings: $16.78

Even though I only spent $19.15, I had 22 fuel points added to my card!

Now, I am sharing all this with you for one reason...To show you that you can do just like I have! If you are needed to trim your grocery bill (which besides a mortgage payment, this is the highest bill in the average home) you can do this way!!

Go to Kroger.com and enter your Kroger Plus Saving card # and you can download e-coupons! These are paperless coupons that automatically come off your bill once you scan your card! Make sure you print your coupon list so you can remember what you downloaded! You can use e-coupons plus store coupons (ones they send you in the mail), plus MFG coupons all for one item!! That means you get a ridiculously good deal on groceries!!! I will be posting more as the days go on so make sure you check back! I know I have people reading the blog but I would like for y'all to follow it as well!! I hope this helps someone today!!!

Be sure to check back this evening for our dinner menu recipe : Stuffed Pork Chops with Lemon butter sauce!!

~Remember to put God first, and everything else will follow~