Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipes

I make a some of my own homemade cleaners, but I've never tried making my own laundry detergent at home. I know many people who do make it rather than buy it, and swear it's better than any commercially made soap. They would never change back to store bought laundry soaps. I gathered a couple of different recipes to share with you.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe #1

7.5 litres hot water
1 bar soap (grated)
2 cups baking soda

Directions:

• Melt the grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover it. 
• Heat on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap has melted.
• In a large pail, pour 7.5 litres of hot water and add the melted soap. Stir well.
• Next, add the baking soda, stirring well.
• Store in a sealed pail or in plastic laundry detergent jugs.
• Stir or shake soap mixture (depending on storage method) before each use.

Using the Soap: Use 1/2 cup per full load or 1 cup for heavy soiled loads

Approximate costs of supplies: $0.60 to $2.00 (plus electricity to heat the water)
- Bar Soap $0.10 to $0.50
- Baking Soda $0.50 to $1.50

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe #2

2.5 litres hot water
5 litres cold water
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/3 bar soap (grated)

Directions:

• In a large pot, heat 1.5 litres of water. Add the grated soap and stir until melted. 
• Next, add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder has dissolved and remove promptly from heat.
• In large clean pail, pour 1 litre of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Add 5 litres of cold water and stir well.

Using the Soap: Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (mixture will gel)

Approximate Cost of Supplies: $1.18 to $1.92 (plus electricity to heat the water)
- Bar Soap $0.03 to $0.17
- Borax $0.55 to $0.75
- Washing Soda $0.60 to $1.00

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent Recipe

8 cups baking soda
8 cups bar soap (grated)

12 cups borax

8 cups washing soda

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Helpful Tips:

• use bar soaps such as Ivory, Sunlight and avoid heavily perfumed soaps
• washing soda and borax can be found in the cleaning/laundry aisle
• recipes can be adjusted to suit your needs, experiment
• make larger batches in pails and then transfer to laundry bottles for storage (ask a friend or neighbour for their empty bottles) then just shake it before using
• hardware store carry 5 gallon pails for $4-6, watch for a sale or store coupon

There's many variations for homemade laundry detergent. If you have a recipe that works for you, please share with us by commenting below. We love to hear from our readers.

Couponing and saving money – Go on to pay off your debts

Guest Post By: Jason Holmes

You may not be interested even in checking out the fliers that you get from
the supermarket or in your mail box. But, from now on try to check out the
fliers as these may help you lower the costs of shopping; mainly grocery
shopping. Though it is true that this helps you save only few dollars, few
dollars in reality can add up to a large amount. So, if you are still not
into couponing, you should start off with that. Couponing along with
budgeting may help you pay off debts through consolidation.

*Benefits and tips on couponing*

The main benefit of couponing is that it helps you lower the money you are
required to spend in general. Now, when you spend less, you may be able to
start saving more. In addition, you can use this money to pay off your
debts through consolidation. So, in order to save money through couponing,
what are the things that you will be required to do? In addition to cutting
out the coupons, it is also important for you to remain organized.

   1. *Use coupons to buy national brands* – Though it is true that the
   national brands cost you more, use the coupons to get these for low costs.
   Though the generic or the store brands are cheaper, the production houses
   for these products are without the money to promote the products. So, there
   may or may not be good offers on these.

   2. *Don’t show brand loyalty* – Products at different stores can vary in
   price. So, it will be wise of you to check out different brands and stores
   to make the maximum savings. Plan to check out each store each week and
   then decide on the best offers. This helps you ultimately to save lots of
   dollars.

   3. *Remember to check the receipts* – When you buy items from a store,
   you are handed over a store generated receipt for the goods. Generally,
   people tend to throw away this receipt without a second thought. Remember
   to check out the receipts before throwing them out. This is important
   because the stores sometime print discount offers on the back of the
   receipts.

   4. *Use the Internet to find coupons* – The Internet is the best place
   for you to find numerous coupons. There are so many websites and offers,
   that you will be spoiled for choice. So, try to give yourself some time on
   researching the couponing websites to get the best of offers. Not all
   online websites provide you great offers. Again, there may also be
   websites that provide really good offers on some items while not on others.
   So, you will have to check out all of these and use the coupons as per your
   needs and requirements.

   5. *Organize the coupons as per the dates* – Buy a coupon organizer as
   this can help you use the coupons in the right way. Maintain separate
   counters for separate stores. In addition, organize the coupons date wise.
   In this way you will never forget the date within which you will be
   required to use the coupons.

   6. *Know what your friends have* – In addition to finding the coupons of
   your own, you should also be aware of the coupons that your friends have
   been able to collect. Such situations can arise when you are in need of
   some particular coupon which you can’t find of your own. Now, if you can
   find one such coupon with any of your friends, you can exchange one of your
   coupons for the one you require. However, your friend will have to agree to
   this and he/she must be sure that he/she needs the one that you are
   exchanging.

So, these are the things that you will be required to do in order to save
money through couponing and budgeting.

Jason Holmes is a regular writer with Debt Consolidation Care and is also a
contributory writer with other financial sites. His expertise is woven
around various aspects of the debt industry and with his e-books he tries
to impart to people the different situations and simple solutions to get
out of difficult situations. Some of his works include e-books like 'Credit
Score The Quintessential Therapy for a Happy Pocket', Take Creditors and
Collection Agencies to Small Claims Court' and, My Story- From Depression
To a Smile'.

Frugal Tip: Kleenex Hand Towels (Accidental Discovery)

Frugal Tip: Reuse your Kleenex Hand Towels

I've been reusing the used Kleenex hand towels for house cleaning to get extra use out of them. But over the weekend I washed a load of laundry and I must have had a few Kleenex hand towels in one of my clothes pockets. When I opened the dryer door there were a couple of cleaned and not ripped ortorn Kleenex hand towels.

They aren't as durable and I wouldn't suggest washing any ripped ones. But there is certainly more life left after one use. Next time I'm going to try putting the used Kleenex hand towels in a lingerie bag to wash them.

Here's what a Kleenex Hand Towel that has been washed and dried in our washing machines look like:

Another tip for the Kleenex hand towels: cut them in half for the little hands in your life! Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave comments below.

Resolutions to Save Money in The New Year

With post holiday season and the start of a new year, it's time to get back on track with your personal finances while most of us are motivated to accomplish our new year's resolutions.

Here are a few simple steps to help you save money in the new year:

1. Create a realistic budget that will really work!
2. Go back to the days before ATM cards and withdrawal the amount of cash you need for your weekly or bi-weekly expenses (depending on your pay schedule) rather than using your card for each and every transaction.
3. Stop using those credit cards.
4. Make sure that you have a cushion or slush fund to cover you financially in the event of a downturn or an emergency.
5. Split up unexpected winfalls of money that come your way!
6. Avoid the budget busters.

Creating a Simple But Effective Budget

• Establish a savings goal (education, retirement, renovation, vacation, etc)
• Track your spending habits, using your sales receipts for 1 or 2 months to see how your spending compares to the amount of money coming into the household
• Review your spending habits and figure out where you can cut or trim some expenses; viewing where the money is spent can really put a perspective on wasted dollars
• Return to your budget on a regular basis to confirm that you are on track to reaching your savings goal; make adjustments when necessary

Why Cut Your ATM Card?

You don't have to literally cut your ATM card or debit card. However, unless you have free or unlimited transactions with your bank, these are fees you can avoid by using cash instead. One of the best examples of using cash in a manner that is effective, is the technique taught by the money maven Gail Vaz-Oxlade on Til Debt Do Us Part. She instructs the guests of her show to divvy up the money set forth in their budget in jars labelled for their expenses. They can literally see how much or little the jars contain after they spend from each. If jars aren't your thing, an envelope labelled with the expense name would work just as well.

Stop Using Those Credit Cards

Unless you are strictly disciplined to pay your balance off in it's entirety each and every month, I would recommend that you put away those credit cards. The interest that you accumulate on borrowed purchases will not end up being cost effective overall. If you always practice paying your credit card in full, then there is an advantage to earning loyalty reward points on your purchases.

Split Up Unexpected Windfalls Of Money Into Thirds

Whenever you have an expected windfall of money, such as a gift card from a survey, a bonus from work, contest prize, etc; divvy it up into three equal shares as follows:

• The Present - Use one third of the money to buy something for yourself personally or towards a home improvement or personal improvement
• The Past - Use one third of the money to cover past debts that you owe
• The Future - Use one third of the money to save for the future in a savings account, TFSA or another investment vehicle

An Emergency Fund Or Slush Fund For Unexpected Expenses

Experts state that a three month operating budget is the MINIMUM that you should set aside as your emergency fund. How do you figure out this number? Track all of your spending for a month including all of your bills and incidentals, then multiple by three. This money should remain liquid for you in some form of a deposit account. (Liquid means that it should not be locked into an uncashable investment tool, it must remain accessible.) While it's nice to make some interest on this money, it's really there to bail you out of a jam. The amount of interest earned in really inconsequential to the peace of mind this money will give you.


Avoid Blowing Your Budget With The Worst Budget Busters

1. Having no emergency or slush fund. In the event of an emergency where you do not have a cushion in place, it can set you back by needing to find some kind of loan or using any asset you have to bail out.
2. Budgeting too rigidly. If you budget too strictly and don't allow yourself some fun, then you could end up deviating from your budget and overspending. It's like a dieter who doesn't allow themselves a dessert now and again, they might end up binge eating. Allow yourself some small indulgences in your budget to keep you on track.
3. Gift giving. Buying our friends and loved ones gifts is a type of emotional spending that can have people dish out more cash than they can actually afford. Limit gift exchanges to a couple of close people in your life and include these expenses in your budget.
4. Impulse buying. Following a detailed budget will allow a person with impulsive buying habits to see exactly where the money would be coming from. For example, should they borrow from their grocery money to buy a new pair of shoes. The impulsive buy may not look as attractive when you look at where the money is coming from.

What are some other simple yet effective ways that you save money and trim your expenses?

• Use coupons and price match your purchases whenever possible
• Learn about SCOP and take advantage of price errors
• Join loyalty rewards programs and get rewarded when you buy
• Complete compensated surveys online to make extra cash/gift cards
• Follow gas savings advice and tips