In October of 2009 my husband and I took a pledge to become debt free. We joined up with Dave Ramsey through his website, radio show and book, "The Total Money Makeover" to "live like no one else so later you can live like no one else." All cliche's aside, we decided that we were tired of living paycheck to paycheck and playing the game of "creative financing" to get all of our bills paid.
In order to really achieve this we had to cut budget EVERYWHERE. We never had cable so that wasn't an issue but we honed our grocery budget, planned meals, found alternative ways to find and make cleaning supplies, we planned everything down to the most minute detail and because of that we are down almost 40k in a year and a half! It has been really difficult and although I read books and researched, I would have found it helpful to hear from someone else some tips on just how to do this. That is what this page is dedicated to doing. I will put some of the tips I feel were most helpful, some recipes and if you email me and share your own tips/successes I will post these too.
This page is always a work in progress so keep joining us for more useful information
This page is not for grocery tips so much as household tips that will help you eliminate some extra costs here and there. One thing I always hated trying to work into the budget was laundry detergent and supplies. We are a family of 4 and there is constant laundry and the detergent, even the less expensive kind is such a break to the wallet. I researched and talked to folks and started making my own. This sounds like a HUGE chore but I assure you it is NOT. In a year's time I have made only 2 batches and you can do this too.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT RECIPE:
1 clean 5 gallon bucket (lowe's, home depot, walmart, auto parts store etc...)
1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (this is not baking soda and it is found in the laundry aisle- it contains sodium bicarbonate)
1/2 cup Borax (also in laundry aisle- and inexpensive with so many uses)
1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap (or a bar of your choice) You can find this at Meijer regularly stocked or online
Put 4 cups of hot water into a sauce pan and add your bar of soap shredded (I got a cheese grater at the dollar store for this and this only)
Stir until mixture is smooth with no big chunks of soap.
Fill 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full with hot water and add soapy water mix to the bucket.
Add super washing soda and borax then fill to the top with hot water.
Put lid on bucket and let sit overnight. It will turn into a gel and with mixing become smooth enough to pour into your container.
KEEP YOUR OLD CONTAINERS THEY ARE GREAT FOR THIS.
Fill detergent container 1/2 full your finished soap mixture and 1/2 full of water. A 5 gallon bucket makes 10 gallons of soap!!
**Note** this detergent works for regular machines as well as High Efficiency- it makes very little suds and bubbles but works like a charm. You can add essential oils if you want certain scents I leave mine alone to keep it FREE for the kids laundry. Any questions??? Email me at :Amy@thethriftygift.com
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