My summer reading this year is called Homesteading for Dummies. It’s a huge version of the classic Dummies books that combines five books in one to be a comprehensive guide to homesteading. To my surprise, much of the information was not new to me; so maybe I’m not such a novice after all! On the other hand there were many totally new concepts to me, like planting according to moon phases and the fact that asparagus plants are perennials. It’s been interesting reading for sure, and I will definitely need more in depth books on some topics.
One especially important topic as we enter the first month minus my paycheck is how to get creative and use my resources to save money. Two of my biggest money savers are in the laundry department. In short, I make my own detergent and use dryer balls. My detergent costs about $20-25 to make and lasts me about five months. The dryer balls I bought from Norwex years ago after I learned how toxic dryer sheets are. Let me tell you a little about my detergent.
My whole family has sensitive skin so I have to be careful with laundry soap. With sensitive skin and baby/ kid stains, this detergent has proven itself to be gentle enough yet effective on the yuckiest stains. All of the ingredients are found in one aisle of my local Walmart.
In a big bucket I combine
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (yellow box, about 4lbs.)
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (orange box, about 4 lbs.)
Tub of OxiClean
Box of Borax
Zote Laundry Flakes (this is new, I used to grate Zote or FelsNaptha bars with a cheese grater)
Bottle of scented crystals (optional)
After mixing I pour it into a glass jar from Walmart, $10. Each load only requires 2 Tbsp. I repeat- only use 2 Tbsp per load. That’s why it last so long, and I promise it works.
My dryer balls are plastic and knobby, but there are great wool ones as well. They even come as a group of penguins! So cute! Regardless, I spent money on dryer balls once, never have to spend money on dryer sheets, and avoid the chemicals they contain- win, win in my book!
So now I’m looking to you, my friends. What’s the one thing you do that is a no brainer when it comes to saving money- big or small? My friend knows the days that different grocery stores have specials, so he shops strategically to save money. These are the kind of tricks this mom needs right now. Please share a comment if you have a gem for me! I promise to share more great tricks and tips with you all in the future!
Thanks for reading!