Money-saving Laundry Tip

Here is something I do to save money on laundry-I make my own fabric softener. I thought it sounded weird when I first heard of it, but decided to give it a try. It works as well as store bought softener, is way cheaper, and I always have the ingredients on hand!

1 1/2 cup white vinegar
1 c hair conditioner
3 cups water

I shake it up in an empty softener bottle, and voila! Instant softener. I even use blue conditioner, which makes it look like Downy.

Frugal Fall Idea

This year we continued our fall habit of getting pie pumpkins and decorating them with permanent markers. Lindsay took the decorating to a new level with the hats and scarves. After enjoying them as home decor, I scooped out the seeds, cut them in half, and baked them for 45 minutes at 450 degrees in a pan with 1/2 inch water. The skin peeled off easily; then I pureed them in the food processor and made 2 pumpkin pies for Stan's birthday. (Happy birthday, Stan!) I froze the remaining 2 cups for future use. After rinsing the seeds and allowing them to dry overnight, I tossed them in butter and salt, and roasted them at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Yummy, and the pumpkins only cost a total of $3. My kind of deal!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

We purchased three ingredients at a total cost of under $13.00. This will make 8 batches of liquid laundry soap. When I made 1 batch it filled four 32 load containers. That makes one 32 load container for 41 cents (or a little over 1 cent per load)!
1. Soap (You need one bar per batch). We chose Ivory.
2. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (Available in the laundry area)
3. 20 Mule Team Borax (Available in the laundry area)

Step One: Shred, chop or shave your soap into small pieces.
Step Two: Measure and start heating water. You will need 6 cups of water heated to melt the soap in a sauce pan. Add the soap and water to the pan.
Step Three: Once the soap is all dissolved, you stir in half a cup of Borax and half a cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. Stir over the heat until it is all dissolved.
Step Four: Remove from heat and pour into a large bucket. I used a five gallon bucket, but a smaller bucket would have been just fine.
Step Five: Add four cups more of hot water to the bucket and stir until well blended.
Step Six: Add one gallon plus six cups of cold water to the mixture. Mix well. Let sit for 24 hours.

Store it in your old laundry soap bottle or other plastic container for easy pouring.
Ready to use! I used 1/2 of a cup per load. It looks like a liquid gel.