Save some Moolah!

The other night as I was rocking Travis back to sleep after a horrendous coughing fit, I was watching TLC and the show about the Dugger Family (with 17 kids) came on. Usually I can't stand that show, but something caught my attention so I watched it. I learned some crazy stuff.

Did you know you can make your own laundry detergent for little or nothing? And you can choose the kind of soap you put in it. Here is one of the recipes I found when I googled it.

Water
1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, Grated
5 Gallon Bucket
1 Cup Washing Soda
4 1/2 Gallons Water

Place grated soap in a small saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill bucket with hot water, and add soap. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup washing soda and mix well. As it cools it will thicken. May be used immediately. Use 1-2 cups per load.

Personally I would use Ivory or some kind of mild soap rather than the Fels Naptha. But this was broken down and it ends up that the normal jug of detergent that we buy for many dollars cost mere cents when we make it ourselves. I think I'm going to try it.

Another great website to visit that gives another recipe and some more specifics about the savings is here. So if any of you try this stuff, I want you to comment and let me know how it went!

Another thing about the Duggers is that they have no debt. Have you seen their house??? They built it themselves and it truly suits their needs. I just don't get how they built it without loans. Their kitchen is like a regular kitchen, but you can enter into a back room that has all industrial kitchen equipment. Of course you need that when you have an entire army to feed!!!

So they don't have a mortgage, but their food bill per month is at least $3000. So add up my mortgage and food bill and you get the same amount. Now if we can just have no other debt for the rest of our lives (ha, ha) then we'll be doing alright.

OK, so another money saving tip... I have discovered that our Dollar Tree stores carry Nature's Own breads. And yes they're only $1 a loaf. That's where I go for our bread. It's our favorite brand anyway, and it sure beats paying nearly $3 per loaf. I just freeze them so they stay "fresh" longer.

If you have any other money saving tips, please leave a comment.