Ricky Rudd...you have been ripping me off! But I still love you!

What have we done this week to become more self-sufficient?

I(Abby) have decided to try and cut some “excess” expense out of the grocery/household items bill by making dishwashing detergent and liquid laundry detergent from scratch! Now, I know it sounds silly to do if we can afford the store bought kind, but how do I know that we always will? I need to know how to make these things now so that I won’t be left to guess later. Plus, it should show some significant savings over the course of a year. (now this is Evan… yea id say so… back to Abby)

I found the recipes at a blog I recently found and LOVE its: www.kingdomfirstmom.com
If you’re wanting to try the recipes go to:detergent recipes(the liquid laundry detergent it listed in the comments).

I have found that, the laundry detergent is working great! It looks a little scary (Evan again.. it’s the consistency of a sinus infection…back to Abby)and I am using more like 1/3 of a cup instead of the recommended ¼ . However, it is getting out my toddler’s food stains! With a little pre-treating of course! Honestly, I was surprised and I don’t really see a need to go back to the store bought kind. Even if I do miss the fancy smells. I am still using my favorite fabric softener J
The dishwashing detergent has only been used once so far and I did like the recipe suggested and used white vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser. It worked great too! But I am an obsessive pre-washer, if you put your dishes into the dish washer super crusty, it might not work that great for you.

SAVINGS!!!
I (Evan) have literally punched the numbers. (I hate math)
It Cost $8 for all of the ingredients to make the home made laundry detergent! We use around one gallon of laundry detergent/month. Our favorite laundry detergent is around $20/gal. The $8 worth of ingredients makes 35 gallons of liquid laundry detergent!!!
Yes, $8 for 35 months. 35 months of the store bought detergent could cost you as much as $700 for 35 months. That means now we pay around $00.22/month.
I’m starting to like math a little more… as Abby understated, “It should show some significant savings over the course of a year.”

Laundry Detergent

Dish Washing Detergent