Frugal Living





Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipe

Recipe #1
1 Cup White Vinegar
Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Recipe #2
1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet




Saving Money with Coupons...
Need to save or have little money for food/necessities, start couponing. I started really couponing a few months ago and while I can't get to be an Extreme couponer as seen on TV, I have found that you can get items for free or nearly free. For instance I have a stock pile of fly swatters (40) and fly tape (60 rolls) mens and womens body wash to last at least a year for my large family, mens and womens deoderant for a year. Food I have stock piled pasta about 40 boxes and hot sauce approx. 25 bottles, I could go on and on all of these items I got for free with the execption of ordering the coupons and having them mailed to me. So when you are on a low budget all it takes is a little effort to look up the deals and order the coupons, here are two sites you can look up the deals by your store, http://thekrazycouponlady.com/ and
http://coupondivas.com/ and them you can go to http://www.couponsthingsbydede.com/All_Coupons_s/43.htm and search out the coupons you want and order them. It's super easy and save's lots of money you may not need 40 fly swatters however they were free and I will never have to buy them again. Check out these sites for the great deals.



Homemade Laundry Detergent...Great Money Saver...

Having alot of children creates alot of laundry about 35 loads per week, since we are on such a tight budget we make our own laundry detergent it costs approx. $3.50 every 2 months for laundry detergent. Below is the receipe.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)