Save Big Money on Detergents, Soaps, and Cleaners

I recently became irate over the monthly cost of soaps and detergents my household was using.  "Surely there is a better way."  I thought to myself.   I began to read articles people have written on the topic, and decided to do some real world experimentation.  The recipes below have worked for my household.  We are saving a good deal each month, and I hope that you will find these useful...

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe:

1 Tablespoon 20 Mule Team Borax

1 Tablespoon Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 Tablespoon of "LemiShine"

Put it in the dishwasher and run like you normally would.

(You can mix larger batches and store in a dry place.  I mix 2 cups of each ingredient and store in a plastic container.)

Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe:

1 Bar of Ivory Soap

1 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax

1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

5 Gallons of Water

Instructions for Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe:

1. Shred the Ivory Soap (or equivalent no-name brand) into fine shreds with a cheese grater.
2. Warm up, but do not boil, a pot of water.  
3. Drop in the shredded soap.  
4. Stir slowly until soap fully dissolves.
5. Put about a gallon of cool water in a 5 gallon bucket.
6. Dump pot of hot soap water into the 5 gallon bucket.
7. Add 1 Cup of 20 Mule Team Borax and 1 Cup of Arm & Hammer SUper Washing Soda into the bucket.
8. Stir until slowly until all is dissolved.
9. Fill the bucket the rest of the way up with warm water.  Stir throughly.
10. Allow mixture to cool.  
11. Store in gallon jugs, soda bottles, etc.

(Use approximately 4 ounces per load of laundry.  This recipe should be enough for over 100 loads of laundry!)

Fabric Softener:

Add 1/4 cup of White Vinegar to the load.

Liquid Hand Soap:

Heat up but do not boil 1 gallon a water.

Grate 1/2 bar of Ivory Soap or equivalent no-name brand.

Stir the grated soap into the gallon of hot water.

Once fully desolved add 2 more gallons of water to the mix.

Stir well, and allow to cool.

Store in jugs.  Refill your dispensers as needed.
That's 3 gallons of hand soap for under $1.00!!

The Off-Grid Mindset

When the going gets tough the tough disconnect from the "grids" in their life. There are many grids we connect to aside from electricity. I view a "grid" as anything that you are dependent on that gives you a rewarding feeling but costs you somehow. These things that find their way into our lives become a dependency and we end up paying for them every day, month, and year.

The typical consumer is "hooked up" without even realizing it. Everyone has their vices. I readily admit that I was once connected to the "coffee grid". I would stop on the way to work each day and buy a cup. In time it became an almost default morning action. It became mundane. One day I did the math and realized that I was paying a lot of money for something that wasn't really rewarding. I then realized that there were many things that I was connected to that were draining me in more ways than one... and I realized that I wasn't alone.

It turns out I was connected to the electric, cable TV, telephone, cell phone, internet, gasoline, ipod, coffee, donut, lunch, dinner, employment, gym membership, car payment, mortgage, and insurance grids too! Oh the horror! All of these things were draining me of not only money, but also my time and life force!! To make matters worse I was also connected to the "my job sucks grid". LOL! So there you have it... A corporate slave was born. (*insert whip crack here* OUCH!!!*) The things I owned and subscribed to were owning me while I spent my time working for them.

Consider all of the things you do each day. Do they make you happy? Do they cost you money or time? Do you loathe paying the price associated with these things but fear the change of disconnecting from them?

Well I have good news!! You were born with everything you need to survive. You can do without. In fact, you might just enjoy your life more without these things. If you disconnect from your desire to be comfortable... If you learn to entertain yourself... If you learn to believe in yourself... If you open yourself to change and envision you being untangled and free you can be much happier. The tie that binds is never meant to free you. Cut it!

Don't look at it as "doing without". Think about it as being more efficient. Think about it as doing much more with what is truly yours. You can do it your way. You can take baby steps and disconnect only a few things -OR- you can turn it all off at once. The choice is yours! The key is to do what you like and do it your way! Trust me, you will be happier when you take back some of your time and freedom. Don't let them fool you... FREEDOM IS FREE! ITS THE SLAVERY THAT COSTS.

Put some money in your pocket for a change. Spend some time in your back yard. You don't need movie theaters and restaurants. Call friends over for hot dogs. Burn a camp fire. Grow a garden. Have fun while you reduce your dependency on the corporate world. Who knows... You might even decide to take it to the next level and build a wind turbine or install something that can reduce or eliminate your dependency on utilities. You don't have to go completely off-grid to be an off grid thinker.

I have done much to change my life around. Its paying off. In time I might elaborate... but that is another story! ; )