homemaking

as things have gotten tight, i've started doing some things differently.

we ran out of dishwasher soap. i found a recipe for homemade detergent that doesn't use borax. with the tendency of my kids to get into everything, whether it's safe or not, using anything that has borax in it is a big concern. i made up a batch, and liked it. i've since made up another batch, and will keep making it.
here's the breakdown: one batch cost me $1.94 to make and gave me 32 tablets. the melaleuca detergent i have been using costs $7.89, and only gives me 20 uses.

last night, i ran out of brown sugar. when i went to go get milk, i looked at the price, and discovered that i could make my own for half the price. i bought 2 4 pound bags of sugar, and 1 small jar of molasses. this morning, i mixed them together. i haven't used it yet, but i'll try to post about how i like it.

laundry stuff is expensive for a family of 7. i spend $42 a month at melaleuca for our laundry stuff. blythe was given some homemade detergent one year for christmas, and we are both going to start using it. she also found a recipe for homemade fabric softener.

the foray into homemade cleaners and such has begun!