Save Big Saturday

I have always loved a deal--I learned it from my mother. I remember her using coupons and shopping wherever she thought her money would go the farthest. I also recall that all those free food samples during a Saturday shopping trip at Cub Foods were "lunch." Very thrifty, indeed, Mom! She (and my step dad) has a big garden every year that provides a lot of food for the entire family and they buy meat in bulk--like a whole cow at a time. For a few years, she tortured us with some homemade things that just couldn't compete with the real deal. The best example was ketchup. If you have never tasted it--DON'T! I don't care how much money you can save by making it, it is not worth it. Somethings are better left to the professionals! Although she doesn't use as many coupons now and Jim does a lot of the quick trips for day-to day needs, she still loves a bargain. Kohl's can attest to that! And, since she has flirted with the idea of making everyday products that will be a bargain and possibly better for the family, I am dedicating this post to her!
Who knew you could make your own laundry detergent? Probably my mom, and definitely a mom of 18, Michelle Dugger. That is where this particular recipe came from. You may have seen them on a talk show or their own show on TLC. Anyway, the real inspiration for this Save Big post was not Michelle Dugger, but a sweet Christian sister named Samantha. Before I go any further, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that when I heard talk of her making her own laundry detergent, there was a little bit of snickering involved. I mean seriously, who does this? But, after reading her email and speaking with her (and smelling her) about how CHEAP and EASY it is (two of my favorite qualities in ANYTHING), I decided it was not something to poke fun at, but rather to try. So, that's what I'm gonna do! You can still make fun of us if you want to, but when I'm stock piling money instead of the cheapest detergent I can find with a coupon, who will be laughin' then?

Here is the recipe, taken straight from the Dugger Family site:

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine
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)

Samantha told me the whole process took her 15 minutes and she had no problem finding the ingredients.

Now, for some math. . . They say each batch will cost you approximately $2 and yield 180 loads for a top load machine. Most recently I have been using Purex because it is cheap--around $2.99 for 32 loads. But, I'm betting the average person spends $4-$5 on their detergent and really fancy people are buying Tide at closer to $7 a pop. So, let's just say we spend an average of $5 each on 5 bottles of detergent, we will be washing about 160-180 loads of laundry in a top loading machine for $25. That saves you $23--okay, that's good! I happen to have a front loading machine, so based on the same assumptions of cost, etc., I would buy 20 bottles at $5 each to wash 640 loads costing me $100. I can look forward to saving $98! Yeah! That's a lot of money! Granted, these are estimates, but I really believe this is going to be a money saver. I'm also betting it will be easier on the skin and on the washing machine too! Due to the length of this post, I'm not even going to talk about the options for fabric softener, but let me just say that today I have done a little vinegar experiment--substituting it for fabric softener--and although my clothes don't smell perfumy, they don't have any lingering sweat smells common to work out clothes. Check out the Dugger Family Site for tips on fabric softener and if you are a proof-is-in-the-pudding kinda gal like me, smell Samantha at church some time--I'm sure she won't mind!