Living on a Shoestring - Part 1

We have had a very expensive year this year, what with buying our land and planning to build a house, as well as buying a new van. I spent some time at a friend's a month ago, and had myself reminded of what my plans were when I moved to this area ten years ago. To live frugally.

Honestly, I thought I lived frugally. Actually, according to the world's standards, we do. Our kids have only just this year been put in paid activities: gymnastics. Up to this year they have only had free activities, and then perhaps inexpensive things like baseball and soccer. Lots of fun and social times, but still not expensive activities.

We live on a budget - actually, we try to live on a budget. We don't eat out. We make our own pizza. We don't eat steak or other expensive meals. I have a clothes 'store' in my own home. These are huge rubbermaid tubs full of clothes that are clean and gently worn that will be available for the next child down. I have tubs marked: t-shirts, pajamas, sweaters, pants, shorts etc. This way a child can go shopping from within our house and we save a lot of money this way.

But all this aside, I still don't live the way I intended when I moved to this countryside lifestyle. At the time, I was ambitious, but I also had a newborn baby, plus a 2, 6, and 8 year old children. Oh, and did I mention my husband worked and lived five hours from where we were living. So, my existence was more about keeping the boat afloat than doing any more country living than I was already doing.

Things are different now. I have older children who can help. Back then, it would have been all me doing the work and there were only so many hours in my day. Now, I have children who are excited to have animals and learn new skills. I also have five small children who are quite capable of weeding a vegetable garden with my guidance.

When I came home from my friend's house I was all excited to begin my frugal living. The first thing I was going to do was make "laundry soap". It sounded so simple and was so cheap! As we headed home from our visit, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up supplies. My little ducklings all followed behind me carrying the containers of soap, Borax and Arm and Hammer. They too were revved to see what we could do at home.


The following morning, bright and early, Cassidy and I began our laundry soap-making adventure. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was charged to see how much money I could save by doing this.

This is the recipe that I am using:

Liquid Laundry Soap

1 litre super hot water 1 bar soap, grated 1 cup Borax 1 cup Arm and Hammer
5 gallon container 3 gallons warm to hot water

1) First, I grated the soap into a bowl.

The first time I did this recipe I used a bar of Ivory soap. The second time I did it I used Goats Milk soap. The goats milk soap smells so fresh and clean and I love working with it.

2) I put the very hot water into a medium size saucepan on the stove and added the soap to it. I then stirred it until the soap melted.



3) When the soap was thoroughly melted, I poured the soap mixture into a large 5 gallon rubbermaid container and added the 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup Arm and Hammer. I then used my whisk to blend it well.


4) I now added the three gallons of warm water and mixed the whole recipe very well.


5) When this was done it began looking like slime or goop. It happened very quickly when I used the goats milk. When I used the Ivory soap I found that it never turned slimy, it simply had a creamy look to it. But with both ingredients I have found that the laundry cleans just as well.


6) I then poured the laundry goop into a smaller container and stored it on my laundry shelf. When I have enough empty vinegar containers I might just use a funnel and pour it into them. It would be necessary to give it a good shake before using it in future because it does tend to get more 'goopy' as it sits.

7) When I do my laundry, I turn on the water, and pour in about 1/3 cup of soap. The concentrate then mixes with the water and then I add the clothes.

I have found that this laundry soap works perfectly well. I did a couple experiments:

First, I took a shirt that had a grease stain on it and I put a tiny bit of straight laundry soap onto the stain. I let it soak for a while and then I put it in the washer. When it came out it was nearly gone. Not completely, but nearly. Now, if I had washed it normally with laundry soap from the store my results would have been the same.

Second, I took a shirt that had a spaghetti sauce stain on the sleeve. I put the sleeve in the soap and let it soak up some of it. I then washed it. Nearly invisible.

Third, there was an item with blood on it. It also came to nearly gone.

So, I could use stain remover and it would remove it. But I was trying to see how good the soap was when used straight on stains, and I was pleased.

Now for the cost of this product. I know that when I buy my regular soaps I pay 23 - 30 cents a load! This soap? How about 2 cents a load! Yup, that's it.

The Borax was $7, the Arm and Hammer $7, and the soap, as much as $1 for a bar. I can get at least seven batches out of the Borax and the Arm and Hammer containers. That makes it $1 for each product for the batch - $3 to make a batch of laundry soap.

There are 52 cups of laundry soap in my recipe at 1/3 cup per load - Grand total 156 loads of laundry for a mere $3. That's 2 cents a load!

NOTE: The first time I did this recipe I used Ivory soap and about 4 gallons of water. I found that it did not turn goopy, but it worked as well. This time I used goats milk soap and just over 3 gallons of water. It turned goopy immediately. I have read that this is normal: sometimes it will turn, sometimes it won't. There is no exact science to making it.

But I can tell you, it was easy, and fun, and very rewarding.
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