it’s a revolution. want in?
“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien
We are not lost.
But we are on a route that our feet have never walked.
And we have miles to go before we sleep.
(Man, I am just all about some literary references today, am I not?)
We’re not moving until closer to the end of the year but we are anticipating that shift.
And in that anticipation our family is trying to make a few changes.
To tighten our belts, so to speak.
(I don’t know any other euphemisms for spending less money. Do you?)
Aside from large financial decisions, we are trying to look at all the small financial decisions too.
We are reconsidering our television choices. (Is DVR a priority? Who really needs cable?)
We’re looking at our bottom line expenses. (Two cars are fine, as long as they both keep running.)
We are readjusting our needs vs. our wants. (Can Bergen wear the same shoes all winter? Can I create a bed skirt out of the red burlap I already own?)
We are reassessing how we eat meals. (Who needs meat every night of the week? Is it cheaper to make your own bread or buy it?)
It’s frightening to think about these ideas I have taken for granted.
It’s scary to ask hard questions and face my own selfish desires smack in the face.
To realize comfort and necessity are not of the same vein.
At the same time, however, it is also invigorating.
The challenge of creating something out of nothing has always appealed to me.
I’m just tapping into that a little more heavily than ever before.
And I am in love with the idea of joyfully bringing my children along for the process.
And like most semi-daunting ventures, it’s always more fun when you share both the burdens and the blessings along the way.
(I think we call that community.)
For the next few months, or for however long this takes, I will share any ideas (minuscule and mammoth) that our family tries in an attempt to cut back, spend less, save more, re-purpose, reuse and make do.
And I would love it if you guys would do the same.
(Seriously. Link your great tips in the comments section. Be they your post about coupons or your favorite website about turning zip-loc baggies into diapers bags or detailed instructions on how to capture and cook squirrels. I’m listening. And I’m probably willing to try your idea and I am definitely happy to blog about whatever we attempt. Consider this your standing invitation. Come on, it’s going to be fun. Actually, I don’t really want to eat a squirrel and I most likely don’t want a zip-loc diaper bag, but I think you get the point.)
The kids and I stumbled down the cost-cutting path together yesterday.
We made our own laundry detergent.
It’s not an original idea and maybe you’ve been doing this fuh-ev-er.
But we have not.
London gathered our ingredient list. (Which we received from my friend Dara.)
You don’t have to add the essential oil but I already had it and I love the way it smells so why not.
The recipe seems way too simple.
One cup of Borax, one cup of washing soda and one bar of grated Fels Naptha soap.
I spent $5 buying the two boxes but I only used two cups out of each (I doubled the recipe) so there is still plenty left for future batches.
I already had two bars of Fels Naptha that have been sitting on a shelf at our house for over five years. (Wish I was kidding. I am not. I think I thought about making my own laundry detergent exactly five years ago. I heart procrastination.)
Mosely volunteered to grate the soap, which actually was the longest part of the entire process.
After adding a few Hawkeye-squeezed drops of lavender oil we stirred the mix together and stood back to admire our handiwork.
It smells amazing.
The final step (and the only one that took longer than the soap grating) was making a unified decision as to which storage container should hold the detergent.
We had a bit of a disagreement between the group that declared the glass container was better because you could then view the beautiful craftsmanship and the group that declared the enamel container with the wooden handle was better because you could hang the container.
The enamel container won in the end because Mommy decided that glass and kids helping do the laundry did not mix.
But I understand why the container was such an important issue.
Even purposeful items deserve to beautifully stored.
Dara says you only need one tablespoon of this mix to clean your clothes.
(And wouldn’t you know it? We had the cutest unused one tablespoon-size mini-scooper siting on a shelf as well.)
We’ll put it to the test tomorrow.
But if it works, the cost is clearly lower than the $10 plus box of specially-formulated-for-the-he-washing-machine detergent I have been buying.
Attempt One.
Accomplished.
I have a few more ideas up my sleeve and I can’t wait to hear your ideas as well.
Let’s call it the Low to No Cost Revolution.
(Can we name it Low to No for short and make t-shirts? Free ones, of course.)
37 Comments
Lisa
Nothing new, but a good reminder on not wasting leftovers. I keep a large bowl (w/lid) in the freezer and most vegetable and meat leftovers go in it when it's not enough for another meal (even just a spoonful). When it's full, I dump it in a pot and heat. Sometimes I have to add something and sometimes not, but it always makes the best pot of soup ever.
LaceyKeigley
This is a great idea.
I have never saved entire leftovers for this but I am always pulling aside a half cup of the chicken or the beef we are having and stashing it in the freezer for a future soup.
It's perfect and it makes you feel as if you made a delicious soap from literally nothing.
We use the crock pot on Sundays a lot because of the schedule of that day so soups are a regular feature there!
LaceyKeigley
Oh – and you know what?
I bet Sally would love this – since she could use her chicken broth and suddenly – it's a meal! 🙂
Sally
I'm all up in the bulk ordering of darn near anything — something here, something there. I am slacking, but have also used the BS/ACV system on my crazy hair and once you get used to it, it's really pretty awesome.
We don't have a tv at all, but watch Hulu and have Netflix.
Bryan has joked about dropping Internet. {cough}y
We don't use disposable anything…ok, except for diapers and tp…though we've gone cloth all the way before, but you gotta pretty hardcore to hang with that, I think 🙂
We really aren't very spendy in general, but when I get a hankerin' for anything, I sit on it for a while, and usually the "need" feeling changes. For online stuff, I might even go so far as to put it in my shopping cart, and in some weird way, it makes me think that want-feigning-need has been met, and insodoing, tricking Sal's brain and the bank account is preserved. Unless I see the thing on Homeschool Classifieds and all bets are off.
But seriously, the more cooking with food and not really boxes will save major money over time. Not so much time, but money. Not that soaking beans takes time, but it does require some iota of forethought. Which I generally lack.
One frugal thing that I *love* is brothing the heck out of bones. Crazy simple and so happy for the body: chicken bones, beef bones, whatever — throw them in the crockpot with water and any veggie bits (optional) for 24 hours. Strain out stuff, use/fridge/freeze broth. Put bones back in crockpot, add more water and repeat. You can get a good 3 batches of broth from chicken bones and more from beef bones. Each batch gets lighter in color and flavor, but still gets you your goods. Note: always, alwasy add a hearty splash of ACV with every batch – draws out minerals from teh bones. Fact.
Are you still awake? Did I bore you to sleep? oops…Sally and her broth…
LaceyKeigley
I know – the internet. That would be hard one for us stay-at-home schoolers and bloggers.
And broth – oh yes. Someone showed me that idea years ago and I have never purchased broth since. Great easy solution for soups. And tasty! I never knew the apple cider vinegar trick though.
Seems like vinegar is the answer to everything. Can I buy that in bulk anywhere?
And as for cooking – I agree – very few boxed items.
I should have suspected we would agree on so many ideas though!
@mommymcg
I want a t-shirt! Seriously been working on this here too. We love our homemade laundry soap, but have discovered that homemade dishwasher soap absolutely. does. not. work. Don't waste your money there!! Can't wait to share and gather more low to nos!
LaceyKeigley
T-shirts! Yeah!
Good to note about the dishwashing soap – although someone above said they liked theres. Hmmm.
Cindy Headen
I have been using the laundry detergent for several months now. It works well. Sometimes, if the clothes a really dirty, you will need to use 1 1/2 to 2 TBLS. I store mine in an enamel container just like yours…only white instead of red. However, I put the detergent in a small cloth bag….Charlie’s Soap bag….placed inside the containter. One of my biggest money savers is doing most of my grocery shopping at Aldi. Also, we let all our family and friend hunters know that we will take any venison they aren’t going to use. I have bought very little beef for years. Of course, you will have to be able to process the deer yourself or it will cost a bit to have it processed…..still cheaper than beef. I LOVE Bath and Body Works. Here are a couple of my ideas with their products….of course, NEVER pay full price….If you have one of their (or any other company’s) foaming soap dispensers that has been emptied, you can pour a small amount of moisturizing hand soap into the dispenser (NOT the kind with the beads in it) fill it the rest of the way with water and have soap for a LONG time…..Also, you can add a small amount of your favorite scent of body spray to your hairspray…..This uses a lot less of the spray than spraying it all over your body and you still smell “pretty”. Saving on cleaning products is easy….almost everything can be cleaned with white vinegar, rubbing alcohol or baking soda. Enough for now :~)
LaceyKeigley
I have never thought about venison – and honestly, it freaks me out a little – but I guess I could try it! 🙂
And the soap idea is great – little hands waste a lot of soap. And I already have made a few dispensers with old mason jars anyway!
And yes – the cleaning products! I haven't bought a spray cleaning product in years.
I use vinegar and baking soda already but what do you use rubbing alcohol to clean though?
Cindy
Rubbing alcohol cleans glass really well. I also use it sometimes for my bathroom sinks and countertops when I am doing a quick clean up….like before company comes 🙂 Here are some recipes I have saved over the years:
All-Purpose Spray Cleaner: 2 cups rubbing alcohol, 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing detergent, 1 tablespoon non-sudsing household ammonia, 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Mix in a gallon jug. Fill jug with warm water and shake. Put solution in a spray bottle. Great for cleaning windows, chrome and bath fixtures. (I modified the measurements to make smaller batches. In a plastic bottle, mix together 1 cup rubbing alcohol; 1 1/2 teaspoons each liquid dishwashing detergent, non-sudsing household ammonia and white vinegar; and 8 cups warm water. Shake well. Transfer to spray bottle. Great for cleaning windows, chrome and bath fixtures.)
Heavy-Duty Window Cleaner: 1/2 cup ammonia, 2 cups rubbing alcohol, 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent, water. Mix ammonia, alcohol and detergent in gallon jug. Fill to top with water. Shake well before each use. This solution is great for cleaning really dirty windows, taking tape marks off windows and for removing soap film from shower doors.
LaceyKeigley
Thanks!
beth
don't need cable. haven't had it for 3 years. that's an easy expense to cut.
LaceyKeigley
I know.
I agree.
Actually, our plan is to cancel cable but apparently we have a twelve month contract so I just lowered our option to the cheapest one available and will cancel as soon as our obligation runs out since Direct TV wants to charge us a cancellation fee.
Denise H.
Dried beans 🙂 I'll tell you my journey with that if you want…I almost gave up, but kept at it and it worked! I also make my own bread most of the time, and if not I get it when it's BOBO at Publix. I second Southernsavers.com It took me about a six weeks to start seeing the pay off. You just can't be afraid to stock up on something when it's up for sale… like, whatever, Peanut Butter, or applesauce. I buy my oatmeal from Breadbeckers in 50 gal. container, and my wheat for baking as well. Here is the bread recipe I have always used. http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/whole_grain_reci…
I made bread for years before jumping in and getting a Bosch, so you CAN do it without the mixer. You've got lots of energetic little hands to knead, knead, knead! I am interested in the poster above who went paperless. What do you do for napkins while eating? I would love to go paperless besides TP… it's one of my biggest expenses. OH, one more thing. I bought the pack of white linen bread cloths from Sam's for my bread while rising, but I also use them for wiping windows, mirrors, etc… they were CHEAP and look like they'll last until I'm old! Take care!!
LaceyKeigley
I seriously DO want your bean advice. (We should get our families together anyway!)
I have learned the stock-up skills. It's been a good one for us.
Oatmeal in 50 gal. containers? I'm all about that. We eat loads of oatmeal. How much is that?
Can't wait to try the bread recipe. My attempt this week was average in the tasty department and failure in the appearance department.
No Bosch in the budget right now – little hands it will be.
My link about going paperless lots of years ago is here – http://www.soeveryday.com/2009/06/01/greener-idea…
(Not sure how to make that link up yet. Sorry.) We use cloth napkins. And I use our cloth napkins when rising – maybe you could just use your linen cloths for napkins. And we use washrags for paper towels. It really is not that much more laundry and not much more effort for the cost of savings.
Ali
I feel somewhat guilty running water and using electricity I don't really need. Great to teach your kids to think about what they are using and whether they actually need it. Can you go into a room and get what you need without turning on a light? Can you brush your teeth or even wash your hands without leaving the water running? Reusing all kinds of things teaches creativity. Good luck. It's a good plan and will well be worth it.
LaceyKeigley
Those sound like good games for the kids to make it fun. I get so lazy about wasting water since we have a well. (Which is actually no excuse.) But our next house will be our family's first ever experience on city water. So we will need to be more diligent.
I love the ideas for making it fun.
I may need to be reminded of these next month!
Jesse Wickstrum
To save money, consider simply using the internet more. If you want it, it can be found online. Education, clothing, supplies, extras…EVERYthing.
LaceyKeigley
True that.
Loads of things can be found cheaper with free shipping and delivered directly to me. I love that!
abbey
I started making my own laundry soap about 2 weeks ago with the same recipe. It works great in my opinion! Rich just quit his job so we are tightening as well. I like trusting God for money. Its cool to see how He shows up. Though I do have my occasional panic every once in a while:)
LaceyKeigley
Cool!
I often think it would be fun to share lives a little closer with you guys – oh… the distance!
And Rich quit his job? Details. What are they?
It is sort of cool to watch it work out -and a little panicky.
Actually, if it was Rich's second job that was getting him up super early, then I'm glad he quit so he can see his sweet family more!
Abbey
So his second job was a 65-70 hour a week milk route. The pay was nice but we never saw him. He left at 1 am and came home around 3 pm. And his first job, the church, was on the back burner. So we saved money so we won't be completely broke and he quit. In Jan, Lord willing our church will be combining with another church….so then he can just be a pastor and maybe work a small part time.job. But it's so good having Rich home again! Money does not matter in eternity so I know we will be ok:) and God told him to quit…even more peace with this decision. And my parents who are our voice of reason were basically the ones telling us to just trust God and move onion faith:)
Beth
i month or so i did this same very thing… make my own laundry soap 🙂 abel loved helping me. i actually took the easy way out with the bar soap and used my food processor! wayyyyy easier than using a grater. i always think i am going to grate my fingers.
i also used this recipe for dishwasher detergent…. .http://jenerallyspeakingblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/homemade-dishwasher-soap.html . it makes ALOT!! so, i halved it. so far so good. 🙂
LaceyKeigley
A friend of mine told me she used the food processor too. I don't use my own very often so this actually seemed faster! But grating at the end of the bar is a little scary.
I plan to check out the dishwasher recipe – I can usually get my dishwasher stuff pretty cheap with coupons too – like less than $2 a box of finish tablets. Would yours still be cheaper, do you think?
Gretchen
Not sure, if the lye will cause the enamel to rust? Usually there is lye in enamel. But do not use that container for anything edible ever again. 😉 A few ladies shared this with me last year, but I have not tried it yet. But I am looking forward to the cost cutting ideas!!!! 🙂 G
LaceyKeigley
Hmmm. Things I never thought of. (Just shows our different brains – I am so not science!)
Is there lye in Fels Naptha because the other products don't have lye – do they?
And, again, forgive my ignorance, but why can't I use the container again if I wash it well?
Should I not use the grater we used to grate the soap again for food?
Gretchen
When I was making soap, the lady who taught me warned me to always use separate containers to avoid cross contamination. Because most soaps contain lye — Sodium Hydroxide. So I always used separate things for my soap making. I still have a separate pot and containers. So, just to avoid any poisoning if any of your items to make the laundry soap have lye you may want to have separate things for food making versus laundry. Oh, and another cost cutter idea rather than purchasing a lot of different cleaners, just us a teaspoon of chlorox with a gallon of water and you can have an all purpose cleaner. It just does not smell super clean but is. I'll be looking forward to your cost cutting ideas!!!! 🙂 I usually buy generic too.
Kezia
I made my first batch over 3 months ago (but I made the liquid version) and I'm still using it. Not even half way through it. Nathan is allergic, so I still have the expensive stuff for his laundry. Use coupons (www.southernsavers.com) it's time consuming but can save you a ton of mula. We have gone paperless (except toilet paper) which has saved us a ton of money. Even w/coupons, things like paper towels, napkins, pull-ups, diapers, and other hygiene items really add up. Our schedule has been so hectic this month I just bought all that stuff for the first time in months and I was amazed at how much it cost. Didn't realize I had been saving so much over the months. It's a big saver, worth the extra little time it takes to wash everything!
Let me know if you find good bread recipes. I used to make all our own bread when we ate gluten free, but haven't found any recipes I like lately. I've heard bread is one of the most 'marked up' food items in the store. It only cost pennies to make.
LaceyKeigley
I have started the coupon venture. Not extreme – but it really has brought our budget down by a couple hundred dollars a month. And that's a lot.
We are completely paperless too. Have been for over five years. Well – except diapers. We have done both cloth and disposable over the years.
Call me foolish, but what other paper hygiene items can we get rid of?
And I will let you know about the bread – Denise has some good links below we can try.
seriousbethy
Seriously funny Lacey, I logged on to find the recipe for this with oxy free and here's your post. Yay for homemade laundry soap!!!
LaceyKeigley
That IS funny! Saw your photo today!
Donna M.
Yesterday for the first time I made my own makeup wipes, after stumbling across the recipe on pinterest. http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/09/if-youve-rea... Recipe is easily converted to make baby wipes!
LaceyKeigley
I should send my daughter to this site. I have been making her buy her own make up remover and she was complaining about the cost!
Stacy Finnigan
I wash my hair with baking soda. Super cheap and easy. I put 1-ish tablespoon into 16oz of water (luckily, a plastic Solo cup works nicely. Also reusable.) Take this into the shower, fill it with water and stir with your finger. Pour it evenly over your head, let it be for a very short while and rinse. It doesn't lather up (sadly) but it gets your hair clean. I still use regular conditioner, but I've been considering using the recommended apple cider vinegar. I just don't like vinegar much. Or at all.
LaceyKeigley
I think I'll try your baking soda idea on kids. Although, I actually have found next-to-free shampoo with coupons and sales so I don't usually spend a lot there anyway.
I am not a huge vinegar fan either but I think it could grow on me – but the smell is strong.
Sarah D.
B came home the other day and said, "I should get out of the Coast Guard. I wouldn't mind being poor with you. We could just live in your parent's basement, it would be great!" Mmm…perhaps I shall start practicing money saving ways a little more.
LaceyKeigley
I. Your parent's basement is actually pretty great.
2. Being poor wouldn't be all that fun, actually.