Home Made Detergent, Ya'll!

I'm always looking for ways to save money on essentials, as I love to buy non-essentials.  Laundry detergent can be super expensive, so why not try making your own to save some major cash.  I literally do loads of laundry every day, so when I heard about this recipe that can be found here, I decided to make some and enlist the help of my daughters.

OH GIRLSSSSSS!!!!! Get to grinding that soap!  "With a smile, mom!"

I spent around $14 to make my own detergent that should last me a year at 1-2 tablespoons per load.  I mixed all ingredients together in a 5 gallon bucket and then measured out 100 loads into my glass canister and put the rest up on the back porch closet. 

100 loads of laundry detergent right here.  I use an overflowing tablespoon per load.   I'm going to keep track of how long this lasts in my household of 5. 

That's where it goes and that is all you use.  Here's to hoping my clothes get clean.

I opened the door during the wash to see what was going on and if their were any suds.  Here is what I saw.

NO suds.  Just some dingy water. 

Later on, after pulling them out of the washer and dryer, I inspected them for cleanliness and color.  I must say I was impressed.  This homemade betty detergent does a better job than my current detergents which float between All Clear and Purex All Natural.  The clothes were indeed brighter and cleaner than normal.  I put on my favorite green tank (which was greener than normal) and I had no allergic reaction. Yay! I'm just waiting to see how this detergent fairs with my husband as he is allergic to several detergents on the market. If he finds himself itching and carrying on, I will just purchase him a separate detergent.  Cause that's how I roll. 

So, I'm telling you to give this a try.  Save some money.  Spend some somewhere else.  Or not.  But you should.  It's good stuff. 



Merry Christmas!

An afternoon at the brick wall

I love that my kids will hop out of the car on a whim to take some pictures. These pictures were taken after school.  The girls were walking to the car and I was like, "I have to take some pictures today!"  So, off we zoomed to the brick wall downtown in hopes of snagging some decent shots.  They did pretty well.

Two months after school started back, the weather is finally starting to get cool.  Bring out the cute jackets! 

Reese is wearing a shirt and scarf from Justice along with Maria's sweater from last year, also from Justice. 

Maria is wearing a button up shir from Justice that is totally classic with an animal print jacket from Old Navy.  I paid $14 for that jacket.  She is also rocking a braided headband because she is prone to frizz at her forehead.  This helps a lot!  Real easy to do as well.  Hair on top of hair.  I love it!