The inaugural post

Hi! Welcome to Money Saving with Amy, my attempt to pass along little money saving tips that I have used or come across one way or another.

Some of my tips include homemade items. Others are ideas for maximizing the dollars you spend at retailers. Yet others may be just little helpful hints around the house. Whatever form it may take, it's goal is the same...to save a few bucks here and there!

So, to kick this off, I'll start with something that many people have asked for...the recipe I use for homemade laundry detergent. There are many of these recipes on the web, this is just the one that I like to use.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT
Traditional, store-bought laundry detergent can run anywhere from $3-$10+ a bottle, a bottle that lasts 25-30 loads or so. Yes, you can buy some that is even cheaper, but the recipe I use still costs less. There is a bit of "start-up cost", but you will recoup that after one or two batches.

INGREDIENTS TO GATHER:
1. Fels Naptha bar soap: I have found this soap at HyVee at around .99 a bar, but have heard that you can sometimes find it at hardware stores as well. (Why a hardware store? I have no clue) You can also purchase it online at amazon.com, but you might look at your local store first, as it'll be cheaper than paying for shipping, etc. Anyhoo, if you choose not use Fels Naptha, you can use other bar soaps, such as Ivory.

2. Washing Soda: Read carefully....washing soda, NOT baking soda. The stuff I use is made by Arm and Hammer.

3. 20 Mule Team Borax: I find this a funny name, as I haven't seen any other sort of Borax (18 Mule, 19 Mule team, etc.) I guess one needs 20 mules to be effective ;-)

(All of the above items can be found in the laundry aisle)

You'll also need:
4. Water: Available at your local faucet.
5. A big container with a cover (at least 2 gallons or so)


HOW TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha, grated (important to grate...melts much faster than just chunks of soap)
3/4 cup Washing soda
3/4 cup Borax
3 pints hot water to start

--Mix grated Fels Naptha soap in saucepan with 3 pints hot water and heat until soap is dissolved.
--Stir in washing soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved and thickened a bit. Remove from heat.
--Add 1 quart hot water to your big container. Add soap mixture and mix well. Fill the rest of the container with additional hot water and mix well. Set this mixture aside for a day or so, mixing now and then. (Best to cover) If it becomes too thick, you may like to add additional hot water. It will gel a bit and will have a (pardon the term) "snotty" consistency. This is normal and it will smooth as it ages. Mix well before each use. Use 1/4-1/2 cup per load. It should last for quite a few loads of laundry.

Helpful hint! You may like to put some of this mixture into an old laundry detergent bottle, then you can just shake and use. It will also take less space in your laundry area.

Cost: I figured that each batch of this probably costs around a dollar or so to make. This may differ depending upon the cost of ingredients in your area.

Front loader people: I get asked if this works for front loaders. Answer? I don't know how it will work in your machine. Front load washer manufacturers recommend the use of the high efficiency detergent because it contains less sudsing ingredients, which usually leave a film and gunk in the washer. You will see that this doesn't suds too much. Regardless, please use at your discretion.


So, there you have it...homemade laundry detergent for a fraction of the cost!

Join me again as I pass along other tidbits of savings!