Penny Pinchers

[Crappie 1]

What do you need to make the laundry detergent?? Thanks...

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

Vonna, You & Paul could give up the new War Eagle & new Dodge Ram and get a canoe and a Whizzer motorbike.RoflRoflRofl

Ha Ha, aren't you funny!

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

I checked out several websites and the ingredients are pretty much the same, but every one had different ratios. Here's how I made mine. I found everything at Wal Mart in the detergent aisle. You need 20 Mule Team borax, Arm & Hammer washing soda (not baking soda), and a bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap, water and a 5 gallon bucket. I used the Fels Naptha because it's good on stains and Paul's work clothes get really dirty. If you think the Fels Naptha is too harsh or you have sensitive skin, you can also use Ivory, Pure & Natural or whatever bar soap you prefer.

First, grate the bar of soap with a box grater or in a food processor. Bring 4 or 5 cups of water to a low boil and then add the grated soap. Give it a stir and let it simmer until the soap is completely melted.

In the meantime, pour about 3 gallons of hot water (straight from the tap) into your bucket and add 1 1/2 cups of washing soda and 1 cup of borax. Stir to dissolve then add the melted soap. Top the bucket off with water to 4 gallons or so. Cover the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap let it sit overnight or approx. 24 hours. It will gel up and be really thick. Stir until it's broken up (this is where one of those giant potato masher things construction guys use would come in handy!) I poured mine into one gallon milk jugs. Just give it a shake before using. I use anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 full cup, depending on what I'm washing and how big the load is. Even if you use 1 cup for every load, you'll still get 336 loads out of 4 gallons. The Fels Naptha is 99 cents here and the boxes of washing soda and borax will each make at lest 3 batches of detergent. It only took about 15 minutes to mix it up, including grating the soap by hand.

[Cane Pole]

DonG, I just wait on Vonna's care packages to eat. Meals and deals. Saves lots of money. Yummy too.

[Don G]

DonG, I just wait on Vonna's care packages to eat. Meals and deals. Saves lots of money. Yummy too.

Tom, wonder if she is cutting back on the "mole-asses" cookies?

[Cane Pole]

RoflRoflRofl

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

Just realized my math was bad. Geez, that's what I get for figuring in my head and attempting to multitask. You'll get approx 128 loads from 4 gallons at a cost of $0.04 per load. Still, way better than commercial detergent.

By they way, I made a batch of "mole-asses" cookies about three weeks ago. Hate y'all missed em!

[deathb4disco]

I've dropped the "high dollar" caviar and started using Costco's brand. Same goes for champagne. And no more premium gas for the Lamborghini.

Just kidding. :D

I've been saving coins and $1 bills for years. At the end of the day, I set all my ones and coins aside. Every month or two, I roll the coins, wrap the ones, and deposit them in the bank. I save around $1,500 a year doing this.

[Eager Beaver]

I've dropped the "high dollar" caviar and started using Costco's brand. Same goes for champagne. And no more premium gas for the Lamborghini.

Just kidding. :D

I've been saving coins and $1 bills for years. At the end of the day, I set all my ones and coins aside. Every month or two, I roll the coins, wrap the ones, and deposit them in the bank. I save around $1,500 a year doing this.

Ya lost me on this one db4d. How do you consider this saving. Did you throw your change and dollar bills away before you started doing this? RoflRoflRoflThumbs Up EB

[deathb4disco]

Ya lost me on this one db4d. How do you consider this saving. Did you throw your change and dollar bills away before you started doing this? RoflRoflRoflThumbs Up EB

No, I spent 'em.

Let me put it another way. I only spend fives, tens and twenties. I will occasionally make an exception to that, though. If I'm going through a 50 cent toll booth and all I have is a twenty and a one, I'll spend the one rather than break a twenty. We all know what happens when you go through a toll booth with only a $20 bill: