Homemade Laundry Soap

My employer shared this recipe and I was absolutely thrilled with the results! The laundry soap was super easy and quick to make and very cost effective. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures. But here is the recipe for you to try!

Homemade Laundry Soap

Cost: about $0.01/load of laundry
Makes: 5 gallons of laundry soap

1 bar of Fels-Naptha
1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax

Shave the bar of soap into small pieces. Heat 1 gallon of water and bring to boil. When the water boils, turn the heat down and add the soap pieces. Stir occasionally until the soap dissolves, then pour the
mixture into a clean 5-gallon bucket. Stir in the borax and washing soda. Fill the bucket the rest of the way with warm water and stir. Place a lid on the bucket and let it sit overnight. After 24 hours, you’ll have a giant gel clot of detergent. Break it up with your hands to make it easier to pour out of the bucket.

*** I added several drops of Lemon Essential Oil to my batch and it left a very mild and pleasant scent to the soap. =)

Use about 3/4 cup of detergent in a regular washing machine and about 1/4 cup in a high-efficiency machine.

Yes the Blog has Changed...Again!!

If I have any followers left, you will see that my blog has changed for the 3rd...or is it 4th?...time since it began. I am now married and living in the yellow house I worked on last summer before life changed so dramatically. Before I became a working wife, homemaker, and a very determined entrepreneur.

My goal is to be working entirely from home by the time my first child is born (which may be a long ways off). With a hubby who still has 2 years of school left to finish, this may be rather difficult to accomplish. Thanks to an AWESOME boss, I am now working from home 2x a week and working outside the home part time. I am doing my best to live frugally, cook healthy (and cheaply) and work towards ridding my home of chemical cleaners and the like. The fun part (dun da dun) will be sharing my efforts with you! Here is my first try:

Super Yummy Country White Bread

Cost: Under $3.00
Makes: 2 good sized loaves

2 T yeast
2 C warm water
1/2 C sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 C oil
1 T Salt
6 1/2 - 7 C Flour

Combine water and yeast and allow to dissolve. Add sugar, salt, eggs, oil, and 3 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add more flour until mixture is sticky, but smooth. Not dry. Then knead on floured surface and put into greased bowl with a damp towel over top in the oven on low. Let rise 1 hour. Shape into 2 loaves and place into greased loaf pans and let rise another hour. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!