You make WHAT?

This post isn't about clippin', but it is about savin' and if saving is involved, I'm all about it!

Call me crazy (If Financial Guy is reading this right now, he's saying, "Okay, 'crazy' "), but have you ever wondered how our grandmothers got along without a lot of modern day conveniences? My mom tells stories of when my grandmother and great-grandmother made lye soap. Rumor has it, it's not very kind to the skin.

Fast forward to modern day grocery store aisles. Without even closing your eyes, you can probably get a very vivid picture of the aisles in the store(s) you shop in most often. In your mind, go to the cleaning products aisle. That sucker is seriously an entire aisle! If you mess something up, there's a product there that'll clean that puppy up. 

For a moment, think solely of laundry detergent. It never ceases to amaze me not only how many brands of detergent are on the market, but how many different types of brands are on the market. Liquid or powder, mountain fresh or sunburst or unscented, high efficiency or regular machines? What I find amusing is that we're paying money (and lots of it, I might add!) for the convenience of having someone else make things our grandmothers used to make. This is where the "call me crazy" comment comes in.

Three years ago, I saw several shows on TLC with the Duggar's-- you know, the family from Arkansas with 19 (!!) kids. I was intrigued with them making their own detergent and thought, "if a woman with all those kids is satisfied with the way it cleans, I'm going to give it a try!" I mean, what woman in their right mind with 19 (!!) kids would use something that worked so poorly that she had to wash & re-wash load after horrible load? I found their recipe and decided to try my hand at making my own crazy laundry detergent.

Upon seeing the recipe for the liquid version made 10 gallons, I immediately enlisted the help of my girlfriends and begged them to bring me their tired, old, empty detergent bottles. A few days later, I was in business.

The picture shows 11 containers, but I honestly need about 12 or 13. I scoop out of the 5 gallon bucket until it's used up, so HINT to all my BFFs that I see on a regular basis- if you have an old, tired jug you can spare, please do! :)

The total cost of supplies for months worth of detergent totaled about $3. The entire process took about an hour (not counting the time the stuff has to sit over night). Get that mental image of me out in the yard, stirring a large kettle, over a fire, with a stick out of your mind, right now! :)

Three years have passed. Am I still making that crazy detergent? You betcha! Do I like it? Yep. I don't have 19 (!!) kids, but I do have 4, I work full-time, and I do a lot of other stuff... but I still find time to make that crazy detergent. It's very simple and my kiddos love to help, too. With a family of 6, we make it about twice a year. I suppose if you were really good, you could set your clocks, change your smoke detector batteries, and make detergent all in the same day. HA!

So just where in the devil do I stash 10 gallons of the stuff? Just about everywhere. If that last statement intimidates you and you're thinking, "I don't have the space for that!", split it with a friend, give some away to someone that needs it, a shelter, etc. If nothing else, this would make a good boy/girl scout project that each could take home. Heck, I may give it out as party favors at my kids' next birthday. :)

A word of where to find the ingredients. Locally, I have only found the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda at Kroger and Walmart has the largest box of Borax for the cheapest price. Borax is a great stain remover & if we have ground-in stains, I'll just throw half a cup in with the load. I, personally, choose to not make the detergent scented because I use scented fabric softener, but that's a personal preference.

So, get brave and take a new detergent for a spin (pun INtended). If you like it, it will mean one less aisle you need to navigate at the store and a lot of money saved! :)