H'yar It Be

My "Holiday Newsletter" style email. Suffer baby suffer:
"Cheap Thrills"
Hey all:
Wound up on a tightwad site and found there were recipes for making your own laundry detergent. I got so stoked I said "forget the haircut"!I've got to go out and get the ingredients now !!!

The recipe calls for 2 cups grated soap, 1 cup Borax and 1 cup washing soda. For the bar soap you can use Ivory, Pure & Natural, Fels Naptha, Kirk's Castile, etc.

I chose something called Zote as it was cheap at Family Dollar as well as specifically made for laundry. Two 14 oz. bars $1.00 each. And it smells nice and citrus-ey... [is that a word ?] and is a hot pink color. The Zote web site [ www.zoat.com www.zoat.mx for Spanish, I think, as it's a Mexican made product] says it's citronella scent keeps mosquitoes away. Who knew ?

A grated bar of Zote gives you 4&1/2 cups, so I added 1&1/2 cups each of the Borax and the same amount of Washing Soda [Arm & Hammer, BTW] to the 4& 1/2 cuts of grated Zote. I think the ratio should be 4 to 2, correct ? Never was good at math...... just doubles the recipe, I guess. Would prefer more soap but there you are.... I wound up adding another 1/2 cup of each to the Zote.

Borax: $4.98 at Fry's for 4 lbs. 12 oz., $2.98 for the A&H Washing Soda 3lbs 7oz.
Supposed to use 2 tablespoons per load. Will have to get the calculator out to figure how much each load costs.

There's even a recipe for automatic dishwashers. Have to investigate that later. Dish washing soap is soooo expensive.

The value and the cheapness and the money savings is causing a thrill to run up my leg.. Sick I know. Urban Homesteading... I'll be getting one of those pot holder weaving kits soon if I get too crazy......

I have a test load in the washer right now: handkerchiefs, two non rubber backed throw rugs and a pair of my undesirables. We'll see what happens.

You watch though: with my luck I'll develop a rash that will burn the skin off my naughty bits.... no prob. A little Bag Balm and I'll be fine. Not using them for anything but plumbing these days anyway.

If I heal quickly maybe my skin will adapt and I can continue to save money !! Ohhh the psychic monetary value.
Best to all,
DGreg
Si yo puede, bitches