5 Things I Did That Were Frugal This Week

1. I went in Goodwill twice this week and didn't buy anything :)

2. Stuck to the menu plan and even repurposed some leftovers into new meals

3. Sent Kid # 5 with a "cold" lunch to school which consisted of chicken noodle soup, grapes, sugar snap peas, fruit snacks and a water bottle. All for about $1. For the month of October she will take her lunch 11 times which will save me over $11 :) Every little bit helps!!

4. Mixed up some homemade All Purpose Cleaner instead of buying some 409 :)

5. Washed the laundry in cold and hung some of it to dry. In the colder months I do use the dryer more then when the weather is nicer out and I can use the clothes line 

Saving Water/ Lowering The Bill

For a while I had been using a dish pan filled with water to soak my dirty dishes before they went into the dishwasher.  My dishwasher is 10 yrs old and I do have to rince some of my really dirty dishes so they come out clean.

  Anyway, I have got away from the dish pan habit and have also noticed that our water bill has been higher lately too.  Whether this is from using a lot of water in the kitchen or not...who knows but I figure it doesn't hurt to be more aware of what we are doing :)  

This is my dish pan in use :)

I fill it with hot soapy water in the morning when I get up.  Put dirty dishes in it as needed through out the day.  When I start to prepare dinner in the evening I put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, empty the water and add new.  

Our dinner dishes then go in and any other dishes we use until bedtime.  Before bed I again add the dishes to the dishwasher and empty and clean out the pan and let it dry over night.  So far it is working well.  

Hopefully I can save a $1 or 2 on my water bill. Every little bit adds up!

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

I have now used the homemade dishwasher soap that I mentioned here about 15 times or so.

I found several recipes on Pinterest.  Basically this is the recipe most used was this:

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup Kosher salt ( or any kind of salt really)

I mixed then all together and use 1 Tablespoon per load.  I also use Lemi Shine because we have hard water.  Some of the recipes called for unsweetened lemonaide packets.  I didn't use that since I already use Lemi Shine.

My thoughts on the homemade dishwasher soap is it works ok. The main thing is to be sure and mix it well each use.  I will continue to use what I have then I will decide after that whether I will go back to buying dishwasher soap.  Normally I buy the Walmart Great Value brand powder which I love and works great.  It also last me along time.  So I will have to think on this some more as I continue to use up what I have made.

Frugal Cleaning

I rarely buy actual cleaning products anymore.  I do buy a spray for my shower some dish soap and some dishwasher soap, but really that is about it.

Here are a few things that I do to save some money and clean my house.

First up I have this Swiffer type product, I believe it is really made by Mr Clean.  I also have about 4 changeable pads that I use, that way when one is being washed I still have others to use.

I just wet the pad and use my spray bottle of All Purpose Cleaner to clean the floor. When the pad is dirty I throw it in my laundry with my load of rags.  I wash a load of rags about once a month. Speaking of All Purpose Cleaner here is my spray bottle of new cleaner I just mixed up last night.  I love this stuff and try to always have a bottle mixed up on hand at all times :)

I recently ran out of Comet cleanser which is what I use to always use to clean my kitchen sink. Instead of running out an buying some.  I used this empty Parmesan cheese container that I had cleaned out and filled with baking soda.  It works great and this is what I will be using from now on! 

 

Here it is in my sink.  It works just as well as the Comet does and I already had baking soda in my pantry.

 

These are just a few ways I am saving some cash using things I already own :)

Household Cleaners I Make Myself

1. All- Purpose Cleaner

2. Laundry Soap

3. Powdered Laundry Soap ( this is the recipe I am currently using)

4. Grapefruit Cleaner

5. "Dryer Sheets"


I am linking this post up here:

Grapefruit Cleaner

I have been trying to make more and more of my own cleaners.  By doing this I not only save money but I also believe it is better for us.  I have seen several posts on other blogs and also some pins on Pinterest for homemade orange cleaner.  We don't eat oranges every often but after doing a little research I realized you can really use just about any citrus fruit and get the same results.  My husband does eat several  grapefruit a week so that is what I used for my cleaner.  I have been using this recipe for about a year now and I really like the results.  I keep a spray bottle in the bathroom and I recently made my own home made wipes with it also.

This is a picture of the start of my cleaner.  It is an old ice cream tub filled with the peelings of grapefruit and then covered with vinegar.  At first I didn't have enough of the grapefruit peels.  But my husband has a grapefruit most days at work for lunch, so he just brought them home to me.  I then added them to my vinegar and grapefruit mixture until it is full.  Now I will let this sit for about 3 to 4 weeks.  When the time is up I will strain out the grapefruit peels and leave the vinegar liquid solution.  When I need to refill my bathroom squirt bottle I will fill it with half the solution and half water.  I love it and it works great!

September To- Do List

Clean stove, inside and out

Rip out kitchen floor

Clean behind everything on the kitchen counters

Clean kitchen refrigerator

Clean garage refrigerator


Looks like September will be the month to really deep clean the kitchen!

Make my Mom and Mother in laws Christmas gifts.  Get one gift bought for each of the kids.

Make Kid # 3 corsage and boutonniere for Homecoming.  A post and pics to follow :)

All-Purpose Cleaner

I keep a bottle of this under my sink in the kitchen.  I  use it to clean any place that you would use a spray cleaner on.  I love it!


All-Purpose Cleaner

1-teaspoon Borax

1/2 - teaspoon Super Washing Soda

2 - tablespoons White Vinegar or Lemon Juice ( I have used both and they both work well!)

1 - tablespoon liquid soap ( I use Dr Bonner's)

Combine with 2 cups very hot water  and use in a spray bottle. ( I just fill my spray bottle up with hot water and really don't even measure anymore)