A Month of Saving

Today begins an experiment in the Peppler house. We are embarking on a cost saving journey. There is really no hidden agenda for this little experiment other than just to see how being open to change might broaden our world and save us money (I am not pregnant as my family seems to believe).

On November 1, 2010, Ryan and I made a commitment to not eat out for 1 year. While this may seem a bit extreme for the average person, we were spending more money every month on eating out than we were on groceries. We knew we had to make a major change if it was going to stick. We have not been through the drive thru or out to dinner since that time except for 2 meals out with gift cards. We were eating out probably 4-7 times per week prior to the beginning of November. The cost saving for us has been incredible. We had a pipe break in our house at the beginning of November and because we were not spending the money eating out, the $770 it cost us to fix the pipe did not have to be withdrawn from our savings account. Our grocery bill has also decreased because we have been planning meals and shopping with purpose. So, with the positive change we have seen with not eating out, I began to think of other ways we might save some money. That is the purpose of this post and hopefully a few more posts throughout the month. We are going to try some new cost-cutting measures at our house and see how they work.

Today's project: Make our own laundry soap. I must say when I first saw this idea, I kind of dismissed it. I want my clothes clean and I am not about to walk around stinky. But, I have several friends who do this and have had success with it, so I decided to try it. Ryan bought me the ingredients today at the grocery and I began mixing our own detergent. So far, we have completed 2 loads (one had my running clothes in it from today), and the result is: The clothes are clean and smell clean (I smelled the pits of my shirt and for anyone who has seen me after a run, I STINK!)! We also received these dryer balls for Christmas that you fill with water and put in the dryer instead of using fabric softener or dryer sheets. They steam your clothes while they dry. The jury is still out on the dryer balls because I haven't used them on any dress clothes, so that will be the true test. So, the cost of my laundry soap: about $0.50 for 2 1/2 gallons of detergent. We do a great deal of laundry at our house, so I figure this might last us about a month. So, if this laundry detergent business pans out, I figure we can save about $25.00 a month at our house! Not bad for about 15 minutes worth of work.

I know you're all dying to try this in your own homes, so here is the recipe I used:

1/3 c. grated bar soap (I think the recipe calls for Nepthal soap, but I used Dial and have been told really any kind is fine. I would say stick with a white color so it won't stain your clothes. I also grated almost the entire bar even though it only called for 1/3 c. I figure the more soap, the more clean)
1/2 c. Borax
1/2 c. Washing soda (NOT baking soda)
Essential oil (your favorite flavor) - optional (I did not use any of this in our first batch)

Grate bar of soap. Boil 4 cups of water. Add grated soap to boiling water and stir until completely melted. Add Borax and Washing soda to hot water and stir. Put in large pail. Add 2 1/2 gallons cold water and stir. Put 1/2 cup of detergent per load (for really heavy loads, I would probably add a little more). The detergent will be the consistency of a gel and will likely need stirred before each load.

There you go! Stay tuned for other experiments we try this month!