Homemade Laundry Soap & Inflation?

So, do you use store-bought or homemade laundry detergent?

I'm addicted to the homemade, and have been using it exclusively for about 2 years now. I have been having mixed feelings about the companies who make Fels-Naptha and Zote soap tho.  I remember when I first started making my homemade soap, the cost of a bar was $0.97.  I went to buy it the other day and the cost is now $1.97!!  Really???  Inflation has went up a whole DOLLAR?!?  I think not!!  I know it's a supply & demand issue, with so many people now purchasing it to make homemade.  So... my cheap frugal self went in search of my grandmother's old school lye & lard laundry soap recipe.....

and I found it!!  

I'll be adding bars of it to my Etsy store here, so keep an eye out!! :)

I found this darlin’ Wash Day instruction on the internet and thought it gave a great perspective on what the homemaker in the early 1900’s had to go through just to do a load of laundry! Now I understand the meaning of “Wash Day”. It took the whole day!

ADVICE TO A 1912 BRIDE

Years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave a bride the following recipe for washing clothes (misspelled words and all) :

Bild fire in back yard to heet kettle of rainwater.
Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in eyes if wind is pert.
Shave one hole cake lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make three piles. 1 pile white. 1 pile cullord. 1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch stur flour in cold water to smooth then thin down with boilin water.
Rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, then boil. Rub cullord but don’t boil — just rench and starch.
Take white things out of kettle with broom stick handle then rench, blew and starch.
Spred tee towels on grass.
Hang old rags on fence.
Pour rench water in flower bed.
Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on cleen dress, smooth hair with side combs, brew cup of tee — set and rest a spell and count your blessins.

I just just love the 1951 Whirlpool ad!!  It's even more neat for me as I WORK at Whirlpool now building dryers. LOL

10 TIPS FOR MONEY-WISE MEALS: Trying to save money and still make great meals for your family?

10 TIPS FOR MONEY-WISE MEALS:  Trying to save money and still make great meals for your family?

 

1. Shop your pantry

If you're like me, you load up on chicken breasts, boxed stock and other staples when they're on sale. It's fun, thrifty and a chal­lenge to see what you can cook up with what you already have.

2. Go frozen

Fruits and vegetables are flash frozen at the peak of freshness, so you can buy them out of season for less. They taste great, too!

3. Shop on-line

Each time you enter a grocery store, you're tempted by impulse buys—a bag of cookies here, a box of crackers there, a pack of gum at the checkout—and suddenly you've spent an extra $10. Try grocery shopping on-line. You pay a few dollars more in service charges but save big by sticking to a list.

4. Shop bulk sections of health-food stores for grains, nuts, dried fruit and cereal.

You can buy as much as you want, and prices tend to be more rea­sonable because you're not pay­ing for brand names and flashy packaging.  I stock up on these essentials and then vacuum seal into mason jars to keep it fresh and my trips to a minimum.

5. Make your own 100-calorie packs

I love the idea of calorie control, but not the idea of paying for it. Instead, make your own 100-calorie packs when you get home from the store by separating cookies, chips, etc. into re-sealable plastic bags to toss into lunches.

6. Eat Your Leftovers

Wednesday night (or any night that you have a lot of leftovers on hand) is smorgasbord night, or whatever you want to call it. Haul what you have out of the fridge, and let the family make their own plates. Or take a sta­ple—like that leftover rice—and turn it into a fried rice dinner.

7. Know when organic is worth it

Stick to the "dirty dozen": peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nec­tarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes. These items tend to be the most contaminated, so it's worth splurging.

8. Coupon, coupon, coupon

With this recession, couponing has come back with a vengeance. Believe it or not, 80 percent of the coupons used in grocery stores are still found in Sunday circu­lars. If a week's paper is particu­larly good, it can pay off to buy two copies—or ask a non-couponing neighbor for hers.  But don't forget that you can print at home too!  There are tons of printable coupons available here!!

9. Be loyal

For years, I didn't give the loyalty program at my local supermarket my actual information.  I fudged on the ad­dress; skipped the e-mail. No more. That's because now I know my shopping patterns are used to send me offers and coupons I'll actually use.

10. Make a list

Planning your week's meals before you hit the store saves money because you know exactly what you need to get through the week—no more, no less. Writing it down is the key to saving money.