Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[DMickey28]

I LOVE BJ's for that reason!! I really need to get better organized with my coupons. I also need to make sure BJ's as our address correct on file because I haven't been recieving my booklets lately!!

 

[pampam]

If you can only afford one suit, make it a summer weight suit in a winter colour. I suppose this could work for ladies dresses as well.

 

[lisam427]

Does your homemade laundry detergent seperate & need shaking everytime you use it? I used:

6 cups water & 1 bar Ivory Soap
Then add in a bucket:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
little bit of essential oil
1 gallon water

It works really well. I've washed maybe 7 loads in it & they are all clean. But I have to shake it up before I use it & it is kind of chunky. Did I do something wrong?

with this recipe..how much do you use to wash a load? my mom gave me an old laundry soap bottle full of homemade laundry soap to try. i am now converted. my clothes came really clean. i cant wait to use this recipie and start making my own.

 

[estherhead]

with this recipe..how much do you use to wash a load? my mom gave me an old laundry soap bottle full of homemade laundry soap to try. i am now converted. my clothes came really clean. i cant wait to use this recipie and start making my own.

It's hard for me to answer that because I use the lids of store bought laundry bottles that I have acquired (& just re-use over and over.) For the 3x's concentrated lids I use two caps full. The regular sized lid I use one. If I were to guess, I would say I use a scant 1/2 cup. When I first started I used 1/4 cup exactly and it didn't get the clothes clean enough. But if you use too much (like a cup) I feel that it had a bit of a residue to it.

Just want to say also that I've been using this now for a year and still love it. It has no suds so that can be scary to begin with.

 

[lisam427]

thanks so much. i only have a little bit of store bought soap left to go. i saved my old empty laundry detergent bottles. cant wait to do this as i have at least 15 bars of ivory soap on hand (bought 20 bars for $4-had coupons). homemade laundry soap will defentely be a money saver.

 

[chrismiss56]

It's a new year and time for more ideas........LOVE IT!!

 

[weewuvvdisney]

So many great ideas.

Thanks,



Jan

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

But what if we post something already covered in the previous 79 pages? I have not had time to read them all!!

There are over one thousand posts to read!!

 

[disneyfan55]

But what if we post something already covered in the previous 79 pages? I have not had time to read them all!!

There are over one thousand posts to read!!

It's fine. There are others that haven't read the entire thread and even if so, it can't hurt to remind us!! Any idea can be something someone else missed or forgot about. Just post!!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Here's another one my brother gave me over the holidays. He installs/repairs heating/AC units, which leads to some plumbing knowledge. He said prior to starting your dishwasher, turn your kitchen faucet on as hot as poss. so that no cold water comes from the tap. Then turn dw on. Yes, without doing that your dw will heat up the water to proper temp but why make it work harder (ie, use more energy) to heat the water when it's cheaper to run the faucet. I don't like to waste water so I try to save it (when I remember) in my plant watering bucket.

 

[KellyNY]

I do some tricks with corn oil.

First, it works perfect as a make up remover, just use a very little bit, then wash your face with warm water. Some oil still stay but it will only help your skin.

Second, you can do your own sugar scrub by adding it to corn or olive oil. Put it in a fridge and it will last for a while.

Third, I use it to clean my stainless steel fridge. I tried many things, pricy and smell terrible and most of them oil based anyway, so I just put it on a paper towel and work finger and greese spots, then finish with wet peper towel to remove extra oil. Sure it does not remove 3 month old spots but works very good on fresh ones and adds shine.

 

[js]

I just started doing this last month and I'm shocked at how well it works! SUPER cheap too!

Does this really, really work???
I would be scared to try it with my kids school uniforms and dh and my clothes but maybe I would give it a try.
I will DEFINATELY tell my husband about using it instead of JetDry.
I am sure it makes the dishes look clean but does it "dry" them like the JetDry?
Thank you VERY much!

 

[weewuvvdisney]

Anymore ideas???

One that I use is that I when I have left over cooked veggies, I freeze them to use in soups and stews. Saves left-overs and time too!




Jan

 

[disneyfan55]

Anymore ideas???

One that I use is that I when I have left over cooked veggies, I freeze them to use in soups and stews. Saves left-overs and time too!

One other thing I freeze is any scraps of veg (like the harder asparagus stems, the scraps of celery, broccoli, cauliflower) I cut all these up, lable and put in a large ziplock to add to soups, stews. I otherwise may have tossed these parts since most of the family picks out stems and we really don't eat the harder part of asp. When chopped small, they are a good addition to soup and stew!




Jan

added in quote by error

 

[BellyBaby]

We order water at restaurants (we also don't drink soda, period, yuk)

I reuse painter's tape (I move it over as I go and use the non-painted edge, my friends teased me about that one)

Any mailing that comes without printing on the other side gets turned into paper for my "lists" (grocery, to-do)

My drawer is full of fast food napkins

Buy quite a bit at the second-hand store....muffin tins 50 cents vs. $7, kitty litter scooper .25 cents vs. $1.50, etc. I scored a great Ricki's dress for $7 once for our Vegas trip, likely $30 new. I the thrift stores!

 

[disneyfan55]

with this recipe..how much do you use to wash a load? my mom gave me an old laundry soap bottle full of homemade laundry soap to try. i am now converted. my clothes came really clean. i cant wait to use this recipie and start making my own.

Just wondering what to do with the Ivory soap and 6 cups of water in the beginning? Thanks.

 

[ford91exploder]

Instead of using fabric softener use 'Dryer Balls' these are spiky rubber balls and they do a great job of softening clothes and best of all they last forever bought some for $9.99 three years ago and they still work great after hundreds of loads of laundry

 

[disneyfan55]

Instead of using fabric softener use 'Dryer Balls' these are spiky rubber balls and they do a great job of softening clothes and best of all they last forever bought some for $9.99 three years ago and they still work great after hundreds of loads of laundry

Although I dry on the line, (better savings than a dryer) I've heard that some buy the regular fabric softener and put just a very small amount on a clean piece of cloth (old washcloth works) and put it in the dryer instead of the purchased ones.

If you do buy them, they can be cut in half prior to use as well. We do that with brillo/scrubbers as well.

 

[flamingglobessigmund]

Consider meat as a condiment/topping to:
noodle
rice
potatoes

Instead of having a big portion of meat, use less.

 

[naomi78155]

Just wondering what to do with the Ivory soap and 6 cups of water in the beginning? Thanks.

Grate one bar of Ivory soap and add to the water in a big pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and "cook" until the soap is dissolved.

Add above mixture with the borax and washing soda in a large bucket. Fill with hot water. Pour into an empty detergent container. Use about 1/2 cup per load.

I made this liquid mixture about a month ago, and I am hooked. Laundry is super clean. And it is so easy and cheap to make. Good luck.