ok--this is kind of an accidental way i learned to stay warm without touching that dial!
my husband, a cyclist, rides his bicycle all year
memphis is sweltering in summer but it gets dang cold here for a while
and we have a perfectly drafty house
anyhow
when he comes back from a winter ride he will remove perfectly good still nice & toasty hand warmers
so i started using his leftovers then if it's real cold i just get my own set for the day indoors
the disposable ones--they stay warm for hours
inexpensive, portable, keeps you warm!
(never mind about re-using the feet warmers 
)
but just a thought for a penny way to keep the dial down and be toasty
(but i have also made foot warmers for him from cayenne pepper too)
we got ice today--be careful out there!!!!
and thank you for all the great ideas upthread!!!
I don't have time to do this stuff, but it's very interesting. I'm always curious to see if it works. Here's a recipe with step-by-step directions...and most importantly, comments from users.
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/
It's really quick. I made four gallons today in about an hour. Not an hour of mixing time, an hour from prep to clean-up. You can make as much at a time as you have room to store though. We don't have a garage, but if we did I would probably make a years supply at a time instead of a few months. It would still only take me about an hour and a half, and if i calculate the time it takes me to get the kids ready, get them in the car, drive to the store, stand in line and get home it would be about an hour, just for laundry soap. So same amount of time and I'm spending about $3 a gallon to make my own laundry soap instead of buying it for $12/gallon. But I understand that's not everybody :)
i just got my detergent brew brewed--feels kinda meth labby/moonshiney--in a good way--smells good too!
how do y'all store it and use it
i thought a nice big pump dispenser would be nice
for now i'm just gonna use a half cup measure and dip it out
my husband used some this morning--i'm so excited
they are spinning in the dryer now
omg i can't believe i'm all excited about doing laundry!!
but i need to go back and peruse the instructions because
some of mine is gelatinous and some of it is liquidy
so if i re-mix i hope it gets all gelatinousy up but
i know it will still clean
yep he really likes it--clothes came out great--smells nice
i used ivory soap too
thanks for a great money saving idea. shelbylyn and imagenthatnj and all
and i think i'm gonna stick with the dip & pour for now
it's actually easier on the ancient wrists than wielding the heavy bottles around
and easier than the pump idea--easy peasist
anna, remnant, cazza, cheatize any & everyone if yous try it come & dish
hmm--mine kinda gels through out like giant wiggly soap amoeba/mozzarellas in a water bath
i did kinda use the whole bar of soap--i bought three in the pac--it was a small bar
maybe cut back next time?
one of my mottos is
if a little is good a lot is better
it's just in the particular application of said motto that adjustments sometimes are required
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Original message sent by ShelbyLyn
That is how i feel about coffee right now... :)
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Original message sent by jgifford
My dh and I both accepted transfers with our company which landed us right in the middle of the oil boom. Housing is a joke and almost impossible to find, especially since the oil companies are snapping up any and all properties when they become available.
We bought a fifth-wheel camper and it has worked out really well for us - - it's a good thing we get along so well. It required some ruthless downsizing and we can't buy anything since there's no place to put it. I even buy milk by the half-gallon because the fridge is so small. All utilites including cable and wifi are included in our lot rent, so there's not much to spend money on. Makes me wonder how much of my spending was unnecessary when we were in a house. We have been able to save quite a bit in the last 6 months.
So glad to hear because my hubby & I are on the road most of the year in different location, we were paying an adverse of $400 a week for hotel rooms, I started asking him to look around for a used camper, we found one bought it & we save so much also I cook so that also saves us money & love the fact of not packing & unpacking on every move.
i love to make these cream cheese butter cookies which take a teaspoon of orange zest and (oranges are a buck fifty--omg)
i could never figure out how to store the rest of the zest for the next batch -- today i got it -- i'm gonna incorporate it into a tablespoon of butter and freeze it -- sweet success --
i don't mind paying for the dang orange i just hated loosing all my extra zest --
hooray cookies today And next week...
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My dh and I both accepted transfers with our company which landed us right in the middle of the oil boom. Housing is a joke and almost impossible to find, especially since the oil companies are snapping up any and all properties when they become available.
We bought a fifth-wheel camper and it has worked out really well for us - - it's a good thing we get along so well. It required some ruthless downsizing and we can't buy anything since there's no place to put it. I even buy milk by the half-gallon because the fridge is so small. All utilites including cable and wifi are included in our lot rent, so there's not much to spend money on. Makes me wonder how much of my spending was unnecessary when we were in a house. We have been able to save quite a bit in the last 6 months.
We bought an RV for necessity several years ago...we outgrew it and a friend renovated a school bus for me, hubby, and the new baby...the teenagers have the RV. It's definitely interesting in the way of "no space for what we don't have to have'. We're in the process of redoing my great-grandparents' house and my main focus is "optimal storage and space utilization". I hope I succeed! lol
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In order to have the magic jack you need fast internet service for those of you who don't know. Also, there is something called Roku which is sold on Amazon which will give you free movies, news etc as long as you have fast internet. There are some pros and cons of which you can read about it on the reviews on Amazon site when you type in Roku. Some people don't like it and others love it. It saves a whole lot of money instead of getting cable tv. We are switching over to just internet since we can watch all the movies and shows on internet Hulu. Regular Hulu is free but Hulu plus on internet I think costs around 8 dollars a month if you want all the tv shows on regular television which is a lot cheaper than paying for cable tv. We are going to buy the Roku once we switch over to just internet. There is also a lifetime site on internet which I can watch movies for free on.
I've wondered about the Magic Jack before. Thank you for this bit of info.
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Yes! Happy to. My laundry recipe is
1/3 bar grated soap
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda
2 gallons water
Heat 1/3 bar grated soda and some water (enough of the two gallons to fill a small pot) until soap is melted
Add borax and washing soda
Mix until all ingredients are dissolved
Add soap mix to the remaining water and mix well
Add 1/2 cup mixture to each load of laundry
As the soap mixture sits it will gel on top. This is normal, just remix and you're good to go!
I don't have a saved recipe for dish or hand soap, but if you google "homemade hand soap" or dish soap there are tons of recipes and you can scroll through until you find one you like. I change the recipes I use sometimes just depending on what I have on hand. HTH!
I've tried this laundry recipe before and it didn't work for the really smelly underarm issues. I just found this recipe and will be making it soon: http://www.savvysugar.com/All--One-Laundry-Bombs-31354476 For trial, I added some peroxide and vinegar (had on hand) to a wash with the basic recipe above and it totally got rid of the underarm smells. I have been looking for this solution for years (even tried commercial brands like Tide). Soaps can be interchangeable for the most part.
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I discovered this little fact the other day.... Washing soda is actually baking soda that has been cooked for like 45 minutes (in a thin layer in an oven). By cooking it, you change the chemical composition and make something else. You buy washing soda in the laundry aisle of most stores.
My own ideas for saving money. I shop thrift stores a lot. I try to barter my services (writing encouraging notes, giving readings) for some things I come across and like (soap, little pocket painting, crochet stuff, etc.) . Sometimes, I just come across it (like a coffee table and a nice recliner that were simply beside the road).
i wish i had thought of this when i had kids at home -- but we use the ruffley coffee filters for snacks, toast, sandwiches, especially 'to go' in the car, etc. -- i use them for dry mise en place ingredients-- disposable -- saves on hot water and dish washing energy -- a few trees bite the dust i guess there's always a trade off-- but we don't even use them for coffee ;)
I made the liquid version of laundry soap too and really like it, love the way my towels feel out of the dryer. The only problem is that it makes my whites a little dingy. I just made a dry version and it smells really good, the oxyclean helps with brightening the whites. Probably wont have to buy laundry detergent for a few years! Going to try the dish soap one next time.
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I've tried this laundry recipe before and it didn't work for the really smelly underarm issues.
ammonia works perfect-- kills the bacteria -- just pour some in to any load -- it's never hurt any of my fabrics -- of course it rinses out completely -- and it's cheap!
i went looking for a thread i started and i found this one instead -- i've tried to locate this one previously so it's all good --
wonder what I was gonna say about saving a buck....can't remember but i'll just add--
you can check books out from your local library to read on whatever device you might have maybe everyone knows that but--
I'll be back...
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