Another money saving idea...homemade laundry soap!!! I've recently started making my own laundry soap and stain remover. I perused the internet and found many recipes for the soap...I ended up using 1 bar of Ivory soap, 1 cup of borax, and 1 cup of washing soda. The borax and washing soda were both found in the laundry aisle at my local supermarket. I got a 3 pack of Ivory bar soap, a box of borax, and a box of washing soda for the same price as ONE bottle of Tide!!
To make the Ivory soap granule size, you can either grate it on a cheese grater, or chop it into chunks and throw the whole mix into the food processor. I found the food processor route is MUCH easier!!
One batch of the homemade soap lasts about a month around here...(two kids, myself, and the big guy (kid))!!
All the recipes recommend using 1-2 Tbsp per load. I tend to use 2 Tbsp more often than not.
I've had no complaints from anyone about dirty clothes or clothes that don't smell good and clean. I've continued to use liquid fabric softener, mostly because we like the smell.
If you decide to make your own soap, be sure you buy WASHING soda, not baking soda!! Different pH levels, it definitely affects how clean and fresh your clothes will be!!
For the homemade stain remover, I adapted a recipe found on pinterest, originally from One Good Thing, by Jillee. The original recipe called for 2/3 cup plain Dawn dish soap...all I can find at the stores anymore are the super duper ultra concentrated kinds, and using the full amount with this leaves the clothes slightly blue after one washing, so I had to go a double wash!! (What a waste of water and money!!)
So, here's the recipe for the stain remover...
1/3 cup Dawn dish soap (blue, regular)
2/3 cup ammonia
2 cups very warm water
6 Tbsp baking soda (yes, BAKING soda this time)
Put all ingredients in a large squirt bottle and shake well! Because I had to experiment with the recipe and ended up adding more liquids, I had to put mine in an old detergent bottle, due to the fact that I don't own a squirt bottle large enough to hold all that liquid!!!
The water needs to be pretty warm in order to dissolve the baking soda. It's a little easier to mix the baking soda with the water and then pour the mixture into your container of choice!! Trust me, it's tough to "pour" tablespoons of baking soda into a bottle!!
This stain remover works wonders on my one year old's clothes!! It's successfully removed blueberry and strawberry stains!!
It doesn't completely remove old, set-in stains, like the stuff I used to buy, but as long as you get the stain out before drying the clothing, there's no reason to spend lots of money on special, expensive stain removers!! I've yet to come across a (relatively) fresh stain that this stuff hasn't worked on!!
Good luck and enjoy!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
My First Yogurt Adventure
I had to share this with the world...I am soooooo proud. I MADE YOGURT!!! I've been toying with this idea for quite sometime now. Spending $2.39 on small four-packs of organic yogurt for my toddler just seems silly. Of course, the only reason I buy these insanely expensive organic yogurts is because it's the only brand of whole milk yogurt!!
Enter the idea for homemade whole milk yogurt...
After looking around online for days for a good recipe, I went to bowling and lo and behold, another frugal mama on my team tells me that she makes yogurt all the time!! I used her recipe (mostly) and it turned out great!!!!
First, I have to tell you, I NEVER eat plain yogurt. Ewwwww. No way! My friend said the same, but after making her own, she does eat it plain...hmmmmmm. Seems like it's worth a try.
We discussed her yogurt making process...I took mental notes. A few days later, I decided to give it a go...and it worked!! It worked great!!! AND, I really feel like I could enjoy this yogurt plain. (Although I have no real intention of eating it that way!!)
So, if you are like me, and want to save some money, know what you're actually eating, and are ready to try something new, here's the process!!!
I used whole milk, so that it's good for my 14 month old to eat. Plus, I LOVE whole milk.
First, I measured out 32 ounces of milk. Let this sit out for an hour or so to warm up a bit...makes the heating process not take so long.
Next, turn on your crockpot. Low setting. Keep the lid on (EMPTY)...just leave the crockpot on while you complete the heating and cooling process.
Put 2 Tbsp of plain yogurt into a small bowl with 2 Tbsp of milk mixed in. Let this sit on the counter to warm some while you heat the milk.
Heat the milk to 180 degrees in a heavy bottom saucepan, or a double boiler if you prefer. If using a pan, be sure to stir the milk occasionally to prevent scorching. I did this over medium heat (on an electric stove). The heating process probably took about 10-15 minutes.
While the milk is heating, fill your sink with cold water and toss in a couple trays of ice cubes.
Once the milk reaches 180, put the pan into the cold water bath in the sink. I poured the milk into a bowl then put that into the bath. Wait for the milk to cool to 110 degrees.
When the milk has cooled, mix in the yogurt/milk mixture.
Turn off your crockpot. Set the bowl of milk and cultures into the crockpot. Put the lid on. Cover the crockpot with a large bath towel. I also added an extra towel on top. You want to conserve as much of the heat as possible.
Apparently the yogurt making cultures thrive at 110 degrees. They also like it to be very still. This was the hardest part for me, waiting and not disturbing. Probably the reason I chose to make the yogurt overnight.
My friend pours the milk mixture directly into the crockpot. I chose to use a bowl because I didn't want to chance overheating the milk. I used less milk than she does.
I let the mixture culture for close to 13 hours. I think 10 hours is the minimum. When I woke up and checked on it...IT WAS YOGURT!!! And it was tasty. When you're done culturing, vigorously stir the mixture and put into your choice of storage container. Put this in the coldest part of the fridge and let cool for a few hours.
I also plan on trying to make Greek-style yogurt. The only difference in preparation involves straining the finished product through 4 layers of cheesecloth for a 2 hours. Since I couldn't find cheesecloth at my local grocer, I didn't try this yet!! I do plan on doing this in the near future. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Until then, happy yogurt making. I'll keep looking for ways to save us moms money!!
Enter the idea for homemade whole milk yogurt...
After looking around online for days for a good recipe, I went to bowling and lo and behold, another frugal mama on my team tells me that she makes yogurt all the time!! I used her recipe (mostly) and it turned out great!!!!
First, I have to tell you, I NEVER eat plain yogurt. Ewwwww. No way! My friend said the same, but after making her own, she does eat it plain...hmmmmmm. Seems like it's worth a try.
We discussed her yogurt making process...I took mental notes. A few days later, I decided to give it a go...and it worked!! It worked great!!! AND, I really feel like I could enjoy this yogurt plain. (Although I have no real intention of eating it that way!!)
So, if you are like me, and want to save some money, know what you're actually eating, and are ready to try something new, here's the process!!!
I used whole milk, so that it's good for my 14 month old to eat. Plus, I LOVE whole milk.
First, I measured out 32 ounces of milk. Let this sit out for an hour or so to warm up a bit...makes the heating process not take so long.
Next, turn on your crockpot. Low setting. Keep the lid on (EMPTY)...just leave the crockpot on while you complete the heating and cooling process.
Put 2 Tbsp of plain yogurt into a small bowl with 2 Tbsp of milk mixed in. Let this sit on the counter to warm some while you heat the milk.
Heat the milk to 180 degrees in a heavy bottom saucepan, or a double boiler if you prefer. If using a pan, be sure to stir the milk occasionally to prevent scorching. I did this over medium heat (on an electric stove). The heating process probably took about 10-15 minutes.
While the milk is heating, fill your sink with cold water and toss in a couple trays of ice cubes.
Once the milk reaches 180, put the pan into the cold water bath in the sink. I poured the milk into a bowl then put that into the bath. Wait for the milk to cool to 110 degrees.
When the milk has cooled, mix in the yogurt/milk mixture.
Turn off your crockpot. Set the bowl of milk and cultures into the crockpot. Put the lid on. Cover the crockpot with a large bath towel. I also added an extra towel on top. You want to conserve as much of the heat as possible.
Apparently the yogurt making cultures thrive at 110 degrees. They also like it to be very still. This was the hardest part for me, waiting and not disturbing. Probably the reason I chose to make the yogurt overnight.
My friend pours the milk mixture directly into the crockpot. I chose to use a bowl because I didn't want to chance overheating the milk. I used less milk than she does.
I let the mixture culture for close to 13 hours. I think 10 hours is the minimum. When I woke up and checked on it...IT WAS YOGURT!!! And it was tasty. When you're done culturing, vigorously stir the mixture and put into your choice of storage container. Put this in the coldest part of the fridge and let cool for a few hours.
I also plan on trying to make Greek-style yogurt. The only difference in preparation involves straining the finished product through 4 layers of cheesecloth for a 2 hours. Since I couldn't find cheesecloth at my local grocer, I didn't try this yet!! I do plan on doing this in the near future. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Until then, happy yogurt making. I'll keep looking for ways to save us moms money!!
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