So far I’ve written on how to make your own laundry detergent and dish soap and dishwasher detergent . Today I’m going to tell you what other cleaning products you can make yourself using a few common household items. I’ve always got these on hand, not only because making my own cleaning products saves me money, but I also feel better about using these around my family. Next time you are at the store pick up some of these: Ammonia White vinegar Essential oil in your favorite scent: orange oil, lemon oil, or lavender Borax Ivory dish soap or soap flakes Good quality spray bottles Rubbing alcohol (large bottle) Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (find out where to get it here) Glass Cleaner recipe: 2 cups ammonia 1/2 cup vinegar 1 gallon of water This is such a simple recipe and my mother has used it for years! All Purpose Cleaner Recipe: 1 tablespoon borax 1/2 cup liquid soap 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 gallon hot water 20 drops of essential oil (optional) Combine and pour in spray bottle [...]

So I decided last month to make my own laundry detergent. That is working so well I decided to try and make my own dish soap and dishwasher detergent.  Here is the recipe I made up: 1/2 bar of soap (I used the trusty Ivory) and melt that in 32 ounces of water.  I shaved it up using a grater, got the water hot, stirred it, and then let it sit.  It turned out well, but when I washed dishes with it, it just didn’t suds up.  I am really disappointed.  I’m going to keep using the regular cheap dish soap from the store until I can find a good recipe for homemade dish soap.  I’m just going to use this as liquid hand soap for the time being so it doesn’t get wasted. I did, however, make a successful homemade dishwasher detergent recipe, and that is as follows: 1 part borax to 1 part baking soda.  I started out with one cup borax, one cup baking soda. I used two tablespoons per load and it works really well.  Sometimes [...]

The last time I updated this, I owed $9950.00 on my student loan balance.  I am happy to say that I’ve paid $450 off and I only owe $9500!!  That feels like such a good number.  I am so proud of myself.  I’ve been earning a little extra cash still, but not as much as I’d like. I’m hoping that with my recent decision to look for another job, that I may earn more money that I can save and throw towards debt.  I’ve got this loan at 0% interest right now, so honestly the only reason I am trying to pay it off quickly is for peace of mind.  I can’t wait to get it paid off!