Homemade Dishwashing Detergent

 UPDATE:  After using this for 2 weeks I am sad to say it has failed!!!  In other words, don't make it... not so much a frugal find.  I guess that will happen every now and again.  After about a week my dishes began to get cloudy.  Then, after not opening the soap for a week it decided to clump together.  Sadly, I threw it all away.  Back to Great Value brand for me. I will stick with the homemade laundry detergent instead!

After having success with making my own laundry detergent, I decided to try my hand at Homemade Dishwashing Detergent.  Over the past few months I had pinned a few recipes on pinterest.  After weighing the pro's and con's of each recipe, I decided on a recipe from Simply Designing and I must say, so far so good!  Not only was it easy to make but it seems to be doing a fantastic job getting my dishes sparkly clean.  The best part though, it's frugal.  Here are a few price comparisons to consider:

Cascade Dishwasher Cubes- 18cents per load
Cascade Dishwashing Powder- 16cents per load
Finish Dishwashing Powder- 10cents per load (comparable to most off brands)
Homemade Dishwashing Powder- 5cents per load

Homemade Dishwashing Powder Recipe
makes enough for 96 Loads


2 Cups Borax
2 Cups Washing Soda
1 Cup Lemi-Shine*
1 Cup Kosher Salt

Vinegar as a rinse aid*

Combine borax, washing soda, lemi-shine, and salt in a container.  Use 1 Tablespoon per load (70% in wash and 30% in prewash compartment)

*  If you have hard water you can use up to 2 cups of Lemi-shine for best results.
*  I have yet to try the vinegar as a rinse aid, but I am betting it works well.  If you try it, comment below and let me know what you think.  

All of these items can be found at Walmart.  The best part is, you will have leftover borax, washing soda, and kosher salt for future batches or other household cleaning needs.

Just one Tablespoon a load will last a while- If you run your machine everyday it will be 3 months before you need to make more.

Hot Deals

So far this summer has been hot, hot hot!  I have been so very thankful for my working air conditioner and that these temps don't stick around for long.  I am use to being "trapped in doors" due to the cold, but due to the heat?... huh?... what do you do?  I don't know about you, but what I do is a simple 4 letter word.  SHOP!

Off to the mall I went but instead of looking for a tank top or a new set of flip flops which would certainly be appropriate attire to be shopping for this time of the year, I was on the lookout for sweaters and boots...... why you might ask?  Because they are cheap!  Who wants to buy thick layers of clothing when wearing little to nothing sounds more appealing?......Answer- no one except me.  Bingo, frugal finds galore.

Last year around this same time of the year I blogged about some fun off season finds I found for my husband Paul.  This year was my turn.  If you know me at you know I pretty much live in boots from about mid fall to early spring.  Going into this season I was hoping to replace my black boots that are literally falling apart and have permanent salt stains decorating the sides.  Also on my wish list was a pair of snow boots for those rare sledding adventures and winter hikes in the woods.  It was my lucky day because I walked away with 3 new pair of boots, originally totaling just over $100, for a whopping $21. I was, and still am, pretty excited about this frugal find...... now, bring on the snow!

$39.80 marked down to $5.98.  Sold!

$42.80 marked down to $11.98. 

Hear me out on these.  They were $3.... and for $3 I can deal with the Bling these boots bring!  Plus, I plan to mainly wear them with snow pants which will only reveal the tops of the boots. 

 

Desk turned Vanity

Is it really July already?  Summer is moving along at it's usual pace.  At the beginning of the summer we had a garage sale and in a spur of the moment decision decided to sell my vanity which I have had since late elementary school.  It has followed me from place to place over the years and despite the floral padded seat and the yellow gold that has clashed with pretty much every room it has resided in, I used it faithfully day in and out. 

Besides the fact that it was in style a few decades ago, there were a few negatives to the function of this particular piece of furniture.  For one thing, there were no drawers of any sort so my make-up, curling irons, and other random items could never really be hidden away.  Another symptom it deveolped over the years was a broken leg.  This made for a balancing act most of the time while I tried to apply my makeup.  Needless to say, it was time to begin looking for a replacement and where other would I turn than to my new lifeline of information, pinterest. 

After only a few clicks in I was drawn to the re purposed desks, end tables, and decorative tables that now took on the new identity of a vanity.  After a few seasons of garage sailing (yes, you heard me correctly, it takes a while when you are looking for something specific via garage sales)  I found just the thing for $5.  I also picked up a little chair along the way for 75 cents which received a facelift as well.  I am very happy with the end result and not only that, but the frugal find it turned out to be.  I actually came out $1.25 ahead after selling my old vanity.  That's pretty much a McDonalds hot fudge sundae which sounds amazing on this hot summer evening......Anyway, the vanity....

The Desk Before..... I think it is a desk at least.  Not sure what those "arms" were all about on it. 

My 75 cent chair that I am pretty sure was a garden ornament in it's previous life.

Nothing a little wire brush, spray paint, and fabric scrap couldn't help!  I found the fabric on clearance at our fabric store in town.  It was a discontinued sample. 

I wasn't a fan of the original hardware so I went to Rebuilding Hope, a construction thrift store here in Eau Claire, and found a few pieces with "style".

The finished product!  I LOVE all the storage space in it.  I didn't even come close to filling it up and the shelves along the back are even better! 

I found this IKEA spice rack at a garage sale for $1 with 6 of the glass jars (2 pictured here).  After a little paint this was a great way to store my "everyday" items.  I may add another one in the future. 

Eventually, I would like to find a mirror to hang on the wall behind it.  For now I am stealing the one out of my guest room in the basement.  Maybe the mirror will be my next frugal find??..

Rebates....Really?..

Yes, rebates, really!  This week I came across a great rebate offer at Menards of all places.  It was for TIGI haircare products.... sometimes I wonder what home improvement stores don't carry these days.  The offer was good for up to 10 products and was a full rebate return!  So, after picking out 5, spending $50 up front,  and spending a few minutes filling out the rebate form,  my 5 new haircare products will have been the cost of a stamp to send the rebate in. 

On a side note, most rebates send you back in store credit.  If it is not a store you usually end up spending money at, it may not be a win win situation for you.  For us, we run to Menards every other week for this or that so we will have no trouble using the rebate on things we would have needed to purchase anyway.  Here's to frugal finds, awesome rebates, and good hair days.

Fun and Frugal Invitations

I love event planning almost as much as I love a good event.  I love details, lists, and seeing a fun idea come to life.  I especially like to see just how little I can spend.  When my husband and I got married I was bound and determined to have a  beautiful, large wedding (400 plus), with all the bells and whistles for under $5,000.  With the help of some books from the library we accomplished our goal.  Since then, with this new era of endless ideas on blogs and pinterest, throwing a cheap yet tactful event is easier than ever and literally at your fingertips. 

Today I want to tackle one small area of event planning, invitations.  Sending out a unique invitation can be fun.  It is often the guests first impression of  what the party will be like.  If you are like me, you think "Oh, that's cute," and then maybe hang it on the fridge for a week or two.  Eventually though, it finds it's way into the garbage.  For that reason alone, I don't like to spend much on an invitation. 

Recently I helped my husband plan and host a dinner party event for a group of about 50.  We didn't have a lot to work with budget wise so I went with simple.  After searching the internet for an idea I headed to our local craft store and bought the necessities- a pack of cardstock, scrapbook paper, and double sided tape.  It took me a few hours to put them together but I was pleasantly surprised with the finished product and even more thrilled to have saved well over double of what I would have spent on a pre-made invitation kit. 

Currently, I find myself planning a graduation party for my husband who will be graduating with his Masters next week!  I first checked out Walgreens and a few other places because I wanted to do a picture invite.  Depending on what you are looking for, some of the most basic formats are about 65 cents per invitation print.  Instead, I opted to upload a picture to a free online website called fotoflexer.  This website had a lot ton of fun editing options including text boxes.  After downloading the picture I wanted along with a few quick edits and added text, I saved it to my computer and sent it on it's way to Walgreens to be printed.  I ended up spending 19 cents per invitation which is three times less than what I would have spent had I used the pre-made format.

So there you have it, my secrets on frugal invitation making.   Happy party planning! 

Warehouse Sales

Warehouse sales are basically a big company version of a garage sale.  You never know what you will find.  Occasionally it is just a bunch of junk and you walk away with nothing.  Other times you are pleasantly surprised.  This past week I had the later of the two experiences.

Club Choice Fundraising located here in Eau Claire WI occasionally has a warehouse sale.  I love this sale not only because the prices are extremely low, but also because the assortment of items are random.  Think with me for a minute about the last fundraising catalog the cute little neighbor kid showed up at your door with.  It was likely an assortment of just about anything you could think of and was overpriced.  Cut out the overpriced part and you have an idea of what this warehouse sale is like.  They had everything from gourmet cookie dough and specialty pizzas, to wrapping paper and candles.

Below are a few of my frugal finds from this sale.  If you are in the area and want to check it out for yourself  they are still open this week noon to 6 through Thursday, and noon to 5 on Friday.  Otherwise, keep a close eye on the adds in your paper for your next local warehouse sale.  

We eat a lot fo guacamole dip around here so I was thrilled to come across our favorite brand of spice mix for only 50 cents a packet.  (I usually fork out $1.15 at the grocery store.)

Check out one of the great new prints of wrapping paper they had for only $1 a roll! 

Keeping it Short (Literally)

Last week's random stop at Goodwill reinforced why I love the Eau Claire Goodwill so much!  Three pairs of shorts, ALL with original tags still on (2 Target brand, and 1 Banana Republic!) , ALL in my size, ALL priced at $1.99 each, equals one very happy girl.  Bring on the summer sunshine and let the frugal finds continue!