Welcome to another edition of Frugal Friday here at the Frugal Workshop. We stayed home again this week, so no gas money used here.
In My Frugal Kitchen
I used up a can of meatloaf starter from my pantry when I made a batch of chili last Friday. I didn't want to add it to any of my meatloaf recipes because I want my meatloaf to taste a specific way and didn't want this to change that. I'm glad it has finally been used up though.
Meals This Week:
Crispy Onion Chicken, Rice, Brussel Sprouts
Bruschetta Chicken Bake, Broccoli, Dressing
Salmon Patties, Dressing, Green Beans with Onions
Macaroni & Cheese with Ham, Green Peas
Ham, Soup Beans, Carrots
Gather The Fragments
This week I took a small bowl of pumpkin and a small bowl of pizza sauce I had in the freezer and put them both into the chili I made. It was an easy way to disguise these items and use them up with no food waste. It also opened up that space in the freezer.
Other Frugal Things
As usual, we use our cloth napkins exclusively. We spend no money on paper towels.
We also use cloth handkerchiefs. They are both pretty and save money. We have no need to buy tissues anymore, which is also a money saver.
We always save the twist ties on our bread bags. They come in handy for keeping extension cords neatly organized. I also use them to hold my fan cage together after the original clips broke.
We've been able to turn the a/c off at night every day this week, the cooler weather is a welcome relief.
Homemade Laundry Detergent
I'm not going to debate the issues with homemade laundry detergent today, but wanted to share what we did this week.
 |
| Image Credit @BaileyAlexInc |
We haven’t been couponing for a while now and especially since the pandemic started and as I've been telling you lately, we are running out of commercial laundry detergent.
Bailey made a batch of homemade laundry detergent years ago and that batch lasted about three years. This week she mixed up a new batch, grated in the bar soap, and added in her favorite scent beads.
Here is a breakdown of the cost:
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - 55 ounces/7 cups - $4.12
Purex Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar - 5.5 ounce - 97¢
20 Mule Team Borax Detergent Booster - 65 ounces or 9 cups - $4.47
Optional:
Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda - 5 lbs/10 cups - $3.88
Downy Unstopables Scent Booster - 20.1 oz - $11.97
OxiClean Stain Remover - 3 lbs/6 cups - $7.73
We spent $35.08 on our batch of laundry detergent and we dated our container to see how long it will last. We used all the optional ingredients, but you don't have to use them if you want to save even more money.
Arm & Hammer washing soda is an excellent booster and whitener to commercial laundry detergent. I like to add some into my wash even if I'm using commercial laundry detergent because I can tell a big difference in cleanliness and whiteness when I do.
 |
| Image Credit @BaileyAlexInc |
The homemade laundry detergent cleans so well and only uses one or two tablespoons per load. We just keep a jar of it in the laundry room and have the tub in storage.
 |
| Image Credit @BaileyAlexInc |
This is a good way to save on laundry detergent if you can’t or don’t have time to coupon.
The path to good money management will be a long road for some, but people can change if they want to. We’re living in an age where we have plenty of resources at our fingertips that we can use to teach ourselves how to make the best use of our money, resources, and time.
How was your week?
Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.
Great idea on the soap, & thanks for all of the detail - it's really helpful to get the breakdown of cost. My husband just bought a bunch of laundry soap at Costco, so we are good for a while, but I'll look into this for the future.
ReplyDeleteI posted a frugal update as well today, but a few highlights: a Friday freebie at the store, eBay sales, garden produce, & using up a free meal service subscription.
You’re welcome for the soap details. Sounds like you had a good week, I’ll be over there soon to read all about it.
DeleteI try and make sure we use up all leftovers and we do have very little waste and if we do it goes to the chickens.
ReplyDeleteThat is great, Kim. We used to feed our chickens items like that. They could pick a watermelon rind clean until there was nothing left of it.
DeleteFood waste is one of my pet peeves, and try as hard as I can, I still have a little.
ReplyDeleteSame here, Anne. I do try my best with it though and I'm sure you do too.
DeleteSounds like a good week!
ReplyDeleteThat chicken bake sounds good to me. Thanks for the recipe.
I have never made homemade laundry detergent before so thanks for the breakdown. Do you think it will work ok in a he washer?
Thank you, Kathy. I have heard of others who use the homemade laundry in their HE washers. If I were you, I would read up on the pros and cons of it and then decide. You could Google, "homemade laundry detergent and HE washers" and see what comes up. There are so many opinions about it and you can decide after reading them that you may not want to try it. I hope you let us know what you decided to do. :)
DeleteI use it in my washer and it works fine. It's low sudsing.
DeleteTank you, Nichole.
DeleteDo you use each boxed ingredient listed and mix? Do you use all 3 bars of soap? Thank you for the info.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter used everything in the photo including all three bars of soap. You can find a recipe online though if you would like a recipe with amounts. I've seen one where they use one cup of the washing soda, one cup on the Borax, and one bar, grated, of the Fels Naptha. You're welcome, Judy.
DeleteYour not only frugally green. Got to love that!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vickie.
DeleteI also try to use up all leftovers. I should make some cloth napkins one of these days as Harvey and our sons grab a paper towel to use as a napkin. Me, well I just wait until I am done and wash up.
ReplyDeleteGreat frugal ideas.
God bless.
Thank you, Jackie. Before this year, when we could go to yard sales we found cloth napkins at so many of them. They were usually 25 to 50 cents each. Ofcourse, if you already have fabric, that would be even cheaper to make.
DeleteI hope you have a great weekend.
Im finding I' suing paper towels too often again. I was getting better at cloth napkins and rags when things were short of supply, but I guess I lost that lesson. I like your frugal menu. We are in a use it up mode as well since we are out of town, but will have a full kitchen at the lake, so I will bring food form home.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a great idea to bring food from home, Sam. You’ll save money by cooking there rather than eating out the whole time. Even if you just cook a few meals at the lake you’ll save money over eating out for every meal.
ReplyDelete