daisy
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Post by daisy on Dec 12, 2016 12:12:40 GMT -5
The past few weeks I have been thinking more about making homemade products. My laundry soap is about empty and I cringe to think of paying the high prices at our store when I could make some for about 5 cents a load. I am also looking into making cleaning products. Toilet paper and kleenex are two items that I just hate to buy. I use a lot of kleenex so I thought I could always try handkerchiefs. I bought a pack of double roll toilet paper 12 count the other day for almost $11 and it is half gone. But that is an item that is a necessity. I am going to look into making lotions and soap. I don't know if I could do the homemade deodarant but I could always try it for the days I stay home. I don't know how effective it would be working out at the gym and getting really sweaty. I wanted to try making dog food. I have already made dog snacks. And I try to cook as many meals from scratch that I can and have time for. What have you tried making that you think works out well to save money on? I make, for myself; soap, lotion bars, scrubs, laundry soap, deodorant (fabulous recipe if you would like to try it!), shower steamers, bath bombs (disclaimer, I also sell all of those but we use everything ourselves too). DH is my biggest consumer of bath bombs actually.... I also make salves that we use almost daily - started doing that for my mom who has bad arthritis. Now I make one for aches and pains and one that replaces Vicks since DH uses that for just about everything! I'd be more than happy to share recipes if there's anything you'd like to try making for yourself - it's SO the way to go, both for $$ savings and to use products that are not full of petrochemicals and fillers. DH was skeptical about the laundry soap and now he won't use commercial detergent anymore. He's a professional firefighter and the handmade soap and laundry soap are the only things that get the smell of smoke off of his skin and clothes. There are great laundry soap recipes on Pinterest! I've been wanting to try dog treats so that's my project for the winter. We rarely eat out, so 98% of our meals are from scratch - DH loves to cook so that's mostly on him Edited to add that we also make our own Vanilla, we can apples, peaches, tomatoes and whatever else we can think of, I make bread with a bread machine, we usually buy 1/2 of a steer and a pig so we have non-hormone or antibiotic filled meat all year long too. We have devoted an acre to a garden (and DH would make it twice the size if I let him, but no time at all) and have fresh veggies all summer too.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Dec 12, 2016 13:25:29 GMT -5
So now I am very curious - people who don't make paper products or self care products themselves - how much do you spend annually on that kind of stuff.
I buy sort of expensive, not mass produce soaps and lotions and yet, I don't think that my total spending is that outrageous. I can not imagine that I would be saving that much $$$ if I made stuff myself. How wrong am I?
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milee
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Post by milee on Dec 12, 2016 13:37:28 GMT -5
I'd have to do more math and record digging than I'm up for, but I suspect the amount I'd save by making laundry soap (if I'd even want to - after reading about how dirty it leaves laundry I don't think I want to) and only using homemade cloth napkins and paper towels wouldn't be worth it to me in terms of either time needed or compromise of quality.
We do a mix of cloth and paper products. We have a supply of cloths and rags that are mostly cut up old towels and t-shirts; these get used for most of the kitchen cleaning and general wiping up. For really nasty stuff and for napkins, we use disposable. Like Southernsusana, I think sponges and dish cloths are nasty, germy horrors so I like grabbing a fresh, clean rag to use each time I'm washing up or wiping counters then just tossing the rag into the hanging "to wash" bag. Like gooddecisions, I wouldn't want to use a napkin that was at all stained or wrinkly, so I know the clean but not pretty cloths and rags wouldn't work. But unlike gooddecisions, I don't spend that much time stain treating or doing anything to the cloths and rags to keep them pristine, so it's easier for me to just toss the rags into the hot load each week, not worry what they look like as long as they're clean and use paper for napkins. I think we buy paper towels at Costco twice a year, so it's not a huge expense.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Dec 12, 2016 14:06:04 GMT -5
I also make my own moisturizers, mostly because I have yet to find a commercial lotion or oil that's good enough for my relatively dry body skin (my face skin is oily as hell, go figure). I blend unrefined shea butter (about $15-16/lb) and coconut oil (about $5/jar, forget how much is in a jar). I can make a decent amount of moisturizer out of that. I've also been giving them to friends and family as gifts, and I use essential oils to make those fragrant. I'm expecting an Amazon box tonight with some ylang ylang so I can get started on my body butters! The things that excite me, lol... I don't make much else. Foodwise I try to use up everything as much as possible before tossing it. Right now I have a turkey taco soup in the crock pot using turkey I froze from Thanksgiving. If the bananas start getting mushy before I eat them, I just put them in a freezer baggie and into the freezer for smoothies/banana bread in the future. I'm also trying to reduce eating out by seeing what I can replicate at home. I made pad thai a couple of weeks ago. The sauce had way too much sugar and I left out the tamarind (it was like $8 a jar!), but otherwise not bad. And all I'd have to buy to make it again is the noodles and veggies. I have no plastic/paper cutlery or plates (because I'm cheap) and no dishwasher (because the apartment didn't come with one).
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Dec 12, 2016 14:58:54 GMT -5
Oh hell no to making laundry detergent! I already work hard enough as it is. No way am I going to give myself another job to save .02 cents a load. I can regularly buy a 32 load bottle for $2 and on sale it is half that. Even at the higher price doing a load a day would still only net me a whopping.14 cent a week. I am not sure I couldn't save save more in gas each week if I cleaned out the trunk of my car.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Dec 12, 2016 15:07:40 GMT -5
I also make my own moisturizers, mostly because I have yet to find a commercial lotion or oil that's good enough for my relatively dry body skin (my face skin is oily as hell, go figure). I blend unrefined shea butter (about $15-16/lb) and coconut oil (about $5/jar, forget how much is in a jar). I can make a decent amount of moisturizer out of that. I've also been giving them to friends and family as gifts, and I use essential oils to make those fragrant. I'm expecting an Amazon box tonight with some ylang ylang so I can get started on my body butters! The things that excite me, lol... I don't make much else. Foodwise I try to use up everything as much as possible before tossing it. Right now I have a turkey taco soup in the crock pot using turkey I froze from Thanksgiving. If the bananas start getting mushy before I eat them, I just put them in a freezer baggie and into the freezer for smoothies/banana bread in the future. I'm also trying to reduce eating out by seeing what I can replicate at home. I made pad thai a couple of weeks ago. The sauce had way too much sugar and I left out the tamarind (it was like $8 a jar!), but otherwise not bad. And all I'd have to buy to make it again is the noodles and veggies. I have no plastic/paper cutlery or plates (because I'm cheap) and no dishwasher (because the apartment didn't come with one). Check out Thai or Indian stores in your area if you have them - small bottles of tamarind paste are 2-3$.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Dec 12, 2016 15:29:09 GMT -5
So now I am very curious - people who don't make paper products or self care products themselves - how much do you spend annually on that kind of stuff. I buy sort of expensive, not mass produce soaps and lotions and yet, I don't think that my total spending is that outrageous. I can not imagine that I would be saving that much $$$ if I made stuff myself. How wrong am I? I don't keep track all that much. <<Hands over my YM card>> This year (August-July), I'm betting we'll have spent $25 on tissues. That's 16 boxes from Costco. Out of the 16 boxes, 8 are used at home, 4 are sent to the kids' school, and 4 are donated to the neighborhood school. We go through a giant costco pack of TP once every 3 months. We try to time the sales, and spend $15 at a time, or $60 for the year. We are home much less than you..now with the all the kids in school full time. I also had to work hard with my kids to remind them what a reasonable amount of TP is. 1/4 of a roll is not reasonable, but that's what the kids would use if left to their own devices. Paper towels? I'm guessing we go through a big pack once every 3 months as well. So, that's a cost of $60 for the year as well. Self care products? DH gets his contact solution from Costco, because it's cheaper. Things like bathtub bubbles and what not are given as gifts (st nicks, easter bunny, birthday..). Shampoos/body wash are generic/off brand if we can manage for everyone except for me. My kids also bathe every other day, unless they have practice. I teach my kids to use decent amounts of soap, toothpaste, etc. DH uses shampoo from Costco. I shop at Ulta for my hair things. But, my hair is thinning pretty badly. There are products that hide it well enough, but they aren't cheap. I'm close to dropping $400 for the year there. But, I also ask for gift cards for Christmas. For my face..I use facial clothes..dry..They run $6 for 30. I cut them in half. So that runs me $3/month. My eye creme is $20 a jar, but it lasts 4-5 months. For my facial moisturizer, I use something from the Target's Travel section. I've gotten a ton of complements. Runs me $1.49 for a jar and it lasts 4ish months. For soap...I tried lush and I loved it. I have GC to go there..so I'll pick up some soap for myself. I bought some lemon soap in June for $15, and it's down to slivers. Toothbrushes we replace fairly often. I buy the $1 Colgate brushes from target. Sometimes if I get a two for one sale, I'll stock up. DH and I buy toothpaste from Costco, maybe once or twice a year?
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Dec 12, 2016 17:30:28 GMT -5
I used to make my own laundry detergent, but honestly buying the Sun powder in bulk from Walmart.com is just as cheap and without the time (and I made the powdered version so there was no cooking or water involved, makes it even cheaper). I think it works better too. I even use it on our cloth diapers with no issues.
We do use cloth diapers for DS most of the time and cloth pullups for DD overnight. So I end up buying 1 pack of diapers from Aldi per month for $4.99. I get their wipes - 3pk for $3.49. I did spend about $200 all told on the diaper and pullup stash we have, but we've been using them for 2 years now so I would say that was worth it. Should be able to get new baby through the diaper stage as well, but I may need to buy a few more pullups for when DS is starting to train. Although he's doing well now with just the diapers, so maybe we won't need to
We use Scott TP. The most economic choice per roll when you count how long it lasts. Walmart has a generic version that is cheaper but I don't like it as much. I get 27 rolls for about $14 and it will last us several months (and we have 4 bathrooms and someone at home 24/7).
Toothbrushes we get 2x yr from the dentist, and the other couple I buy at the dollar store. Especially the kids brushes. They have name brand ones For our toothpaste I just buy the > $1 stuff from Walmart (AIM?).
Can't do DIY deodorant. Tried, it was a no-go. So I stick with my Mitchum.
I honestly save the most by buying in bulk online so I stay out of the stores & don't have impulse purchases. I used to coupon and get so much stuff for free. It was great when I had the time to do it. I couldn't really get a 2nd job, but I could spend a couple hours each weekend running around to get all the deals. Doesn't work so well carting kids around though
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Dec 12, 2016 19:22:39 GMT -5
I always wonder if folks who make stuff factor in their wage per hour even at minimum ? I admire all you folks though. There is a great satisfaction in making stuff yourself.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Dec 12, 2016 19:32:40 GMT -5
For me, it isn't so much saving money as it is knowing what is in my cleaning products and attempting to be more environmentally friendly. The fact that they cost less is a bonus, though I know they're not really cheaper if you factor in my wage per hour. That said, I'm salaried, so while I can spend that extra time working, and often do, I'm not getting paid extra.
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dee27
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Post by dee27 on Dec 12, 2016 19:47:41 GMT -5
If anyone has a water softener in the house, you can add water to dish liquid. We use equal parts of water and dish liquid, or we would have a puddle of bubbles in the sink. Because of the softness of the water, we use less shampoo and cream rinse.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Dec 12, 2016 19:58:01 GMT -5
I always wonder if folks who make stuff factor in their wage per hour even at minimum ? I admire all you folks though. There is a great satisfaction in making stuff yourself. So even without wage consideration - I can buy dishwasher tablets for under $10 at BJ. I think there is 110 in the box, so it would cost me $30/yr. While I know that little things add up - I can not imagine trying to spend time on something that will save me may be $20/yr. I can probably see savings in paper products the most, but with other things - I don't know. Although, after a big cavity scare, we made toothpaste for kids and it was MUCH MUCH cheaper than store bought. But that's probably bc I buy fairly expensive toothpaste for them. gooddecisions - so.....I just bought some flannel two sided thingies on Etsy. $40 worth of. I will let you know in about a month whether I love you or hate you
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 12, 2016 20:03:23 GMT -5
I make my own general purpose cleaner and my own lip balm. And I cook from a scratch 80%+ of the time
Sent from my SM-N920T using proboards
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Dec 12, 2016 20:10:46 GMT -5
I make my own general purpose cleaner and my own lip balm. And I cook from a scratch 80%+ of the time
Sent from my SM-N920T using proboardsI think that's the best! But then I always wonder - when I use frozen chopped onions - am I still cooking from scratch?
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Dec 12, 2016 20:16:29 GMT -5
I make my own general purpose cleaner and my own lip balm. And I cook from a scratch 80%+ of the time
Sent from my SM-N920T using proboardsI think that's the best! But then I always wonder - when I use frozen chopped onions - am I still cooking from scratch? Yes, I count that as cooking from scratch!
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Dec 12, 2016 20:19:50 GMT -5
Other than using my own spices instead of packets for tacos, meatloaf, etc, I don't make anything.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Dec 12, 2016 20:29:34 GMT -5
I always wonder if folks who make stuff factor in their wage per hour even at minimum ? I admire all you folks though. There is a great satisfaction in making stuff yourself. So even without wage consideration - I can buy dishwasher tablets for under $10 at BJ. I think there is 110 in the box, so it would cost me $30/yr. While I know that little things add up - I can not imagine trying to spend time on something that will save me may be $20/yr. I can probably see savings in paper products the most, but with other things - I don't know. Although, after a big cavity scare, we made toothpaste for kids and it was MUCH MUCH cheaper than store bought. But that's probably bc I buy fairly expensive toothpaste for them. gooddecisions - so.....I just bought some flannel two sided thingies on Etsy. $40 worth of. I will let you know in about a month whether I love you or hate you Nice, I made the switch 5 years ago and never looked back. The key though is the discard bin must be as convenient as the trash can. That's why I have a hanging bag on the oven. When you get them, stash a few in your car and purse. I even converted my parents. My stepmother loved them so much, that she started making them and will send me or the girls new fun designs. It's an easy gift for that person you don't quite know what to get.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 12, 2016 20:37:04 GMT -5
My interest in this topic is only slightly about the money savings, and more about using up what I already have around the house before I need to throw it away (I'm working up the guts to do sugar cookies from scratch for this reason), helping the environment a little, not having to run to the store as much, and/or maybe making something that actually works better than the store bought (like the lotions). I'm probably never going to make laundry detergent, and I use paper towels because of the sanitary issues as well as the giant mountain of laundry I already have to do all the time. Some of these ideas are interesting, though. Wish I were a better cook/seamstress/mechanic/etc.
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gambler
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Post by gambler on Dec 12, 2016 21:05:43 GMT -5
one thing I never understand about making things to save money, I can understand big/expensive items but every day stuff? by the time it takes from start(including shopping for components and drive time to the store to finish product) how can you save. I make 40+ a hours 15 minutes is about 13. what ever day item cost 13+ and is as good?
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Dec 12, 2016 21:14:47 GMT -5
Other than using my own spices instead of packets for tacos, meatloaf, etc, I don't make anything. there you go. The only "making" I do is occasionally cooking from scratch. For the rest, forget it, I have no allergies, the kids are out of the house, and there are more than a dozen grocery/target/etc. type stores less than 3 miles from my home. YM or not, I just buy what I need/want.
Regarding the strike-out above, I don't like meatloaf and there is a very good mexican restaurant near here too. Besides who makes tacos for just one person...
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Dec 12, 2016 23:29:58 GMT -5
You could make your goal reduction of paper towels, instead of full elimination. You can start small and then increase usage. That gives you time to get used to it.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Dec 12, 2016 23:31:12 GMT -5
Other than using my own spices instead of packets for tacos, meatloaf, etc, I don't make anything. there you go. The only "making" I do is occasionally cooking from scratch. For the rest, forget it, I have no allergies, the kids are out of the house, and there are more than a dozen grocery/target/etc. type stores less than 3 miles from my home. YM or not, I just buy what I need/want.
Regarding the strike-out above, I don't like meatloaf and there is a very good mexican restaurant near here too. Besides who makes tacos for just one person...
I don't buy canned soups, but I do buy certain type of soups out. I love cream of tomato soup, but no one else in my family does and they are not the healthiest things (with all that cream), so I just get it from Panera whenever I feel like having one. Sure, I could make a lot more for that same $4, but I would be throwing away half of it.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Dec 13, 2016 8:35:50 GMT -5
I hate waste and don't like spending money on things we will though out anyway. So if a t shirt is going in the trash I will cut it up and put the pieces under the sink in the kitchen. They go right on top of the cleaning supplies so no thought required. Everyone just grabs one when cleaning because it is literally easier. Windows are the only thing I prefer paper towels for. It is just way better. But we probably don't do enough window cleaning because we maybe go though six rolls of paper towels a year. But if the rags get gross as opposed to just dirty I throw them out. It's not like there aren't more under the sink. I will say we do cut up some other clothes that aren't as nice and soft but DH uses them outside for things like the lawnmower or checking oil on the cars where we wouldn't be wanting to reuse them anyway. I actually don't mind throwing them out instead of in the laundry. IMM they were garbage to begin with so whatever use I get out of them is a win. I do give away clothes that are still in good shape but that doesn't happen as often as one would hope in our home. Apparently we drive our clothes into the ground just like we do our cars.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 13, 2016 9:05:14 GMT -5
Damn! I just remembered the flannel PJ shirt I threw away. I could've made--what was it?--a napkin out of it? Then again, I probably wouldn't have ever gotten around to it, and it would've just added to the clutter. Maybe the old Tshirts, though. Too bad having more cleaning supplies doesn't magically make the house any cleaner. I know--I've tried! 😜
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milee
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Post by milee on Dec 13, 2016 9:53:52 GMT -5
I'm only an hour into an experiment and can categorically say - no homemade laundry soap for me. Background: I use greywater from the washing machine to water parts of the yard. Keeps the extra water out of the septic system and also cuts back on supplemental watering. Due to that and the fact that we're right on the bayfront, I try to be really careful about not putting harmful chemicals into the wash. I try to use the sanitize cycle and use heat to sterilize instead of using bleach, for example. And for about half the wash loads, I use the supposedly environmentally safer laundry soap I get from the hippie store. So after reading that link to the article about why laundry soap isn't a great idea, I had the same reaction as the writer - what are you talking about? My laundry seems fine. But I already had 2 of the 3 ingredients she mentioned to do the "strip" of soap out of laundry so I decided to try it this morning. OMG - gross! My "clean" white load is producing slimy, grey water. Nasty. I'm going to finish stripping the rest of the laundry and then no more laundry "soap" for me.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Dec 13, 2016 10:48:26 GMT -5
I buy the cheap laundry detergent ($2 or less for 32 load bottle, less if it is on sale). That is less than $0.06 per load. I used to work for a company that sold commercial laundry detergent to hospitals and other institutions, and we had chemists who were cleaning experts (laundry and dry cleaning). I asked about the differences in retail laundry detergents. They said basic stuff works fine for most laundry needs. The better (more expensive) laundry detergents have better surfactants for removing stains, but it is probably overkill for most. Since I don't have young kids or people who work in dirty jobs, I just stick with the basic stuff.
I enjoy cooking and make my own soups, especially in winter. Sunday is soup day in our house.
I also make my own chicken/turkey stock and seafood stock (for soup). For chicken/turkey once or twice a year I make it with turkey or chicken carcass and freeze in small ziploc bags. For seafood, I use shrimp shells (stored in freezer) and make a big batch that lasts 6 months or so.
I also make homemade marinara sauce. Use large can of tomato puree from Costco (about $3) plus spices to make about 5 family size servings that get frozen. I do this more because I like sauce that is less cooked than off the shelf sauce, but is does save some money.
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phil5185
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Post by phil5185 on Dec 13, 2016 11:11:16 GMT -5
But remember - the hospital's goal is to safely remove/neutralize blood, med spills, bodily fluids (from patients w/ viral issues), sores, skin conditions, yada. And your goal is get your 'whites' whiter than new - ie, the products that meet those two very different goals may be very different.
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milee
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Post by milee on Dec 13, 2016 11:19:43 GMT -5
But remember - the hospital's goal is to safely remove/neutralize blood, med spills, bodily fluids (from patients w/ viral issues), sores, skin conditions, yada. And your goal is get your 'whites' whiter than new - ie, the products that meet those two very different goals may be very different. Can't speak for any other poster, but getting whites whiter than new isn't on my radar screen at all. None of us tend to wear much white clothing - white isn't a great color on us plus it's hard to keep clean and we're more practical than fashionable. We have white towels and white socks, but that's about it. And since I use laundry water for greywater to water parts of the lawn, bleach is a no-go. I've long ago made peace with the idea that our few "whites" will only be whitish, but clean. Instead, I triage our laundry mostly by level of stink. The really stinky (and stained) stuff gets washed in Persil - CR's top stain removing detergent. The nonskinky, nonstained stuff gets washed in Oasis Biodegradable detergent which does a fine job for most things and is not toxic to the plants. Prior to this thread I also used to do some of the laundry in the hippie laundry "soap", but after seeing what came out of the clean laundry when I stripped it of soap, I'm not using that any more.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Dec 13, 2016 12:52:50 GMT -5
But remember - the hospital's goal is to safely remove/neutralize blood, med spills, bodily fluids (from patients w/ viral issues), sores, skin conditions, yada. And your goal is get your 'whites' whiter than new - ie, the products that meet those two very different goals may be very different. Can't speak for any other poster, but getting whites whiter than new isn't on my radar screen at all. None of us tend to wear much white clothing - white isn't a great color on us plus it's hard to keep clean and we're more practical than fashionable. We have white towels and white socks, but that's about it. And since I use laundry water for greywater to water parts of the lawn, bleach is a no-go. I've long ago made peace with the idea that our few "whites" will only be whitish, but clean. Instead, I triage our laundry mostly by level of stink. The really stinky (and stained) stuff gets washed in Persil - CR's top stain removing detergent. The nonskinky, nonstained stuff gets washed in Oasis Biodegradable detergent which does a fine job for most things and is not toxic to the plants. Prior to this thread I also used to do some of the laundry in the hippie laundry "soap", but after seeing what came out of the clean laundry when I stripped it of soap, I'm not using that any more. I could care less about what anyone else thinks about the whites in my home. In fact I don't think we have many. We don't have white towels, sheets, underwear and maybe only a few socks. The comment about the hospital cleaners was just to show that my coworkers were cleaning experts. They also had a cleaning lab where they could test out cleaning products on different stains. I could actually bring in any garment and they would do stain removal. To bad that I had this job after my kids were pretty much out of the house and we had much fewer "mystery stains" to deal with.
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Deleted
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Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2016 12:57:02 GMT -5
I always wonder if folks who make stuff factor in their wage per hour even at minimum ? I admire all you folks though. There is a great satisfaction in making stuff yourself.
Time is money.
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