DIY Laundry Soap *A Must on my list!*

I love saving money! I don’t know about ya’ll but I also love a great laundry soap. I would vary between the two main brands of laundry soap. There prices ranging between $15.00 to $19.00. As much as I wash clothes, I was buying one every two weeks. I was paying around $390.00 a year on laundry soap. Whoa! Recently Pinterest has opened my eyes to saving money and dressing fashionable, if i say so myself. I found a money savvy mom blogging about homemade laundry soap. I have never heard of this before! Where have I been?!

Here we go!

Supplies:

• 1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the cleaning/detergent isle

• 1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cleaning/detergent isle

• 1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the cleaning/detergent isle (I totally forgot this and had to go back to the store and buy it! I even made a list! Goodness!)

• 3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the cleaning/detergent isle

• 2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (try to get at least 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg) I used 5lbs just because it was cheaper. A little more oxyclean never hurts) found in the cleaning/detergent isle.

Don’t forget this! -lol-

I found all these items at Walmart for under $21.00. I think the name brand oxyclean pushed me over the previous bloggers price.

How to steps: (we did all these steps outside)

• Open all your boxes and pour the ingredients into a five gallon bucket. We used a bucket from Home Depot with a lid. Once sealed, it makes it easier to mix the ingredients.

• Grate your Fels-naptha soap just like cheese and place it into the five gallon bucket.  (The Fels-naptha will dissolve in your washer even if you only use cold water like I do.)

My wonderful husband grated the soap for me!

I bought a plastic storage container for just a small amount to sit on my dryer so I don’t have a huge five gallon bucket sitting up there. Other than that, you are all done!

Use 1Tablespoon per load….yes I said ONE! But, just because, I use two…it makes me feel better!

9 months of laundry soap for around $25.00 dollars. Much better than $390.00 a year! (I added in the five gallon bucket price.) Smells like a winner to me!

**This is posted on the original blog.

• -This detergent is safe for HE washers and should be added to the barrel instead of the dispencer.
•  -This detergent is safe to use on sensative skin. -It does not have a strong scent, you can add laundry crystals to the batch to add fragrance.
• Some of my followers have used other bar soap instead of Zote or Fels-Naptha. I have personally not tried it but from the feed back I get it sounds like any bar will work.

Special thanks to “Being creative to keep my sanity” Blog! Check her blog out!

Happy Washing!

Lisa

Ready! Set! Exercise!

I have been exercising for a few months now but I’ve never really had a routine. I would normally just get on the living room floor and do what ever came to mind. Well, now I have done some research and have made a nightly routine that I can follow. I tell you what??!! It really kicked my butt tonight, especially the arm exercises!

• First I always stretch. I know, I know, some sites tell you not to stretch before a workout, but I just do a few stretches. You know how when you yawn and you throw your arms up in the air and stand on your tippy toes? That is basically what stretches I do. There is nothing that I hate more than getting a cramp in my calf muscle while jogging in place.

• Secondly, I do 50 jumping jacks to get my heart rate pumping.

• Then, thanks to pinterest, I found these awesome flabby arm workouts. I only do the Arm Press with a twist and Standing Diamond. I do have to admit that these things WORK! I felt the burn right away which makes me want to do more of them. Bye Bye Flabby arms. (Make sure you use the water bottles!) Here’s the link.

• Next I get my boxing on…with the water bottles! I place one water bottle in each hand and punch. Sometimes when I get really into it, I start pretending to duck and weave. -lol- Hey! It gets your heart pumping, that is all that matters!

• More crunches to work that tummy. Try to do a few more this time.

• Pelvis thrust! I love these! However, I can not do a bunch of them. They get tough but I feel the burn in my thighs and my abs.

• 50 leg lifts. I really enjoy doing these and can tell a big difference since I started. These work your inner thighs…you know ladies where it’s like saggy flab. Ugh. These work. Do them and do them now!

• 25 squats Oohh these are hard. Holding arms straight out and feet apart, bend straight down, then back up. Sure the first two or three are easy but once you get to 15, you are screaming. -lol-
• Run in place for 5 minutes
• Next is the lower abdominal leg lifts. I have been doing these things since high school. Well, I remember doing them in high school. Haha. For that lower tummy flab these do work though. Here is a link to the instructions. 
• More Crunches!
• Then the best ending REPEAT 3-5 (Arm workouts)

Gift Card Holder Craft Idea

Materials -

One Mason Jar/lid

Glitter

Gift card

hot glue

embellishments

distilled water

1/2 tsp dish-washing liquid

ribbon

1. Take the lid and hot glue the card to it making sure you do not get glue on the magnetic strip. Allow it to dry

2. Hot glue any type of embellishment that is water soluble. Allow it to dry at least 15 minutes. I added ribbon to this one so it can float up, but the ribbon I bought was a little heavier and it wouldn’t float really well.

3. Add glitter and float-able embellishments.

4. Fill with water completely.

5. Add 1/2 teaspoon of dish washing liquid to keep the glitter from clumping together. (can also use glycerin)

6. Place the lid on the jar. It is okay if some water spills over. You do not want air bubbles.

7. Screw lid on tightly.

8. Turn jar over a few times to get the glitter and dish washing liquid mixed up. (the soap bubbles will go away)

9. Add your ribbon and decoration.

10. All done! Perfect and unique gift card giver!

(Do not leave the card in the water for longer than a week. This project is best done the night before the party)

(The original idea came from thecreativemama.com )