way back in time

before I lost my job to the Big Wigs, jon and I had been starting to look at how we could save money. we thought about not buying as much groceries, but the kids didn't like only eating once a day. and they got grumpy...eating the cat and dog were out of the question, cuz theres only two of them and frankly not knowing how to cook good chinese food, that wasnt gonnna work either. not being able to drink (you know DRINK) was Completely Out of the Question! many other things came to mind but none were anything we could comfortably live with.
Laundry detergent came to mind. I made my first batch and it lasted probably a couple of months(I dont have a specific time cuz I didnt write it down) next came counter cleaner, then came dishwasher cleaner and then a "comet" like cleaner. I also make my own bread (which I will happily sell to any of you!!) , my own yogurt, and some other stuff too. the first recipe I will share is my detergent. now I have to say that the second batch turned out differently than the first, but it still works just as well.
1 quart of water
2 c borax
2 c washing soda
2 c grated soap (I used soap flakes from a company in GR, but then this time I used ivory)
1 c baking soda
melt all together then add 2 gal water.
now the prob I had with this was as it cooled all of the components came together in one large thick block. I remelted it and the same thing happened. I then broke it up with my hands, squishing it thru my fingers. then I got smart and used my handmixer and it broke it up.
when i use it now all I need to do is just mix it before I put it in the washer.
If you have any questions contact me via this blog.
good luck and happy washing
more recipes to come.......