Yes it has come to that, I am making our laundry detergent. After
mocking others, hippies mostly, I started making detergent myself. We spend a fair amount each year on detergent and we don't even use the pricier brands like Tide.
Further down
below is a recipe and a link to the site I got it from. This is a concentrated version;
she also has a version that requires less of each ingredient. I used a 96 ounce
jug to make this and each load of laundry uses 2 ounces of the liquid (HE
machine, use more if you have a top-loader). So I am getting 48 loads per jug. Each jug
costs me less than $2 to make. Around 5 cents per load. I haven’t
bothered to figure out the exact amount. But it’s a lot cheaper than
store-bought and only takes a few minutes to make. Oh and the stuff works. On the website is a non-concentrated version
that is even cheaper to make.
How to make it:
Put the following into a jug, I used an old 96 ounce detergent
jug. You could probably use up to a gallon jug.
1/2 cup of Borax
1/2 cup of Washing Soda
1/2 cup of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid - the blue grease fighting kind
Then add 4 cups of boiling water and shake the jug (behave
people) to dissolve. Top off the jug with water.Shake the jug between uses to make sure it
stays well mixed. That's it, simple.
You can get the Borax and Washing Soda at Amazon. I am told
Wal-Mart has them for even less money, but I don’t do Wal-Mart.
You might not think this saves a lot. But we do 30-35 loads of laundry per week. And even the cheapest detergent on sale ( ALL, Arm and Hammer etc...) costs 3 times as much as this home brew.
Homemade detergent per year - $91
Cheap detergent (Cheer, All, Store brand) - $273
Tide and other high dollar stuff - $310-$480
The non-concentrated version would be about $40 per year.
There are lots of detergent recipes out there, liquid and powder. If you've tried any that you like let me know about them.
For my very stinky running clothes, I still use regular store bought detergent. The homemade stuff doesn't get the Sardonic Stink out of them.
Not that I actually do the laundry myself, I mean I am married after all.
Don't fall for the Jiffy Lube propaganda. We have all been conditioned to have our oil changed every 3,000 miles. This might be fine for some cars, older ones in particular, but newer cars are made to go longer between changes.
Check your owners manual and talk to a trusted mechanic first.
We have 7 cars, hey we have 13 kids, 5 who drive. So back off man.
2 older ones that I change every 3,000 miles
1 that needs it every 7,500 miles
2 that need it every 5,000 miles
2 that have oil monitoring systems, the "change oil" light usually fires up every 3,000-5,000 miles.
Let's assume that changing the oil on my Van, 7500 miles recommend, costs $30. It's a 7-quart system not 5-quarts like most cars.
After 100,000 miles that works out to:
If changed every 3,000 miles. 33 oil changes at $30 each = $990
If changed every 7,500 miles. 13 oil changes at $30 each = $390
That's a nice amount of savings for not doing anything. How often do you get to save money by being lazy. And you save even more money, and time, if you do it yourself. It takes all of 15-20 minutes to change your own oil. It takes that long just to drive to and from the Jiffy Lube.
Obviously waiting too long to change the oil and ruining a $3,000 motor would be much worse than getting your oil changed too often, so be smart.
***all posts apply to my family only - your results will be
different***
People spend 12-18% more on average when shopping with a credit card vs. using cash or a debit card. It's more painful to part with cash than it is to just charge something.
If you pay with cash, that means you have the money and aren't going into debt.
You may be able to get a cash discount when shopping, ask.
You can pretty much use a debit card anywhere you can use a credit card, including hotels and car rentals.
There are actually rewards debit cards out there. Check them out. And if you find a good one let me know. I can't find one I like. I was looking into PerkStreet, but they went belly up last week, they stopped their reward program and left a lot of angry people with unredeemed rewards.
But I need to earn enough air-miles to fly to Des Moines to see my nephew graduate from preschool. "75% of airline miles that are rewarded are never redeemed." Consumer Reports
We still have credit cards. They are paid off each month, and have been since 1987, that was the last year I carried a balance over to another month.
But the only purchases we make with them are at Amazon, 3% cash back on all Amazon purchases. And at the gas pump, 5% cash back on all gas purchases. I do this for the rewards obviously. But we have the money for these purchases already set aside in our checking account. We aren't using next month's income to pay for today's purchases. That being said, I'm thinking about getting rid of those cards and going all debit-card/cash.
69% of all bankruptcy filers say that credit card caused the bankruptcy.
"Only 35% of card holders pay off their cards in full each month" US News and World Report
"Total U.S. credit card debt - $793 Billion" Statistic Brain
"Average credit card debt per household - $15,799" Statistic Brain
"Average credit card debt per U.S. adult, excluding zero-balance cards and store cards: $4,878" Trans Union
If you have trouble handling the cards. CHOP! THEM! TO! PIECES! Go gangsta on them.
It's bad enough that we have to shave our faces, or legs for the ladies, so why increase the pain by spending more than we have to on it.
I’ve never really understood why
some people use expensive disposable razors, the cheepy double-blade Bic’s (.26
each from Amazon) work just fine for me. Maybe my baby face doesn’t need anything
fancy. Not sure. But the cheap razors seem to shave me nice and close. Mrs.
Sardonic seems to agree, and the 13 kids should attest to the fact that my face
is at least somewhat kissable.
Current Amazon Prices for some of
the more popular refills:
Gillette Mach 3 - $2.25 each
Gillette Proglide - $3.50 each
Schick Extreme 3 - $1.18 ea
Schick Hydro 5 - $2.25 each
Bic Twin Select Razor (not a refill)
– 26 CENTS each!!! Works great.
We get name-brand shaving cream from the dollar
store. 3 cans last a year. I spend about $5 total per year to keep my lovely
mug mostly stubble free.
How to get 2-6 months out of a single 26-cent razor:
Always dry it after
use. Water is a blade's enemy
“Sharpen” the blade on
a pair of blue jeans (really). Drag the razor down the pants leg 20 times and
up 20 times. You do this in the opposite direction that you would normally
shave. Video below since my description stinks.
Store the razor in a
jar with some rubbing alcohol or baby oil in the bottom.
Note-I only shave 2-3 times per week, not daily.
Other options:
Safety Razor - $40-$50 upfront costs, but that provides enough blades for years and years.
Straight Razor - $20-$30 for a quality razor. Should last ages, just don't slit your throat.
Electric Razor - $40-$200 depending on the model. Have to replace the heads/blades after a certain amount of time.
Video of the jean sharpening technique
Or just quit shaving and join the cast of Duck Dynasty
Where does one start? For beginners or those in trouble or those
whose finances just need an overhaul, you have to start somewhere. You can’t do everything at once. You’ll be overwhelmed
and do a half-bottomed job at it. So if you are swimming in debt and can’t get
a handle on your finances, don’t fret. Just do like Bill Murray in the movie What about Bob? And take baby steps.
Step 1 – Track your spending
Track your spending
for a month or two before attempting to make a budget. This will tell you where
all your money is going each month. I bet you don’t know, I sure didn’t. Do this
even before you attempt to make a budget. Having a month or two of detailed
spending will make budgeting a lot easier on you. If you are to ADD or
impatient to do it for this long try and do it for at least 2 weeks.
You may also be able to do this in reverse and go through
the last few months checking and credit card statements. If not, start
recording everywhere that your money goes. From your double-whipped-caramel-skinny-latte
at Fourbucks to your mortgage payment, track it all. Make some basic categories
and first list all the fixed expenses that you know you have each month:
mortgage/rent, utilities, phone etc… Then add in everything else you spend
money on that month, write it all down or use something like excel or an online
tool like Mint. I personally prefer using an excel spreadsheet for expense
tracking and budgeting. Christian Personal Finance has a list of good ones (http://christianpf.com/10-free-household-budget-spreadsheets/).
I use the one called “Personal Budgeting Spreadsheet”. It is in Excel format
and you can customize it to fit your needs, and it’s free.
You might think you know where your money is going, but I think
this will be an eye-opening exercise for some. You might find that you spent $150 last month
on toys for your Mr. buttons, your cat or $300 on running shoes. I’ve done that
before. Running shoes are a necessity, right?
After you have an idea of where the money is going, start
thinking about ways to cut your spending so you can increase your savings rate
and/or pay down debt.
Also think about just how frugal you want to be. Maybe you
are doing alright and just want to cut the fat a bit so you can boost your retirement
savings. Or maybe you are living paycheck to paycheck and drowning in debt. There is no right answer to how much you have
to slash from your spending. Some people, like my wife and me, are very frugal
and refuse to go into debt for pretty much anything at all. We did finance our
house but have since paid it off. We prefer a nice home cooked meal to swinging
into the drive-thru at McDonald’s or Pizza Hut. Besides being very expense to
get meals out for a large family, the food at most fast-food joints and chain restaurants
is nutritional garbage. So let’s see $75-$150 for low-grade dog food at a place
like Burger King or Applebee’s, or $20 bucks for a nice meal at home? Tough choice.
And yes I can feed my family dinner for $20 and no that is not Ramen noodles
and PB&J. We spend an average of $46 dollars per day on food, but that’s a
subject of a future post.
So as you read how we
go about organizing our finances and what we spend our money on, just remember that
this is how we have chosen to live. It’s certainly not the only way but it is
the best way for us. We enjoy seeing how much we can save and we look forward
to actually being able to retire and have some $$$ cause it’s not like we can
count on Social Security.
Personally I’d much rather save my money than by junk-food
and more crapola for the house.
How much can you save after slashing your budget to a more
reasonable level? Well here is a teaser from a future article, we save 30% of
my income each month. And no I don’t have a high paying job, just a regular old
job. Above minimum wage obviously but not some high flying salary. And lower than
most of my friends who have fewer kids and are struggling to make it
financially. It’s about choices people. Sure we all have bad financial luck at
times…car breaks downs, kid needs braces, hours get cut at work…stuff happens. That’s
why you have to plan and be prepared. We live in a very high expense area so it
can be tough at times to save a third of my income but it is worth it to us. My
bride, who works much harder than I, sadly does not get paid monetarily.
After tracking your spending for a while you’ll be ready to
make a budget and get your financial goals on track. Wait! You do have Financial
Goals don’t you? If not, start thinking about them. This can be part of Step 1.
Maybe you want to pay off your student loans or your credit cards. Maybe you
want to expand your garden gnome collection or your vintage Barry Manilow
8-track tape collection. Maybe you are getting older and have neglected your
retirement planning. Maybe you are retired and just need to fine-tune your
finances so you don’t run out of money in your dotage and have to live off of
Alpo.
If you find that your finances are completely hosed, you may want to try a "spending fast" for a certain period of time. Think Lent, but instead of meat-less Fridays, you don't spend any money on non-essentials. We are doing one for the month of July and are almost finished (another future post). I'll be the first to admit that it has been difficult. I thought it would be a breeze for us since we don't shop a lot. I was wrong. You can see my wife's blog for her thoughts on how it has been going. I sure do miss the UPS driver and the lovely Amazon packages he used to bring me regularly.
