So fresh and so clean

This isn't my normal social media related post, but it falls in line with one of my other favorite things, saving money so I thought i'd pass it along.   

I'm cheap, y'all.  I don't buy anything unless it's on sale and i'll search the internet over trying to find the best possible deals.  When my mother-in-law told me about making your own laundry detergent, I was skeptical.  I'm no Holly Homemaker and my home-ec skills are lacking to say the least, but she assured me it was fool proof and considering the minimal cost I figured the risk was well worth the reward.  The recipe makes five gallons of laundry detergent and costs less than $10.  Yeah, you read that right.  FIVE GALLONS OF LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS.  You can't even buy a box of Tide for less than $10!  My husband and I are on our second batch of this detergent and I can assure you that it gets your clothes just as clean as any of the leading brands and for our family of 2 it will last us anywhere from 6-8 months.  

What you'll need:

• 5 gallon bucket
• large sauce pan
• 1 bar of all purpose soap (can be found at Wal-Mart, Meijer, ect in the laundry aisle)
• 1 cup washing soda (also found in laundry aisle)

Steps:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to boil 
2. Grate bar of soap (we use a cheese grater)
3. Add soap to boiling water and stir until soap is melted
4. Fill bucket with 4 gallons of hot tap water
5. Add melted soap and washing soda to bucket
6. Stir well (3-5 minutes)
7. Cover bucket and allow to set up over night
8. Done!

We leave the bucket sitting in our laundry room and fill old detergent bottles as needed.  Remember to shake/stir occasionally as the soap will sometimes settle to the bottom.