Sunday, August 22, 2010

Sweet Shoppe Soaps @ Riverside Days!

I just wanted to share a few pics that I took of my SILs booth at Riverside Days.
Mel showing off her t-shirt she won.
Donuts!
Cupcakes and Bunt Cakes
The bunt cakes up close. Don't they look yummy? I bet you wouldn't want to taste them though. LOL.
Popsicles
and of course bars....
and more bars!

Adorable soaps, huh? I sure think so!
Sweet Shoppe Soaps @ Riverside Days!SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Seventh Generation Giveaway WINNER!

Congrats to Denise M {Wiscmom24}

You win, Seventh Generation “Back-to-School” kit --see pic above-- that includes a Seventh Generation backpack, two canisters of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes (one for our house and one to donate to one of the boys classrooms), disinfecting multi-surface spray cleaner, facial tissue and paper towels.

I will contact you via email and you have 24 hours to get back in touch with me. If I haven't heard from the winner within 24 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Once again, Congrats! I hope you love your Seventh Generation kit.
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Sweet Shoppe Soaps booth at Riverside Days

{Photo borrowed from Riverside Days}

My SIL Melanie of Sweet Shoppe Soaps is doing her very first festival. She has been at Riverside Days in Whitesburg, Ky on Thursday and Friday and she is there today.  If you are in the Whitesburg area, be sure to stop by her booth and check out her wonderful soaps.
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Monday, August 16, 2010

Homemade Laundry Detergent Part 3

If you have been following my blog, you know that I recently decided to make my very own Homemade Laundry Detergent. I followed this step by step photo tutorial by Sew Much Ado as suggested by my pal JV. After seeing JV's price breakdown, I knew I had to give it a go. I went out and about to purchase the ingredients I needed to make the laundry detergent.
{Sorry the pic is foggy.. it was cool in the house and HOT outside.}

If you live locally you will be able to find all the ingredients you will need in Whitesburg. Food City has everything but their price on borax was a little higher than Walmart. Also Walmart has the large boxes of baking soda and I didn't see those at Food City. They did have the small boxes though.  Either way, we have everything you need to make some for yourself within a reasonable distance.

After purchasing the supplies, I came home and sat down with them, the recipe, and my receipts to do a little math. I found that you will need $18.30 OOP {out of pocket} to start out if you purchase the same items at the same places that I did. However, you will have some supplies left over. So really you would be paying $15.67 for 161 loads. Which is approximately $0.09 per load. Compared to Tide at $0.18 a load.

If you wash two loads of laundry a day for a year with the homemade detergent instead of Tide you will save $65.70. You can view my entire price breakdown HERE.

Next, I was on to the actual detergent making process. I pulled out my shredder and got to work on the the bar of Fels Naptha.
{Looks like cheese, huh?}

Next, I mixed in cup Borax, 1 cup Super Washing Soda and 1/4 cup Baking Soda.

Some people put theirs in a food processor to make it finer, but so far this works fine for me.

I've been using two tablespoons per load. I just put the detergent in first, turn on the hot water and swish it around a bit. Then once all the powder is dissolved I switch it over to cold and load the washer with clothes.

I was skeptical, I didn't expect it to work as well as other detergents, but honestly it works really well. I have no idea about the long term effects on clothes, but so far.. we've been using it for a week, all I see is clean clothes. This detergent doesn't lather like Tide or Gain, but when my clothes come out, they are really clean.

I was sort of worried about the strong sent of the Fels Naptha but once the clothes are washed and dried they just smell like clean clothes to me. There wasn't a strong scent on the clothes. Of course, you can use any soap you want. You don't have to use the Fels Naptha, I just used it because that is what the recipe called for.

My SIL Melanie of Sweet Shoppe Soaps uses any and all of her soaps to make her laundry detergent. I'm gonna do the same on my next batch. Simply because I have tons of her soap and it would be more cost effective. I will let you know how it goes.


{This is the pineapple soap... it smells GREAT!}

If you would rather have a liquid detergent, you can check out The Simple Dollar's tutorial on how to do that, HERE.
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Friday, August 13, 2010

Hairs To Adrien For Autism


Adrien and Aaron are my cousins 8 year old twins. Adrien is non-verbal autistic. Aaron is an amazing brother and has donated every penny he has received since age 4 to Autism Speaks. Aaron saved change that he picked up off the ground for a year and at first it went slowly. I believe his first donation was $18. Aaron has now come up with another way to raise money to donate to Autism Speaks. He is going to shave his head and take sponsor donations. He is to shave his head the second week of October.

Aaron is holding his first donation in the photo above. We hope he will be able to reach his goal of $200. As you can see from the photo his hair will be quite long by October.

To find out more or to follow Aarons story please stop by and "like" the Hairs To Adrien For Autism Facebook page.

A bank account in the name of Hairs to Adrien for Autism has been opened, and if you would like to make a donation you can make your check payable to: Hairs To Adrien For Autism.
Checks need to me mailed to:

 Aaron Blair
8273 Thornbury Drive NE
New Salisbury IN 47161

Even if you can only send one dollar, it would be greatly appreciated. I am sure cards and or even words of encouragement would be loved as well.


Aaron and Adriens uncle Virgil has also jumped in. He has agreed to cut off his "mullet" that he has had for 16 years. Virgil will donate his hair to Locks of Love or a similar charity if Aaron is able to reach $5,000.

How about it? Let's help Aaron out. 

If your aren't able to donate, please like the page, share it with your friends and spread the word.

Once again, here is the link

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Homemade Laundry Detergent Part 2

{Sorry the pic is foggy.. it was cool in the house and HOT outside.}

Ok, if my math is correct, and lord knows I'm not great with math...

You will need 1 bar shredded Fels Naptha, 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Super Washing Soda and 1/4 cup Baking Soda for a batch.

Borax @ Walmart in Whitesburg... $3.36 for 76 oz.
Baking Soda @ Walmart in Whitesburg ... $2.16 for 64 oz.
Super Washing Soda @ Food City in Whitesburg $2.99 for 55 oz.
Fels-Naptha Bar @ Food City in Whitesburg $1.25 per bar which is 5.5 oz.

$8.75 for 7 bars of Fels-Naptha
$3.36 for Borax
$2.16 for Baking Soda
$2.99 for Super Washing Soda
$17.26
+ $1.04 tax
= $18.30 OOP

Borax 76 oz = 9.5 cups per box
Super Washing Soda 55 oz = almost 7 cups per box
Baking Soda 64 oz = 8 cups per box = 32 (1/4 cups) per box
7 Fels Naptha 5.5 oz = 33 oz
 
Borax = $0.35 per cup
Super Washing Soda = $0.43 per cup
Baking Soda =  $0.07 per  (1/4 cup)
Fels Naptha = $1.25 per bar
---
$2.10 per batch
each batch is 23 oz
1 Fluid Ounce = 2 Tablespoons
23 loads per batch
Approx $0.09 per load!
 
You can get 7 batches with the purchase of the list above.
23 loads per batch = 161 loads
with 2.5 cups of Borax {= $0.88}  as well as 6 & 1/4 cups of Baking Soda {= $1.75} left over.
 
$18.30 OOP
- $0.88
-$1.75
= $15.67 for 161 loads
Approx $0.09 per load
 
Lets say you do 2 loads a day, everyday = 730 loads = $65.70 a year
 
Tide is $10.94 {$11.60 with tax) for 64 loads = $0.18 per load = $131.40 a year.
 
$131.40
- $65.70
=$65.70
 
You save $65.70 per year by making your own!
 
Now... who wants to check my math?! LOL!
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Homemade Laundry Detergent

{Sorry the pic is foggy.. it was cool in the house and HOT outside.}

While out and about today I picked up the stuff I needed to make some homemade laundry detergent. I too am going to make the powdered kind, not the liquid, mainly because it is just easier to store. I will be following this step by step photo TUTORIAL by Sew Much Ado as suggested by my pal, JV.

 JV shared her breakdown on the math with us at the Just Nifty Thrifty Facebook page.

"Ive decided to try the tutorial for homemade laundry detergent.
I chose that one because I wanted a powdered detergent vs. a liquid.

Annyyhooo....I was reading up on the subject and came across the cost estimates. Your average store purchased laundry soap runs you about 20 cents on average.

Homemade using the fels naptha, borax, washing soda etc runs about 2 cents on average.

Between cloth diapering and laundry for a family of seven, not including sheets and towels, I run about a dozen loads a week. That would be a conservative estimate.

Soo....a dozen loads times 2 cents a load is 24 cents a week. Times 52 weeks in a year= $12.48

Store bought using the same equation: 12 loads times 20 cents a load= $2.40 a week. $2.40 a week times 52 weeks = $124.80

Difference in cost per year: $112.42
That is rather substantial.

Lets say I continue at this rate of laundry for the next 20 years or until the kids leave home = $2246.4

(excludes inflation, cost of supplies changing etc etc)

Just doin' the math, yo. :D " 

As  you can see.. the savings well surpass the small effort you have to put into making it. 

Wish me luck! Pics to follow.
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