$$ Saving All-Purpose Cleaner

 To save money so I can buy more Scentsy products...I mean to save money for our savings...I began making my own house cleaner. (If you don't know what scentsy is check it out! I accidentally caught a dishcloth on fire with my candle in our little apartment kitchen, so now I only use these warmers) Anyways.... this cleaner has NO CHEMICALS, for that fact alone I love it. I have seen this same recipe using essential oils. I LOVE essential oils but right now they are just a little pricy for us so I use this "copy-cat" mixture.




 






ITEMS NEEDED:
Lemon Peels
Lime Peels (optional) 
Orange Peels (optional) 
Vinegar
Funnel (optional but helpful)
Spray Bottle
Wide-Mouth Glass Jar

EASY STEPS:

--Fill a wide-mouth mason or other glass jar with vinager and your leftover lemon, orange peels and/or lime peels. Let this sit a few days (there is no exact time table, it's personal preference of how much patience you have to wait for the citrus smell). I just throw them in whenever I have lemon or orange peels left over from baking/cooking. You can throw a whole lemon/orange in there too if you want! The sky is the limit.

* If you are in the "extreme-vinegar-smell-hating" club then I would recommend using fresh whole lemons, oranges, and/or limes to assist in overpowering the vinager smell. I use leftovers and I can just slightly smell the vinager, but I know you guys have those extra keen noses.    

   --Once it has reached your desired citrus smell pour the mixture into your plastic spray container (I recycled an empty cleaner bottle, But you can get a spray bottle at the dollar store). As you know, I love funnels so of course I used one! Best invention ever!

* I use this cleaner on my kitchen counters, bathtub, sink.... you name it. I love that it's all natural and no harsh chemicals are being sprayed where I put my food....Happy Cleaning Ladies, Friends, & Mommas!

I Love Garage Sales & Thrift Stores

Thrifty Finds 

This has been one of my most exciting garage sale finds recently. It is an antique, vintage, shabby chic school bench. (Yes all those adjectives apply =)) 

My friend and I went out early morning and pumped up with some cheap but sugary McDonald's coffee. It was a very beautiful morning, thank goodness because we were determined to go rain, sun, or humid. We were blessed with a cool breeze, which I am thankful for since my friend was very pregnant and still determined to go with me. I can't even tell you how many times we had to stop for her bladder haha...I lost count...literarlly. 

   Well we packed the car so full of furniture, fabric, & baby stuff for her nursery we could barely fit in the car. I wished we had stopped for a picture...we could have won an award or something!

This was my golden egg though. The gentlemen wanted $25.00. I mustered all the confidence I had and asked if he would accept $5.00....SCORE!!! Sometimes ladies it doesn't hurt to ask, try it! You do not have to be pushy, there is a polite way to bargain. It is fun! I used to hate it but i must say I see more bargaining in my future garage-saling trips. I would love to keep this for myself but honestly I do not have room in our apartment....so I am going to paint it and fix it to sell in my etsy store. 

I also got this amazing vintage sewing machine...which works! I was going to keep it but my grandparents-in-law bought me one for Christmas so this is also going to find a nice home in the store. I really love it though. Great machine! The don't quit make them like they used to!

Tips:

*Plan out your garage sales. It is fun to drive around and find them but is nice to have a structured plan. There are lots of websites that post garage sales and also Crieg's list posts them. Then on your from one stop to another use your hawk eyes to spot garage sale signs. 

*Do not dress cute! We are garage saling not shopping at the mall! Dress the part! I am not talking about neing unethical but seriously...who would sell me a bench for $5 if I look like amazing?  Plus it is much more comfortable to be in and out of the car in sweat pants then cardboard jeans. 

*Bring snacks or extra change for a quick snack...(not sit down don't waste your precious morning hours! The good stuff and deals go fast! The earlier the better!)

* Bring a friend, it makes the day fun! Share your list with each other to help you both get what you are looking for. Usually you spot what they want before what you want...(it would work that way wouldn't it)

*Make sure to have cash....& quarters! (quarters are the golden key to garage saling!) 

*Have fun! Bring Water! ....& take a nap when you get home  

 

DIY Laundry Detergent

Okay Folks... After looking up many different ideas on pinterest I finally mastered my own laundry Detergent. I found great instructions from Simply Designing by Ashley (Thanks Ashley!) & then made a few changes of my own.

ITEMS NEEDED:

•   1 Cup Borax  

(Found in the laundry aisle of Publix or at your local grocery store around $4.00)

•  1 Cup Baking Soda turned into Washing Soda

 (You can buy Washing Soda where the Borax is found but #1 I had difficulty finding it my first time around #2 I already had a large bag of baking soda from Sam's club. However, on my last trip to Publix I noticed the Washing Soda for around $4 so if you want to save a little time just grab that with the Borax. I find it more economical to just use baking Soda because it has more purposes for me then just being use fore laundry detergent. Saving some time is amazing also though, so do whichever is easiest for you.) 

•  1 Bar of soap 

(most recipes I have found call for ivory or fels naptha soap. However, I have used two different kinds of soaps so far, other than those kinds, & love them more then Ivory or Fels Naptha. I buy the Yardley brand at our local dollar Store. I love the lavender scent and the $1 price tag. My favorite is the Castile soap (lemon fragrant) I bought at our health food store but one bar is $3 so that is my splurge every so often. I have to be honest I hated the smell of the Ivory soap I bought (also found this @ Publix..I am all about one stop trips) It was around $5 for a 3-pack...I used the one and not really to excited to use the rest of them up I will definitely  be sticking with the Yardley and Castile soap.

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. If you are using a food processing cut your soap up for easier blending. Then using your food processor or blender chop you soap (or use a hand grater to grate the soap) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Then combine the Borax & Washing Soda with the soap in the food processor. (Or take the grated soap and place in your designated container and shake well) Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined & pour into your chosen container.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. "WALLAH" It's done! Use 2-3 tbs per load (I have found that washing my hubby's "smelly" man clothes with the 1 tbs. many recipes call for is just not enough to kick the smell)

I got this cute container from Walmart & the chalkboard sticker from Etsy

Recipe For Washing Soda: 

Baking Soda turns into washing soda after being heated. 

* Preheat oven to 400 F

* Spread the needed amount of baking soda, in this case 1 cup, onto a clean baking sheet. 

*Bake for until the soda becomes "ashy"(takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour)
*Stir occasionally

Baking Soda before

Baking Soda after I baked it for 1 hour

Extra Tips:

*I also keep a spray bottle with white distilled vinager to spray on my hubby's work clothes to help remove those unwanted smells. ;) 

*You can also pour 1 cup of vinager in your wash for an extra cleaning "boost' (Do Not Worry, the smell of vinager is not left on your clothes it washes out completely...I promise...my Hubby & I do not walk around smelling like vinager, Gross!)

* If you have a little room in the budget you can mix essential oils, such as lavender sandalwood or ylang-ylang, in with your vinager (about 20 drops). Honestly, we are not at that place yet so I pour in a little bit of lavender scented Epsom salts I found at the dollar store. I don't love the fake fragrance & chemicals but sometimes you just got to be creative with the budget. 

*Last but not least.....I use 1/2 cup of Ice Cream Rock Salts in the wash when cleaning my towels or bedding. These help the washing processing as well as give a nice fluff for your stuff. ;)

Enjoy the DIY project & the womanly feel you get with it...oh yea and the clean nice smelling clothes that are now waiting for you to fold and put away...this project kind of makes that part fun...