Saving Some Cash

OK, I though of something to post for you today.
I thought I'd share some small ways I save money here & there. All of you Supermama's know the importance of being wise stewards of the budget God gives us. That being said, there are literally a gerzillion ways to save!!
Literally....a gerzillion, no joke.
Anyway, on to the ways I try to save.

1) Making my own laundry detergent.

I can't say enough how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!! It's so super easy to make & lasts forever. At first I was skeptical because I was so trained to believe I needed the Mountain Morning Breeze & Running Through The Meadow scent for it to actually work. Oh yeah, & that it had to be some obnoxious color.
Well, let me tell ya...it works!!!
I was so shocked the first time I washed a load & saw all that dirty water! It looked as though I hadn't washed my clothes for years! Yuck!

Here's a few recipes thanks to the Dugger Family

http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html

Scroll down a bit to find a powdered recipe as well as a liquid. Both work great.

2) Homemade Baby Wipes

OK, when I first read about homemade wipes I thought people were just plain nuts. I mean come on, haven't you seen the pics of all those cute bare bottomed babies. Don't you know they're happy BECAUSE of those wipes?? There was absolutely no way on earth I was gonna steal my baby's tooshie joy! Well, 3 little booties later I started to think of the math of this "wipe industry"
Let's say you buy a box of Huggies Wipes for 2.50 to 3.00 bux. Let's say these wipes last about 2 weeks, so that's only 5 to 6 dollars a month. Not bad right?? But add it up.
You are spending anywhere from 60 to 70 dollars a year!!
Now x's that by how many kids you have & how many years their in diapers. That's a lot of simolas.
It may not seem like much but I believe I've found a better way & that is to make them myself. Most of the ingredients were already on hand so it was easy for me. It's simple, all it calls for is paper towels, baby wash, baby oil, & water.
That's it, voila! And they last for a good month, considering one roll of paper towels has about 70 sheets & that you cut that roll in half you actually get 2 months worth. Also the oil & baby wash calls for such a small amount that those bottles last forever!
There are tons of recipes on line & it's worth a google search. You can add essential oils if you'd like for different scents, as well as lotions to make it softer for baby's hinee (sp?)
All sorts of ideas. One thing I'll warn you about is stick to the good paper towels, I've used both Bounty & Viva & they work great. You don't wanna get the cheepie towels cuz they tend to disintegrate.

So here's a recipe to get you started

Homemade Baby Wipes

3) Cook from scratch

OK...OK...I know what you're thinking.."why cook when you can just buy it from the store??"
Well, first of all cuz pre-packaged foods are just plain icky. I believe that statement has been approved by the FDA.
Second, it saves A LOT of cash to prepare your own food. I bake as much of my own breads & I'm about to get started on English muffins & bagels. I'm trying to make my own snacks at home as opposed to buying them in the stores. Yes, it's convenient but can't we all agree that a homemade cookies tastes better than a store bought?? Well, that's how it is with just about everything made from scratch. Now I will be honest I don't grind my own grain (yes, people do that) but I do try to do as much as I can with my own hands. I'm making my own yogurt, buttermilk, pretzels, granola..etc.
I'm not tooting my own horn here I'm just saying it's possible & if I can do it you can do it.

Here's a few links

Heavenly Homemakers
Graham Family Ministries
Money Saving Mom

These are all wonderful Supermoms. They're women like you & me serving the LORD & providing healthy low cost meals for their family. Some ingredients may look intimidating at first (coconut flour??) but don't let that deter you, trust me. Wean yourself slowly into eating healthy & cooking from scratch. Eventually, you'll get into your own groove & with a few searches on the Internet you'll learn why certain foods are superior to others & where to get them.

There are so many ways to save cash!! I could go on for miles!! Hang your clothes instead of using the dryer, walk instead of drive, cloth napkins instead of paper...the list is endless!! Give some of these ideas a try & use your imagination.
How can you save some money today?

The Blessed Supermom