GTKY

wifeofafarmer

Hi ladies! AF is here & I'm not going to do much today so how about a GTKY.

Not including food, what do you prefer to make/do yourself that you could typically buy? And why?

I make my own laundry soap, dishwasher soap and a lot of my own cleaning supplies. Its not a "going green" thing or eliminating unknown chemicals although they are both a plus - its just a way to trim a few bucks easily from the budget.

eortman

I like to make pajama pants for my kids. That way they get to pick the fabric and they just look soooo cute in them.

Jasperk23

I like to make/alter my own clothes, and cook our meals myself -- not that I always have the time/effort to.

I've looked into making my own laundry soap/cleaning supplies but have not done it yet. Any must-makes you stick with? 

DLpanda08

I like to make my own bread and I am really hoping to be able to put in a small vegetable garden soon so I can grow my own veggies.

My mom and I make our own marinara sauce, Sicilian sauce, and various jams. We can and preserve fruits and veggies in the summer like the apocalypse is coming. Last year we made 75 lbs of tomatoes worth of sauce in a day. I felt like a rock star.

mmb248

I make my own laundry detergent (it works so much better than store bought!), cleaning supplies, and stationery/graphics.  That's the end of my craftiness.

I don't like store bought curtains, so I design my own.  But - I'm not crafty so I have them made.  Does that still count?

mrskelly731

I like to bake from scratch.  DH likes to make jam.  I enjoy making salsa as well.  DH definitely does it more than I'd like.  I prefer to just buy things.  He also makes his own beer, pie/pizza dough, marinara sauce, and is going to start making some bread soon.

wifeofafarmer

Jasperk23:

I like to make/alter my own clothes, and cook our meals myself -- not that I always have the time/effort to.

I've looked into making my own laundry soap/cleaning supplies but have not done it yet. Any must-makes you stick with? 

I absolutely love my laundry soap & dishwasher detergent. I still have to use spray n wash on DH's clothes but it works better than any store brand.  

jessa8907:

wifeofafarmer:

Hi ladies! AF is here & I'm not going to do much today so how about a GTKY.

Not including food, what do you prefer to make/do yourself that you could typically buy? And why?

I make my own laundry soap, dishwasher soap and a lot of my own cleaning supplies. Its not a "going green" thing or eliminating unknown chemicals although they are both a plus - its just a way to trim a few bucks easily from the budget.

 

Do you have any good "recipes" for those? I've been wanting to try out homemade laundry soap but I keep reading mixed reviews on how well they clean. 

I really love my dishwasher detergent & laundry soap. When I moved, I used Cascade until I could get things settled and make some more dishwasher detergent - it just reaffirmed that I love my stuff better!!

candrew05

Ill make my own facial scrubs. That might be about it.

Edit: no it's not. I make all my own greeting cards, and my own jewlery.

Jasperk23

wifeofafarmer:

Jasperk23:

I like to make/alter my own clothes, and cook our meals myself -- not that I always have the time/effort to.

I've looked into making my own laundry soap/cleaning supplies but have not done it yet. Any must-makes you stick with? 

I absolutely love my laundry soap & dishwasher detergent. I still have to use spray n wash on DH's clothes but it works better than any store brand.  

jessa8907:

wifeofafarmer:

Hi ladies! AF is here & I'm not going to do much today so how about a GTKY.

Not including food, what do you prefer to make/do yourself that you could typically buy? And why?

I make my own laundry soap, dishwasher soap and a lot of my own cleaning supplies. Its not a "going green" thing or eliminating unknown chemicals although they are both a plus - its just a way to trim a few bucks easily from the budget.

 

Do you have any good "recipes" for those? I've been wanting to try out homemade laundry soap but I keep reading mixed reviews on how well they clean. 

I really love my dishwasher detergent & laundry soap. When I moved, I used Cascade until I could get things settled and make some more dishwasher detergent - it just reaffirmed that I love my stuff better!!

So... no recipes?

wifeofafarmer

bunnyfungo:

I know you said not including food, but the only thing I really make that I could buy is bread. I make all my own bread. It's so much cheaper, and it's kind of cathartic. I love to hand knead the dough too. DH got me a really nice electric mixer with dough hooks for Christmas, but I haven't used it once to make bread lol. Don't tell him

Its ok, Bunny! I just didn't want a thread filled with just food, but food is ok. I'm hoping I can get more ideas of things to DIY. I'm always looking to save $$!

Mrs+Me

Jasperk23:

wifeofafarmer:

Jasperk23:

I like to make/alter my own clothes, and cook our meals myself -- not that I always have the time/effort to.

I've looked into making my own laundry soap/cleaning supplies but have not done it yet. Any must-makes you stick with? 

I absolutely love my laundry soap & dishwasher detergent. I still have to use spray n wash on DH's clothes but it works better than any store brand.  

jessa8907:

wifeofafarmer:

Hi ladies! AF is here & I'm not going to do much today so how about a GTKY.

Not including food, what do you prefer to make/do yourself that you could typically buy? And why?

I make my own laundry soap, dishwasher soap and a lot of my own cleaning supplies. Its not a "going green" thing or eliminating unknown chemicals although they are both a plus - its just a way to trim a few bucks easily from the budget.

 

Do you have any good "recipes" for those? I've been wanting to try out homemade laundry soap but I keep reading mixed reviews on how well they clean. 

I really love my dishwasher detergent & laundry soap. When I moved, I used Cascade until I could get things settled and make some more dishwasher detergent - it just reaffirmed that I love my stuff better!!

So... no recipes?

 

I love my homemade laundry soap and will never go back to store bought.  My recipe is :

2 C Borox

2 C Washing Soda

1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap

..you can add a small container of Oxy Clean if you want.  

mmb248

snip

Jasperk23:

So... no recipes?

They may not be as good, but I'll share mine!

Laundry detergent:

4lb 12 oz box of Borax

4lb box of baking soda

3 lb 7 oz box of Arm & Hammer super washing soda

3lb container of OxyClean

4 bars Fels Naptha soap, grated (I have one friend who uses Zote, and another uses regular Ivory - both also work really well)

55oz bottle of Purex Crystals fabric softener - I just started adding this because I like the way it smells; it's totally optional.

I grate the soap in my food processor, and I mix it all in a big trashbag.  I use 2 tbsp for each load, unless I'm doing a big load or DH's super dirty farm clothes, then I use 4 tbsp.

wifeofafarmer

Mrs+Me:

Jasperk23:

wifeofafarmer:

Jasperk23:

I like to make/alter my own clothes, and cook our meals myself -- not that I always have the time/effort to.

I've looked into making my own laundry soap/cleaning supplies but have not done it yet. Any must-makes you stick with? 

I absolutely love my laundry soap & dishwasher detergent. I still have to use spray n wash on DH's clothes but it works better than any store brand.  

jessa8907:

wifeofafarmer:

Hi ladies! AF is here & I'm not going to do much today so how about a GTKY.

Not including food, what do you prefer to make/do yourself that you could typically buy? And why?

I make my own laundry soap, dishwasher soap and a lot of my own cleaning supplies. Its not a "going green" thing or eliminating unknown chemicals although they are both a plus - its just a way to trim a few bucks easily from the budget.

 

Do you have any good "recipes" for those? I've been wanting to try out homemade laundry soap but I keep reading mixed reviews on how well they clean. 

I really love my dishwasher detergent & laundry soap. When I moved, I used Cascade until I could get things settled and make some more dishwasher detergent - it just reaffirmed that I love my stuff better!!

So... no recipes?

 

I love my homemade laundry soap and will never go back to store bought.  My recipe is :

2 C Borox

2 C Washing Soda

1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap

..you can add a small container of Oxy Clean if you want.  

Mine is: 1 - 4lb box of Borax 1 - 4lb box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 1 - 4lb box of A & H Baking Soda 3 bars of Fels-Naptha (or Pink Zote) grated 2 small containers of Oxy-Clean Depending on the soil level, use 1 -2 tbsp per load. Lasts 6+ months. Its great for allergy sufferers & sensitive skin

PreDempsey

*butting in* I add scent booster beads to my detergent and run it through the blender and it's amazing. The powder works way better than the liquid IMHO.

icecreamandcake

wifeofafarmer:

I make my own laundry soap, dishwasher soap and a lot of my own cleaning supplies. Its not a "going green" thing or eliminating unknown chemicals although they are both a plus its just a way to trim a few bucks easily from the budget.

This is me as well.

Clarinet35

I make my own grocery list, does that count? Haha!

Jasperk23

Thanks for the recipes, gals!

I had also looked into soap nuts -- anyone have any experience with/opinions about those? 

janda426

Thanks for the laundry detergent recipes! For some reason I only have to buy detergent like once every few months but this still sounds like a better option. I'm gonna try it! Also, I DIY stuff. Like I just copy things I see on Pinterest, like makeup brush holder, canvas art, glittery mason jars, etc. My friend and I also made tables out of wooden pallets. And a big chalkboard menu board. I think these things count.

wifeofafarmer

Jasperk23:

Thanks for the recipes, gals!

I had also looked into soap nuts -- anyone have any experience with/opinions about those? 

I don't have any info about the soap nuts. If you would like my recipe for dishwasher detergent or anything else, let me know. Hoping to make my own fabric softener sheets as soon as the store bought ones run out! Good luck!

bumpuser1282882

wifeofafarmer:

Jasperk23:

Thanks for the recipes, gals!

I had also looked into soap nuts -- anyone have any experience with/opinions about those? 

I don't have any info about the soap nuts. If you would like my recipe for dishwasher detergent or anything else, let me know. Hoping to make my own fabric softener sheets as soon as the store bought ones run out! Good luck!

How do you make the dishwasher detergent? 

This thread is intriguing.

I make my own cards, pizza sauce, pizza dough, pita chips, and bake pretty much everything we eat that is baked myself.

wifeofafarmer

stufie:

wifeofafarmer:

Jasperk23:

Thanks for the recipes, gals!

I had also looked into soap nuts -- anyone have any experience with/opinions about those? 

I don't have any info about the soap nuts. If you would like my recipe for dishwasher detergent or anything else, let me know. Hoping to make my own fabric softener sheets as soon as the store bought ones run out! Good luck!

How do you make the dishwasher detergent? 

This thread is intriguing.

I make my own cards, pizza sauce, pizza dough, pita chips, and bake pretty much everything we eat that is baked myself.

Its super easy - easier than the laundry detergent & I like it better than Cascade.

1 4lb box of Borax

1 4lb box of A & H Super Washing Soda

3 cups of Epsom Salt

24 packets of unsweetened lemonade drink mix, like Kool-Aid.

Mix it all together. The lemonade drink mix will stain your soap dispenser so you can use citric acid instead. Use 1 TBSP at a time

Use Lemi-Shine as a rinse aid. It doesn't rinse as well without it.

*It does harden up, but just break it up with a butter knife or something. You can also use those silica packets that you typically throw away to help absorb the moisture.