Possibly stupid ways to save money

There is no logic to what I will spend money on and what I hate to buy. For example, I don't think twice about buying DiorShow Mascara at $25+ a pop, but I think $5.00 is outrageous to spend on laundry detergent. And $5.00 is basically the low end, cheap stuff, we're not talking about my favorite, Gain. As I'm trying to save money wherever I can, I decided I could make my own laundry detergent.

There are 2 kinds I found-the dry powder kind and "liquid" which is actually more like a gel. I chose dry because all the recipies for the liquid seemed like a giant pain in the behind.

Ingredients:
1 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated ($.97)
1 cup Borax (whole box was $2.50)
1 cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda) (whole box was $2.97)

Grate soap. (Picture #2) Mix with Borax and Washing Soda. (Picture #3) Use 2 Tablespoons per load. (I mix my 2 tablespoons with a little water and let it mostly dissolve before I put it in. Not supposed to use powder with my septic tank)


The hardest part was grating the soap...the beginnings of carpal tunnel and grating soap do not go together very well. A normal person would probably find this easy, but it took me probably 15-20 minutes to get it all grated. I washed a test load of towels this morning, will report back tonight with pictures and the results!!!


Update-I've done several loads now and I have to say it seems to work well. I have really really hard water and this stuff doesn't leave any kind of residue. I use vinegar in the bleach dispenser when I use regular detergent, plus an additional rinse cycle. I haven't had to use any vinegar and have been able to cut out the additional rinsing. It definitely does not smell like normal laundry, really it has no scent at all other than clean smelling. I'm giving it a thumbs up!