Frugal Living

A couple years ago I can upon the realization that people in my life were generally undependable. I could not rely on my brother-in-law to change my oil. So, being a resourceful kind a girl, I bought a maintenance manual for my vehicle. I changed my own oil. Next, my own tune-up.

 So in an effort to saving more of my hard earned dollars, this past weekend I tried this recipe for liquid Laundry detergent. Why buy it when you can make it, right? Here's the recipe I used:


1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
• Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).  See Full Article

Got roses from your date that turned into a nightmare? Don't throw them away keep the and make some beauty products out of them.

Here's my favorite:

Dusting Powder

Make Your Own Dusting Powder With A Few Simple Ingredients

Ingredients:

Petals from 4 roses (medium size)
1 cup cornstarch
3 TBS baking soda
3 dried roses

Directions:

1. In a small cardboard box, layer the petals and cornstarch. Fit the cover on but don’t seal tight, you want the contents to still have a bit of air. Leave for 24 to 36 hours.
2. Sift the pieces from cornstarch then add the baking soda (you may have to sift a few times to remove all the petals). Mix well then split the powder mixture into two batches. *See tip below
3. Next take the dried roses, remove the stem and leaves and add the rose heads to one half of the powder mixture. Pour into a blender and mix until the dried flowers are finely ground.
4. Add the fine ground powder mixture to the other half of the powder mixture, use a wooden spoon to blend the powder by hand.
5. Pour the scented powder into a decorative box or shaker jar, allow to sit for a day before using.

Tips:

• If you prefer a stronger scented dusting powder, you can add another batch of fresh petals and allow the powder to sit another 24 hours (first sift out the initial batch of petals).
• You can use lavender or other scented flowers if you prefer.

Ideas For Use:

• Dust skin with a powder puff after bathing or showering
• Lightly sprinkle on bedding for a nicely scented sleep
• Use to scent lingerie drawers or closets
• Great to give as homemade gifts

For more rose recipes click here