and now for the part where I go Amish on you

Hello, friends!

So as you know, I'm not really a lifestyle blogger -  I try to keep it all about the furniture with a smidge of family life. But since I haven't been doing too much painting lately, this is my attempt to keep it real and continue blogging. So I'm hoping you'll indulge me while I share some goings on in my family life.... like this little gem:

Today I made my own laundry detergent.

What has brought me to such epic, Amish proportions of behavior?

First and foremost of course, I blame Pinterest.

Secondly, Hubby and I decided to go on a hard-core Dave Ramsey style budget. (My sisters and I have long referred to it as "financial lockdown." ie; "No, I can't go get a pedicure today, I'm on financial lockdown.") Hubby and I have some new goals and are going to work our hardest to try and achieve them authentically, aka; NOT financing them. We are going old school, saving our pennies, paying off debts, and working towards true financial freedom. It's a maddeningly frustrating exciting time for us!

Second, I had a sort of health scare about 4/5 months ago that I didn't share with you guys. I found a lump in my breast and I just wasn't in a "sharing" place about it. Which is weird, because I am a chronic over-sharer. I suppose it was because I was trying to ignore it - and informing all of you would probably mean being held accountable and DOING SOMETHING...so I kept quiet. I finally decided ignoring it was incredibly stupid and I was stressing about it anyway, so I went and got it checked out. I *hoped* the Doc would say "Oh, it's nothing. I don't even feel a lump!" But no, he immediately ordered the next round of tests and on we went. A few tests and stressful weeks later, everything turned out to be (basically) fine (ie; not cancer) but it shook me up. I decided then and there, I would make strides in "greening" my family's routine. I'm not a Doctor... Hell, I didn't even go to college. So - I'M NOT AN EXPERT. But simple logic tells me that for example, rubbing chemical-laden deoderant all over my freshly shaven pits daily, JUST MIGHT end up causing an odd lump in your breast near your armpit. You can call me crazy if you'd like. But I've got the lump to prove that something is going on in my body that shouldn't be, and I'd be a fool to not try everything in my power to get myself as healthy as can be. De-stressing, Eating better, resting more - it was a wake up call.

I know, guys, I know. Even voicing some of this out loud seems way too granola, and lest you think I have gone completely dirty-hippy on you, know that I decided deoderant was a must. (Until I discover a DIY recipe that works.)
Also on the chopping block?

Moisturizer
Face Wash
Shampoo
Conditioner

(Wow, you must really think I smell bad now...)

AND

Laundry detergent. I'm DIY'ing all of the above now.

(If you guys actually want to know about the other stuff - what I'm using instead and how it's going, I can share. LMK!)

So according to Pinterest, you can make a batch of laundry detergent that will last you about a year (so they say) for $12. (We'll see how that turns out. I can't be the first person to never, EVER get 120 loads of laundry done with that one bottle of Tide, right? We'll see if this is any different!)

Here's what you'll need:

4 lb. box of Borax 
4 lb box of Baking Soda
4 lb. box of Washing Soda
3 bars of (grated) Ivory Soap (I used 5, 'cause I'm a rebel like that.)
1 ginormous air-tight container to hold it all.



First, grate up the bars of Ivory soap with a cheese grater. (It's much easier than it sounds, and if you are a total nerd like me, you may even enjoy the job.)

 

Side note: While you are grating, do not turn your back on your 2 year old, or leave the container on the ground. He will dump the glitter and pipe cleaners from his older brother's art project into the mix.



And I don't know about you, but I'm not really a glitter-in-my-clothes kinda girl...

Well,  I guess I am now.



Sigh. Life goes on.

Next, add a few cups of your ingredients at a time. (You will end up adding every last bit of each box, so, there's no reason to be precise.) Just dump them in little by little, so you can stir it up easily.  If you just dump them in one by one, you'll end up with a thick layer of each. This isn't 4 layer dip, people. We gotta mix it up, so, add little bits at a time and stir.





And this is what your kitchen will look like when you are done!



One more thing - where did I find my awesome, perfectly sized container, you ask? Well, savvy me - while walking around the store purchasing all these fine ingredients, I checked the prices on new containers. I couldn't find one for less than $7, so I moved along. Then I spotted the container you saw above, in all it's cheese-ball holding glory, crying out to me for only $5.88.

$5.88 you say?

So, I got the amazing container AND four gallon size ziploc bags of cheese-balls for less money.




And no, the irony of deciding to make my own laundry detergent while citing health reasons, and then buying four gigantic bags of greasy, neon, fake puffs of malnutrition is not lost on me. But, I never claimed to be perfect. So whatevs, y'all...

So, whatcha think? Should I stick to furniture posts?

Be kind.

Love ya,

Jess