Save a Little "Green"!

  I'm always looking for ways to save money and cut back on the harsh chemicals that enter my home. "Green" cleaning products are a great way to cut out chemicals, but can be quite expensive.

  I have been making my own laundry soap for years (here's my recipe). The little bit of extra time it takes to mix up my laundry soap has saved my family a ton of money. I priced some of the leading laundry soaps you can typically find at places like Walmart and Target. The average cost per load was nineteen cents. Doesn't sound like much, right? Well, my homemade laundry soap costs at the very most, eleven cents per load (If I only get 96 loads out of a batch; I always get way more than that). An eight cent per load difference equates to nearly $25 per year. That means in the 5 years I have been making my own laundry soap I have saved my family at least $125!

  I also have been using hydrogen peroxide a lot recently. Hydrogen peroxide has a multitude of fantastic uses (I dare you to "Google" "household uses for hydrogen peroxide" and see what pops up) and is super cheap. One of my favorite ways to use hydrogen peroxide is for disinfecting. I took the spray top off an old cleaning bottle and cleaned it really well. I then cut the hose portion to fit the height of my bottle of peroxide. Voila! A spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide! I use my spray bottle of peroxide to spray any surfaces I would have used my "Anti-bacterial disinfecting spray" on before, then simply wipe down with a dry cloth. I also spray all my produce with peroxide as it enters my home from the supermarket, then I rinse and blot the produce dry just before eating it. Those are just a couple of the dozens of things hydrogen peroxide is great for.
  Recently I got an e-mail from "All-You"; All You is dedicated to helping families save money. This e-mail had a link to an entry on their website all about creating your own household cleaners in order to save money and cut chemicals. I encourage you to check it out, cause hey, we could all stand to save a little cash, while making our homes healthier for our families!


                                                                                                                      Autumn Christiansen

                                                                                                         Independent Consultant-Shelf Reliance

                                                                                                     To purchase products, visit my online store:                                                                                                    http://THRIVEwiththebasics.shelfreliance.com

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