Fragrance free solutions!

So with homemade laundry detergent I realized that there are no real fragrance free recipes. Having allergies can be very costly so hopefully this helps those in need who have perfume and fragrance allergies.

Dry laundry detergent

3 bars of fragrance free castile soap. (Can be found on drugstore.com)
1 container oxyclean fragrance free with the green lid or approx 2.5 lbs.
2 lbs or approx 2 lbs epsom salt (will help with hard water)
1 box baking soda
1 box borax
1 box washing soda

grate your castile soap or cut up the castile soap and run through big food processor with 1 cup washing soda.

I use a five gallon painters bucket and mix everything, you can put it in a trash bag, seal tightly and roll it around really well. There you go! 1-2 tbspns per wash load.

Castile soap can be expensive so I will recommend this site where each bar is less than 2.00 each. you can find castile soap on Etsy and even at Target but it is around 4.00 a bar and scented usually. Drugstore.com seemed to have the best price listed and I found Wal-mart carried the same brand but had a natural fragrance.

If natural fragrances do not bother you, you can purchase this all at Wal-mart.com

Most recipes that contain certain bar soaps can be replaced with castile bar soap.

foaming hand soap can be made with liquid castile soap.

1 empty foaming pump
1/2 inch liquid castile soap in the bottom of the pump bottle
Fill the rest with water and mix well!

There are recipes to make liquid as well as castile bar soap online. Making bar soap requires a well ventilated area and safety precautions.

For softener you can use straight white vinegar and if you make your own dry laundry detergent it smells very fresh.

I am going to do some research further with liquid castile soap and making it at home. Hopefully this is helpful! Keep checking in.

Bulk recipes that save money and time.

Dry laundry detergent (Approx 1 year)
using 1-2 tablespoons per wash load

1 box borax
1 box washing soda
1 box of Baking soda
1 container of Purex laundry crystals(I mix two containers of purex crystals with 4 lbs Up&Up Epsom salt and use one Purex container of this mixture)
2 containers of dollar store oxyclean or about 2.5 lbs. of oxyclean
2 bars finely grated Fels-Naptha
1 bar grated Zote soap

*Instead of grating you can chop up the soap and add about a cup of baking soda into the food processor and let it chop it up. Saves some time and makes it really fine.

Stir really well together or roll around in a 5 gallon painters bucket til mixed well.

Dishwasher detergent (Lasts a few months)
Use 1 heaping tablespoon

1 box borax
1 box Washing soda
1 jar of Ball Fresh Fruit (Citric Acid)
2 cups Epsom Salt
3/4 container of Dawn liquid Dish soap 9 fl oz

Stir till liquid dish soap is very small or in small flakes. Put in container without lid for 72 hours.

Liquid fabric softener

1 gallon white distilled vinegar
30  drops essential oil

mix together well and use like regular softener in downey ball or two tablespoons.

Foaming hand soap

1 empty gallon bottle
Approx 4 cups liquid hand soap
Fill rest with water

Put on cap and swirl til the handsoap is completely dissolved. If it isn't to your liking add more liquid hand soap. Fill in an empty foam pump bottle.
(You can do the same with shampoo, baby wash, face/body wash, and liquid dish soap!)

Children's hair detangler

1 empty gallon bottle
approx 3 cups leave in hair conditoner
Fill rest with water

After putting the cap on securely, shake til conditioner is dissolved.
Fill spray bottle. You can add more conditioner to your liking.

At first I was curious before trying these methods but quickly realized it did the same job better or just as good for less. Most liquid soaps can be very concentrated and harsh to use daily on our skin, an infant's skin can attest to that! Adult bodywash seems to have less chemicals than tear free baby wash, and my children had severe skin reactions to even the mildest baby/kid washes... I even went in to their pediatrician who told me they were having skin irritation due to all the chemicals in kids tear free body wash, and even build up in areas we really don't want. After that I stopped using the kids tear free and baby tear free products, except for burt's bees which is kinda costly... My kids have better stuff than I do because of allergic reactions! So I try to save every penny I can foaming it. I believe foaming your soap can cost less than bar soap.

WARNING: DO NOT TRY TO FOAM BAR SOAP, IT WILL BREAK YOUR PUMP WITH SOAP BUILD UP AND CLOG IT.

More ideas for re-using jars!

Hey all, this is is Cici (Big Sissy LOL)!

To piggyback off of the first posting about spaghetti sauce jars, I wanted to add my two cents...

I've been buying sauce for quite awhile. There are frequently coupons and sales for them, they help me with quick meals for my family of six, AND I keep the jars too!

• Instead of buying plastic storage containers for left-overs, I try to re-use glass jars instead. **BONUS** No icky chemicals like BPA leaking into your food when you use a glass jar!
• I like to buy things like spices and dry food ingredients in bulk and then store them in jars. Since I just learned about how to vacuum seal jars with a pump and electrical tape (see Lil' Sissy's previous post), I can keep them fresh for longer.
• Salad in a jar! Chop up all of the ingredients (leave the dressing out till you are ready to eat it) and then vacuum seal and store in your fridge for up to a week. That means you have salad ready to go all week long and less food waste (which saves money)! 
• Can your own food! Instead of buying a case of mason jars, you can use some brands of sauce for canning in. Classico is one brand that typically has a good discount. They use standard Mason jars. All you need to do is buy rings and lids and simple canning equipment. http://pickyourown.org/ has lots of information on preserving foods. Not only is it cheaper to can your food for future use, but it's much healthier too. You don't have to worry about chemical preservatives, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), or anything else that you don't want in your food.

You don't have to limit yourself to spaghetti sauce jars either... I keep jars of all sizes. In my house they come in handy for craft/office supplies (crayons, paper clips, and buttons to name a few), gifting (just cut out a circle of fabric and tie it on with some string for cute packaging), sprouting seeds, and infusing vinegars. What creative uses can you think of for reusing glass jars?

Gifts in Old spaghetti Jars.

I never used to buy premade jars of spaghetti sauce til recently. One day it hit me, 1.59 for 10 jars at Target and I get a $5 dollar gift card? Thats almost a little over $10 for ten jars and I get to have spaghetti sauce? I could surely clean those and use them to fill with homemade dishwasher detergent, homemade laundry detergent, homemade fabric softener crystals and even my bar into bodywash soap which self sealed while cooling down. That is way cheaper than paying for new jars to give away or see if they will return them... These are great for beginners.

So if you want here are some jar gift ideas:

Homemade Laundry detergent
Homemade fabric softener crystals
Homemade dishwasher detergent
Bar into bodywash

Layer and compact all the dry ingredients for:

Cookies
Muffins
Bean soup
Pancake mix with dried fruit r chocolate chips
Homemade hamburger helper
Homemade Dry rub recipe

There are many Utube videos that can show you how or even give you a recipe.  I am not saying go out and buy a premade Betty Crocker recipe and throw it in a jar, but share what you really like to make with others. Most times people will think it is creative and you'll be finding people more interested in it than you thought. Also this gives them a little break from paying out of pocket for laundry detergent or fabric softener. Make sure you vaccuum seal dry food, this I found out on Utube can br done with a tac, electrical tape and a vacuum sealer. Not many people have the knowledge this blog shares and I strongly suggest you share it for when people you know are having a hard time. Also if you have premade laundry detergent or fabric softener crystals you made how easy is it to clean a jar, fill it, cut out a fabric square and rubber band it on top and put a little tag with how to use or what to add? Simple... And we all know you hate throwing out used spaghetti jars. 

Free Phone Apps that make a difference

I use Staight talk with an Android smart phone. My phone is prepaid and I still get to use these free Apps for $46 a month. We paid for the phones out of pocket. I get a new phone about every other year and keep my old one incase someone looses theirs. We found transfering numbers was easy and we can use apps to use our phone as an internet connection for my husbands laptop. Overall the services we got beat At&t for the price we were paying on a family plan. The other thing we liked was the unlimited talk, text, and data for $46 a month, so no more trying to figure out our minutes, switching family plans, and we have unlimited GPS guidance on our phones for free. We have found this to be an extremely great prepaid phone plan with no contract and you can have it set for automatic refill online.  Ok sorry, that was my rant for the day. lol. Onto Apps.

Ibotta

This is a new App I am trying. You basically use this App before shopping to choose your items you will get and they pay you a certain amount after taking a picture of your receipt and the products barcode. For couponers I would highly recommend this.
https://ibotta.com/register?friend=htZp2A

The Krazy Coupon Lady

This App will help you find deals with or without coupons. It also will tell you what coupons or codes to use. The Free App is kinda glitchy on an android, but the free is worth a try to see if you like it and then opt for the paid version. In the end this little App will pay itself off over and over again.
thekrazyCouponlady.com

Target Mobile Coupons

If you find a Target store that knows how to use them they can be very handy because you can get different coupons on your mobile than on the web.  These store coupons can be paired with manufacturers coupons and less clipping.

Harris Teeter Mobile

This store is where I live in Virginia. Another somewhat glitchy application for my android phone but worth the wait because they also have coupons that are not found in papers.

Mint.com

Best App my husband and I have ever used to budget with. Once I started raving about it I found out I have friends who use this free App that automatically updates your budget after giving it information it determines a budget for you with your previous purchases.

Coupons.com

This App is great to select Coupons and email them to yourself to print later. Just remember you have to download the printer App to print them off your computer.

Walmart

Why? Well you can check the price here before purchasing the item for more at another store. Consumer reports reported out of 38 brand name items they found Wal-mart to have 29 of those items for the lowest price, Target only had 6 of those items for the lowest price.  Why pay more? Plus there are deals we have found at Walmart online that were priced lower than in a Walmart store.  You can get free shipping from site to store at certain Walmart locations.

Cheap gas App

This App will find the cheapest gas near you even hours away from home.

Kids educational games

This can be found in the google play store. My oldest is three and already counting to the high twenties thanks to connecting dots. I also found out she knew more than I thought with shapes, spanish, and other Apps. As a parent, Aunt or uncle this comes in handy shopping with a very bored toddler and also educates them at the same time while keeping them entertained. If you have two you may find it easier to shop with one distracted so they don't plot against you together.

Lastly for the Ladies

Period Tracker

This free app can determine your cycle usually after three months and you just open it and when you start push the start button, when you end open it and push the end button.   Basically you can be detailed or juat keep it basic.  This app also gives you a guesimate period of being fertile.  Overall if you don't mark it on a calendar than this might work.

Homemade cleaners

Homemade cleaners are usually more cost efficient and kid safe. I started making my own when my kids broke out after I would clean things. The chemicals in cleaners used today have strong chemicals and aren't as effective as some homemade cleaners.

If you've made your own homemade laundry detergent you might notice that your washer doesn't smell funky... It's because of the agents we use to make these cleaners.

One thing I pretty much put a splash of in all my homemade cleaners is white vinegar.
White vinegar kills mildew, mold, is antibacterial, and can freshen up the smell of the house once it dries.  There are many uses for vinegar!

Homemade windex:

1:1 vinegar and rubbing alchohol, fill your spray bottle 2/3 and fill the rest with water
1-2 teaspoons of blue dawn dish soap optional.

This can be used to clean windows, showers, counter tops, and more! I have used this and gotten dried up tomato soup out of the carpet, our carpet was dark, but it worked and looks brand new. Cleaning up the shower with pink mildew was easy!

All purpose cleaner:

3 tablespoons liquid antibacterial dish soap
Splash of vinegar
fill with water and shake.

We use this to clean pet areas, counters, and I have been known to spray my tupperware with it when my husband finally gets around to bringing home a rancid container.  I use this less than my first cleaner.

Furniture polish

In a bowl combine 1 cup veggie oil with a few drops of lemon juice.

With the money you save invest in a steam mop, in the beginning it is costly but all it uses is water and pays itself off in the long run and you don't carry around a bucket, have sticky floors or that nasty flat residue from chemicals and no need to rinse it... I also use it to freshen up the mattresses in our house.

Also white Toothpaste, make sure it is paste, can be used to clean crayons off of the wall, fill in small nail holes and can be painted over and used as a beauty treatment for acne.

And those of you appauled by the smell of vinegar, here's a trick to get rid of that smell and make it smell sweet!

1 clean jar, pitcher or container with lid
clean orange peels
vinegar

Take the orange peels and put them into the container, pour the vinegar over the orange peels til the vinegar is covering them. Put on lid and let sit for a week. After a week the smell will be gone and you just drain your gold vinegar into a clean container and dispose of the orange peels.  I like to use the now gold vinegar with a little rubbing alchohol and water and clean my kitchen chairs, table and bathroom. It smells very sweet and way more cost effective. ;)

Clogged shower or sink drain?

1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup vinegar

Have fun using science to unclog your drain! Put in the baking soda in the drain, then add the vinegar and let sit til it no longer is foaming or that you can hear and then pour 2 cups of hot water down the drain. I also use this to freshen up my garbage disposal.

Sharpen your garbage disposal with Ice!

Use a handful of ice and put into garbage disposal and turn on.

Dried on mess on the stove?

Use a little veggie oil and let it sit for about an hour come back and wipe it up with soapy water rag.

Fridge smell even after cleaning it out?

Get a baking pan, fill 1/2 with vinegar and half with water and let it sit overnight. Wipe down the fridge the next day.

Baked on mess in the stove or in your grease pans? Make a vinegar and baking soda paste and scrub it on the area. You won't have to clear the house because of fumes to clean your stove.

If you have any other questions feel free to email me @ sissysadvice@gmail.com.

Natural air purifiers proven by NASA research.

Now that I live in Virginia and it has been too cold to open up the windows I was looking for a solution to make the air fresh and when I found out it could help us sleep better I opted for this really affordable and low maintaince idea.

PLANTS!!!

Yes, they can remove toxic chemicals released in your home and turn them into oxygen. For as little as watering my house plant twice a week and giving it my k-cup coffee grounds in low light it was worth the up keep.

I have golden Porthos and philodendron "silver" in my house. I have them up high out of reach of children because they are toxic, most likely because they absorb toxicins...

Anyhow, I noticed that this removed toxicins and released oxygen at night which was said to help people sleep better at night. 

So I wanted to test this theory.  I got with my three year old her little Philodendron, which she named Junior and set it up in her room. My daughters both share a room and since my little 1 yr old has been sleeping through out the night except for teething, as well as my oldest.

You can google Nasa research on air purifying plants... Don't just take my word for it. 

And if you have been to say a McDonalds out here you will notice that some have hanging live golden porthos, which to me is very smart as a decorative piece.

Just make sure that you clean the leaves every so often to maintain it's effectiveness to keep your air more clean.