Cutting the Budget-2 Easy Ways

Proverbs 31:27~ She looketh well to the ways of her household.

Today I am sharing two super EASY ways to help slash your budget, B.O.W. girls. Many of you have talked about budget cutting and financial advice. Almost 3 years ago, we slid from a two income family to a one income family that homeschools. Even though you can find creative and inexpensive ways to homeschool, it still creates more meals, etc. having them at home, all the while still paying school taxes for your district. For a school system you do not use. I began to search for creative ways to "cut the budget" so to speak.

The Lord has been faithful, and provided for my lost income with a new opportunity for my husband. The catch? We had to travel to a new state and pretty much "fly by the seat of our pants." We usually only get 2 weeks notice if we are leaving, or staying. We have a 6 member household to pack up and that makes this mama melt down. We have already moved once while living in the new state, and had to pack up our home in the other state so that we could sell it. That makes 3 "move jobs" in about 2 1/2 years. Not fun.

The first placed I looked was around my own home. How can I cut down on the excess in my home? Groceries was out--I have growing kiddos and a hubby to feed and he didn't want the cut there. Besides, our grocery budget isn't that bad considering how many we feed. A Sam's Club membership also comes in handy, and occasional couponing. NO, I am NOT an extreme couponer, but don't feel bad if YOU are.


Super Easy Homemade Detangling Spray:

My girls are as different as you can imagine. The oldest has long, straight and mid thick hair. That gets tangled. A lot. The youngest has the cutest curls that almost spring. That gets tangeld. A lot. Tired of running out of detangling spray and paying the prices, not to mention some of the junk in them, I stumbled upon a way to make my own. On the cheap. 

Now I use Organix Coconut Oil conditioner (from Wal-Mart) or other all natural conditioner. I got mine on clearance! Sure, you pay a little more up front but the one bottle has lasted close to a year. Imagine how much you are saving. However, you can cut your budget further if you use another brand, many go for less than $1 a bottle.

I reused an old empty bottle from the last Detangling spray I bought, but you can just buy a simple $1 bottle from the store. Anything works.

1. Fill the bottle with water
2. Add about 1 to 1 & 1/2 tsp of conditioner. Experiment and find out how much you need for your bottle. Too much, and it will be greasy, which translates to greasy hair. Especially the Coconut Oil.
3. Shake
4. Spray

Really super easy, huh? You can use anything that you have on hand.

Super Easy Heavy Duty Laundry Detergent, gentle enough for babies & kids:

I remember well the days of using two separate laundry detergents. One for my babies/kids, and one for us. We have a lot of eczema/sensitive skin around here so I didn't want to use the harsh chemicals in regular detergent. Even though I used it on my own sensitive skin to cut down on laundry-go figure. I paid for it. Literally. That brand is expensive!

I stumbled upon some different homemade detergent recipes, but many were too complicated or were liquid. I wanted a powder, but sometimes powder is harsh. Then, I found one but put my own spin on it. If you are worried about super sensitive skin in babies, you can skip the Essential Oil step. Actually, you can skip that anyway if you really want to cut costs. I just love the smell, but even without it, this detergent still has a nice smell. 

My husband works in an automobile factory. He gets dirty...and sweaty. He may be crawling around/under/over and in cars on the assembly line, "playing in primer", building stuff, fixing stuff, or welding and his clothes are filthy. Recently, his boss has remarked several times that she needed to find out what it was I used to get his clothes so clean because he always leaves work filthy. So, here it is (you can double, triple, etc. to get however much you want):

• 3 bars plain Ivory soap~ make sure it is the plain kind as pictured above, in the blue package.
• 2 cups Borax
• 2 cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda~not the laundry detergent.
• 8-10 drops Lavender essential oil~ this is completely optional, but smells so good. If you use Young Living or some other more concentrated oil, you may need less. I purchase my oil at Kroger (in the organic section), GNC, Whole Foods, or a local organic/health store here close by.
• Mixing bowl
• Grater
• Storage container~ the storage canister I have, came from Dollar Tree for $1.

1.  Grate the Ivory Soap into the mixing bowl. You can use the large or small holes, it is up to you. I prefer the larger ones-saves tons of time and arm power!
2. Pour the Borax and Arm & Hammer into the bowl.
3. Mix it all together.
4. Add the optional essential oil.
5. Mix again.
6. Pour into your storage container

Finally, when you are ready to use this, use 2 tablespoons per load. YES! You only need 2 tablespoons for an extra large load. For a small load, you can use 1 tablespoon if you would like, but I have used 2 and it turned out fine.

Share some of you budget cutting tips with us today. Have you ever made homemade cleaning/beauty products? Share those with us!

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