Home made and cheaper

Sunday after Church, I found a package for S3 and wife inside my screen door. It had no wrapping. It was a baking pan with three spiral bound books inside and tied with a bow. The books were titled: 100 Helpful Household Hints: Baking Soda. The other two books were titled the same, but for Salt and Vinegar. They looked so very interesting!
The other day on Oprah, Dr. Oz made a comment that stuck with me. He said that if we threw away every cleaner and used Vinegar, Salt and Baking Soda, we would have a healthier environment and our grocery bill would go down, or something to that effect.

I think it is really interesting that two things within two days had the same topics.
I used to work as a substitute in the HS lunch room with Gift Giver, and I know she shops at those Book Fairs that come to the schools. Not knowing how to find a book fair, I began to search online for these titles.
I found a set on E-bay but I lost the auction at the last minute. Then I found them sold separately Amazon, but the costs were outrageous, and the shipping was crazy. Finally, through some more web searching, I found this source.

So, for under $12.00, including shipping USPS, I can have my own set! Now I won't have to write a fake a thank you note to Gift Giver, pretending to be S3, so I can keep the interesting-looking books for myself.

I am a sucker for those home made remedies, recipes and helpful household tips. I have several books on my bookshelf in the same genre.

While searching for these books online, I found a recipe for Dish Washing Detergent. There were several with part of the ingredients, but this one looked like she had done some serious experimenting. Here is the one that looks the best:

Dish washing Powder.

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

To use, put a tablespoon or so into each cup of your dishwasher. I've found I no longer have to use the scrubbing cycle but can get by fine with the short cycle, thus saving even more money. On average, it looks like this is about 8 cents a load compared with Cascade at 22 cents a load. Compare it with EcoVer or Seventh Generation and it's a steal. I have also started putting some of this in a shaker canister--the one I have we got at a restaurant supply, it's aluminum and was made for popcorn salt. I use it to clean my sink and anything else that I'd normally use Bon Ami on. Works great, and the essential oil makes it smell fantastic.

This is the site I found the above recipe on: home made cleaners.

Sweet Sailor is always worried about the future and how we can get along without the things we are used to in this day and age, should the fuel become scarce and the trucks stop delivering to the local grocery store. I figured that I had better be ready with lots of these books, home remedies, recipes, and cures. Of course if this happens, then I probably will stop using the dishwasher, but in the mean time, I will save some money. How about that?

Now I have a new list of supplies to shop for next time the case lot sales are on: Baking Soda, Vinegar, Salt and Borax. Oh and Lemonade Kool-aid! :D

a

PS I have to add that the source I mentioned is VERY SLOW. I ordered these books on the 11th of Jan. I called them today and they told me they were back-ordered and would email me when they mail my package. Today is 1 February. . . We shall see. I would advise you to call them instead of ordering online, that way you can talk to a person and see if they are in stock or not. . .