I usually make my own laundry detergent. It’s a lot less expensive than store bought detergent. I’ve never had any problems with it working and our clothes smell just fine. The soap itself doesn’t really have a “scent”, it just smells clean. If I’m washing clothing that’s extra dirty, I add a bit of vinegar to the wash, it works great in removing odors. Here’s my recipe:

Liquid Laundry Detergent:

4 Cups – hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (hard to find, I use Ivory as a substitute)
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. I bought a cheap grater and pot at the store to use just for this.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Make sure you buy and use Washing Soda. I found this at Publix in the laundry aisle.

Every time I have ever made this it never fully gels up.  It always stays pretty thin and liquid, but I’ve never had a problem with it.  Make sure you shake  the laundry detergent before adding it to your washing machine.

This detergent lasts a long time!!  I usually make up the 5 gallons and share some with my mom.

This recipe came from The Duggar Family.

Find more of my Tuesday Tips here and here.

It’s so important to be organized when you run a home business.  When I first started my blog a few months ago, I just wrote down things as I went.  Now, I’m finding myself looking for notes and sorting through emails.  I’ve decided it’s time to get organized!  Here are my tips on what I’ve done to get my business and my life on track:

• Get a calendar-  the first thing I did was get a calendar.  One that has room to write notes down in each day’s slot.  This helps tremendously!  Every Sunday I sit down and organize my calendar for the upcoming week.  I list all appointment I have and list any school activities my kids have.  I can then schedule my work days.  It’s so important to remember, even though you work from home it’s still a business and you need to treat it as one.  Schedule your days to work and schedule hours to work on those days.  Once you’ve created a schedule in your calendar, stick to it!

• Get a notebook – mine is just a simple 3-ring binder.  In it I have the paper subject dividers with note book paper in-between.   It’s divided into these categories: Daily to-do List/Notes; Contact List; Reviews; Giveaways; Financial.  Choose whatever categories work for you.  Now I can list all my information in here and when I need it I know exactly where it is.  I am also real careful to date everything.  When I contact a potential sponsor I am sure to write down the date and time of contact; when I do a shout-out for a fellow blogger, I write down when that shout-out occurred.  This is very helpful in case of follow-up.

• Budget – this is so important!  Regardless of how you keep track of it, you should really have a budget set up.  If you’re blogging for a business and you’re earning an income, regardless of how much, you should have it documented somewhere.  You can use a computer program and keep it on file or you could use software from your bank, or you could just write it down in your journal.  I keep track of it in pay pal and I have a section in my notebook for it.  I list my affiliates information, when they pay me, how much I am paid, and how they paid me.  I like to keep track of my income and also record my expenses.  Be sure to keep all of your receipts too.

What type of organizing methods do you use? 

Disclaimer:
These are things I have done that worked for me. By posting them I am not guaranteeing that they will work for you. I am simply sharing my tips and hoping you can find something that will work for you and save you some money too!

Find more of my Tuesday Tips here, here, and here.

Back to school also means back to homework. Whether your getting the kids ready to return to school, you’re getting ready to head out to college, or you’re working on getting your online masters of public health degree.  I think it’s a great idea to set up work stations.  Whether you set up a desk or a table it’s a good idea to have an area that’s exclusively for your child.

If you have a desk available for your child to use you probably have drawers in it. These are great for organizing items your child might need when doing their homework. Items such as pencils/pens, a pencil sharpener, glue/glue sticks, paper, erasers, stapler, paper clips, and color crayons are great items to have on hand. If you don’t have a desk and are using a table or if your desk doesn’t have drawers, you can always get a plastic drawer system. These can be purchased at most stores for just a few dollars. I think it’s a great idea when setting up your child’s area to have them help you. This get’s them excited about their area.

It’s also a great idea to set up the work station a few days before school starts. This gives the kids an opportunity to get used to their desk and maybe even use it a few times. As most kids don’t enjoy doing homework (most parents don’t either) any excitement they may have over having their own work station can really help.

I think it’s also a great idea to set aside one drawer to use for papers the kids bring home from school. I always like to keep their papers on hand then discard them at the end of the grading period. There have been occasions where I have had a note sent home from a teacher telling me a paper was missing; I’ve looked through the papers at home and in most cases have found the missing paper.

Having the kids a work station makes it exciting for them as they have their own space, it’s great for keeping their papers together and organized, and it helps kids learn responsibility maintaining their desk.

What type of work station do you have in your home? Do you use one of the above methods or do you do something different? I’d love to hear about it!

Check out more Back to School posts here.

I read blogs for years before I finally decided to start my own. Once I finally decided I’d like to give it a try, I spent several weeks researching as much information about starting a blog as I could. Here are some tips I learned in my research:

• Decide what topic you want your blog to be about.  It’s always a good idea to write about something you feel very passionate about and something you are educated in.  This way you won’t run out of things to write about and the blog is fun for you.

• Pick a blog title that describes what your blog is about.  This helps readers identify your blog right away.  Also keep it short and easy to spell.  If it’s easy  for your readers to find, you’ll get more traffic.

• Go ahead and write several posts before letting your blog go live.  This gives your blog great content once it’s published.  If someone see’s your blog you want them to stick around and have more to read.

• Decide what hosting company and domain you’re interested in.  My thought on this is, if you’re looking to make money with your blog then choose a paid domain such as WordPress.  If you’re writing your blog for fun then a free domain such as blogger would work just fine.  Once you’ve chosen your domain you need to choose your hosting site.  I recommend doing some research on this to see what company is best for you.  I use WordPress and Blue Host.

• Purchase your name.  Once you’ve decided on your blog name you need to purchase it.  Check out Go Daddy and see if your chosen name is available and buy it.

I highly recommend you visit Amy Andrews at Blogging with Amy. She was an incredible help to me when I got started and gives you step-by-step instructions on starting a blog.

I love to bake!!  I can easily spend all day baking.  I have several recipes that have been passed down from generations before me that I just love.  Along with these recipes comes many tips.  I’d like to share some with you…

• add one tablespoon of jelly to cookie dough, it will add additional flavor to the cookies and will keep the cookies moist
• make sour milk by adding two tablespoons of vinegar to one cup regular milk
• to keep lumps out of a batter, add a pinch of salt to the flour while it’s dry, before mixing
• you can substitute sugar in a recipe with honey, but decrease the amount of liquid by 1/4 cup
• when substituting honey for sugar, bake the food longer and at an oven temp. 25 degrees lower than called for
• make sour cream by adding a small amount of lemon juice to a container of cool whip; let sit for 30 minutes
• salt the water for pasta after it comes to a boil; if you add the salt before it boils it will take longer to come to a boil
• add a pinch of baking soda to the water when boiling cabbage, it tenderizes the cabbage

Check out more of my Tuesday Tips here and here.

Disclosure:
These are things I have done that worked for me. By posting them I am not guaranteeing that they will work for you. I am simply sharing my tips and hoping you can find something that will work for you and save you some money too!

I’ve used coupons for a number of years now and I have an overabundance of sample/trial size items.  If you coupon I’m sure you do too.  Whenever you get a coupon that does not state a specific size on it, you can use it on a sample/trial size and usually end up getting it free.

I have a box in my pantry that’s designated for these products.  They’re great to use when going on vacation or to simply try out a new product to see how you like it.  Here are some other “tips” on ways to use these items:

• Operation Christmas Child: if you participate in this program and create boxes for OPC you can use your travel items to add to the boxes
• Children’s Gifts:  These small items are the perfect size for kids.  You could purchase a small bag and fill it up for them
• Gift Baskets:  Because they’re small, these items make great “fillers” for baskets
• Shower Gifts: if you’re hosting a baby shower or bridal shower you can use these items as prizes for the guests

Do you have any other ideas?  Share them here.

I’m always looking for ways I can utilize items for more than what their designed for. In my hunt over the years; looking at old books and talking to people, I’ve found many items in my kitchen can be considered “double duty items”. Here are some of my uses with oil:

Get a ring stuck on your finger? Slide it off easily with a spray of cooking oil; or pour a bit of vegetable oil over the ring and it will slide right off.

Have a child come home from school with head lice? Lather their hair up with mayonnaise. It smells and looks horrible but it does the trick. Cover with a shower cap and let sit for about an hour, then rinse. Not only does it kill most lice but it conditions the hair nicely. (Are you itching now? sorry)

Grease the rim of your pot with butter, about an inch down into the pan. This will keep what’s boiling from boiling over and making a mess.

Add just a bit of vegetable oil to your boiling water to prevent rice or pasta from sticking together.

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over your grilled cheese sandwiches in place of the butter. The oil in the mayo crisps the bread up nicely and it’s usually easier to spread than butter.

Rub down wooden cutting boards with oil, applied with a paper towel, wipe away excess. Keeps them polished nicely.

Make your own furniture polish. Great money saver too!

Disclosure:
These are things I have done that worked for me. By posting them I am not guaranteeing that they will work for you. I am simply sharing my tips and hoping you can find something that will work for you and save you some money too!

Save money by making your own cleaning supplies. I make my own furniture polish, window and glass cleaner and all-purpose cleaner. It’s a lot more economical than purchasing the items from the store. Also, because you’ve made them yourself you know what’s in it! I love that it’s safe for my kids and pets!! Here are my recipes:

Furniture Polish:

mix 1/2 cup vegetable oil with 1/4 cup real lemon juice in a glass or plastic jar with a tight-fitting lid. Apply to wood furniture with a cotton cloth. Rub in a small amount at a time. Cleans and polishes beautifully! Store away from direct sunlight for several months.

Window and Glass Cleaner:

3 tablespoons real lemon juice
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid

Mix all ingredients together in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with warm water; shake to mix well. Use like you would any store bought cleaner.

All-Purpose Cleaner:

1 teaspoon Mule Team Borax (you can also use 1 tsp dishwashing liquid)
splash of vinegar
1 quart warm water

Mix all ingredients together in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. I use this for everything: counters (kitchen and bathroom), sinks and walls.

Here’s one more recipe I thought about too. If you have an area in the house you want to remove or control odor, like the pets’ area or an area where you store shoes, here’s what I use:
mix 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 2 cups water in a spray bottle until foaming stops. Spray anywhere you want to eliminate or control odors.

I purchase the spray bottles from the dollar store. Don’t forget to label the bottles! The only products you need to make all of the above are vinegar, lemon juice, dish detergent, alcohol, and borax. Some you probably already have. Very economical and they last a long time!