The Humble Homemaker: frugal

Showing posts with label frugal. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Another DIY- Do it Yourselfer. Dishwasher Detergent

The Dishwasher is quite possibly the most incredible kitchen appliance to ever have been invented. Know what else? I'd bet money that it was created by a Homemaker...or at least someone with children. My MIL (that's internet lingo for Mother In Law, incase ya didn't know) is 1 of 11; yes, ELEVEN children. Can you imagine cleaning up dinner dishes for that family? My husband's grandmother is a Saint, seriously. Me? Not likely to be cannonized anytime soon. The dishwasher keeps me sane. Pop in the grimey dishes at naptime and sit down with a cup of coffee and let the swishing sound of water and electronic brilliance doing your dirty work relax and sooth you. 45 Minutes later- VOILA! Someday somebody will invent something that loads and unloads that machine...mark my words. However one thing that isn't likely to be replaced anytime soon is Dishwasher Detergent. I personally have a problem with this. It's expensive and bad for the environment. So, yep, you guessed it. I'm going to "Stick it to the Man" as they say, and make my own :).

There are many recipes out there for Homemade Dishwasher Detergent...and I've tried many of them. I've had some pretty cruddy results with some of them and I've finally come to find one that works even better than my preferred store bought Palmolive Eco brand. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients from Left to Right:

Citric Acid- This can be bought in most health food stores (Wegmans, for all you New Yorkers!). I buy it online because it's cheaper to buy in bulk. This prevents a cloudy residue from forming on your glasswear. Some people say you can substitude with 10-15 packages of Lemon KoolAid (the unsweatened kind in those small envelopes) but I haven't had much success with this. I got a cloudy film when I tried the substitute but some people swear by it!

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda: Not to be confused with BAKING Soda. Can be found in the Laundry section of the grocery store. Usually it's on the shelf near the Oxy Clean. You can also find this online if your local grocer doesn't carry it.

Borax: Also found in laundry section near Oxy Clean & can be bought online if necessary.

Kosher Salt: I'm thinking you can probably figure this one out on your own...

Recipe: 1 Cup Borax, 1 Cup Washing Soda, 1/4 Cup Citric Acid, 1/4 Cup Kosher Salt, Clean Dry 32 oz container (Ex: Empty Mayo jar, Empty Yogurt Container...)

Add 1 Cup of Borax

Add 1 Cup Washing Soda

Add 1/4 Cup Citric Acid

Add 1/4 Cup of Kosher Salt:

Shake to Combine Ingredients and....

Miller Brand Dishwasher Detergent! Use 1 tablespoon per load.

So I'm sure you're all wondering. Why Bother? How much is this really going to save?

Well here's the breakdown for you...

1 72 oz bottle of Palmolive Eco Costs: $4.99 plus tax for about 30 loads = .16 cents per Load

Miller Brand:

Borax (76 oz Box): $4.51=> .40cents per batch

Washing Soda (55oz Box)= $3.57=> .48cents per batch

Citric Acid (16oz)= $5.47=> $1.15 per batch

Kosher Salt (48oz)= 1.99 => .08cents per batch

TOTAL: $2.11 per batch

Each batch is enough for about 50 loads and that equals .04 cents per load!

Well, I think that just about speaks for itself doesn't it?

Happy Savings my Fellow Frugalers

P.S. Another reason to make your own Dishwasher Detergent-
Most commercial brands contain Phosphates.
Excess phosphates are known to accelerate the natural aging of
lakes (eutrophication) and also present a serious pollution problem by
encouraging excessive growth of aquatic plants. They enter
waterways as runoff from agricultural lands as fertilizer and as human
and animal waste. The largest source of phosphorous entering the
environment is synthetic detergents which contain phosphate
compounds to soften water, increase the pH of water, and increase
surfactant efficiency. About 7.5 billion pounds of detergents were
used in the United States in 1991. This source accounts for over 2
billion pounds of phosphorus which is nearly half the phosphorous
entering our waters. Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) is most widely
used, and ordinary detergents may contain up to 50% of it by weight.
Automatic dishwasher detergents require high levels of STPP
because it effectively prevents water spotting during the drying
process.
As of 1992, 30 states, containing about half the population of the
U.S., have either limited or are considering limiting the use of
phosphates.

Moral of the Story: Purge of Phosphates, Save the Environment!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Spending too much Dough and other Bread musings.

We're a relatively small brood of 2 adults and 2 children ages 3 and under. Amazingly enough we go through AT LEAST 3 loaves of bread. Each. Week. Usually more like 4.

What can I say? Sandwiches are easy & accessable. My husband works on the road so he can't bring leftovers for lunch. Toast is a must with my morning coffee. Need a little something extra at dinner time? Bread and butter is our cure all.

So I got to thinkin'.

A good loaf of Wheat Bread costs anywhere from about $1.99 to $2.50 depending on the brand and the store. That means we're spending $5.97-$7.50 +tax per week...on BREAD! Ugh! I started thinking about ways to cut the cost of bread. $5.97-$7.50 per week may not seem like a lot to you...but that's $310.44-$390 per year! Anyway, I came up with 3 possible alternatives.

1. Limit Sandwiches in our Household

2. Buy White Bread

...Wait, no. That's just not going to happen. I haven't eaten White Bread since I was about 8 and my memories are not fond. Yuck.

3.?? Make Your Own.

Alright-Confession: I love to cook. I find comfort and solace in taking a few basic ingredients (or not so basic, depending on my mood), cooking them in a number of different ways (oohhh the possibilities!!), and the end result being all but Divine.

...Baking? Ehhh

Baking means Measuring. Baking means Chemistry. I HATE Chemistry. Unless your referring to a love scene from The Wedding Date, my favorite Chick Flick.

I DO, however, enjoy saving money. And so I embark on this journey of fickle yeast, gluten and ::shudders:: measuring cups. I'll be using the recipe for Wheat Bread from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (Thanks, Aunt Sharon!). Aunt Sharon gave me this cookbook for my wedding shower and it has been, and remains to be, my life preserver for all things Culinary ever since the commencement of marital, and subsequently, domestic life.

Attempt #1: Followed Instructions to a "T"...I swear! I even used measuring cups! The dough never actually proofed (baker talk for rising). I...decided to bake it anyway haha.

Outcome: Brickish.

Attempt #2: Same as above. Poor, Poor hubby. Hey...at least he'll get his fiber this week! :)Attempt #3: Ok, I went through the "Tips" section of BH&G. I read something about proofing the bread in your unheated oven with a bowl of hot water underneath. Like This:

The dough proofed a tiny bit...I think. Baked it....Bricked it.

Attempt #4: I enlisted the help of a veteran Bread Baker for this one. She suggested activating the yeast in a small bowl with 1c. of warm water and a tablespoon of sugar. If it foams up in 5 minutes...all systems are a go. If not, it's bad yeast. Well I got foam! So I proofed it in the oven just like BH&G said. IT PROOFED! Majorly. It was wonderful! So I proceded on with my dough. It says to let it proof again for 45mins after you put it in the bread pans. It was going along so well. It was rising to almost double it's original size.

and then we got some turbulence. In other words, my 2 year old ran through the kitchen like a heard of elephants. This burst my little bread bubble as I looked in on the bread just in time to see the bread deflate as a result of said turbulence. This is what happened:

...it's got wrinkles :(. However, with hopes high, I decide to bake it anyway. *Hoping* that maybe it'll rise again while it bakes. I'm a sucker for high hopes. This is what it looked like after baking.

Flat and Brickish.

And so...I'll bid my bread making aspirations adieu for now. I will not give up though! After doing some calculations I found that baking your own loaf of bread would cost approximately $1.20. That's $3.60 per week for 3 loaves of bread. That'll save about $2.37-$3.90 per week or $123-$202 per year!

As for the bricks...

Bread Pudding!
and Caramel Sauce!