Did you realize how easy and frugal it is to make your own laundry powder or liquid? I have shared two recipes in the past that both contained borax (a naturally occuring substance), but the health warnings and requests to reduce exposure to borax have prompted me to find an alternative recipe.
This is the simplest two ingredient recipe I have come up, that I like, for keeping our clothing clean and fresh.
As Easter approaches each Spring, I often do some sort of craft with my children. This year mommy got to try a few crafts for myself.
Avon Bubble Bath is always on hand in our house and ready for cleaning, freshening or having a bath!
PRINT PDF VERSION (2 per sheet)
If you plan to use Avon Bubble Bath for cleaning, be sure to pick a scent that is clear and not opaque. The ones that you cannot see through have moisturizers in them, that may cause streaks when cleaning.
Start your Monday and your week off right!
9 Tips To Beat The Monday Blues
Monday morning...let's face it, who really gets up and cheers "I love Monday!", unless of course, Monday is your day off or you have the day to yourself with no kiddies tugging at you saying, "mom....mom...mom" (or Dad!). Right?
So, let's talk about a few tips to help you look forward to Monday. Yes, it is possible. As much as I love the weekends, the routine of our Monday to Friday schedule does have it's advantages.
I am a stay at home / work at home mom. In addition to having the distraction of a 3 yr old in the house and a teen after school, I am also very scattered in general. If my job was outside the home, I would be a little more focused in some areas, and maybe more determined to keep on top of things, but these tips will help EVERYONE start their week off on a happier, less moody or grumpy note.
These tips are for helping you be happier and more productive at the start of each week. This is geared around your household and family life. Being organized and productive at work is another story, maybe we can tackle that another day!
You need a to do list of errands, chores and activities for the family. If anything needs to be done on Monday, put it at the top, or highlight it. Also, make lists for each family member if you are really busy, so everyone sees what they have to help out with.
Taking time on the weekend to do your meal plan and pick up groceries, will cut down on running around during the workweek. Try to grocery shop alone if possible. Here are some shopping tips
Meal planning will save you both time and money, but it will also take away added stress during your week. While it may seem like too much work when you are starting out, trust me, the benefits will be worth the change in routine. It takes a little time to figure out the style of meal planning that will work for you. Once you find the right method, and practice it for a couple weeks, you will wonder why you never tried it before! Example: My weekly Meal Plan Get a Meal Plan Template Here.
Once your meals are planned, grocery shopping becomes an easy and more affordable task. Get your Printable Shopping List here.
There are so many great recipes and ideas for prepping Breakfast ahead. I love to make up Pancakes and French Toast to have in the freezer, just pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast. Try some of these: Breakfast Burritos // Omelet Muffins // Gluten Free Maple Peanut Butter Banana Muffins // Pancake Mix //
For lunches, cook up a pot of rice, pasta, or quinoa on Sunday, portion into containers and add seasonings, and other ingredients. One of my go to meals for hubby and I is Rice, Steamed Broccoli and Roasted Chicken. Another meal we love in our house and is perfect to send to school or work is Greek Quinoa / Pasta Salad.
This will help with packing lunches, either making it easier for you to grab or for your children to pack in their lunches. (More on Snack Stations to come. Check out this article on the Moncton Coupon Lady page from one of our readers.)
Go to bed nightly with all the dishes put away and an empty sink, not just Sunday night. This may seem like a silly suggestion, but it really makes a huge difference to wake up to a clean kitchen before your busy day starts.
When you get home on Friday's, be sure to unpack backpacks to ensure you haven't missed a special notice, invitation or other note from school. Lunch bags should also be emptied, and wiped clean each week. I know I am not the only mom who has opened a lunch bag that sat by the door all weekend, only to find a nice smelly mess on Monday morning! Making a conscious effort to empty and clean the lunch bags every Friday will make Monday morning packing less surprising 🙂
Nothing could be more discouraging on a Monday morning than having to stop and fill the car. Almost always a last minute thing for me. The car will be dinging at me and I know, that between traffic and where I am headed, I will have to stop.
This tips falls in line with the clean kitchen tip. If you have your laundry done, you have one less thing to worry about. Try starting a laundry schedule. Do a load each day, or every other day (depending on the amount you do weekly).
This tips is great for kids and adults alike: put out clothing the night before. Since your laundry is all done, this should be an easy task! Do this every night to make mornings, especially with kids, run a little smoother.
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Whether you work from home or out of the house, I hope you find these 9 Tips To Beat The Monday Blues make Monday's a little easier for you and your family.
While experimenting with Laundry soap, cost, ingredients, etc. I came to realize that although the Powdered version is very fast to mix up, and more compact to store, THIS recipe is much more Frugal.
The previous post for Powdered Laundry Detergent was much faster, but this one is worth the time, AND SAVES YOU EVEN MORE $$
1. Grate the bar of soap (or use food processor). Place in pot with 2 ltr boiling water. Stir until soap dissolves, reduce heat with bubbles get foamy. It should not bubble much more than the picture below.
2. ADD Washing Soda, Borax and stir to dissolve.
3. Mix well and pour into container large bucket and add 6 ltrs warm water, stirring to mix.
4. Pour into jugs to store. Let cool then put lids on.
**Shake well before each use.
Use 1/2 cup per load. This recipe will yield approx. 64 loads of laundry.
Works out to just $0.013 per load! JUST OVER A PENNY A LOAD!!!