Favorite Fridays: Homemade Recipes

I’ve been into making my own homemade products for a few years now and overtime have come up with a collection of money-saving homemade recipes. They are easy, simple, and work well in our household!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I’ve been making my own homemade laundry detergent since Andrew and I got married. The recipe is:

1 Cup Baking Soda

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Oxy Clean (I’m trying to find a more natural substitute for the oxy clean but haven’t been able to yet)

I mix it all up in a Tupperware container and use 1 Tablespoon for every load. To add a nice smell I use some cheap fabric softener from Sams Club (since the point of the homemade laundry detergent is to save money!).

For clothes that have stains or are really smelly I spray some white-vinegar on the spot and toss it in the laundry. It’s not good at getting out the deep/tough stains but it works on little ones.

Homemade Hand Soap

Well, I guess you can’t really call it homemade, but it helps me save money! I have some foam pump bottles that I saved from previous Bath and Body Works hand soaps and to save money I bought a big jug of hand-soap from Sams Club and put a tiny bit in each pump bottle. Then I add water and shake it up. I don’t think I’ve had to buy hand soap for over a year because of this and it works just fine!

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

I have a cheap spray bottle that I fill with a few drops of all-natural dish washing soap plus a little white-vinegar. Then I fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake it. Did you know vinegar is a great disinfectant? I use it on glass, sinks, counters, toilets, the shower, and even spots on the floor. It’s great!

I really enjoy being able to save money by making my own cleaner, hand soap and laundry soap. Sam’s Club is SO GREAT because you can buy in bulk for cheap. We’ve been buying diapers and wipes there, which we have found will actually be a little cheaper than spending a large sum on cloth diapers. However, I do know that in the future with the 2^nd kid I would be saving more money by using cloth diapers, so when that time comes I will definitely consider using cloth diapers! In the mean time I may start making my own homemade baby wipes.

I am also getting into making my own homemade seasoning mixes. Andrew and I cook a variety of different foods ranging from Italian to Mexican and it’s nice to have a seasoning mixture ready for whatever meal you need rather than having to buy all the different seasonings you need for each individual recipe or having to buy the pre-made packs of seasonings.

Homemade House Seasoning:

In a sealable container mix 1 Cup Salt, ¼ Cup Black Pepper, and ¼ Cup Garlic Powder. We use this on almost everything; French fries, sweet potato fries, chicken, pork chops, and lots more!

Homemade Mexican Seasoning:

In a sealable container mix 1 Cup Chili Powder, ½ Cup Ground Cumin, ½ Cup Salt, and a ¼ Cup Pepper. We use this on tacos, fajitas, and other Mexican dishes. You can adjust the level of spice by using either hot, medium or mild chili powder. I’m trying to find another seasoning to add that will help add even more flavor because I still think this is just a little bland compared to the taco seasoning you can buy out of a packet.

Next I need to come up with a homemade Italian seasoning. Usually we grab what we want from the cupboard and just start sprinkling but it would be nice to have our own premade mix that I can grab and sprinkle rather than reaching for multiple things. Usually we use garlic powder, parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme.

Coming next week for Favorite Fridays: More Homemade Recipes!