The Laundry Room

Yes, you can save a good chunk of money and help the environment at the same time right in your Laundry Room, actually $60-$160/year!  (Using the average household of 3-4 people and 8-12 loads/week)

Millions of loads of laundry are washed everyday and millions of dollars per year spent to buy commercial laundry detergent.  In fact, traditional detergent costs anywhere from 10-25 cents per load, that doesn't sound like a lot but it adds up quickly!

There are many chemicals in detergent that can contribute to polluting our drinking water.  Even after washing, chemicals can be left on clothes and cause skin irritation and allergies.

So with this homemade detergent, you'll not only save money but also help the environment by reducing  the use of chemicals and store packaging! 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

You can find these ingredients at almost any store.  They cost a little more but go a long way and saves you money in the long run.

• 1 bar of grated scented/unscented soap
• 1/2 cup of Borax 
• 1/2 cup of Washing Soda
• your choice of essential oil (optional)

You can use a normal hand or fine cheese grater to grate the soap with.

-Mix everything together except the essential oil for 3-5 minutes.
-You can keep this mixture in a jar or plastic container for use when you clean laundry.
-Use 1-2 tablespoons/load

    This is where the essential oil comes in.

The oil should be used with unscented soap.  When the water in the washing machine is filling up, you can put 10-15 drops of the oil in the water.  Make sure to mix the oil in the water to dilute it before putting the clothes in.  The oil will make your clothes smell really good, try lavender or grapefruit essential oils.

Homemade detergent can be used with any washing machine, even HE (high efficiency) due to the very low suds.

This approach to washing your clothes will help to clean them just as well as the store bought brand and costs about 5 cents/load!

Have fun washing!

My toilet is costing me how much!?

Saving water can not only help you reduce on water consumption but save you money too!

Some people say that our drinking water is dwindling every minute with the overuse of water, for ex: California uses millions of gallons of water/year on golf courses for their lawns.

Yes over 75% of earth is covered with water but only about 1% of that water is fresh water and with about 7 billion people on this planet it's not hard to believe that fresh water is decreasing.

We get most of our fresh water either from the lake or groundwater and people are using it faster than it can replenish.

So here's a cool idea that can save water and save you money, anywhere from $84-$336/year!

Test your toilet for a leak
Here's how:

Buy regular food dye, a few drops will do.  Lift up the tanks lid in the back of the toilet and pour a few drops of the dye into the water.  Let it sit for up to 25 minutes to avoid staining and do not use or flush the toilet.
After a few minutes lift up the toilet seat and see if the water is colored or not.  If the water has color in it that means you have a leak and could be costing you perhaps $100's per year!

How can I fix this leak?

Well the leak could be caused by all sorts of problems such as the stopper in the toilet isn't suctioned just right or it could be broken.  You can easily fix this problem yourself or if you would like you can call a plumber, either way, when this problem is solved, you will save some money and A LOT of water!

To see where I got my information from
and how much money water can cost, check this out.

To see a tutorial on fixing a toilet yourself click here

Coffee Anyone?

So how about ways to Green our planet? 

    Yeah I know what you might be thinking, "green is so boring I just want to live my life and enjoy it without the hassel!" who said that you couldn't?  Being green is fun, easy, and can save you a ton of money!  It's not difficult at all to do and takes very little time :)

The best way to start Greening your life is just like anything else in life, one step at a time!  Many people try to change something in way too many complicated steps that later on discourage them.  Take one tip-one step at a time.

    Here's a cool tip: Buy a reusable coffee filter if you own a coffee maker.

    A reusable coffee filter costs anywhere from  $3-$20 and with one, you'll be able to cross off filters on your shopping list and reduce your use of paper and money!  Some people even say that using a reusable filter makes the coffee taste better.  (because they aren't using paper that has been processed and exposed to chemicals)

If you're an avid coffee drinker like my family, then you would save $20-$50 over the course of a year!

    After you're done with your coffee grounds you can dry them out and store them into a container.  The next time you take a walk in the park, sprinkle the grounds on the ground (no pun intended) and the coffee will help to nourish the soil.  (Roses love used coffee and tea, you can sprinkle the roses with a little coffee/tea once a week)

You've just reduced your garbage space too!