Did you make your own laundry detergent and foaming hand soap?
I did. I have heard from several people this week about trying what I suggested in the last article as well as how much money they are saving with coupons.
I decided since there are so many ways to use less and save money, I would continue what I started last time.
Do you have coupons for floor cleaner in your stockpile? Give them away and try this instead.
On your hardwood floors, mix a cup of vinegar with a bucket of hot water and mop with this. The scent of vinegar doesn't last long and, if anyone says anything about it, just tell them you are getting a head start on dying Easter eggs.
For linoleum and glazed tile floors, use ammonia and hot water. Both of these mixtures keep a buildup of cleaning product off of your floors while giving them a nice clean shine.
Speaking of build-up, do you use a special shampoo to get rid of build-up on your hair? Instead of spending a lot of money on this one product, use your regular shampoo and mix it with some baking soda and work it in. You can do this once a week to strip your hair. Then put mayonnaise on your hair to give it a good condition and shine. These are things that most everyone has around the house and doesn't cost as much as special hair products.
With the baking soda, you can use it to scrub your sinks as you would Comet or Ajax cleaners. It works the same as an abrasive. You can also clear your drains with it. Pour a cup of baking soda into your slow drain, and then pour a cup of vinegar in with it. It will foam up and start softening and eating away at what has the drain clogged.
If you use a lot of window cleaner, make your own. In a spray bottle mix ammonia and water. This works the same as window cleaner for a lot less money.
Have you seen the garbage disposal freshener? Don't do it. To sharpen the blades, put ice in there and run it as normal. To freshen it, peel a lemon and put the peel or a couple of lemon slices in there and run as normal. And you can pour a small amount of pine scented cleaner down all of your sink drains. Every time you turn on the water for a couple of days you will get the fresh scent of the cleaner.
I have tried all of the things I have told you about, so I know each of them works. Try at least one of these suggestions this week and see if you don't think it works as good as or better than what you use now.
Over the next couple of weeks, keep gathering your coupons but also start looking for rebates. Look in the grocery store, coupon magazines and online. Start collecting them and I'll give you some suggestions on how to use rebates and how to make the most of the money that you get back.
Karen Green is a member of Chicks University at the Family Y in North Augusta.
