Start Simply

Image from here.

Our bathroom sink was draining very s-l-o-w-l-y. I didn't want to go out and just buy a lot of expensive drain cleaners if I could do it cheaper with natural ingredients around the house. After a quick internet search I decided to use baking soda and vinegar. The website I found said to pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup of vinegar, pull the plug, wait for about 30 minutes, then wash it all down with hot water. First off, we could only stuff in about 1/4 cup of baking soda because we couldn't get the plug out of the bathroom sink. Then, when we poured the vinegar in it fizzed up out of the drain and into the basin of the sink. By the time we were able to get most of the vinegar and baking soda into the drain and close it off the reaction was already slowing. We did this twice and it made a little bit of a difference but nothing to write home about. I was frustrated. How did people clean out the drains before the invention and commercial availability of drain cleaners? Did they just hire a plumber? Did they have to take the sink apart and snake it? Maybe if it was so bad that the water didn't drain at all but probably people started with a very simple tool that is found in nearly every home - a plunger. This was my 3 AM realization. We could try to plunge out the clog. (FYI- Be sure that you cover the overflow hole so you don't get nasty sink gunk sprayed on yourself. After learning that lesson the hard way, I had my husband hold a folded up hand towel over the hole while I plunged.) I am happy to report that the sink is draining like there was never an issue and with relatively little effort and no money. Hooray for the simple things in life.

Laundry Detergent

So, I tend to be a little on the crazy side of things. I make all of our food from scratch (my husband has jumped on board and is excited to try making his own soda), use cloth diapers, and clean with vinegar. So, I want to know, how is it that I just heard of making my own laundry detergent? My friend Sara posted on her [private] blog about it and then she let me have some (to try out on our diapers) and it worked like a charm. I loved it! Then I did the cost calculations and found out that if I buy our detergent on clearance at Target it costs about 7.95 cents a load whereas making my own, assuming I am willing to buy part at Target and part at WinCo (two stores I go to the most), it costs 0.95 cents a load. That is seven cents a load. I know, seven cents doesn't sound like a lot but if you figure that I do about 12 loads of laundry a week (in the summer; in the winter it goes up to about 14 with the extra bedding) then you see that each week I am saving 84 cents (98 cents in the winter), which is $3.36 a month or about $45 a year. I suppose that to some it still doesn't sound like much but we are trying to save up for a house and I run a very tight budget so that is a ton of money for us. Plus, I looked into the ingredients and they are all natural things that have been around for many years. It was really easy (it only took about 25 minutes to make), here is how to do it:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Ingredients and Supplies

1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap

5 gallons hot water, divided

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup Borax

5 gallon bucket

Cheese grater

Sauce pan

Large spoon

Empty containers with lids (like old milk jugs)

1. Grate Fels-Naptha Soap.

2. Add grated soap to 4 cups warm water in saucepan. Heat on medium until soap is dissolved stirring constantly.

3. Fill 5-gallon bucket half full with hot tap water. Add Fels-Naptha solution, stir.

4. Combine washing soda and borax. Add to bucket and stir until completely dis

solved.

5. Add more hot tap water until you have 5 total gallons of liquid in the bucket. Stir and cool overnight.

6. Pour into containers. To use, dilute with water to 50% solu

tion. Shake before use because it will gel.

If you want to you could add about 5 drops of essential oil per gallon once the mixture has cooled. We didn't add the oil because my husband is not a fan of things that have scent added to them and our youngest son has sensitive skin so things like that tend to cause him to break out.

I live in a small apartment so I put the concentrated liquid into old gallon containers (rinsed out milk or vinegar jugs) then I have one half-gallon container for the diluted soap that is in use. I measured out 4 cups and marked it on the container with marker so when I need to refill, I know how much soap to add then add water from there to the top.

The instructions say to use 1 cup per load but I am trying out 3/4 cup instead (because I am cheap). No problems yet.

It's hot!

What do you do when it is hot outside? Crank up the air conditioning and eat popsicles? That sounds nice but expensive. Over the years I have found some great ways to keep the electric bills down while still managing to stay comfortable in the heat. Some of the things you may have already heard:

--Run heat-generating appliances (like the dishwasher or oven) early in the morning or late at night.

--Use the oven less (opt for things like salads or cold sandwiches or light up the grill outside).

--Turn down the a/c. I have taken this one to the extreme (we liked to keep ours set to about 87 or 90 degrees except when I was pregnant, then it was at about 85).

--Use fans, but only where you are because fans don't actually cool the air, they just circulate the air so it feels cooler.

Now, here are some that I have come up with on my own:

--Close the windows and shades. I know, this seems counterintuitive but it really works. On really hot days I liked to open the windows in the early morning (about 6-8 AM) then close them. The air in the house stays much cooler than it is outside. Yesterday it was about 95 degrees outside but when my husband got home he said it felt about 20 degrees cooler inside. One warning, you may start to feel like a mole in the dark, which leads to my next point,

--Get out. Go to places that you know will be air conditioned and spend time there instead of at home. Some places we like to go are the library, children's museum, and the mall. Some places have indoor play places that are air conditioned as well. You could also just go play in the water in the back yard or at the pool. Just think of all of the places that are air conditioned even if you weren't there (the grocery store never looked so inviting).

--Cold baths are nice.

--Popsicles are delicious, and you can make your own pretty easily. We also like to freeze berries and just eat them straight out of the freezer.

Now, you may be thinking that because I live in Portland I don't know what hot is but let me tell you, I lived in Nebraska for 25 years. It is hot and humid in Nebraska. You can't walk outside without feeling like everything is sticking to you. When we lived in Nebraska, we used the air conditioning about one week a year.

I know that everyone who reads this blog is very diligent about cleaning out the microwave. If you cook something like spaghetti and it splatters all over, you immediately clean it up, ignoring the toddler wrapped between your legs and screaming while your "helper" is constantly present trying to see what is next to be done in this one person job. But, for people who are not so on top of things, here is a great way to take your microwave from a scary nightmare with caked on who-knows-what to looking like new.

In a microwave-safe bowl add 1 cup warm water, 1 Tbsp vinegar, and 1-2 drops of liquid dish soap. Place in the microwave and heat on high for 4 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes without opening the door. After 15 minutes, wipe out the microwave with a clean rag. If there are persistent stains, dip a corner of the cloth in the liquid and wipe off.

Here is the after shot (I will not scare anyone with the before but trust me when I say it was bad).

Ditch the Disposable

One very easy way to save money (and be more "green") is to stop using disposable things like napkins. You can easily make your own cloth napkins. They are great because they not only save you money but they also look great! Why do you think fancy restaurants use cloth instead of disposable? Check out the ones I made!

Homemade Greenhouse

How are your gardens growing? Mine feels slow. But, I got all of my seedlings potted up and taken outside to the balcony (at least during the day). Yesterday I sowed more seeds and stuck them in my little homemade greenhouse. It cost me...nothing! I am really excited about it (and have been since I came up with it over two weeks ago). The lid is high enough that the seedlings don't touch the top so I can keep them toasty and moist until they are ready to be potted up. All I did was find a large clear plastic container with a lid, flip it upside down, place all of my plants on the lid, and pop on the top. It was that easy and my seedlings have never been happier. I would still like to figure out how to rig up a grow light but alas, I have no money or supplies. Yet.

Benefits of Sewing

Learn to sew. You don't have to be so good that you do intricate quilt work or make all of your own clothes. If you just learn some sewing basics you can save yourself a whole lot of money (or at least a lot of little expenses here and there).

The strap adjuster on my son's backpack broke the other day. Using my seam ripper (the most important tool a seamstress can have) I was able to remove the old piece and sew on a new one. It took me about 45 minutes. I only needed to know how to stitch forwards and backwards. For all of you who are trying to think about how much money I saved, here is a conservative estimate:

This backpack new (but on super-duper clearance) = $3.50
The new plastic piece (it comes in a 2-pack) = $1.29 for 2

So, even if I could find another cheap backpack, it would still be cheaper to fix it myself.

Now, don't even let yourself think that I have some great expensive machine. I don't. In fact, I have the cheapest [adult] machine that Target has to offer. It works great! The machine I had before the one I have now was not so great so if you are looking to buy don't buy this one. It is also important to remember that sewing is more forgiving than you might think. If you look inside of some of the things I have made you would be amazed at how great it looks from the outside. Sew, go sew (if you don't know how, I am sure that you can find a friend who will give you a hand).

Stain Removal Success

I am not sure that this qualifies as either thrift or industry but it is a great tip. My son got raspberry sauce all over his khakis the other day. I let them sit without doing anything to them for about a day and a half (I just kept forgetting). When I went to wash them I didn't have time to pretreat them with anything (I didn't even scrub them with water). To his regular wash (liquid detergent) I added 1/4 cup of baking soda and about 1/4 scoop (probably less) OxiClean. I ran them through as normal then dried on low. They came out with no stain what so ever. It is one of those times when you wish you had before and after pictures.

Plant a Garden

Gardens are wonderful and can provide fresh produce for very little cost. The cheapest way to start a garden is by starting seeds. Now is the time to start seeds for this summer. Here are the materials you will need to start seeds (these are the basic materials, some people may opt for more or fancier things but they are not necessary):

*soil
*growing tray
*tray
*cover for growing tray
*seeds
*tags

Soil
Be sure to use potting soil, not garden soil. Garden soil is not appropriate because it tends to be too heavy and lack the aeration and drainage that seedlings need. Soils that would be appropriate are things that have peat moss, pearlite, and/or organic matter. It is not necessary that seeds have fertilizer, they just need water to start growing.

Growing Tray
There are many options when it comes to growing trays. You can find some that are specially made for growing seeds or you can create your own. I have tried many different methods for starting seeds. One option is to get a disposable cake pan - I found one at the Dollar Tree that came with a clear plastic lid (it was 13"x9"x2" deep) - just use a nail to poke holes in the sides and bottom to allow for drainage. That has worked quite well. I have also done egg cartons (shown using the lid to my cake pan as a tray to catch water). If you get cardboard egg cartons you don't have to poke holes (I just poked one in the bottoms for good measure). The foamy egg cartons will need holes poked in the sides and bottom so the water can escape. If you would like to use the divided plastic containers sold commercially, I found one at the Dollar Tree that holds six seeds (it also comes with a clear plastic lid and a tray to catch the water). It really boils down to this: you need some sort of container that will hold soil (about 1-2 inches deep) and allow the water to drain because seeds don't want to be saturated.

Tray
You will want a tray to catch the water that drains off so you don't ruin what ever you set this on. I like cookie sheets just fine but it really doesn't matter so long as it will hold the excess water.

Cover for the Growing Tray
The purpose of this is to keep the soil moist. Seeds will germinate best in moist conditions. They don't like to be wet or dry but moist. Without a cover you will need to check the seeds a few times throughout the day and mist them if they start to dry out. A cover can be a simple as a piece of plastic wrap wrapped over the top or a clear plastic lid. It is best if the lid is clear so the sun can get through to the new leaves as they come up. A cover will also help you to maintain a warmer and more consistent temperature for the seeds. Think: mini greenhouse.

Seeds
Find seeds for plants that you would like to grow. Seeds can be found pretty much anywhere this time of year - hardware stores, grocery stores, garden centers...even your local Dollar Tree may have some seeds. Unless you are trying to grow something that is Certified Organic (not many home gardeners are because it really doesn't matter but more on that later) you don't need to spend the extra money on organic seeds. We were able to find seeds on sale for 20 cents per packet at Ace Hardware. Think about what you want to eat and how much space you have then buy seeds that fit that. Don't plant tomatoes if you will never eat them.

Tags
Label your plants. I made little tags using toothpicks, a note card, sharpie, and glue stick. On the note card write the name or type of seed planted (try to make it small but readable), cut it out. Then cut out another piece of note card the same size. Glue them together with the toothpick sandwiched between them. Voila! A tag is born. Garden centers and hardware stores sell tags for labeling plants but they cost extra money and are no better that simple homemade ones. Just don't put paper directly into the soil because it will break down pretty quickly.

Now that you have all your things gathered, find a place where it will fit. You want a place with indirect sunlight (like a north or northeast exposure if it is near a window). Many seeds sprout faster if the have toasty soil (especially tomatoes). This is not required. Do not worry about buying anything for this purpose. If you want to keep them warm just place them on top of either the refrigerator or drier. I like the drier best because I don't have to get on a stool to check the plants and I do laundry all the time so I don't forget about them.

To plant seeds, add about 1-2 inches of soil to your growing tray. Lightly water dry soil. Sow seeds according to package directions (typically at a depth of about 2-3 times the size of the seed) then lightly cover with soil. Water well but do not saturate. Cover and wait. Check on the seeds every day or so to see if they need more water or if any have started to sprout.

Once the seeds emerge they will start growing toward the light so rotate them every day or so to keep them growing straight up. When they start to touch the cover, remove the cover. At this point I move them to a sunnier location. If you have a grow light, you can use that as soon as you see plants coming up. Do not leave the grow light on 24 hours a day - use the sunlight as a guide for when your plants need light. Let plants grow until they have a few leaves and they are getting too big for their first home in the growing tray. This will be at least 6 weeks so don't feel the need to rush. Make sure they have adequate moisture - not too much (this is how most houseplants die), not too little. Remember to water gently so you don't wash away all of your seeds and little plants.

Budgets

Lets start with the basics of being Thrifty - the budget. This is most important because it will tell you how thrifty you have to be and it will help you achieve your goals. There is one very important rule about having a budget - hold yourself to it. A budget won't matter if you don't pay attention to it. I have tried many ways to do a budget and this was by far the easiest way (adapted from The Latter-day Saint Woman, Part A chapter 21). Start with this form, just print it out or write it down on a piece of paper:

Total Income ________________
Tithing ____________________
Church Contributions __________
Savings ____________________
Food ______________________
Clothing ____________________
Housing ____________________
Medical Expenses _____________
Transportation _______________
Utilities ____________________
Other _____________________
Other _____________________
Other _____________________
Total Expenses _______________

Now start filling it out. I will do a sample one here, it is totally made up but I will try to be realistic:

1. Total Income - $2000.00 - I did total monthly income as net income plus things that are automatically deducted such as life insurance.

2. Tithing - $200.00 - 10% of your income (go here for more information on tithing). If you don't pay tithing feel free to move on to the next point.

3. Church Contributions - $25.00 - any other church contributions such as fast offering, friends of scouting...

4. Savings - $200.00 - 10% of your income is reasonable in most situations to save for emergencies, retirement, missions... You can, if you desire, deduct the amount of money that you contribute to a 401(k) or 403(b) but the more you save when you can the more you have when you need it. This step is important now because you do not want to forget about it by putting it at the end.

Next we will work with the necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter.

5. Food - $250.00

6. Clothing - $75.00

7. Housing - $500.00 - this is rent/mortgage

8. Medical Expenses - $100.00 - premiums, co-pays, saving up for deductibles, medications, etc.

9. Transportation - $200.00 - gas, insurance, licensing and registration, repairs/maintenance, public transportation, parking pass, car payments...

10. Utilities - $250.00 - this is everything from gas, electricity, water, trash, phone, internet, cable...

What other expenses do you have? Student Loans? Child Support? Allowance for Children? Let's say we have student loans.

11. Student Loans - $200.00

Now, total the expenses and see how you have done.

12. Total Expenses - $2000.00 - this should add up to your total income. If your expenses are above your total income you will need to really think about your expenses - what do you need? can you eat for less? where can you cut? If your expenses are below your income, hooray for you! You can readjust to distribute your money. You can create a savings pot for things you really want - a house, concert, dinners out...

Now that you have your budget planned out you need a place to record it. I have created an excel spreadsheet for each month, which is nice because it doesn't take up space. Or you can just use a notebook with a page for each month. Feel to be creative just keep it simple and easy to understand.

I have a set day - Monday - when I work on my budget. I enter any receipts that I have not yet entered and pay and enter bills every Monday. Enter what you spend as soon as possible because it is too overwhelming to deal with a pile of receipts at the end of the month (or months) and you need to know how much money you have left so you don't overspend.

This budget can be adjusted monthly or yearly as needed but I would not suggest changing for something that is paid once a year such as car registration. Figure out a high estimate on what something like that would cost and divide it by 12 so you can save a little every month. If your car costs $250 a year to register, you would save $21 a month. By the time you would have to pay the money will be there and waiting.

Welcome

Thrift and Industry is all about, well... Thrift and Industry. Here I will talk about ways to save money (be thrifty) and produce things for yourself (be industrious). This will run the gamut, from sewing or altering clothes to cleaning products (or lack thereof) to gardening to fun, free (or super cheap) activities for the whole family. I am tired of reading headlines about saving money only to read the article and hear "cut back on cable TV channels" (seriously? I have an antenna, you can't get too much less than that) or "eat out less than 3 times a week" (eat out? multiple times a week? I just can't fathom).

This is serious thrift. This will allow you to live within your budget (do you know how to make and follow a budget?). This will free you. Come back for more.