I only use about a tablespoon-ful of HE detergent in my front loading washer. But it's not totally about being frugal.
Once we got front-loaders, I found our laundry tended to smell "sour" whenever it got wet. Bathroom towels began to stink after just a use or two, and sometimes even after washing the laundry, it would still come out with remnants of that sour smell.
The fix was simple AND frugal: Use way less detergent, and use white vinegar as the "softener" agent in the washer, with 4-8 sprays of vinegar in place of a dryer sheet in the dryer. The result is clean clothes that smell like clean clothes, not like perfume and not sour.
My theory is that smells were developing from build up of laundry detergent and fabric softener in the wash, and then use of a dryer sheet in the dryer to prevent static cling.
The beauty of white vinegar is that it cuts through buildup like that, and rinses well. And when vinegar is rinsed out, or dried in the dryer, the benefits are left behind without the smell.
The $$ I have saved on laundry detergent, and by cutting out commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets, has been a great side benefit...
"Florida, Texas and Virginia all had Thanksgiving celebrations before the Plymouth Colony"
On what basis is this relevant to Thanksgiving today?
I did some fact checking.
On December 4, 1619, 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred, which comprised about 8,000 acres (32 km²) on the north bank of the James River, near Herring Creek, in an area then known as Charles Cittie, about 20 miles (32 km) upstream from Jamestown, where the first permanent settlement of the Colony of Virginia had been established on May 14, 1607.
The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a "day of thanksgiving" to God.
So yes, Virginia has a A thanksgiving back then but "The modern Thanksgiving holiday traces its origins from a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation".
Florida did not become part of the United States until 1819 when it was ceded to the USA by Spain. Texas did not become part of the United States until 1845 having previously been a separate country, The Republic of Texas.
As President, on October 3, 1789, George Washington made the following proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America
Neither Texas nor Floria were part of the United States in 1789.
Isn't she a sweetie? Along those same lines, I happened across and picked up a vintage Fanny Farmer cookbook. The back contained things we might never try in our day, like cottage cheese sandwiches. Certainly economical.
Good point. Manufacturers try to have it both ways. They give you a big cap with a little line showing the "recommended" amount of detergent. That way you tend to use way too much (because the cap is big), but they can still point to the line and say, "Well, we only recommend that you use this much."
Even when the recommended amount is small, it's still going to be enough to clean clothes that are pretty dirty. If all you did while wearing your clothes was sit in a cubicle for eight hours, you're going to need a lot less detergent even than the small recommended amount.
I used to be a die-hard Black Friday shopper. It was the thrill of the hunt! At the height of my obsession, I was in line in front of a certain store at 6pm on Thanksgiving!
As I'm getting older, (and seemingly wiser) I find that I'm more content with what he have, and less obsessed about acquisition. I haven't been out on Black Friday before 9am for 4 years now. This year I will head out to a few stores at a decent hour for a few things for the kids, but that's it. :)
second, while Thanksgiving might not have been subjected to (too much) commercialization, I think it's still been white Americanized. It's important that people understand the Native American viewpoint. The history books in this country have been written by the white folks. Take a look at http://www.ewebtribe.com/NACulture/articles/thanksgiving.html
which is dated, but has a complete bibliography too.
The redux dinner is actually the best idea I've heard for using leftovers.
Detergents are kinda cool. They're a long molecule that's oil-soluble at one end (so it dissolves grease) and water-soluble at the other (so the grease can be rinsed away in water). The amount of detergent you need depends entirely on the amount of grease in whatever you're washing--once you've got enough to rinse away all the oil, adding more won't make the clothes cleaner.
However, modern laundry detergents contain a lot of other ingredients--soaps (to reduce surface tension, so that water droplets can get into tight spaces, such as between the fibers in fabric), enzymes that break down proteins (to remove stains from things like chocolate and blood), fluorescent chemicals that glow under ultraviolet light (to make fabric "brighter"), and, of course, perfumes (to produce the aroma-bomb effect you want).
You'll notice that some of those chemicals are intended to remain behind after you rinse your clothes, but the others stay behind too, so don't imagine that using liquid detergent means that there'll be no residue. Try this experiment: Run a load of laundry with your clothes but no detergent at all, then peak into the washer in the middle of the wash cycle. You'll see plenty of suds--meaning that there was plenty of detergent left in your clothes from last time.
Anyhow, I don't mean to tell anyone what result they ought to go for. I just want to encourage people to experiment with using less, because when I did that experiment, I found that things got clean with a lot less.
...is cash, and CASH is better! Our family was suffering from gift card 'oversaturification' - lots of cards, from lots of people, that had lots of rules, and unfortunately had lost lots of there initial luster. So I decided to create a better alternative and after much evolution, the Original Gift Card was born. www.originalgiftcard.com Its the always-in-style, freedom-to-choose, never-expiring, always-know-the-balance, perfect-fit, better alternative to the gift card. Check it out!
The ladies (me, my mom, aunt, granny, and cousin) get together over Thanksgiving Holiday (Black Friday included) and go to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and spend the weekend. It is more a mini-vacation with shopping included.
We used to get up and stand in line at Toys-R-Us, etc at 5am, but we rarely do that anymore. We check the adds and come up with a game plan while we drive (its about a 2 hour drive) but last year we noticed the deals were just as good after lunch time on Black Friday than they were at 5am.
For what it's worth it's been over a decade since I've used detergent for most loads. I had seen a report on the news (one of those shame on you kinda things) where they actually did a test using the recommended amount of soap and then a half dose. Not surprisingly the half dose got clothes cleaner pretty much for the reason you've described. The surprising thing was they then tested that against using no soap at all and no soap got the clothes just as clean! The only caveat is that this works only if clothes are not stained, if they are then they still had to be pre-treated.
So like I said it's been a long time since I've used detergent and besides my clothes not being "perfumed" I notice no difference at all and nobody else has ever noticed either and as an added benefit my clothes now seem to last much longer.
Look at the cap on your liquid laundry detergent. Chances are that you have been using more than the manufacturer even recommends. I have started reading instructions on packaging because as they make things more concentrated, we as consumers don't always cut back on the amount used. I sent this very message to my email group recently.
I never participated in Black Friday until I met my husband. His family always used to Black Friday shop together when he was young, so it feels like we are carrying on a tradition. It may sound strange, but it is bonding time for us.
Thanks Sara -- we have a septic system (something that made me nervous when we bought the house) but that is the one thing that we haven't had a problem with, in the past 15 or so years. Upkeep has run about $500 during this time period. However, the house is now in the city and I've heard if we switch to city sewer services, this may cost us $100 per month. Also, any suggestions for saving money on home upkeep, taxes, etc. are appreciatd.
this is the technic they teach you when you enroll in any of the law of attraction they represent your parameters in life they give you a framework to work on and a clear list for the universe to deliver if YOU dont know what you want what will the universe deliver ? this was a great tool to put out there continue the good samaritain's work can i say you rock!
One extra expense not mentioned: SEPTIC systems. I have heard that they cost up to $35,000 to replace. And don't forget to add to your budget $200 or more a year for upkeep.... I lived in an area where most houses had them and lots and lots of them were failing because of improper maintenance. Most of these houses also had private wells -- another thing to maintain. Add that to the fact that the taxes on modest homes in this area ran at least $6000 and up annually -- I could never commit to one of those homes. I am really leaning toward continuing to rent houses as long as I can have access to a decent bit of land for gardening...
I only use about a tablespoon-ful of HE detergent in my front loading washer. But it's not totally about being frugal.
Once we got front-loaders, I found our laundry tended to smell "sour" whenever it got wet. Bathroom towels began to stink after just a use or two, and sometimes even after washing the laundry, it would still come out with remnants of that sour smell.
The fix was simple AND frugal: Use way less detergent, and use white vinegar as the "softener" agent in the washer, with 4-8 sprays of vinegar in place of a dryer sheet in the dryer. The result is clean clothes that smell like clean clothes, not like perfume and not sour.
My theory is that smells were developing from build up of laundry detergent and fabric softener in the wash, and then use of a dryer sheet in the dryer to prevent static cling.
The beauty of white vinegar is that it cuts through buildup like that, and rinses well. And when vinegar is rinsed out, or dried in the dryer, the benefits are left behind without the smell.
The $$ I have saved on laundry detergent, and by cutting out commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets, has been a great side benefit...
I'm a bit confused by this statement.
"Florida, Texas and Virginia all had Thanksgiving celebrations before the Plymouth Colony"
On what basis is this relevant to Thanksgiving today?
I did some fact checking.
So yes, Virginia has a A thanksgiving back then but "The modern Thanksgiving holiday traces its origins from a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation".
Florida did not become part of the United States until 1819 when it was ceded to the USA by Spain. Texas did not become part of the United States until 1845 having previously been a separate country, The Republic of Texas.
Neither Texas nor Floria were part of the United States in 1789.
Isn't she a sweetie? Along those same lines, I happened across and picked up a vintage Fanny Farmer cookbook. The back contained things we might never try in our day, like cottage cheese sandwiches. Certainly economical.
@ Jonathan:
Good point. Manufacturers try to have it both ways. They give you a big cap with a little line showing the "recommended" amount of detergent. That way you tend to use way too much (because the cap is big), but they can still point to the line and say, "Well, we only recommend that you use this much."
Even when the recommended amount is small, it's still going to be enough to clean clothes that are pretty dirty. If all you did while wearing your clothes was sit in a cubicle for eight hours, you're going to need a lot less detergent even than the small recommended amount.
I used to be a die-hard Black Friday shopper. It was the thrill of the hunt! At the height of my obsession, I was in line in front of a certain store at 6pm on Thanksgiving!
As I'm getting older, (and seemingly wiser) I find that I'm more content with what he have, and less obsessed about acquisition. I haven't been out on Black Friday before 9am for 4 years now. This year I will head out to a few stores at a decent hour for a few things for the kids, but that's it. :)
This works in my dishwasher too- I buy those tablets with the red ball and cut them in half.
first, what in the world is aspic?
second, while Thanksgiving might not have been subjected to (too much) commercialization, I think it's still been white Americanized. It's important that people understand the Native American viewpoint. The history books in this country have been written by the white folks. Take a look at http://www.ewebtribe.com/NACulture/articles/thanksgiving.html
which is dated, but has a complete bibliography too.
The redux dinner is actually the best idea I've heard for using leftovers.
@ Financial Samurai:
Detergents are kinda cool. They're a long molecule that's oil-soluble at one end (so it dissolves grease) and water-soluble at the other (so the grease can be rinsed away in water). The amount of detergent you need depends entirely on the amount of grease in whatever you're washing--once you've got enough to rinse away all the oil, adding more won't make the clothes cleaner.
However, modern laundry detergents contain a lot of other ingredients--soaps (to reduce surface tension, so that water droplets can get into tight spaces, such as between the fibers in fabric), enzymes that break down proteins (to remove stains from things like chocolate and blood), fluorescent chemicals that glow under ultraviolet light (to make fabric "brighter"), and, of course, perfumes (to produce the aroma-bomb effect you want).
You'll notice that some of those chemicals are intended to remain behind after you rinse your clothes, but the others stay behind too, so don't imagine that using liquid detergent means that there'll be no residue. Try this experiment: Run a load of laundry with your clothes but no detergent at all, then peak into the washer in the middle of the wash cycle. You'll see plenty of suds--meaning that there was plenty of detergent left in your clothes from last time.
Anyhow, I don't mean to tell anyone what result they ought to go for. I just want to encourage people to experiment with using less, because when I did that experiment, I found that things got clean with a lot less.
...is cash, and CASH is better! Our family was suffering from gift card 'oversaturification' - lots of cards, from lots of people, that had lots of rules, and unfortunately had lost lots of there initial luster. So I decided to create a better alternative and after much evolution, the Original Gift Card was born. www.originalgiftcard.com Its the always-in-style, freedom-to-choose, never-expiring, always-know-the-balance, perfect-fit, better alternative to the gift card. Check it out!
Unless you are covered in feces and grease every day, I don't use detergent on our clothes
Sweat, a bit of oil, and a bit of dirt all comes out with the agitation of the machine.
Some people in countries use stones to knock out the dirt, without any soap at all.
I don't use detergent unless I really have to.
The ladies (me, my mom, aunt, granny, and cousin) get together over Thanksgiving Holiday (Black Friday included) and go to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and spend the weekend. It is more a mini-vacation with shopping included.
We used to get up and stand in line at Toys-R-Us, etc at 5am, but we rarely do that anymore. We check the adds and come up with a game plan while we drive (its about a 2 hour drive) but last year we noticed the deals were just as good after lunch time on Black Friday than they were at 5am.
Erin
For what it's worth it's been over a decade since I've used detergent for most loads. I had seen a report on the news (one of those shame on you kinda things) where they actually did a test using the recommended amount of soap and then a half dose. Not surprisingly the half dose got clothes cleaner pretty much for the reason you've described. The surprising thing was they then tested that against using no soap at all and no soap got the clothes just as clean! The only caveat is that this works only if clothes are not stained, if they are then they still had to be pre-treated.
So like I said it's been a long time since I've used detergent and besides my clothes not being "perfumed" I notice no difference at all and nobody else has ever noticed either and as an added benefit my clothes now seem to last much longer.
Look at the cap on your liquid laundry detergent. Chances are that you have been using more than the manufacturer even recommends. I have started reading instructions on packaging because as they make things more concentrated, we as consumers don't always cut back on the amount used. I sent this very message to my email group recently.
Thanks for the comment on the recipe. The Tipnut site has some great ones if you're interested!-
Little House
I never participated in Black Friday until I met my husband. His family always used to Black Friday shop together when he was young, so it feels like we are carrying on a tradition. It may sound strange, but it is bonding time for us.
Thanks Sara -- we have a septic system (something that made me nervous when we bought the house) but that is the one thing that we haven't had a problem with, in the past 15 or so years. Upkeep has run about $500 during this time period. However, the house is now in the city and I've heard if we switch to city sewer services, this may cost us $100 per month. Also, any suggestions for saving money on home upkeep, taxes, etc. are appreciatd.
Property tax is forever and ever. That's why I 'm SO PUMPED with this downturn, to be able to lower my property taxes since I never plan to sell!
"How To Lower Your Property Taxes - Adventures In Assessor Land"
I think you'll find the article helpful.
Also, the feeling of owning a home and not paying for someone else's retirement is PRICELESS!
Keigu,
Financial Samurai
"Slicing Through Money's Mysteries"
Nice recipe. We should indeed try and find ways to keep things on the DL this holiday.
Keigu,
Financial Samurai
"Slicing Through Money's Mysteries"
Hmmm... good point about leaving the residue behind for powdered detergent.
I donno though, I love putting in a little extra to clean my clothes, but I use liquid detergent now, so no more residue!
I want my clothes to smell like an aroma bomb (in a good way of course)!
Keigu,
Financial Samurai
"Slicing Through Money's Mysteries"
this is the technic they teach you when you enroll in any of the law of attraction they represent your parameters in life they give you a framework to work on and a clear list for the universe to deliver if YOU dont know what you want what will the universe deliver ? this was a great tool to put out there continue the good samaritain's work can i say you rock!
Thank you so much. I'll check it out and pass it on - really need to save money on gifts for my kids right now!
There are a lot of other interesting links here, and I just have to click on links about food! interesting stuff, thanks!
Excellent article, i've bookmarked your blog for future referrence
One extra expense not mentioned: SEPTIC systems. I have heard that they cost up to $35,000 to replace. And don't forget to add to your budget $200 or more a year for upkeep.... I lived in an area where most houses had them and lots and lots of them were failing because of improper maintenance. Most of these houses also had private wells -- another thing to maintain. Add that to the fact that the taxes on modest homes in this area ran at least $6000 and up annually -- I could never commit to one of those homes. I am really leaning toward continuing to rent houses as long as I can have access to a decent bit of land for gardening...
yes I agree - where is the article?