Even though making food or other items from scratch takes more time, it is much cheaper to do and also very gratifying!
I'm not just talking about food or meals, either. What about things like playdough, baby wipes, and cleaners? If you really think about it, much more than you think can be homemade. These are just a few examples I thought of off the top of my head.
Playdough is so easy to make. There are lots of recipes floating around online, but here is the recipe I use.
Homemade Playdough
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1 Tbl. Alum powder
1 Tbl. baby oil
food coloring
Bring the water to a boil in a medium pan. Stir in everything but the flour. Stir in the flour. Add a little more flour if necessary. Knead. Cool and store in air-tight containers.
I also want to try this recipe sometime. Koolaid Playdough! That sounds fun.
When my oldest was born I made homemade baby wipes for years. I admit I haven't done that on my last two children, but it did save me quite a bit of money when I did do it. It has been too long since I made them for me to remember exactly how I did it, but it was similar to the link I posted. I do remember I used only Bounty brand paper towels, and I liked the select-a-size option so I could choose how big the wipes needed to be.
I talked last week about vinegar and how it is the only cleaner you ever really need! Do you have any cleaning concoctions that you like to use at home?
Cooking from scratch has been proven to be healthier as well as more cost-efficient. One of my favorite websites for cooking from scratch resources is Hillbilly Housewife. She has so many great tips and tricks.
Share any ideas or tips that you have on making things homemade. What do you do to stretch your budget?
2 comments:
I've never been to Hillbilly Housewife before. I'm loving it...it's loaded with great ideas! Thanks so much for the tip!
I made my own laundry soap and used it for a month. It was definitely cheap and I think it cleaned everything ok. I've decided though that I will be frugal in other areas and just stock up on Tide when it's on sale! I tried using vinegar as a fabric softener, but I really like my Downy. I haven't done the vinegar as a cleaner thing yet, but may try it.
Cooking from scratch is my big saver. And I'm doing well with my couponing and sales thing. If we could stop justifying our eating out expenses I'd really be doing well! Working on it.
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