borax anyone?

I went to Walmart this morning. My lovely MIL bought me a couple cute outfits on clearance a few days ago and sadly, nothing fit right. Nothing ever fits me right :( but, after about an hour of looking through racks and trying stuff on I finally found a pair of shorts and 2 tops that I like. whoopee. and I got 2 big purses on clearance for $2 a piece, awesome! especially since the purse that I have been carrying for 2 1/2 years is literally falling apart. I also bought the ingredients for homemade laundry soap. That cost $10 and should make enough laundry soap to last about 6 months! How awesome is that! and it is supposed to work better then store bought stuff! double awesome! The most expensive part was the ivory soap, which is what we normally use so I bought a big package of 12 bars instead of just what I needed for the laundry soap. I'm also going to try my hand at homemade dishwasher detergent, since it is almost the same ingredients as the laundry soap, so  I already have it all :). I'll let you know what I think when all is said and done.

Laundry Soap Recipe:

1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
• Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).

Dishwasher Degergent Recipe:

Powder Recipe #1
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
Powder Recipe #2
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Borax
For the above two recipes:

• Mix thoroughly and store in a plastic container, use approximately 2 TBS per load.
• Use vinegar in the rinse compartment as a rinse agent to help prevent residue