Clean your laundry without soiling your budget!

Made a huge batch of laundry detergent today! Great big thanks to friends Jon and Laura B. for planting the seed in my brain over a year ago! Super easy, super cheap! The detergent is powerful enough that you only use one tablespoon per load of laundry (2 T. for REALLY dirty loads). I made 6 quarts (equal to 384 tablespoons!!) Due to my husband's skin allergies, I had been using All Free & Clear, which is $10.77 per 96 loads at Walmart. (Tide Free & Gentle is $17.97.) It would take four bottles to equal the same cleaning power of this detergent, totaling $43.08 & $71.88, respectively. What's in it: 8 cups Borax ($3.99 / 76 oz. box 20 Mule Team Borax - Walmart) 8 cups WASHING soda (2.99 / 55 oz. box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - Walmart) 4 bars soap (Fels Naptha, Ivory, Dial, etc.) ($4 - $5 - Walmart) 1 cup booster (OxiClean, Sun, etc.) - ($1 at Dollar Store) Total cost: Approximately 13.00

I was so worried it would either not dissolve completely, leaving residue on the clothes, smell funny, or make the clothes feel scratchy, but I was WRONG! They smell & feel wonderful, and I've never had a problem with it not dissolving. And, since it doesn't have any "extra" additives, it hasn't irritated my husband's skin. I cannot stress JUST HOW EASY this detergent is to make!!! Dump the Borax, Soda, and Booster into a big container. A huge mixing bowl, a clean (and empty) trashcan, or a double-bagged paper bag. Next, grate the bars of soap. I used my food processor and the "cheese grater" insert. Put all the soap-cheese into another large container. Then, with the chopping insert in your food processor, add some soap and some powder. Blend together. Empty into whatever bucket or container you will be designating as your official "detergent keeper". Repeat this process until you have blended all the soap and powder together and have it in your detergent keeper. Cover the container securely and shake well to thoroughly mix all the contents. You should end up with a beautifully speckled mix.

As I stated above, use about 1 tablespoon per load of clothes. Two for extra-large or heavily soiled loads. Enjoy!!

I originally wrote this on my Facebook........

I originally wrote this on my Facebook........but it was met by so much love and support, I felt I should post it for everyone to see. In light of my birthday, I have been doing a lot of self-reflecting lately. 9 years ago, at the ripe old age of 18, I was constantly asked what I wanted out of my future; where would I be in 10 years?

I tell you, I NEVER imagined my life would take the path it has. I had every intention of going to college, getting my law degree, and serving on the bench, preferably as a Supreme Court Justice.

I assumed I would live in a big city like New York or D.C. I envisioned the 9-5 job with the briefcase and suit, eating on the go, and living in a condo / apartment in the city. I even considered the fact that I may enjoy may career so much, I might decide to never have kids (perhaps even a husband).

But now, nine years later, I find my life has taken a very different course. I am a stay-at-home wife with a husband, dog, and home in the country. I can remember thinking I would NEVER be the stay-at-home type, because I would go crazy sitting at home doing nothing all day. And, I remember a very proud feminist telling me that it is a woman's duty to work outside the home because otherwise she would be squandering the equality women worked so hard for. How DARE a woman even consider being a housewife!

Today, I am happily married, steadily approaching my 5th wedding anniversary. No kids yet, but I'm the proud parent to a Beagle / Bulldog mix. I don't have a condo in the city, but rather a home on 10 acres of woods.

I do not have, nor am I working towards my law degree. I have 52 hours combined in the fields of Political Science & Psychology. Neither fields, I discovered, have any actual interest to me. I don't want to practice law, or be a judge. I dealt with too many shitty ones while working in jails to want to work with them. I don't want to be a Psychologist because, lets face it, I have enough issues of my own. I don't need to deal with other people's issues all day.

In thinking of other fields of study that I would enjoy devoting my life too, I discovered that there was not one. Instead, i have found my niche, or "calling" if you will, here at home. I LOVE being a housewife. It's not the cushy "sit around eating bonbons & watching soaps" that I had once envisioned. Nor is it the the diva / drama life Hollywood has portrayed in "Desperate Housewives" and all it's reality spin-offs. Far from it! Staying at home has shown me I can do more than I ever imagined I could. Yes, I cook & clean & run the house, just as most people envision a housewife doing. But I also sew, patch, and mend our clothes, repair furniture, landscape & garden, preserve food (canning, freezing, drying), forage off the land (blackberries, polk greens, mouse melons, wild garlic, pecans, etc.), maintain an extensive stockpile of household necessities, split firewood, gather kindling, do general yard-work, up-cycle, reuse & re-purpose used items, and have become VERY resourceful. I can cook from scratch, make & preserve my own broths / stocks, butcher larger chunks of meat, and waste very little. I can make homemade potpourri, compost, and cleaning supplies. I have studied herbalism and can use a variety of herbs medicinally.

The list goes on & on. In 2009, when we had the big ice storm, I realized that if shit hit the fan, I would not be capable of surviving for long. Since then, I have worked hard to change that. I've learned to waste nothing, use everything, and be as resourceful and self-sufficient as possible. I have learned the value of sweat-equity, and have pride in my full-time job of being a housewife. I certainly do not do "nothing" all day, and my job doesn't start at 9 and end at 5. it is an all-day, every-day job. I don't see that I am "squandering my equality," as was suggested by a classmate so many years ago. If you major in Sociology, aren't you just as equal to someone who majored in Secondary Education? They will not have learned the same things as you, but you are both skilled in different areas. I may not have majored in law, psychology or business, or have a framed (expensive) piece of paper on my wall, but I am highly skilled in Home Economics and the "documentation" is in how we live. I can't do the engineering things my husband can do, but then again, he can't do a lot of the household things I do. I'm sorry, but living off Ramen noodles with salt as the only spice you own doesn't cut it!

If you would have told me when i graduated high school that in less than 10 years, I would transform in to a homesteading, country-loving, southern-bell housewife, I would have told you to stop hitting the bottle so much. But looking back at the journey I've been on the past 9 years, I couldn't wish for anything different. I love where I am, and more importantly WHO I am. I am a happy, resourceful, intelligent, hard-working, skilled partner who loves life, her family, and her job. I can't pinpoint the event that shifted the direction my life was headed, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that, for whatever reason, it did, and I am here now, and I am SO happy.

BIG savings are achievable!

I just got home from a very productive shopping / savings trip and I wanted to share with everyone. I know that it can be very frustrating to see TV shows about people who coupon and receive $1000 in free goodies. While that's not (at least in my experience) a typical savers haul, it is possible to save a ton of money. You just have to keep your eyes open and stay on top of weekly sales. This week, Walgreens offered two items for "free" after Register Rewards: Cracker Jack'd Snack Mixes and Nogii Protein Bars. What is a Register Reward? They are commonly known as "Catalinas," and are basically store credit in the form of coupons. For each Nogii Protein Bar (limited to one per transaction) I purchased at $2.99, I got a Walgreens coupon for $3.00 to be used on my next store purchase. For each Cracker Jack'd Mix, I got a coupon for $1.50.

I had to run errands on several sides of town, so I stopped by each Walgreens I passed and purchased two of each "free" items, broken down into two transactions in order to maximize my savings. This gave me $9.00 in Register Rewards at each location I visited. In total, I bought 10 of each product, giving me $45.00 in Register Rewards. With those funds, I purchased things we were running low on at my home. My husband made mention that we needed AA batteries. We also needed cereal and cheese slices. One important thing to note is that you cannot use more Register Reward coupons than you have items. For example, if you have five items, you can use a maximum of five register reward coupons. My $45.00 in register rewards was spread over 20 coupons, so I had to make sure I had at least 20 items in my cart upon checkout. The first thing I decided to do was look at the markdown and clearance isle. Believe it or not, they had Energizer Max AA batteries on clearance! Their 6-packs, normally priced at $8.99 each, were marked down to $2.24 per pack. Since batteries are something that are an item we will always have a need for, and are usually quite expensive, I purchased eight 6-packs.

On a shelf right below the batteries, I discovered Goody's 6-pack Headache Powders (regularly $2.49 each) on clearance for $0.62 each. Also, I found Cepacol 4-pack warming lozenges ($1.19 per pack) priced at $0.29 each.

In the food isle, I found the store brand American cheese slices were on sale. Normally, they run 2/$5.00, but this week, they were 2/$3.00. There were lots of cereals on sale, but I had a manufacturer's coupon for $1.00 off two Quaker breakfast items. Walgreens was running a sale on Quaker Life cereal, which normally costs $4.99 per box. This week they are priced at 2/$4.00. After my coupon, I paid just $1.50 per box.

My other errands took me to Dollar General and Neighborhood Market. Excitingly enough, I managed to scored some wonderful deals at both locations.

My last big score was a quick stop at a local thrift store. I found a super cute Lane Bryant Blazer with tags attached. The tag was originally priced at $69.50, but marked down to $64.99. I also found a really pretty blouse from Coldwater Creek. It still had the tags attached, priced at $99.00. I paid only $0.50 each, saving $167.50!

After my day's shopping was said and done, I scored $528.08 in merchandise, but only paid $35.84 for it! That's a total savings of 93%! I hadn't set out with all those savings in mind. Sure, it's always in the back of my head to save as much as possible, but I didn't know I'd find the brand new top and blazer. I didn't know I'd find batteries and headache medicine on clearance. I simply knew what I could buy to get in-store cash, what my family needed, and then kept my eyes open for bargains. Turns out, I found some good ones! Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it also! And quite honestly, it's a wonderful feeling to know how much money you have saved your family. Give it a try. Start small and work your way up. Trust me - the small victories are just as rewarding as the big ones. Let me know what great bargains you've taken advantage of lately!

Today, I decided to try my hand at something new and exciting. Today, I made homemade butter for the very first time! I have to say, it was really easy, and kind of fun. I have become quite fond of doing things more "old-school" such as mending our own clothes, making my own cleaning supplies, canning our own food, etc. I find it it is usually very fun (and rewarding) to do, gives you a great sense of pride in your work, and has the wonderful benefit of saving money. Now, I have to say that my stock of butter is rivaled by very few. It would make Paula Dean would be proud. At this moment, I have a little over 10 pounds (yes, pounds!) in my refrigerator. I think it tastes wonderful, adds body and depth to foods, and when used in moderation, has an arguably similar nutritional value to olive oil. Unfortunately, the price not as savory. At our local big-box stores (Walmart, Harps, Marvin's IGA) the price for a generic brand pound of quartered, salted butter is approximately $4.00. At Sam's Club, a four-pack of the same costs $9.98, or roughly $2.50 per pound. Unfortunately, they don't sell unsalted butter, which is what I prefer to use. Anyway, I wanted to see, first, if I could even make butter. I've heard it is very easy, but having never tried it, I wanted to see for myself. Second, I wanted to find out how much butter and buttermilk resulted from my efforts and what the equivalent price would be. A quart of heavy whipping cream at Walmart (Great Value brand) is $3.78. At Sam's Club, a quart of the Land O' Lakes brand whipping cream is $3.86. But, as fun (I use this term VERY loosely)as math is, we'll deal with it a little bit later. After scouring the internet for how-to's on butter making, I found that all you need is heavy cream. Fortunately, I had about a half-quart of heavy cream in my fridge that was close to its expiration date. I saw many suggestions on how to properly gyrate cream into butter, from shaking it in a chilled mason jar to using a blender, to using a food processor. I opted to use my stand mixer. I poured the cream into my stainless steal mixing bowl, attached to wisk attachment, and set it on medium speed. After about 6 - 7 minutes, the cream was like a fluffy white cloud. I placed the splash screen over the bowl and turned the mixer up to a medium/high speed. Another five minutes went by and the cream began to deflate and take on a slightly grainy texture. I stopped the mixer and scraped down the sides. As I lifted the wisk, I noticed that there was already some liquid settling in the bottom of the bowl. I turned the mixer back on, this time on the highest speed. **Please note that at this point, the splash guard does help SOME, but by no means does it prevent all splashes from painting you, your cabinets, and anything else in a 2-foot radius.** Luckily, it only took a couple of minutes at that speed before I had hard butter pieces sitting in a pool of creamy white buttermilk. I turned the mixer off, wiped the butter off my face, and removed the attachment. I was beaming like a proud parent at my little bundle of butter! I then set up a small strainer over a bowl poured the buttery, milky goodness into it. The butter stayed in the strainer, while the buttermilk flowed into the bowl. I put the buttermilk into a clear lidded jar and sat it in my refrigerator to use later in baking some bread. **One key point I have left out is that over the strainer, I placed cheesecloth. From what I have read, most people say you need to rinse the butter until the water runs clear. Otherwise, any remaining buttermilk left in the butter particles will cause it to spoil quickly. However, I simply squeezed the butter very firmly into the cheesecloth and "wrung out" all the milk. I don't think I will repeat this method in the future though, as the cloth leaves behind tiny little fibers all over the outside of the butter. Below are a couple pictures, but I recommend omitting the cheesecloth and simply rinsing the butter thoroughly.** After all the milk was removed from the butter, I packed it into a little butter jar. Using a knife, I pressed the last few drops of milk from the butter, smoothed the top, and in the fridge it went. All in all, one quart of heavy cream will yield approximately one pound of unsalted butter and approximately 24 ounces of buttermilk. Monetarily, it would cost me around $4.00 to buy a pound of unsalted butter and $1.09 per quart of buttermilk. That's a savings of $1.23 per pound of butter. Not an extraordinary amount, but well worth it if you like connecting with what you consume, and having a little fun along the way!

Listia - a free auction site

With all the auction & trading sites online, I wanted to share a not-so-well-known gem. Listia is an auction site, similar to Ebay, but with one significant difference: you do NOT pay for items. All transactions are conducted using credits, which you can accumulate through various means.


I highly recommend you check the site out. Let me know what you think!

I'm giving away pearls.......of advice

As an ice-breaker posting, I wanted to share some information I feel might be helpful to anyone new to the wonderful world of........COUPONING!!!! Those wonderful money-saving confetti pieces that come in the Sunday paper. They can be fantastic in stretching your budget, but they can also be an utter nightmare if not kept up organized and well understood. Some are things I have discovered the hard way, while others are personal views I have developed over the course of my savings.

And, although it should be a given, I want to make one issue very clear to everyone:


DO NOT SIGN UP FOR OR PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION WHATSOEVER IF YOU ARE NOT 100% COMFORTABLE WITH AND CONFIDENT OF WHO YOU ARE PROVIDING THE INFORMATION. IF YOU ARE NOT PURCHASING A PRODUCT OR SERVICE (such as shipping & handling), YOU SHOULD NEVER BE ASKED FOR PAYMENT INFORMATION (i.e. credit / debit card number, checking account number, PayPal account, etc.)  MAKE SURE IF YOU DO PROVIDE PERSONAL INFORMATION OF YOUR OWN VOLITION, YOU DO SO OVER A SECURE AND TRUSTED SERVER / INTERNET CONNECTION. There are an unmeasurable number of scams, cons and seemingly-innocent ways to fall victim to identity theft. Be smart, safe, and stingy with your personal information; no free sample, coupon, or sweepstakes is worth the damage that comes with having your identity stolen.

With that said, I truly hope you find helpful information throughout this blog. Also, if you have any beneficial information you'd like to share with everyone, I gladly welcome it.

#1 - Coupon & freebie seekers alike: create an email account just for coupons & free stuff.

When you sign up with companies to get free samples, you generally must provide an email address. The companies use those email addresses to send product information, promotions, and other information / sales pitches. At times, those companies will share your email address with affiliate companies, who will also send your similar information regarding their products. Sometimes, the email are beneficial - they let you know when other samples are available for you to try, or include coupons for you to print out. Other times, it's just sales pitches and other random junk. I typically get an average of 300 emails per day, and most of them are not things I'm interested in reading. Thus the reason I have one account designated for coupons and one for personal email. I personally like Gmail and Mozilla Thunderbird, which are both free, but it is completely up to your own personal preference.

#2 - Don't use another person's telephone number when signing up.

Many times, it is mandatory to provide not just an email address when signing up for free samples, but also a telephone number. If you would like companies to solicit sales, surveys, or contact you in general, feel free to provide your contact phone number. I sign up for several items each day, and I prefer not to receive calls all day from various marketing representatives. If you are of the same mindset as me, you may find it tempting to provide a business's phone number (you local pizza delivery chain, the super-center across town, or your even your evil ex's work number). BUT, think about what that could do to the other party involved. A business often relies on their phone calls as a means of sales, customer service, or other BUSINESS-RELATED discussions. If they are suddenly being inundated with phone calls about random products you have inquired about, they are taking time away from their paying customers and business production to deal with something they have no involvement in. That is not fair to them. Also, if you give out random people's numbers (even by making up random numbers), those people are now being drug into the world of unwanted soliciting calls. Think about if someone gave YOUR phone number out to 5, 10, or even 50 different companies each day, and they started to call YOU. Probably wouldn't make you very happy. So, if you wouldn't want it to happen to you, don't cause it to happen to others.

#3 - Don't be a coupon or freebie hog.

Yes, you technically COULD create multiple email addresses / mailing addresses in order to get multiple free samples of the same product. But, that doesn't mean you SHOULD. Everyone enjoys getting great deals or free stuff. By abiding by an unspoken rule of curtsey, it allows as many people as possible to benefit from offers. Generally speaking, companies have a finite number of samples to give out, usually on a first-come, first-serve basis. Say there are only five samples left of _____(super-duper fantastic product)_____ and you really want to get one.  If I have created multiple contact information and sign in before you, I could get all five of the last samples and you wouldn't get any. Whereas, had I respected the companies rules of one sample per customer, you would have been able to enjoy a free sample as well. It's all about thinking how your actions might effect others; A.K.A.: Don't be a jerk. The same applies to coupons and "shelf clearing".


#4 - Stay organized.

If you do not use some method of filing or organizing for your coupons, they will quickly become a source of stress. I tried to keep coupons in a shoebox, but I quickly got overwhelmed. I couldn't find coupons I was looking for, I forgot I had certain coupons, and a large number expired before I could find and use them. I actually considered giving up on couponing all together. It wasn't until I began to use binders and 3x5 photo pages to bring order to my stacks of coupons that I was able to really utilize my coupons and notice savings during my shopping trips.


#5 - Do not get discouraged.

While television shows tote extreme cases such as an extraordinary 98% savings on $1,000.00 purchasing, please understand those are NOT the typical savings most people achieve. I made the mistake of buying into that thought process, and it made me feel that my hard work was just not enough. I felt, despite an average savings of 50%, sometimes as high as 75-85% savings, I was still discouraged. It wasn't until I started seeing how those 50% savings added up in our monthly budget and heard the stories of many others who coupon, that I realized I was actually doing a great job. Now, I take great pride in saving money for my family, and am confident in my skills. I still aspire to walk out of the store with 15 shopping carts and having only paid $50 for all the contents. And while as thrilling as that may be someday, I am quite content to know I can buy items my family needs, have an emergency stockpile, and save money at the same time.

I will be posting a great many more tips and ideas as this blog grows. If you have any comments, questions, suggestions or ideas, please feel free to contact me or share with everyone. Happy savings!

The beginning......

I suppose I should begin this blog's "birth" by introducing myself.

My name is Melissa Vickers. I am 28 years old, married, with one child (ok.....she's a dog.....really.....but she's like a child to me). I don't consider myself a typical 20-something year-old person. Not really. I've always been told that I have an "old soul".........hence the oh-so-clever blog name. Really, I'm an old woman trapped in a young woman's body. I love to cook & bake. I love to craft - from crocheting to refurbishing to cross-stitching to painting. I love to peruse the isles in antique stores. I love to travel, to play with my American Bulldog / Beagle mix named "Bella", and to canoe rivers with my husband. One of my favorite things, however, has become much bigger than I ever anticipated.

I have fallen in love with saving money. As a passing whim almost three ago, I decided to try couponing as a means of lowering our household & grocery spending. Approximately 36 months later, I have expanded my savings arsenal to include gardening, scratch cooking, sewing & mending, foraging (we live in the woods), and up-cycling/reusing/re-purposing. All this in addition to using coupons & discount / freebie sites. I like to think of it as a very loose form of modern homesteading.

That, for those of you still reading, is why I have created this blog. To discuss running a home, saving money, strategies for finding bargains, and getting free stuff. To share with the electronic world my successes AND failures as I find my way in the vast and sometimes daunting world. And, in the process, I am sure my "old soul" will show itself now and again. I hope that those of you reading can benefit from these posts. Also, if anyone can offer other helpful advice, experiences, and / or information, please feel free to leave a comment on my page.

So, as this blog birthing process comes to a close, I hope you all find my blog beneficial, or at the very least, entertaining. Please - enjoy!