great article about homemade vs couponing

http://www.southernsavers.com/2010/05/homemade-vs-couponing-household-supplies/

there is the actual article. but I will post the recipes they offer, and their synopsis about what's cheaper/better, just in case the article decides to disapear.

homemade laundry soap (note...these are NOT the one's I use)

Homemade Recipe 1:
Mix 1 cup Ivory soap,
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads = $0.05-0.10/load

Homemade Recipe 2:
1 cup castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs are good choices)
2 cups water
1/3 cup salt
1 cup, baking soda or washing soda
1 cup vinegar
Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads = $0.05-0.10/load



fabric softener

Homemade Recipe:
1 cup baking soda
6 cups distilled white vinegar
8 cups water
10-15 drops orange essential oils (optional) or lemon essential oils (optional)
Use 1 cup per load in final rinse cycle.


(I may have to try this one, just because it has a scent to it with essential oils)

all purpose cleaning wipes

Mix into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water:
1/2 cup vinegar and
1/4 cup baking soda
Cost for Homemade: $0.12-0.19/half gallon


(definetely gonna give these a try!)

glass cleaner

Homemade Recipe:
1 cup Rubbing Alcohol,
1 cup water
1 tbsp vinegar
Cost for Homemade: ~$0.50/32 oz. of cleaner


paper products

Alternatives:
microfiber cloths ($19.99 for 36 cloths on Amazon)
old cloth diapers (the oldschool kind) - Prefolds fit perfectly on the end of a Swiffer sweeper and work great wet or dry!
old towels, t-shirts, etc.

Cost: FREE to $0.55 each

Additional Considerations: re-purposes fabrics that you might throw away, keeps a lot of paper out of landfills, saves tons of money; can be washed and reused, but if it really gets so dirty that you don’t want to use it again, just chuck it like a paper towel

love the idea ..and have at least one other alternative for swiffer sweepers that I will post eventually

their conclusions

•Homemade laundry products are basically the same price.
•Homemade all purpose cleaner is a savings, especially when you consider the batch size to the size of the store bought bottle.
•If you are comparing prices for the new natural/organic products (even on sale), you are definitely saving a few dollars by making it at home.
•Of course if you can get it for free and not waste too much time or effort doing so, you should probably take advantage of the deal!
•Some of the best savings are on specialty products, for example oven cleaner, mildew/shower cleaners, carpet stain removers, metal cleaner or polish, mineral deposit removers, furniture or floor polish, drain cleaners, and even air fresheners. These items are harder to find at rock bottom prices and are typically expensive. You also have the added bonus of removing potentially harmful chemicals from your house.

addittional websites for recipes

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/homecleaning1.html

http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/housecleaning-on-budget.html

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/housecleaning-on-a-budget-part-2.html

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/06/homemade-all-natural-dishwasher-detergent.html

http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=12

http://hiporganicmama.blogspot.com/2009/03/green-spring-cleaning-come-clean-now.html