From The Farm Blog Hop

Hello everyone! I am more-than-excited to be the guest host this week for the From The Farm Blog Hop! I just love to see what people are up to and what you are doing around your 'farm;' whether that's your house in the city, or your farm in the boonies! Thanks again for joining us! I can't WAIT to hear from all of you, so let's get this party started!

Here are the features from last week's party:

Congratulations! Please feel free to grab our button and display it proudly on your blog!

Photo provided by Chicken Scratch Poultry http://chickenscratchpoultry.com/

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Now, on to this week's party:
1. Link up to three of your best gardening or homesteading tips, farm-themed posts, recipes, homemaking and simple/frugal living tips, decorating ideas, DIY projects, craft ideas, thrifty makeovers or repurposed items, healthy and sustainable living tips.
2. Link back to my blog, or put the link party button anywhere on your blog or post to share the love.
3. Make sure to check out some of the other links before leaving.

Photo provided by Chicken Scratch Poultry http://chickenscratchpoultry.com/

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We can't wait to see what you share with us!

Note: Linking up to this party will automatically sign you up for an invite to next week's party via email. To unsubscribe, please reply to any email you receive and you will be removed. Linking up also allows us permission to publish one of your photos on our blogs, Facebook, and/or Pinterest pages.

Warmly,
Shanyn -Fresh From Home
and
Your From the Farm Blog Hop Co-Hosts:
The Adventure Bite | Sunny Simple Life | 1840 Farm | Let This Mind Be in You | My Healthy Green Family | Fresh Eggs Daily

SERIES: Natural Living So Easy...DIY LAUNDRY SOAP powder

Yup.  So Easy Even I Can Do It.  Seriously.  This is super easy.  Everything I have tried during this journey of mine toward more frugal and natural living has surprised me....in a good way!  I always saw stuff like this and thought, "that crunchy-natural-hippy-type stuff sounds good and beneficial, but 'aint nobody got time for all THAT!"  I am here to encourage you to try something that you can make yourself that is so simple (you guessed it), that even I can do this in no time flat!  In fact, my kids usually get in on this recipe and ASK to help!  Here's a ridiculously easy, quick and effective DIY LAUNDRY SOAP (powder):

What you need:

• 2 Bars of Fels-Naptha (Laundry bar soap/ You can usually find this, or an equivalent, on an end of the laundry soap isle)
• 1 Cup Washing Soda (also in the laundry isle)
• 1 Cup Borax
• OPTIONAL:  Several drops of your favorite Essential Oil

STEP ONE:  Grate your soap bars (we do this directly into a large, empty industrial sized laundry soap tub, but any medium sized bucket/container/tupperware will do).  I like to grate them finely so I don't get large soap chunks in my mixture.  This is the part my kids have actually ARGUED over taking turns doing.  I make sure they know how they are helping the family by doing this AND saving us TONS of money!


STEP TWO: Add the Washing Soda and Borax. 

STEP TWO-ish: OPTIONAL: You can add 5 or more drops of your favorite essential oil into the mixture at this point.  We typically choose lavender or lemon and it really makes our clothes smell fresh!

STEP THREE: Mix together and store in an airtight container.

USE: 2 Tablespoons for an "average" to "large" size load.  Use more for larger or heavily soiled loads.

That's it!  Told 'ya-----super simple!  We have had great results with it too.  My husband gets greasy at work and this stuff has NO problem getting it all out and making the clothes smell fresh when using 2 Tablespoons per extra large load.

Is it worth it?  You decide

Here's the cost comparison:

Homemade Laundry Powder= $6.16/ 48 oz= $0.31/oz

General commercially made powder (not generic but not name brand)=$0.20/oz

>>>So that's not a "per ounce savings" at first glance.  Here's the catch:  You only need to use 2 Tablespoons for a Large load of laundry with homemade soap.  Commercial soaps have you dumping in around 1/4-1/2 cup of their chemical-laden laundry soap.  SO, if I have to use less than HALF of the amount of detergent per wash, then my savings can more than double!

Our Laundry soap savings just bought us a large box of ice cream cones to pass around tonight; which MIGHT result in more laundry to do, and more laundry soap to make.  Such is the circle of laundry-life!  Enjoy it to the fullest!