Homemade Laundry Detergent: Powder

Yep, that's right. I make my own laundry detergent!

And you know what? I don't care if you think it's nerdy or weird. I'm ok with it! Know why? Because I crunched the numbers.

All Powder: 19¢ per load

Arm & Hammer Powder: 9¢ per load

Cheer Powder: 13¢ per load

Homemade Powder: 4¢ per load

We do about 5 loads of laundry per week, so by using our homemade powder, we're only spending $11.44 on laundry detergent every year. I know my mom will say we're too concerned with money, and deep down I do have some anxiety that I'm going to turn into my Grannie. (Don't worry, though; my hot water heater isn't on "vacation," and I do use my oven regularly - I haven't taken to microwaving everything just to save on the power bill.)

Anyway, I digress. If the cost isn't enough for you to consider making your own detergent, consider the environment! I'll be the first to tell you that I don't know a whole lot about this topic. Apparently, though, phosphates are bad. And also, I guess a lot of laundry detergents contain phosphates. I don't have a clue. My mantra is why not do things that are environmentally friendly, especially when they're cheaper, too? Anyway, consider making your own detergent!

Here's my recipe:

1 bar ivory soap

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (baking soda is an OK substitute if you can't find washing soda)

optional: 15 to 20 drops of your favorite essential oil (I like orange -- smells good & is one of the cheapest essential oils at our local hippie health food store)

Directions:

Using a food processor or a grater, pulverize the bar of soap.

Add borax and washing/baking soda. Food process or stir until it resembles powdered detergent that you'd buy from the store.

Add essential oil, if using. Food process or stir until incorporated.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.

For a visual, go here. If you try it, let me know!

Next up: LIQUID laundry detergent!

*tap, tap* Is this thing on?

Okay, okay. We'll post more.

Ross and I have been quite busy as of late. We've been doing laundry. And cleaning the house. And cooking dinner. We've also been reading, watching TV, and renting movies from Redbox, which brings me to tonight's topic of discussion...

We rented Duplicity from Redbox a few weeks ago, and for total lack of a better topic, I've decided to review it for you. Here's what we liked about it:

1. It was $1.
2. We both stayed awake through the whole thing.
3. The end is hilarious.

If you're looking for a date-night movie that both of you will enjoy, rent Duplicity. It's suspenseful enough for guys, romantic enough for girls, and...well, it's $1 at any Redbox.

More to come soon!

Honeymoon in Arizona: Come on, Hertz!

When planning our honeymoon, we decided to rent our car from Hertz. My bank has an agreement with Hertz that gave us 25% off and waived the young driver fee, which was important considering my pup of a husband is only 23. (What can I say? I'm a cradle robber.)

I made the rental car reservation, and I chose a midsize car. The description said "Mazda 6 or similar." I was excited, mostly because I wanted to see if the Mazda 6 really did "zoom zoom" like the commercial promised it would. And also, while not the hottest car on the block, it's pretty stylish. Here's a Mazda 6:

Not bad, right?

Well, HERE'S WHAT WE GOT:

It's a Mazda 5, which I referred to all week as a "mini mini-van." I think that's a pretty liberal interpretation of "or similar."

Married Life

Angie left a comment and demanded an update on married life, so...I'll tell you! Married life is great. Ross thinks so, too. We both made lists: the top five things about being married. (Don't worry; it's rated PG. And it's in no particular order.)

Ross's Top Five Things About Married Life

1) Yummy dinner all the time.

2) I get to see Leah all the time.

3) More time for Wii.

4) More time for reading.

5) She's willing to let me buy gear. Hooray!

Leah's Top Five Things About Married Life

1) The "husband taxi," which frequently drops me off at and picks me up from school. It's way better than the bus. (Ross calls himself "Ross the Butler." He calls me "Master Bruce.")

2) Making a "honey do" list in the morning and coming home to find that it's been completed. (Also part of Ross the Butler's duties.)

3) Not having to go to separate houses when it's time to go to bed.

4) Not eating dinner by myself.

5) Being told I'm pretty even though I wear yoga pants 65% of the time.

And topping both of our lists of challenging things about marriage: learning first-hand how different boys and girls really are!

More posts to come. We have wedding pictures. Photo stories will be told.

Honeymoon in Arizona: Lemonade, Lemonade Like Grandma Made!!

After we decided to go to Arizona, one of the first things we did was check to see whether the Diamondbacks would be in town that week. We were excited when we found out they would be, and we bought tickets for a Friday night game against the Dodgers.

The Diamondbacks play at Chase Field, which is a large dome with a retractable roof. Ross and I took bets as to whether it would be air-conditioned. I voted yes; he voted no. Nobody's keeping score, but the temperature outside was 108, and the temperature inside was a crisp 72. :-)

The game was great! The D-backs won, and afterwards, they opened the roof and had a fireworks show. But the thing we'll remember most is this guy:

I know the picture is terrible, but it gives you a good idea. He was a lemonade salesman. We sat in section 316, I think, and the sections were really large. We could hear this guy screaming, at the top of his lungs, from section 312 or so:

"LEMONADE! LEMONADE! LIKE GRANDMA MADE!!!"

We learned quickly that you had to avoid eye contact; if he caught your eye, he'd start yelling at you directly. "YOU WANT SOME LEMONADE?" (Points directly at you.) "YOU KNOW YOU WANT SOME LEMONADE! LIKE YOUR GRANDMA MADE! COTTON CANDY? BOTTLED WATER? YOUR FAVORITE! I KNOW YOU WANT SOME!"

The game was fun. But this guy...he made it memorable.