Sacred Simplicity : Frugal Friday

Hopefully the first of many...

Welcome to my first post about frugality!!

Even though I am careful with spending, have a grocery budget, make things from scratch etc etc, there are always areas that we can find to cut down on spending. This last year has seen price increases everywhere and things are already expensive here in New Zealand.

I decided at the beginning of this year that I want to try and be even more frugal in certain areas and so by posting here every Friday it will keep me accountable, hopefully! If you have any great ideas you would like to share please leave in the comments below.

So, a couple of weeks ago I did some searching on Pinterest and discovered this fantastic idea for making homemade disinfectant wipes instead of buying packets of them. I do keep an extra packet incase of emergencies such as our dogs vomiting but otherwise I am using these.

You can use different amounts of oils if you don't have all three as long as they are antiseptic oils.

I cut up an old towel that had become very thin and cut into strips and then squares to fit this ice cream container (repurposing).

Next I measured the ingredients in a bowl, placed half the cloths into the container and then poured half the liquid over them and then repeated with the second half.

It works a treat! I use them for cleaning the bathroom sinks, windowsills, kitchen rubbish bin, anything really and I am happy with them. If you find the cloths too wet just squeeze out excess in the container.

Easy!!

Here I made some liquid laundry soap with soap nuts that I have had for ages. I bring to the boil 8 cups of water and add about 8-10 soap nuts into a little cloth bag that comes with the soap nuts, simmer for about 30 minutes and then pour into glass jars.

I use the liquid soap for lightly soiled items such as delicates, towels or sheets. About 50ml for a small load and 100ml approximately for larger loads.

With three teenage boys and a hungry husband to feed we go through a lot of food every week and although growing our own vegetables and having our egg supply readily available is a huge blessing, it doesn't make a huge dent in the groceries so I am mindful of having meals that don't cost a fortune. This is something I will probably post about often.

Below are some photos of our lunch yesterday, homemade butternut squash soup with leftover bread. It didn't cost a lot to make and there is enough leftover for a couple of us to have for another lunch.