Guest Post: Michelle from Lovely By M

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Hi, I’m Michelle from the blog Lovely by M and the website/shop Twig Creative.

I’ve always considered myself a clean freak; I grew up never being told to make my bed or clean my room because it was already done!  Now as a stay at home mom with a one year old little girl, I’ve established a routine & method that helps keep my house and life in order without spending my life with a broom in hand.  I also desire to live a minimalistic lifestyle, trying not to accumulate things I really don’t need and making sure to dispose of things I really don’t use.

Here are a few tips from me to you:

Develop a Weekly Clean List: I simply took a colored piece of paper, wrote an inspirational quote on the top of it, and then divided my household tasks to specific days.  It is posted on my fridge where I can easily be reminded of the days chores.  This helps to not only assure that all chores are accomplished but that only a small portion of the day is devoted to cleaning.  Because really, who wants to spend their whole day scrubbing!  Not me!  When you develop a routine like this, you save yourself from inevitable piles such as laundry that can overflow from waiting too long or be wasteful if done when the need is not sufficient enough.  A weekly clean list also means that your Saturdays and Sundays can be left free from any major cleaning!

Also found on the side of our fridge is a small clip that holds important paperwork or mail.  Does anyone else feel like paper piles can overtake your counter?!  When opening mail, I throw away the unneeded items/envelopes immediately and then clip up important mail or put shred items on top of my shredder for my weekly shred.

Clean Up in Rhythm with Cooking:  My husband and I once invited his parents over for dinner.  My mother-in-law commented on the fact that all of the dinner making dishes were already washed and put away.  See we didn’t have a separate dining area, our dining table was in our kitchen.  How nice was it then for our guests to not look at dirty dishes and spice jars strewn along the counter top. 

Before this incidence, I hadn’t quite considered the nicety of my normal routine of cleaning up as I cooked.  But now, I couldn’t recommend it more.  Using a spoon to stir the pasta? Rinse it and immediately toss it in the dishwasher when done.  Using a jar of salt from the cupboard?  Put it right back where you found it immediately after using.  This is such a time saver plus it can be really overwhelming to not only cook a good meal but then have a dirty kitchen needing cleaning afterward.  One of my biggest pet peeves is dried pancake batter on the counter top.  When you let it sit and dry, it goes from easily wipe-able to practically scrape-able!  So why not wipe it up immediately and dodge the headache. 

I know that I enjoy dinner time more when I don’t look over to a mess of a kitchen left from cooking.  We can simply rinse our dishes and either hand wash or place them in the dishwasher and wahlah, evening time is left for each other, not pots and pans!

I should also note that with a small child, the floor around a highchair can be quite messy after a meal.  I love my little hand vacuum for this purpose.  Once my daughter is finished eating, I simply vacuum out her high chair and the floor surrounding and we’re good to go.  I also think that high chair mess cloths like this one from Elsa Bags are great.  I use my hand vacuum almost daily to pick up small crumbs and dust in corners and under cupboards.  It’s surprising how many particles end up on the floor but with a little crawler, I’d rather have it in the vacuum than her mouth!  

Sanitizing: When I was in college I had a roommate who taught me a valuable sanitation lesson.  She  was often heard saying that water doesn’t clean counter tops, it just rinses them.  She would then with all purpose cleaner in hand, wash down the counter tops and table; sometimes squeezing a little fresh lemon along them as well, leaving a lovely aroma.  As years have passed and I’ve continued her cleaning method, I’ve noticed how most people do not use an all purpose cleaner in their daily wipe ups of meals or cooking.  They simply drench a dish cloth in water and wipe everything down.  Just think of the germs and residue left unseen on each surface!  With a young child, I’ve become much more aware of the all natural products on the market for such purposes.  Two of my favorites are: Green Works All Purpose Cleaner and the Seventh Generation Dish Soap.  The best part is that you can sign up for their newsletter or visit their website for coupons off of the product price. 

and lastly,

Organization: Organization is key in cleaning right?  I’ve found that if everything has a place and you return it to that place when done using, life is blissful.  You don’t run around last minute trying to find this or that, you don’t misplace items as often, you clean more quickly and with more ease, and you stay organized! 

Organization has helped me towards my minimalistic lifestyle.  I am by no means a minimalist as I love to decorate and make my space homey, but I am a big believer in finding new uses for old things and being honest with yourself in getting rid of anything you really don’t need or use.  This doesn’t mean throwing it away, but instead donating it to a thrift store, a friend, or a neighbor. 

I’ve learned to organize my home by re-using several items such as baskets and jars.  Example 1-Before my daughter was born, I used a medium sized basket for throw blankets next to our couch.  I found that it could be nicely re-used as toy storage in her room.  We also no longer had a use for one of our small laundry baskets due to a change in our storage space and so I re-stationed it as a place to throw often used blankets that sits at the end of my daughter’s crib.  Example 2– Peanut butter or any glass jar for that matter are perfect for storing q-tips, hair ties, cotton balls etc.  I simply washed my jars, cut a circle out of a cute piece of paper, and decoupaged it to the top.  Cute paper and decoupage can go a long way!  Example 3– We moved into a new apartment and found ourselves needing several large pieces of furniture all at once.  That also =’s expensive!  One of the needed pieces of furniture was a dresser for our bedroom.  We received a small shelf as a gift and decided that it would be the perfect solution to our problem until we really needed a dresser.  We have a large closet that houses most of our clothes and so with a small basket set a top the shelf, socks are stored and easily folded items like pants and sweaters have a home as well. Example 4– Favorite bowls or ceramics are great for jewelry storage + decorative knobs or hooks for hanging necklaces.  It really is amazing what you can re-use or re-purpose when you just take a look around your house.  

 There are however some items you just have to buy.  One for us was toy storage in our living room.  When our daughter began to crawl, I realized that I must clear out the bottom portion of our living room shelf and replace the decorative items with her toys.  It’s a fact of parenthood right?!  I purchased medium sized canvas bins that are not only easy for her to pull out but make for a quick clean up and hide all of the plastic and wood and bright colored items when company is over! 

Oh boy, I think I could go on and on as I love a clean home, because to me it also means a clean mind, a clean heart, and a clean start to the more fun things I like to do.  Thanks for having me!

Liquid Laundry Soap

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Yesterday, Stacy, our guest from Stacy Makes Cents, shared with us her favorite Powdered Laundry Soap Recipe.  This is the one she uses most becuase it is so easy and mess free to store.  But I know many of you interested in liquid laundry soap since it is already dissolved completely.  Stacy is back with us today to share her favorite Liquid Laundry Soap recipe.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Meet Ruth and Rebecca. They’re expert laundry soap makers. Why are you seeing their photo? Well, because I tried making some laundry soap at home and it was a total dud. I mean, it was the duddiest of the duds. I got mad. This should be something I can do, right? Well, my soap chunked up and became almost un-stirrable. It was sad. I was sad. I was mostly mad though. I hate when I mess something up. So, I contacted Rebecca because I knew she made her own laundry detergent with her mom. I asked if I could come over and take photos to find out what I was doing wrong. Well, I wasn’t adding the same amounts of stuff that they were. Turns out that not everything you read on the internet is true. GASP! Sorry Al Gore. So, here is the story of the soap – the right way.

You need the same things to make this stuff as for the dry version, but you’ll add water…..lots and lots of water. You’re going to boil water like you’re having a baby folks. The amounts that I’m going to give you here are for half of a 5 gallon bucket – or 2 ½ gallons. Yes, I  graduated college with a math degree – not.

Where does one get a 5 gallon bucket? I’m sure you can buy one at Lowe’s, but maybe you have one just collecting dust somewhere in your garage – or maybe you in-laws have one gathering dust in their garage. Don’t go out and buy one until you ask around for a free one. You can even call restaurants and ask them if you can have their empty pickle bucket…..or maybe you can ask them to donate a few pickles too. I love pickles. Ruth used a big, white bucket with a nice handle – I use this jobber. I got it from Sam’s when I was buying this laundry detergent. That was before mom and I both determined that it was making our washer smell funny. Guess there was  a reason it was so cheap.

So, you need to grate your soap. About half a bar. It’s going to make your house smell really pretty. I feel pretty, oh so pretty! Oh, and try not to grate your knuckles like me. We don’t want bloody laundry detergent.  Doesn’t Rebecca have nice hands? She should be a hand model.

Here it is all done. It looks like yellow snow. Yikes. You know what they say about that. Don’t eat it!!!!

Now, you should have some hot water almost boiling on the stove. I guess I should have told you that earlier. Oops! Add your grated soap to the water a little at a time and stir well.

Now, this is important….listen up! Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the soap is all melted. I didn’t do this part, so maybe that was part of my issue. You need the soap totally melted. Mine never got that way because I didn’t boil it. I just let it warm over low heat. Thanks for the tip, Ruth!

Here is it melted. It will look like yellow Kool-Aid. But please don’t drink it – unless you have a dirty mouth. Keep stirring and boiling until it’s all melted and no little clumps remain.

Grab a smallish bowl and add one cup of Washing Soda. Like I said yesterday, you can find this stuff at Food City and Kroger. If you know of somewhere else to find it, please let us know!

Now, add a cup of Borax to the Washing Soda. Mix well. If you have clumps of Borax, just use your hand to break them up. For some reason my Borax always clumps….but Ruth says her’s does too so I’m in good company.

Pour your soap mixture into your big bucket. Add the dry mixture to the soap water and stir well until it starts to dissolve.

If you want your soap to smell all pretty and nice, then you can add ½ ounce of essential oil. They used Lemongrass Sage. It was delightful! I would love to smell like Lemongrass Sage all day……or Tootsie Rolls.

Oh, and I also should have told you to have a big pot of water simmering on the stove. When you’re done stirring your Borax and oil mixture then you can add this additional water. Stir until the dry ingredients are totally dissolved.


Now, top off your bucket – half full for this 5 gallon bucket – with warm water from the tap.

Ruth covered her bucket with Saran Wrap. But if your bucket has a lid, then you can do that. You’ll want to stir it a couple times over a 24 hour period – you won’t use it for 24 hours anyway.

Now, Ruth says that this detergent is like soup – no two batches are the same. It could be that your detergent is really thick and chunky, like goop. Or it could be thick on top and thin on the bottom. That’s ok, because you’ll need to stir it each time before you use it. So, if you look at your detergent and think “this isn’t right” then congratulations! It’s right. Mine was terribly wrong because it had large chunks of soap that hadn’t dissolved and a large, LARGE layer of foam on top. I didn’t let my soap all melt. Don’t make my mistake. Don’t be stupid. Ruth says her detergent looks like snot. Yep, I’d agree with her. But guess what? It’s really pretty smelling snot!

Now, after Ruth and Rebecca let their detergent sit for 24 hours, they divide it into smaller containers like this. That allows them to shake the bottle to incorporate it all together instead of stirring like I’ll do in my large bucket. You could also use an old, empty laundry bottle….but Ruth said that didn’t really work for them. See how it separates? That’s why you have to shake/stir before each load of laundry.  You’ll use 1/3 to ½ cup per load.

The cost difference for the liquid is about the same as for the dry version, about $.02-.05 per load….versus $.20+ for the store variations.

Like the dry version, this is also compatible with high-efficiency washers, easy on sensitive skin, and reportedly safe for cloth diapers.

Guess what? When I tried it the second time, it worked. Thanks Lord! I really didn’t want to make a million batches to get it right…….but I’ll probably use the dry version most of the time because of space issues.

Thank you Ruth and Rebecca for sharing your time with us and showing us how to be better home economists!

½ bar Fels Naptha, grated

1 cup Washing Soda

1 cup Borax

Homemade Powdered Laundry Soap

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One of the most popular parts of my blog are the free homemade cleaning recipes.  And the #1 asked question is for a recipe for homemade laundry soap?  I used to make my own, but after a few months, it no longer satisfied me. I now buy Arm and Hammer brand powdered detergent from Wal-mart which is $.13 a load.   I’d feel bad giving you the recipe I didn’t like when I won’t use it myself.  So I found someone that loves to use homemade laundry soap and asked her to write about it here.    Stacy’s recipe is about $.05 a load–a little less than half of what I spend.

I’d like to introduce you to Stacy from Stacy Makes Cents.  She’s a wife and mom and she loves to save money!  Here’s her recipe for powedered laundry soap:

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

I had been wanting to make my own laundry detergent for a while….but being busy with Annie and other things kept me from it. However, when a reader asked me to write about the process, it was the shove that I needed – but in a good way, not like a shove off a cliff. The verdict? I really, really like it. It gets everything super clean and at a fraction of the cost of store-bought detergent. My mom and I have been using it and we’re both fans. I think when I empty out the last of my stash, I’ll only be using homemade detergent.  From what I can tell with my mad math skills and reading on the internet, this soap costs about $.05 per load, give or take. Most laundry detergents from the store cost around $.20+ per load. That’s a winner for me! Let’s get clean, y’all.

To make this powder detergent, you’ll need Washing Soda, Fels Naptha Bar Soap, and Borax. That’s it. (I’ve gotten a lot of feedback about the dangers of Borax;  Here’s I feel about Borax.  I personally believe it is safe for my family when used correctly, but you are free to use your own judgement on that.) All this stuff can be bought at Kroger. Strangely, the Fels Naptha Soap isn’t with the regular soap at my Kroger…..it’s with the mops. Tell me how THAT makes sense? The Arm and Hammer Washing Soda was on the top shelf near the Borax. A good source (thanks Rebecca!) tells me that these items can also be found at Food City. If you can’t find them at either store, you might be able to find them at a hardware store. Ivory soap can also be used, but Fels Naptha is really great for getting clothes clean. You can also use it as a pre-treater and just rub the soap right on the stain. Nice!

Now, you need to grate your soap. I used my microplane. Somehow when I bought it, I never thought I’d be using it to grate soap. Cheese, yes; soap, no. But it worked great! If you don’t have a microplane grater, you can use any regular type of grater. I won’t judge you because you don’t have the most awesome grater of all time in your kitchen. I’m not here to point fingers. Oh, and this soap smells really good so when you’re done grating you’ll smell like you just had a shower. You’ll need to grate the whole bar – your arms will get tired. You’ve worked out today, baby!

Add 1 cup Borax. Borax is going to give your detergent that little extra stain fighting power. It can be used interchangeably with Oxy-Clean but at a fraction of the cost. Have I mentioned that I just love Borax?

Add 1 cup of washing soda. I read on several forums that some people just use baking soda, but then I also read that it doesn’t work quite as well. We don’t want to bake our laundry. Cakes, yes; socks, no.

Time to mix it up. This isn’t a time to sit down on the job. Unless you want to sit down while you stir – that’s cool. You really need to stir this puppy.

You’re supposed to stir it until it’s well incorporated and looks like powder. This is what I had after what felt like an eternity of stirring – or maybe it was only like two minutes. Don’t judge me.

I wasn’t happy with it because you can see all the white powder on the bottom. Hmmmmmm. I’m a perfectionist. So, I broke out…….

the food processor. Yes, I use mine daily. It’s up in my top five kitchen tools. I poured my soap in there and let it mix away. So much for my workout. You know, I never thought I’d use my kitchen tools to make soap – but I like to adapt. Wonder if Barry would mind if I used his workshop tools in my kitchen. Survival of the fittest.

This is more like it! Powder! Isn’t it pretty? And it smells so nice and fresh. But here’s the funny part – it won’t make your laundry smell like the soap. Your clothes will come out smelling just non-dirty. They’ll be clean, but they won’t smell like Tide. If you NEED your clothes to smell pretty, then just sock a dryer sheet in the dryer with them. Me, I can just settle for not smelling like sour milk.

I stored mine in a Tupperware container. You’ll use two tablespoons per load. That’s it. Don’t overdo it! I actually put a tablespoon in mine to help. Next time I think I’ll just use my food processor to make the whole batch.

When you’re ready to wash, add your powdered detergent to the water before you put the clothes in. That will assure that it will dissolve. And don’t expect bubbles. This stuff doesn’t bubble, but it does clean.   So, a few handy things to know:

  1. This will also work in HE Washers
  2. I use it on Annie’s laundry without any sensitive skin problems….and I read online that other people do this successfully as well.
  3. It’s so FAST! I made my batch in like 5 minutes. I love fast, frugal things!

So, I’ve tackled that for you. If you’ve been too scared to do it now you don’t need to be! I’m a good source for trying things first to make all the mistakes. You’re welcome.

Giveaway Day Via the Nesting Place

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Update:  I just fixed the comments so that you don’t need to log in to comment.  Just your name and email is sufficient.

I’m so excited to be participating once again with the Nester’s Semi-Annual Giveaway Day.  Your chances of winning are fantasic since I will be selecting 5 winners! It’s easy to enter to win one of our great products, simply leave a comment with a tip for a baby (I’m due in 2 weeks!) or tell what you’d like to win or both.  Also you’ll want to “like” The Grocery Shrink on facebook.  You can be updated on our new blog posts easily that way.

The giveaway is open from April 5th through Midnight on Sunday April 10th.  I’ll select the winners Monday morning and notify everyone.

Here’s what I’m giving away: 

1.  3 Winners will receive one of my Ebook trio sets!  These normally sell for $12 each, but the value is much greater.  Here’s what you’ll learn:

A new shopping and thinking method to feed your family for $50 per person per month, how to apply the ideas to a debt free Christmas, and 31 tested Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes for busy nights.

2.  2 more Winners will receive a $20 gift card to my Etsy store.  You’ll find sewing patterns for nursing and maternity, ebooks, and ready-made baby slings in designer twill prints.

How to be Successful at Line Drying

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Did you pause at the title of this post?  I mean, how can you mess up line drying?  I hope most of you have it down perfectly, but so many people quit after a bit because:

1.  Their clothes come out stiff and wrinkled

2.  They get black marks from the line

3.  Their neighborhood won’t allow the line

4.  It takes too much time

Here are some tips for you to help you stick with it.

1.  Know why you want to line dry.  Is it the fresh smell?  The savings from electricity?  The stain removal and disinfecting power of the sun?  Whatever your reason, make sure it’s good enough to help you stick with it.

2.  To prevent marks on your clothes from the line, the first dry after a long break with the line, give the line a wipe down with a damp cloth.  This removes any dust marks left by the rain or winter snow so they won’t end up on your clothes.  It should only take a few minutes.

3.  Before hanging your clothes on the line, shake them out really well.  This will smooth any wrinkles–especially the wrinkles that form in ruffles.  If they dry straight, you won’t have to iron.

4.  Think about where the clothespin dimples will end up on your clothes.  I like to hang my shirts upside down so that any dimples will be at the hem where they are hardly noticeable and not right at the shoulder.

5.  If you have any stains left on your clothes, make sure they are facing the sun when they line dry.  Chances are the stains will be gone when the clothes are dry.

6.  Don’t leave clothes out too long when they are dry.  The sun can fade the colors, it might rain, and it makes neighbors cranky. 

7.  Store your clothespins inside.  It might be a pain, but it keeps the pins from getting weatherd and moldy.  I have a hanging clothespin bag that will slide along the outdoor line while I’m using it, but also has it’s own hook in the laundry room for inbetween uses.  This is very convenient, since I often use clothespins for indoor tasks, such as closing food bags.

8.  If your clothes come off the line too stiff for your taste, 3-5 minutes in the dryer with a dryer ball will have them soft in no time and takes very little energy compared to drying them in there.

9.  If your neighborhood won’t allow clothes lines, consider getting a fold up drying rack.  These are useful for indoor and outdoor drying and camping too.

10.  Some clothes dry well on a plastic hanger.  Men’s button-down shirts are one example.  I like to secure the hanger to the clothesline with a clothespin to keep them off the ground.  Knits don’t do well on a hanger as it tends to add big dimples in the shoulders.

11.  If hanging clothes on the line takes up too much time, try training a child to do it.  Even a young one can learn to do it well, and often a healthy dose of praise is the only reward they need :).

12.  I’ve found I prefer the wooden clothespins over their plastic counterparts since I store them indoors.  The plastic ones break very easily while the wooden ones have lasted for years.

How to Get Stains out of Stored Clothes

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Have you ever opened a tub of baby clothes that were clean when you put them away and are now covered with yellow or light brown stains?  It’s so heart breaking, but don’t even think about throwing them away.  For $1, and 24 hours you can remove all those stains and make the clothes as good as new.  You’ll definitely want to do this even if you are getting rid of them, as they will bring more money at a yard sale or be more useful to the friend you are passing them to.

You are going to need:

1 large bucket (3-5 gallons)

hot tap water

Oxyclean (I use the $1 brand Awesome Oxygen from Dollar Tree or Family Dollar)

Normal clothes detergent (I don’t recommend soap based or homemade for this–I used powered Arm and Hammer brand detergent)

Put 1/3 cup each of oxyclean and detergent in the bottom of  your bucket.  Fill under running tap with the hottest water you can get.  When the bucket is half full, start filling it with the stained clothes.  I use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke the clothes down into the water.  Add enough water that all the clothes are covered and let sit for 8-24 hours.  (Overnight is pefect.)

Pour the entire bucket into your washing machine and wash on a normal cycle.

Remove the wet clothes to a laundry basket and hang outside on a clothesline that gets direct sun.  If you don’t have a clothesline, you can lay them gently on the grass.  (Don’t rub them around or let the kids or pets run on them.  Once they are dry all the stains should be gone.  This removes protein based stains such as food, stool, saliva, milk etc.  It does not work on mustard, grease, or ink.

If you would like to soften the clothes, throw them in the dryer with a dryer ball for 5 minutes. Voila!

April: Cleaning, Organization, and Decorating Month

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I’m starting my maternity leave today, so all of the posts this month have been written in advance and scheduled to allow me some time to prepare for Grant’s birth and for us to bond together as a family when he’s here.  It’s about 2.5 weeks until he is due and we couldn’t be more excited.  I’ll throw in a live update post when he’s here.  So far, all I have to show is a huge belly :).

This month we are focusing on cleaning, organization, and frugal decorating.  This is very personal to me since my track record in this area has been poor.   Even though my family history is rift with OCD hoarding, it’s not an automatic life sentence for me.  I can change the cycle any time I choose to, and I choose now.

I thought we would have moved to a larger house by now, but as my due date draws nearer and our home renovation is still not completed, I have to come to terms with fitting the 8 of us in our current home.  I spent the last month digging deep and purging our home of most of our unessential things.  I’ve eliminated half of my fabric stash, most of my other craft supplies, large pieces of furniture (even heirlooms, sniff),  baby stuff (even though a baby is on the way!), a large amount of our clothing, and most of my business inventory. 

It was so hard, but I’m so much happier!!!!  We earned over $1,000  just selling off our excess things, which we have used to help finish our construction and buy more appropriate furniture for our needs.  I was able to create a bedroom for my oldest son and move my office to an unfished part of the house.

A huge part of my inspiration is the show Clean House.  I watch a back episode each afternoon on Netflix then get up and purge some more stuff!  The show goes into some severely cluttered homes, helps the homeowners part with their unnecessary things and hold a huge garage sale.  The proceeds from the sale are used to renovate the 3 messiest rooms in the home–and it’s amazing what they can do with a little bit of money!

Now that the clutter is gone, I’m able to do my housekeeping chores (real chores, like sweeping and dusting–not just moving clutter) in record time.  The children are keeping their rooms clean too and I’m being an example for them.  I’ll tell you more details of how we did it as the month goes on.