My frugal ways

Chicken broth made from a rotisserie chicken we had recently. This is what was leftover after the 5 cups I needed for soup!

While I'm no Non-Consumer Advocate or Frugal Girl, I like to think that I'm still pretty thrifty. Lately I've been doing some things I never thought I'd do.
Like make my own laundry detergent.

This is my laundry detergent, in the Mason jar. I love those things. Next to it is vinegar that I use as a fabric softener and a tablespoon from the thrift store for the detergent (I didn't want to use my own). My laundry items are sitting on a freecycle laundry "table" between my craigslist washer and dryer. I love this picture!

I won't bother giving you the detergent recipe, because you can find it just about anywhere online. All it takes is Borax, Laundry Soda and a bar of soap (I used Fels Naptha, which is why it's yellow-y).

Lest he feel left out, my husband has also been embracing the thriftiness. I gave him an old fashioned shaving kit for Christmas and he's in LOVE.

He has found an online community and is obsessed with his new "hobby". While this alone doesn't exactly save us a lot of money (shaving cream is pretty cheap, and the soap he bought was about $6 on Etsy) the safety razor he's using definitely does!

This Gillette Milford safety razor belonged to my great grandfather, and my dad, who wasn't using it, sent it to Geoff upon learning of his newfound hobby. Though there's a bit of a learning curve, Geoff has enjoyed using it and I've enjoyed not spending money on new razor cartridges! The safety razors use razor blades (obviously!) which are significantly cheaper.

These small changes add up, and it really is fun to try to see where you can cut costs so you have money to do other fun things. Like go to Hawaii.