Go ahead, drop that SOAP!

 I have been on a quest to budget and save money. I don't like to make New Year resolutions, but cutting back, or doing more for less was a big goal for our family this year. Our first step was cutting that cable cord! We have been cable free for about 7 months now, and have loved every step of it! It's, on average, a savings of 200 dollars a month! We were surprised how much we didn't miss it, thanks to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and streaming with Google Chromecast. I will cover our cable cutting process and the "How to's" in a later post. It seems a little overwhelming at first, but with a little guidance, it's SO worth it. 

So outside of cable cutting, leave it to good ol' Pinterest to help me in my quest for keeping that wallet nice and plump. They have SO many great money saving ideas, tips and tricks. I just LOVE Pinterest, I shall Marry it, and Start a Hypothetical "Wedding Board"...

I could go on and on about my love for Pinterest, but instead lets talk SOAP!

 I have always been a sucker for the smelly-goods. Be them perfume, lotions, sprays, air fresheners, and of course SOAPS! I love them all...I could spend hours sniffing my way down the Laundry aisle. It takes me more time picking out the right scent of hand soap, than it does my outfit for the day. With the average price of hand soap $3-$5 dollars a bottle, and having 4 sinks in need of said bottle, enter Pinterest and her homemade penny saving SOAP making ingenuousness. My absolute FAVORITE type of SOAP is the bar variety..however, it's also the most terrifying! (let me explain) A bar of SOAP is a VERY intimate thing, not something that you want to go around sharing with others (Even if it is to just wash hands). All of their yuckies on THEIR hands are now on your bar of SOAP. EECCKK!! No thank you! So, what better way to get all that clean Bar SOAP feel, without all the "touchy sharey" stuff, than to make your Liquid SOAP out of a Bar? SMART!   

WHAT YOU NEED 

• 8ounce bar of soap, in your FAVORITE Smelly 
• 1 gallon distilled water (Doesn't HAVE to be distilled, but using it will help keep your soap fresher longer)
• Glycerin ( can be found at Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart etc. in the First Aid type section, with the calamine lotions) 
• Re-usable soap dispenser and container to hold the rest of your purdy soap! (I used the jug from the water) 

 

Grate your bar of SOAP, (if you like over working yourself). OR You can always cut it into smaller chunks and put it into the Food Processor like the Rest of us Lazy Red Blooded Americans! Once it's ground down, put it into a huge pot, full of the Gallon of water, on Medium High heat (not boiling). Let the SOAP dissolve into the water. This should take a while...like 2 or 3 episodes of Gillmore Girls, or 4 or 5 Episodes of Doc. McStuffins (like our measurements of time around the McClung house?) 

Once the SOAP is dissolved, stir in the 2 tablespoons of Glycerin. 

That's IT!! Hard part is now over. Let the SOAP sit and cool (I've found overnight 24 hours-ish seems to do the trick). You are probably thinking at this point "BAH! Pinterest fail, why is it so thin and watery?" Well, it will set up over night....TRUST ME! 

(after 24 hours...looks yummy don't it?! ) 

I made sure to give it one more Whisk before bottling up my newly Homemade Smelly Good SOAP. 

And there you have it! right around a GALLON of the softest, cleanest feeling, smell-goody SOAP! Made for pennies compared to the stuff on the shelf. 

Cost Broken Down:

• Bar of SOAP $2.99 (could be free if you have a bunch laying around from hotel stays! )
• Glyerin $3.98
• Gallon of Water FREE (or $.98 cents) 

Each Batch yields about 16- 8 ounce bottles of Hand SOAP, 

.43 CENTS PER 8 OUNCE BOTTLE OF SOAP!

 If that's not a savings, then I don't know what is! I plan on scooping up a TON of bars of SOAP from our big Family Trip to Hawaii Next year. It will be a GREAT way to stretch out the memories at home, with SOAP made from the Islands, and days of FUN in the Hawaiian Sun!