Like almost everyone else, my family has had to seriously tighten its financial belt this year. Being a DIYer, my answer to this dilemma has been to make as much as possible from scratch. This kills two birds with one stone because I can (usually) spend less money on the things my family needs, and I can still fulfill my creative cravings! For those rare instances where it's actually more expensive to make something myself, I can at least depend on whatever-it-is being of generally better quality, and that it will also make a suitable gift, saving me money in that arena. Recipe suggestions using Bing cherries in light syrup will be greatly appreciated!
That said, I decided to try my hand at soapmaking this year. Granted, a bar of handmade soap probably costs more than a bar of supermarket soap, but since all my costs are essentially up-front, by the time I run out of handmade soap (which will probably be years from now!) it will certainly feel like I have saved money on soap, as I will have been able to go for long periods of time without having to buy it! And again, there's the added satisfaction of having made something from scratch, along with knowing exactly what went into it.
While my son is not interested in helping me make soap, he loves the idea of using handmade soap, and has been asking me to make a shampoo bar. This weekend I finally got around to it! Very basic, unscented (I'm after practicality here, not presentation), and I hope it will last for some time! These won't be ready to use for another 2-4 weeks, but I figure that's OK. They'll probably be done at about the time we run out of store-bought shampoo. Now if only I could convince my husband that people with hair that is only 1/2" long do not need conditioner!
Posts
My husband, he who also has about 1/2" long hair, feels the need to use just as much shampoo as me, even though my hair is past my shoulders! Maybe I should start making shampoo bars, too :)
ReplyDelete