Pennies for Neverland - Making your own laundry soap

Hi, everyone! Hope you're all having a good Monday. Sorry there wasn't a Sunday with Friends post yesterday; I'll have another one for you next week!

Today I wanted to bring you a post in the Pennies for Neverland section, where I like to share ways to save money that you can apply towards Disney (or any other vacation you're taking)!

This post is all about laundry detergent, and how you can make yours at home for PENNIES a load. Super cheap and super easy!

I just made another batch this afternoon, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

To get started, you'll want to get Fels Naptha soap, Boax and Washing Soda. I bought the Fels Naptha at my local store for $1.99/bar, and in looking at Amazon today the Borax is about $7-8, and the Washing Soda is running about $10.00. The boxes of Borax and Washing Soda are HUGE; they lasted me almost a year.

Here's the "recipe" I use. I typically make a double or triple batch at a time, because I figure I might as well make a lot if I already have the matierals out. I use, per batch:

1 bar Fels Naptha Soap

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda

First, you'll want to take the soap, and grate it. I just used my food processor but you could use a cheese grater if that's what you have. I do highly recommend the food processor, because it makes it SUPER fast to grind up the soap.

The soap smells good but be sure you put a towel or your hand over the top of the food processor, as soap dust will be flying! :)

When it's ground up, it resembles cornmeal. Be sure to have a large bowl to mix it in. Then add your Borax and Washing Soda, mix together and bam! Easy peasy.

I also usually add some essential oil to my soap; today I used an orange scent that makes it smell super awesome.

And that's IT. SO easy. Foolproof, really!

When it's all mixed, you'll want to find a container to store it in. I just use an old yogurt container but you can use anything you have on hand.

I then use a tablespoon of soap in each load - just put it wherever you add your regular laundry soap in your machine, and you're good to go!

I ended up making a TON today (I bought four bars of Fels Naptha so I just went ahead and made it all). I filled up my large storage container, AND also filled about 1/2 of a gallon sized Ziploc bag. This amount of soap will last me forever - I do about 3-4 loads of laundry a week, and when I make my normal double batch I have laundry soap for about 4-5 months. I am estimating that this quadrulple batch will last between 8-10 months.

Since even the quadruple recipe doesn't use all of the Borax and Washing Soda, I estimate that the soap I made today (again, for 8-10 months worth of laundry), cost me only about $20.00! SCORE!

Try it out, and let me know what you think! Here are some links to Amazon so you can order your ingredients today!









Have a magical day!

Pennies for Neverland - Say NO to Cable TV and Put Thousands into your Vacation Account!

Today's post focuses on the newest blog section, Pennies for Neverland, where I'll share ideas, tips and tricks so you can save your valuable dollars for fun things (such as vacations!).

If you'll remember from my post 10 Ways to Save for Your Disney Vacation (the link is here if you haven't read it yet), one idea is to cancel your cable television. This step alone could save you thousands of dollars a year, depending on how much you're spending on cable.

Yes, I just heard your shocked bodies hit the floor as you fainted dead away, and I can even SEE you rolling your eyes from all the way over here. "But what about those live TV events?? What about my favorite sports channel(s)?? I can't live without ESPN / TLC / CNN" etc etc etc.

I enjoy TV as much as the next person, but do you know what I like EVEN more? Being able to go on vacation and do fun things with my hard-earned money, vs spending $100s a month when I don't watch 95% of the channels available.

The tide of television as we know it is changing. Streaming services are the most popular they've ever been, and they're adding new and exciting content all the time. Networks like HBO are launching services in 2015 where, instead of paying for that Basic Plus Plus plan at $100+ per month, you can buy a subscription to their channel and watch online or via a Roku or Apple TV. It's genius and in my opinion, the wave of the future for TV. The television industry is pretty complex and there are many reasons why "pay for what you watch" isn't available yet, but trust me when I tell you, it's coming.

But in the meantime, there are things you can do where you watch the shows you love, AND save money.

* Get an antenna for your TV and pick up the local (and free!) channels.

I found my antenna on Amazon. It was inexpensive (I'm sure it was under $30) and easy to install. I then went into my TV's setup menu, had it scan for available channels, and VOILA! Easy peasy. Stations like your local NBC, CBS and ABC affiliates are available for free, as is PBS and often a variety of other channels. With my antenna, I pick up about 20 total channels. It's how I watch live events, such as the Oscars, and sporting events such as the Super Bowl.

* Sign up for Netflix and/or Hulu.

My Netflix subscription is $7.99 per month (I have the streaming plan, plus the 1 DVD at a time delivery). The basic Hulu is free - - if you want their selection of movies and full catalogue of TV shows, it's about $9 per month. Netflix has an AWESOME variety of movies and TV shows, and although they aren't new releases, they're adding new items all the time. And their original content is awesome too - if you haven't watched House of Cards yet, put that on your "holiday to-do" list! You'll thank me later.

Hulu has quite a few of the network TV shows that are available the day after they air live. I watch New Girl, The Mindy Project and more this way and it's not only super convenient, it also saves me money each month on having a DVR; no more need to record shows!

The other great thing about streaming services - you can access them on a variety of devices. You're able to watch on not only your TV but also your phone, laptop/desktop computer and tablet. Most services (like Netflix) also let you set up multiple devices on one account; my youngest brother and I share one Netflix account, which saves us both money. With Netflix, you can even set up different user accounts on one profile so you can have your own queue of what you want to watch.

* Split a cable subscription with friends.

I know I have readers who are still aghast and not quite convinced this is the way to go. (I'm looking at you, gentlemen). When I'm polling friends and family about who's ditched their cable, 90% of the time the holdouts are those who enjoy watching live sports. I get it, 100% - it's your thing, your passion, and you can't imagine not seeing the Bears/Packers/Vikings/etc play each and every week. Have you thought about sharing a cable subscription with your friends?

I don't mean you all share one in your own homes; I am not aware of any cable services that allow you to hook up a single account in multiple homes. But how about one person buys it, and everyone pays in? Splitting that sports package between 4-5 people makes it more affordable for everyone.

Not only are you saving money, you're getting to hang out with your friends and watch together. Win, win!

(And for the one who's always having people at their house to watch the games: the others should bring the snacks, beer, help clean up afterwards, etc. Help out the host!)

* Buy season passes for the cable TV shows that aren't available online.

For those shows you like that aren't available online, consider buying a season pass or subscription via iTunes. If there's a show or two that you just can't live without, buying the season pass is a good option.

I love Rizzoli and Isles on TNT, and it's one of the few shows that's not on Hulu or on the network's website. For about $20, I bought a season pass and then have the episodes in my iTunes account the day after they air.

Of course, you won't save money if you buy 10-15 season passes; perhaps choose the 2-3 shows you like the best, and then wait for the others to go on Netflix.

* Your library has more than books!

Don't forget about your library when looking for TV shows. Many libraries carry past seasons of some of the most popular shows, and it's FREE. As in $0. While it's not the episode that aired this week, you can often rent whole seasons and at least at my library, the selection is very good. Most will also take suggestions for TV shows that you'd like to see available.

* Cut cable because...It's not only good for your wallet - it's good for your waistline AND your mind.

When I stopped my cable subscription about a year ago, I noticed how much TV I was watching. And most of it was mindless; turning on the tube and flipping through channels, looking for something to watch. I still spend a few hours a week watching movies or catching up on Hulu - but it's far less than I used to. Free up some of that time for reading, going on walks, etc.

Please comment below, and share on the Facebook page. Have you cut out cable TV? What are your savings each year?

Have a magical day!

New Section: Pennies for Neverland!

Those of you who are eagle-eyed have probably already noticed a little change to the top of the site. If you haven't, go ahead and take a look. I'll wait.

WOW, that was quick! Yes, there is now a new section on The Most Delightful Place called Pennies for Neverland.

I have lots of ideas for posts on how you can save your pennies for your Disney vacation - and I wanted a special place to house those posts. Much like the Resort and Dining page, and the Disney Cruise Line page, this will be a place where I'll link posts that talk about how to save money for your Disney trips (and really, for vacations in general).

I'm by no means a financial whiz, but I always find it super helpful when people write about tricks, tips and how-tos to save time, money, resources, etc. I plan on having 2-3 posts a month in the Pennies for Neverland category and as always, LOVE your suggestions and ideas about posts you'd like to see.

Thanks again for reading! Have a magical day!