Soap Nuts!!!

Awhile back, I was reading one of my all time favorite blogs, Simple Mom, and she introduced her readers to something that I'd never even heard of. Soap Nuts.  They are a natural detergent.  You place a few of them in a bag and throw them in the wash.  They can even be re-used and then composted!  I make my own detergent, but that was totally beyond my scope of experience.  However, I decided to give it a try since they seemed awesome. I went to the Laundry Tree website and placed an order for a sample pack.  It was only $1.99, so I figured if I didn't like them, it was no real waste of money. Well, not much of one anyway lol.  When I received the packet, I opened it up and this is what I saw:

Yes, this is what they really look like!

I just stared at them, like how the heck are these little turd nuggets going to get my laundry clean? But I decided to go ahead and give them a chance.  You place 3-4 of these nuts in a small linen bag (which is included) and throw them in the wash.  This is for warm/hot water washing.  There's another set of directions for cold water washing.  I chose to do school uniforms - a true test lol!  I added a scoop of my homemade oxyclean to make sure that my whites stayed bright. (Recommended)  I followed all of the directions and crossed my fingers.  When I pulled the clothes out... SURPRISE! They were just as clean as the detergent that I make.  Most of the clothes were hung up immediately.  No scent, and they work great for those of us with sensitive skin.  All four of us have super sensitive skin, so when my youngest wore her shirt the next day and there were no ill effects, I was sold. I washed two more loads of clothes and then threw them in the compost bin.  I am giving away sample packs with all of my Christmas gifts. <3

Getting Organized (Financially)

I've been thinking heavily about budgets lately. I have a standard amount of debt, with school loans (still haven't finished, but I will!), credit cards (Visa, Kohls and Target).  However, I also have a lot of what I refer to as "silly debts," which are old credit cards, book clubs, music clubs, and old medical debts. I've decided to take the bull by the horns and figure out my financial situation for once and for all. I've made attempts in the past, but I never kept it up.  Same goes for my health (but that's another post).  I was laid off in March and it took me a minute to learn to live like my situation had changed. *Cue the violins, because this is sad!*

I've been looking at different budgeting options.  I know that I need to keep this simple and easy to follow, or I will become bored and will let it go. I've been a faithful follower of Single Ma, who has paid off debt, rebuilt her credit and worked on savings for the last few years. I've simplified what is a very detailed, incredibly funny process, but please check out her blog for yourself.  I've also become a great fan of Simple Mom, who is an advocate of PearBudget and Dave Ramsey, who works with his own methods.  I think I'll come up with a combination of methods I've seen on their blogs, since I am a fan of them all!

I'm giving myself two weeks to get my budget together.

Until Then...