Living Well For Less--Your Top Tips, Please!

[foggierbard9]

Would you be able to use this liquid soap in a foaming soap dispenser? I usually buy them, and then when they're empty I add a bit of hand soap and fill with water to make the foaming soap. Anyone think it would work? I guess I'll have to try and see...because I don't think you can get any more frugal than that

I think it would work, just thin it like you do already with liquid soap.

[bali1228]

Thanks, I'll give it a try!

[purplemom4]

Figured I would add this here. I found a blog the other day that showed how to turn a bar of soap into a gallon of liquid hand/bath soap.

I didn't see the harm in trying it out, so I bought a bar of Dr. Bonner Soap and Glycerin(sold at CVS by the hand lotion).

The recipe said to grate the soap so I used the cheese grater.

Put the soap, 2 TBS of Glycerin and a gallon of water in the pot on the stove, turned it to high...once the soap melted, I turned it off. You let it sit for 10-12 hrs, whip it up with a hand mixer and wah lah....1 gallon of liquid hand soap...It cost me just under $5 for a gallon of soap...and that much Dr. Bonners would have cost about $60.

The best part it, I know what is in it and my DD doesn't rash from it. Time to get another bar and make DH new shower soap, way cheaper than anything I've gotten with coupons lately.

This sounds great, I'm going to try it. Not only is it cheaper than the generic hand soap, I can control what kind of soap it is and actually KNOW what's in my soap! Thanks for sharing your great find.

[maksmawmaw]

Yes it does work. Pamper Chef has dispenser for "foam dispenser" I bought years ago for my kitchen. I love it, and it saves money!! Baby Mak loves it in the bath!!

[jamking75]

Figured I would add this here. I found a blog the other day that showed how to turn a bar of soap into a gallon of liquid hand/bath soap.

I didn't see the harm in trying it out, so I bought a bar of Dr. Bonner Soap and Glycerin(sold at CVS by the hand lotion).

The recipe said to grate the soap so I used the cheese grater.

Put the soap, 2 TBS of Glycerin and a gallon of water in the pot on the stove, turned it to high...once the soap melted, I turned it off. You let it sit for 10-12 hrs, whip it up with a hand mixer and wah lah....1 gallon of liquid hand soap...It cost me just under $5 for a gallon of soap...and that much Dr. Bonners would have cost about $60.

Do you know if it can be used in the no touch hand soap dispenser? Is the consistency the same as the name-brand or store-brand hand soaps?
My DH drilled a hole in the top of the throw away soap refills for our no touch hand soap dispensers and we refill them with store-brand soap instead of having to buy those expensive refills. This would be EVEN better! TIA

[foggierbard9]

Do you know if it can be used in the no touch hand soap dispenser? Is the consistency the same as the name-brand or store-brand hand soaps?
My DH drilled a hole in the top of the throw away soap refills for our no touch hand soap dispensers and we refill them with store-brand soap instead of having to buy those expensive refills. This would be EVEN better! TIA

You may have to thin it a little more when you are "whipping" it up. At that point you can add water to get the consistency you want. I have to get a hole drilled in our dispenser to refill it, but my plan is to use this soap in that even if I have to thin it out now after making it.

[thickbluebug]

So true!

Yep...as you can tell from my post I didn't read the whole thread.

My thrifty tip is don't take DH grocery shopping with you...saves me so much money to leave him at home.

Here's my tip:
We have made are own dryer sheets before,,, aka sponges for the dryer .
I use to take downy and water it down by 50% and put it in an old cascade plastic snap top tub. I took 2 packages of cello sponges and cut them up into 2 inch cubes. Toss em all into the downy bucket*.

*Do not put the bucket on top of the dryer it will mold.*

When I got ready to dry a load, I would ring a couple sponges out and toss one or 2 into the dryer. They never stained and it saved me oodles of money,,,,
I say use to - because then came the $2 snuggle q's and I haven't made dryer sponges/sheets it in a while.
Just found my stash of used sponges. They still smell NICE

[ScrappyDoo]

I have always wanted to try something similar to this. I once read a thread where someone used felt squares or something but I can't find it now.

So true!



Here's my tip:
We have made are own dryer sheets before,,, aka sponges for the dryer .
I use to take downy and water it down by 50% and put it in an old cascade plastic snap top tub. I took 2 packages of cello sponges and cut them up into 2 inch cubes. Toss em all into the downy bucket*.

*Do not put the bucket on top of the dryer it will mold.*

When I got ready to dry a load, I would ring a couple sponges out and toss one or 2 into the dryer. They never stained and it saved me oodles of money,,,,
I say use to - because then came the $2 snuggle q's and I haven't made dryer sponges/sheets it in a while.
Just found my stash of used sponges. They still smell NICE

[maksmawmaw]

I love the foaming soaps from Bath & Body Works. But, I also love Suave Cocoa butter & shea. (It use to be the Softsoap brand, but they have little beads that I couldn't use in the used foaming soaps bottle from Bath & Body) I had to see, since I do have the Pampered Chef foaming bottle, if I could reuse the Bath & Body bottle. Yes, it did work. So I got the covers for the containers at Bath & Body, and started to mix my own cocoa butter & shea about 1/6 soap to 5/6 water, and man can I get alot of hand soap for the sink in the bathroom pretty cheap. No one but me knows what I am doing, and DH again seems to think I am a cheap form of entertainment. Every penny counts, and I get to reuse something too!!