The Poor Girls Guide to Being Rich-Part 1

Dave Ramsey said it best: To be rich, you must live like you're poor.  So, with this in mind, I've decided that 2012 will be the start to my "smart girl" life style.  In order to have the things we need, and the things we want, why not save money where we can to make things more affordable and easier on the wallet? So, in an effort to save money, and for the health of my child's sensitive skin, I've decided to begin to make so many things myself that on average take up most of our grocery money. 

This week: Dish washing detergent!

On average a load of dishes will cost you .02* per load.  Depending on if you get it on sale, it might be less.  Again, I went to my favorite grocery P-blix and got the Kosher Salt for .15* (it was on sale and with the use of coupons). I used the store brand of “Kool-Aid” which dropped the price as well. Total, it costs me less then a PENNY PER LOAD!

Now, let’s look at it this way.  I wash at least 3 loads of dishes a week.  I was purchasing Dish Washing Tablets (not naming names) for $5 (price plus tax).  The package contained 20 county powerball tablets.  That means every load of dishes was costing .25* for the dish washing detergent.  I was paying $40+ a year for dish washing detergent, but now by making my own will pay roughly $2!!!!!!!! Yes, it’s not that much money~ BUT here is my point.  Why are we willing to pay so much money for things that we can make ourselves, and that are so much safer and healthier for our children?

So here’s the formula:

2 cups of Borax


2 cups of Washing Soda


4 small packets of sugar free LEMONADE Kool-Aid

*the small packets in which you have to add sugar to are the “sugar free kind” you will need

2 Tablespoons of Kosher Salt

(The reason for the Kosher Salt? It helps to remove any residue on the dishes. )


In a clean container, mix all of this together and it's ready to go!

Only use 2 tablespoons per load of dishes.

**This formula has worked for us. It might take some tweeking depending on how hard your water is. 

Why not make our own products that are better for our families; and, while doing so, save some money that we can put towards other ventures.  Vacations? Home additions? Paying off debt? There are so many other things that are worth while that we could be putting our money towards. 

I will only post recipes for things you can create on your own after I have tried them, so rest assured that they are working for someone. Once you try it, please feel free to comment and let us know how it’s working for you.  Next up on the list of things to create: Color Safe (non) Bleach, Laundry Detergent, Stain Pre-Treatment, Glass Cleaner, and General Cleansers. 

If all of these work out, we can save ourselves hundreds of dollars a year! Let’s do this!