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| I love the scent of line dried clothing! |
I just made my own laundry soap. I didn’t do it out of a desire to connect with
my pioneer roots or because I found a pretty picture on Pinterest that made me
believe my house would be perfectly clean and organized if I made my own
soap. I didn’t do it because my mother
made laundry soap with lye when I was a child and I was feeling reminiscent. I did it out of guilt.
The leaders of my Faith have long taught that we should be
prepared and frugal. In event of an
emergency we will not only be able to take care of ourselves, but lend aid to
those around us. We call this preparation Provident Living. Some aspects of Provident Living are easier for me to comply with than others. It’s easy for me to grow a garden because my
husband does that. He has a Green thumb. I enjoy reaping what
he sows and find great satisfaction in filling mason jars with the bounty. Physical health is also in my skill set. I try to exercise regularly, eat a healthy
(somewhat) diet and I know a few home remedies that come in handy on weekends
and holidays. That’s when everybody always gets sick. Spiritual health is another
goal I am continually pursuing.
I am not so good at storing sundries. I told a friend once that I always think
things should last longer than the do – for instance, a bottle of lotion. She made a profound observation.
“I think that is just mortality. Things are always wearing out.” Good point.
Anyway, back to the guilt.
In our pursuit of Provident Living, we often have workshops aimed at
Emergency Preparedness and Frugality. I
have participated in the Laundry Soap
Lesson on more than one occasion and I have been skeptical. I would rather clip a coupon than purchase
all the ingredients to combine to make a mess while assembling the powdered cleaner. I ignored the lesson and the counsel to store
laundry soap. Recently, however, I was given a sample of the product and
informed that it costs about $.03 per load.
Three cents! My clothes seemed to
come out just as clean as they did with my high efficiency, Oxi-added, liquid
soap. Maybe it was time to bite the
bullet and be obedient.
The first step is a bit aromatic and my husband complained.
“What stinks?”
“It’s part of the laundry soap I’m making. I’m trying to be obedient,” I replied.
“It’s making me sneeze.”
I promised it wouldn’t last forever and that it was a way to
save lots of money. That seemed to
suffice.
I now have approximately six months’ supply of laundry soap
in a bucket. It cost me about $15. I need to make another batch to be truly
prepared. Oh … and obtain a large bucket
and a hand held dasher to really get the job done! I’ve got a small washboard I use as a
decoration. I think that will have to
suffice for now. I would hate to get
carried away!
What are you doing to be frugal, be prepared, or be
obedient?
