"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

11.10.2010

A fun challenge, and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Ok, I have a super fun thing to share today!

Let's call it a 'giving back' challenge:

I like to come up with ways to help those less fortunate, but usually can't afford to make big donations to the causes dear to my heart. So I have to get a bit creative. I used to be really on top of couponing, and got a lot of free and very cheap groceries and household items that I could donate, but I've been really slacking lately. Recently my husband mentioned a local organization called My Father's House, which is a family homeless shelter in Gresham, and apparently they are in great need of food and household product donations.
 They also need laundry detergent.
This got the wheels turning... I asked him to verify if they could accept homemade detergent and they can!!
That I can do!!
So, here is my plan:

Several of my friends, some of Mike's co-workers and I are purchasing the ingredients for the dry laundry detergent recipe I originally found on My Frugal Lifestyle. I've only made the liquid myself, but have wanted to try the dry- and I think it would be easier for this purpose. Then in the next week or so, we all will be making the detergent (as few or as many batches as we can!) and taking it to the donation center at this local charity.

Here is my challenge to you:
Let's all do it!!
Go pick up these three ingredients at your local grocery store, plus a container with a lid to put it in (like a food storage container):
20 Mule Team Borax (one box is enough for about 9 batches)
Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (1 box is enough for about 6 batches)
Fels Naptha soap (1 bar per batch, so buy extra if you want to make more)

I've found these at both Winco and Fred Meyer (Kroger), so hopefully most grocery stores will carry them also.

The great thing about this is it is soooo cheap! One batch costs under $2, and will yield around 64 loads, or even more in a front-loading machine. That's around 3 cents (or less) per load. So much cheaper than store-bought! I can donate a lot more homemade detergent than I could if I had to go buy it.

So, get your ingredients ready, and I'll be reposting the recipe in the next couple days. Then make up a few batches and bring them to a shelter or organization near you (but be sure they can accept homemade).

Here's the fun part: come back here (I'll add a link to my sidebar) and comment to let me know you participated, and you'll be entered to win my first ever giveaway!!! 4 Premier Movie Tickets for Regal Cinemas, PLUS a crafty creation of my choosing!

I'm super excited about this! Let's do a small thing to help these families and have a bit of fun at the same time.

I'll post more details about the giveaway when I post the recipe, so be sure to check back soon!

Edit: Click here for giveaway details and detergent recipe!

2 comments:

Beth said...

This is a wonderful idea! I'm going to suggest it to my girls' Daisy Troop, because we already have plans on donating to a food bank, and this would really top it off!

Becky said...

Ok, I made the soap. Grating was a lot of work but smelled sooooo good! This was a great idea, glad I was able to help donate some even it is a small thing. Every little bit helps!