Make Me or Buy Me Monday: Laundry Detergent

As I'm about to make another round of laundry soap, this post seems especially appropriate today. Happy laundry soap to you!

Laundry Detergent: Buy Me?

Sneaking around on Amazon, I searched specifically for liquid, non-toxic, fragrance free laundry detergent for sensitive skin. Granted, it is quite a mouthful, but I was trying to find something to compare to my laundry detergent. The only product fulfilling these requirements were the NaturOli EXTREME 18X Soap Nuts Liquid Laundry Detergent (also a household cleaner).

Personally, I've never tried this product, but I've heard rave reviews. Currently available for $16.95 for an 8-ounce bottle, it evidently requires just one or two squirts per load to get your clothes squeaky clean. So, unlike most commercial laundry detergents, it is mostly product rather than mostly water. Each bottle is supposed to do 96 loads.

Laundry Detergent: Make Me?

It's easy. If I can do it, you can too. But, it does take some time and a bit of energy. My laundry detergent recipe is non-toxic, eco-friendly, and safe to use for children. Plus, if anyone is going to react to it, it's going to be me. Look Mom, no reactions!

My homemade laundry soap is incredibly cheap too, averaging out to around 50 cents per gallon for us without buying the ingredients on sale. It requires maybe one or two hours of your time for every ten gallons of detergent you go through, and doesn't leave your friends in a chemical-induced stupor every time you walk by them.

Laundry Detergent: The Take Home

Now that my brain hurts from the math, I figured out the sheer numbers in terms of cost per load:

• NaturOli Soap Nuts: 18 cents per load
• My laundry soap: Less than 1 cent per load

I checked the math, and while I could be experiencing "stupid fog," I don't believe I made a mistake. Granted, the time required to make the laundry detergent should be taken into account, but knowing exactly what is in a potentially product certainly gives me peace of mind.

So, which is it for you? Make Me or Buy Me?

Lego Green Building Plate for $4.99!

Yippee! Have you already checked out my post on making your own lego table? This LEGO Green Building Plate (10" x 10")  is just what you need for it, and it's on sale for just $4.99! The price has been up and down and all around for the last 24 hours, so be sure to check the price before checking out.

It ships FREE with Super Saver Shipping- order $25 worth of eligible items (there are SO many to choose from) and it ships free!

Make Me Or Buy Me Monday: Lime Juice

Recently I ordered a big order from Schwan's and had to clear out my freezer, which I hadn't done for much too long! In the back I pulled out a plastic bag full of limes, which I'd picked up last summer for free at a thrift store near my mom's house.

This left me with a whole bunch of limes that I can no longer keep in the freezer. I found just one recipe to use it up, Key Lime Pie Cheesecake Porridge. (I'll post the recipe later this week as it tastes amazing and is super easy.)

Naturally I got to thinking about comparing the prices of making your own lime juice versus buying it.

Lime Juice: Make Me?

Obviously the cost of the limes in this case was free, but this was pure luck. I found that the best way to maximize the juice is to roll the lime before cutting it in half and squeezing the juice out. I don't have one of those handy little juice-getters (what are those things called?), and don't really feel the need to buy one unless it's super cheap. It really took a lot of limes to get much lime juice, but it was easy to do and required no investment.

Once I run out of lime juice, I'll definitely have my husband keep an eye out for cheap limes, but since you don't get much lime juice from one lime, I'll probably go back to buying lime juice.

Lime Juice: Buy Me?


Checking out my good standby Amazon, I found the Santa Cruz 100 % Organic Lime Juice at $4.59 for 16 ounces. It ships free with a $49 order from Vitacost, otherwise shipping is $4.99. I'm cheap, so I'm not a big fan of that deal.

The best deals, not surprisingly, are the bulk deals on organic lime juice. The Lakewood Organic PURE Lime Juice 12.5-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12) will get you 12 bottles of 12.5 ounces each for $57.73. Shipping is free with your Prime membership, or with Super Saver Shipping!

Lime Juice: The Take Home

Personally, I've not noticed a huge difference between fresh and bottled lime juice, and it's just fine and dandy after being frozen for almost a year. It's easy to make if you have limes around, but since I'm unable to go to grocery stores, I'll likely order mine from Amazon once I run out. So, which is it for you? Make me or buy me?

Make Me or Buy Me Monday: Lego Tables

Lately I've been seeing a lot of Lego table pins on Pinterest. While I don't have any kiddos, it did get me wondering about which would really be a better deal: making it or buying it?

Lego Tables: Buy Me?

One of the biggest concerns for anyone with severe allergies is in furniture, with pressed wood having a huge potential for all sorts of reactions. I have to admit, when I looked on Amazon for an idea as to prices for a new lego table, I was really quite surprised!

Blip Toys Lego Table

The cheapest one I found was this Blip Toys Lego Activity Table on sale for $94.99. In my personal opinion, this doesn't look like something you would want to keep out in a family room, and might get lost in the chaos of a kid's room. The reviews aren't that great, and refer to it being a "get what you pay for" piece. What? People shelled out 100 bucks for this and that's cheap? Surely that can't be the case, right? Wrong.

Lego Compatible Heavy Duty Table

Seeking out tables with good reviews (after all, I'm assuming a parent would make a quality table), I ended up at this Lego Compatible Heavy Duty Table-32"x32" made from real hardwood in the United States. The price? A cool $289.95- on sale! There are a number of similar tables from the same maker, all with excellent reviews as to the sturdiness. Plus, Lego brand blocks actually work with it well, as opposed to some others. But that's a lot of money for something that looks so simple!

Lego Tables: Make Me?

PreK + K Sharing's Lego Table

One of the easiest Lego table tutorials on Pinterest is courtesy of PreK + K Sharing's Blog. For less than $30, she made her own, using some handy IKEA buys. It looks both classy and sturdy, and super simple! It would not, however, be the best choice for someone with a latex allergy, though if you had an extra wood side table, you'd be good to go! (There's latex in pressed wood, you know!)

The Kids Play Ideas Lego Table

If you already have an old side table or nightstand laying around doing a whole lot of nothing, you can make a Lego table even cheaper! One handy parent on Kids Play Ideas upcycled their old side table into a handy Lego table complete with storage! With just some screws, nuts, and bolts, and a Lego plate (currently $10.62 on Amazon), they made an awesome toy and storage piece with a little ingenuity!

Lego Tables: The Take Home

The "cheap" Lego tables are expensive, but require little effort to put together. The more expensive ones will last for years to come. You can make your own Lego table with a little craftiness, some time, and less than thirty bucks. So which is it for you? Make me or buy me? The cute little Lego man is waiting....