Frugal Friday

So, it was once said that I had champagne taste. If you have known me for more than 5 or 6 years you will know that that statement is definetly true. However, I have learned that I can have champagne taste, I just don't always have to have the champagne. With that said, this is my Frugal Friday freebie to you. This week Codey and I ventured into the arena to make our own homemade laundry soap. That's right...Jeremy chuckled and gave me one of those looks when I first mentioned it, and then when he saw that we had actually done it, he laughed. But we have been using the soap for a week now and our clothes smell great and have a lighter feel to them. Now, that may be my imagination but that is my story and I am sticking to it! Here is the recipe we used. It made about 10-12 lbs. of powder laundry soap and only takes 1 Tbsp. per full load of laundry. You can make a smaller batch with one bar and one cup of each of the other ingredients. Keep it in a tightly sealed container. I add a little bit of white vinegar to the rinse cycle as our fabric softener. The white vinegar is also great for helping to keep the hoses in your washing machine clean. This is definetly much cheaper than buying the laundry soap and much better for our machine and our skin. 10 bars of Ivory soap (Grate with a cheese grater or cut into small chunks and grind in a mini-chopper. We did both and preferred the cheese grater.) 10 cups Borax 10 cup Washing Soda (The only store I could find this at in Huntsville was Kroger, right by the Borax.) My next frugal freebie is this great, light meal that we made on Tuesday. It is protein and nutrient packed, so easy and takes very minimal time. The best part...it is cheap!! This whole meal cost about $11.00 to make and it feeds our family of 7 with leftovers! The leftovers are enough for a side dish at some other point in the week or for 2 lunch meals. That means we ate for just $1.22 each! Chicken Pasta Salad 1 bag of spiral noodles (cost aprox. $1.59) Cook according to package. 1 16 oz. bag frozen mixed veggies (cost .99) For the best value use veggies in your garden! Add these to the chicken once it is fully cooked. They just need to be warm. 1 bottle italian dressing (cost .89) For a zestier taste ust a Tuscan dressing. Toss 1/3-2/3 of the bottle of dressing in with all of the other ingredients once they are cooked. 1 bag boneless skinless chicken breast (cost 5.99) I marinate the chicken in 1/3 bottle of dressing for 30 minutes- all day depending on my schedule. Then all I have to do is cut up the chicken and cook it in some evoo on the stove-top before adding to the other ingredients. Toss everything together and serve! Now add on the side: 1 loaf french bread (cost .89 from the day old rack) Usually I add some bananas, apples slices or strwaberries on the side for a "dessert". YUMMY!!