One of my favorite products is foamy hand soap since it is so handy when it comes to washing the little one’s hands. I was sad when we finally ran out of it. Not wanting to pay the price for a new bottle, I thought our foamy soap days were over. That is until I was reading a tip of recycling/reusing on a message board.

Since I couldn’t bare to part with the soap container, (i.e. too lazy to throw it away) I still had it on hand and decided to try the advice on the board for making your own foamy hand soap. you’ll need:

Liquid soap and an empty foamy soap container.

Fill the container with 1/4 of liquid soap then fill the rest with water. It’s almost like these containers were meant to be refilled because on the side you can see just exactly how much soap is in it. There is also a “fill to here” line. I put in my liquid soap and then added enough water to reach the fill line. Next it was time to test it out.

It worked! Look at all the rich foam. I’m not sure how long the pump will last, and we will probably at some point have to buy more. But this is a great way to save money and save on waste.

This past weekend I make homemade laundry detergent. I had found a recipe and thought I would try making homemade laundry detergent.

Here is the recipe I used from Everything is Homemade.com:

1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup Borax
1 cup soap flakes

I made a powdered laundry detergent and had to improvise when it came to soap flakes. I couldn’t find this in the local store, so I used a regular bar of soap and blended it in the blender. I did a little video to show me making the laundry detergent and my thoughts on how it worked. Overall, I was pleased with the result.

edited – Video temporarily removed as I show baking soda instead of washing soda. Will fix and re-post at some point.

Since I had a job interview this week and I desperately needed a new pair of shoes, I bought an old favorite of mine, the black flat. I’m not into heels, so this type of shoe is perfect for me. Plus it’s just dressy but still casual enough for any occasion.

The only downside to a new pair of shoes is breaking them in. How I break in a new pair of shoes is pretty simple. I just wear them around the house for a few days before wearing them to an event. For this pair, I could tell by wearing them the first time that I wouldn’t have any problem with them. I only wore them for about 30 minutes the day before my interview, and all went well.

With heels it takes a little longer for me to break in a pair. Sometimes the bottoms will be so slick that I will scuff them up either by rubbing them on concrete or using sandpaper. I’m glad once again to have a nice pair of shoes. My other cover-everything pair bit the dust a few months back. Also, these black flats were a bargain at $9. Not only are they versatile but a good deal as well.

I would love if I didn’t have to cook with grease. It seems to get on every surface in the kitchen plus disposing of grease takes a few extra steps in after dinner cleanup. Of course, some foods like hamburger meat leave a nice greasy mess that needs to be cleaned up before the pan is washed.

I make fun of my husband because he saves every glass jar that has food in it. He will save the mayo or pickle jar. While they take up a lot of room, these jars do come in handy when disposing of grease. First let the grease cool. Then pour into a container like an empty mayonnaise jar. Just make sure you have a lid to the container. Once the jar is full, put the lid on tight and dispose of in the garbage.

They also sell containers specifically to put grease in. I had one that has bags that would fold down and close tightly. Problem is when I ran out of bags from my initial purchase, I couldn’t find them again. My Mom always used an empty coffee can for grease. Just remember to never pour grease down the drain because it will clog your pipes. And never just dump grease outside because grease as it sinks into the earth might contaminate the water supply for local streams.

Just remember to let the grease cool and pour into a container with a lid. Then you can throw the container out with the trash. You can always check with local restaurants who might recycle their grease if you can dispose of your grease with theirs. You might also check with your local government to see if there is a recycling center for grease or their recommendations for disposing of grease.

I’ve been working with the content management system Joomla to set up another website. I like Joomla because I was already familiar with Mambo CMS.

Since I have a great Joomla template tutorial, I feel confident I can create a custom template. I feel more confident fiddling around with a WordPress template but that is just because I am use to the WP template concepts.

How to change the oil in your vehicle can be a messy job but can save you money. Here is what you will need:

Oil Filter – look up which one vehicle takes. Fram oil filters are my personal favorite as they have a rough end that makes it easy to remove them when changing the oil/
Oil – check vehicles manual to find out how many quarts vehicle holds
Pan to catch the oil – sold in automotive. Some already have pour spout
Wrench to loosen screw on oil pan
Funnel – pour the new oil into the vehicle as well as pour old oil into empty oil bottles

Recommended items:

Oil filter tool – special tool that makes grasping and removing oil filter easier.
automotive ramps – ramps to elevate vehicle off the ground
An old piece of carpet, board, or blanket to lie on while under the automobile.

Make sure the engine is cool before changing the oil. If you have vehicle ramps, drive the auto on them. Next, place the oil pan under the car’s oil pan to catch the draining oil. Then take the wrench and loosen the screw. The oil will then begin to drain into the catch pan. Remove the oil filter. Some vehicles it is easier to remove from the top of the vehicle. Once the filter is loosened, remove carefully since there will be some oil still in the oil filter. Dump the oil from the filter into the oil pan.

Once the oil has drained, place the new oil filter on the automobile. For a good seal, take a little fresh oil and put it on your finger. Then rub your finger around the rubber seal of the oil filter. Tightly secure the oil filter on the car. Next put the oil pan screw back on the oil pan. Now you are ready to fill your vehicle with oil.

After adding the oil, check the oil level to make sure you have added enough. Next take the empty oil bottles and put the used oil into each one. You will have to take the used oil somewhere that recycles oil. Some cities have amnesty day that they will collect hazardous materials for free.

Check your oil periodically and to change your oil every 3500 miles or every 3 months.