May 2012 Grocery Challenge

abitofhelp

I had a look at boots online but there was no borax listed, i googled borax and i think amazon came to the top of the list. There were other suppliers but i havnt looked too closely yet. It is something i would like to try though. OH would be horrified if he knew what i was planning on making. I would be ok though he wouldnt find out as he doesnt go near the WM, he still has no idea that i add lentils, to chilli, lasagna & cottage pie.

angelatgraceland

abitofhelp wrote: »

I had a look at boots online but there was no borax listed, i googled borax and i think amazon came to the top of the list. There were other suppliers but i havnt looked too closely yet. It is something i would like to try though. OH would be horrified if he knew what i was planning on making. I would be ok though he wouldnt find out as he doesnt go near the WM, he still has no idea that i add lentils, to chilli, lasagna & cottage pie.

Well if you go for it-stash a load of empty milk cartons, squash bottles first. You could make just half the amount-its a quick and easy process. I put a few drops of teatree oil in mine for a nice smell. Don't overfill the bottles as they do need a good shake each time before you use it and that needs space in the bottle. I ran out of bottles the other night and ended up using a coffee jar and a wine bottle!!! :eek:Thankfully decanted into squash bottles today. If its only 2 of you Id try half the mix. The full mix is also too much for a standard bucket-I therefore used less water so have a stonger mix.It realy thickens up when its cold and left overnight. Amazing stuff!:I printed off labels for it too as you will see in my pic.:D

Suffolk_lass

angelatgraceland wrote: »

Borax is the stain removing element-it also cleans and disinfects. Take a look at this:http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/a/howboraxworks.htm
Not easy to find locally-I was recommended to an old fashioned DIY/hardware shop and managed to get borax substitute(no idea on the difference to original borax). Its on ebay also but the price doubles due to postage.
The "recipe"used about 1/4 of a box about 35p plus the soda about 10p and the soap 28p.Its the first time Ive used it but have done 4 washes with it and two lots in the dishwasher also.
The borax is optional though so you could try it without.

Amazing sell it and it is P&P free if you go for standard delivery. You can use Borax for all sorts of stain removal. I'm told it's good on garden furniture - I imagine your hmlaundry gloop would be very effective on the green stuff that is all over our wooden stuff and kinder than the C-Bang stuff!

debbym

angelatgraceland wrote: »

Well if you go for it-stash a load of empty milk cartons, squash bottles first. You could make just half the amount-its a quick and easy process. I put a few drops of teatree oil in mine for a nice smell. Don't overfill the bottles as they do need a good shake each time before you use it and that needs space in the bottle. I ran out of bottles the other night and ended up using a coffee jar and a wine bottle!!! :eek:Thankfully decanted into squash bottles today. If its only 2 of you Id try half the mix. The full mix is also too much for a standard bucket-I therefore used less water so have a stonger mix.It realy thickens up when its cold and left overnight. Amazing stuff!:I printed off labels for it too as you will see in my pic.:D

One word of warning here guys - I went the whole hog last time and made a 6-8 month supply - 5 months in it had eaten through one of the milk containers and caused it to leak - and of course it was on top of my WM and dripped into the control panel.:mad: It doesn't take long to make so a little and often is better! BTW I use "regular" value toiletry soap from Morrisons, not household soap (the kind you get in a value 3 pack)- cheaper, works just as well and smells nicer too!:)

Soworried

Just spent £36.10 but I got a lot for this. A whole Chicken, loads of garlic, ginger, noodles. Eggs and stuff as well as toiletries.
I'm pleased as I didn't cave and get chocolate or eat out at lunch time.

mummygems

I am sure I saw Borax in Wilkinsons the other day alongside the soda crystals. Couldnt tell you how much it cost but it was about the same size as the soda crystals bag (1kg bag).

Hiddenidenity

£106 in Mr T today Im failing badly although that should be it for a couple of weeks I hope xx

angelatgraceland

debbym wrote: »

One word of warning here guys - I went the whole hog last time and made a 6-8 month supply - 5 months in it had eaten through one of the milk containers and caused it to leak - and of course it was on top of my WM and dripped into the control panel.:mad: It doesn't take long to make so a little and often is better! BTW I use "regular" value toiletry soap from Morrisons, not household soap (the kind you get in a value 3 pack)- cheaper, works just as well and smells nicer too!:)

Good point-one that my DH also brought up-does it go off he said! Well on your warning what I will do is rebottle it every 2 months and as you say-its easy to make so why not make a smaller batch! Personally with the amount I might use it wont last forever anyway. Ive been using soapnuts but the new w/mach has a lot of cold wash cycles and they dont realy work under 30c. I do have some of the laundry balls as well-the ones with the little peashaped balls inside(forget the name of them). I got Morrys household soap but I did consider the toilet soap also-I cant see any problem there! Now I'm looking into making washing up liquid!

NickJW

Okay. A few spends today

£3 in Mr S
Then £28.87 in Mr W! :eek:

To be fair I did get quite a few things including 2 boxes of their own brand cereal, curry paste, coriander, shower gel, flaked almonds, unsalted cashew nuts, toothpaste, basmati rice, couscous, shower gel and 2 packs of bacon and 2 packs of chicken!

The spend was more than I planned because my family are visiting and my mum only likes bran-flakes for breakfast and my sister requested bacon sandwiches. Neither of them like any 'cheap' meats (such as thighs, anything slow cooked or anything on a bone!) Which meant I needed to get chicken breasts which is something I don't normally buy. Luckily they were reduced at £3.65 a pack, but it still seems quite expensive compared to my usual thighs!

I thought I was doing okay, but this spend has upped my total a bit. I still have tons of food in so I'm hopeful that I can come in budget, but I got home and realized that I still forgot some things -raisins, bread and face wash - which I will need to buy tomorrow.

Hope everybody is doing well.

abitofhelp

angelatgraceland wrote: »

Well if you go for it-stash a load of empty milk cartons, squash bottles first. You could make just half the amount-its a quick and easy process. I put a few drops of teatree oil in mine for a nice smell. Don't overfill the bottles as they do need a good shake each time before you use it and that needs space in the bottle. I ran out of bottles the other night and ended up using a coffee jar and a wine bottle!!! :eek:Thankfully decanted into squash bottles today. If its only 2 of you Id try half the mix. The full mix is also too much for a standard bucket-I therefore used less water so have a stonger mix.It realy thickens up when its cold and left overnight. Amazing stuff!:I printed off labels for it too as you will see in my pic.:D

two kids also, but i will attempt to make some next weekend, a small amount though. Thanks for the tips.