All frugality blogs must, must, MUST have an article about making your own laundry detergent. It’s a requirement. If they don’t have a laundry detergent article, they are clearly frauds. The typical blog typically goes like this:

DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN BUY BORAX IN THE STORE? YEAH. AND YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN LAUNDRY DETERGENT. THINK THAT’S CRAZY? WE DID TOO UNTIL WE TRIED IT. WE’VE SAVED $250 THIS YEAR BY MAKING OUR OWN LAUNDRY DETERGENT. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH $250 PER YEAR CAN GROW TO IF YOU PUT IT IN A RETIREMENT FUND WITH A MODEST 5% GROWTH FOR THIRTY YEARS? $18,520.68. THAT’S AN INCREASE OF $11,020.68. WITH A MORE TYPICAL GROWTH RATE OF 8% FOR THIRTY YEARS, IT GOES UP TO $33,102.13, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF $25,602.13. MAKING YOUR OWN DETERGENT DOESN’T SOUND SO CRAZY NOW, DOESN’T IT?

…yep.

We buy laundry detergent.

With this said, I have a love/hate relationship with coupon clipping. I love it because sometimes there are days in which you save $30 on things you regularly buy, and it’s the most amazing thing ever. But then, most of the time I end up buying things I really don’t need…