How to Get Your Laundry Smelling Fresh--Naturally

(Yawn) Being the baby is hard work!

Thanks to little Miss Thumbelina, we've been doing a lot of laundry these days. Between the spit up and the other [ahem] biological weaponry she wields, the towels and baby clothes just smell funny. They're clean but they have a sour smell that doesn't come out--and we use unscented laundry soap, so it's pretty obvious. 

I did a bit of research and found the secret to fresh-smelling laundry was already in my cleaning cupboard: vinegar and baking soda. Here's how to do it!

Quantity: wash half the amount of clothes you would normally put in a load. This ensures everything has plenty of room to swish around, get clean and then get rinsed well. 

Water: the hottest the garments can handle. For me, this is hot water with a cold rinse.

Vinegar: fill the fabric softener dispenser with plain white vinegar. If you don't have a dispenser, pour 1 cup in the washer during the rinse cycle.

Baking Soda: add 1 cup along with the laundry soap while the washer is filling.

Soak: after the clothes have agitated for a minute or two, turn the washer off and let the clothes soak for about 30 minutes. This is the secret! A good soak in the hot water really does the trick.

After the soak, turn the washer on and let it finish as normal. Get the clothes in the dryer right away (or line-dry them for extra credit and freshness). Enjoy your fresh, fluffy towels--we are!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

It's almost cool enough in the evenings to start baking...and blueberry muffins and banana bread are cooling on my kitchen counter to prove it! Keep an extra chopstick or handle from a broken spatula in your flour container to level off the measuring cup, instead of searching for (and dirtying) a knife or other kitchen tool.

How to Make a Price Book (and Why You Need One)

Even though most people would categorize me as "Type A," I never thought I'd have the time or inclination to start and maintain a price book. The version outlined in the Tightwad Gazette (an essential read!) was just too complicated:

Each page contains prices for one item, and the pages are in alphabetical order for quick reference. I include my code for the store name, the brand, the size of the item, the price, and the unit price.

While this is valuable data, I could see myself spending hours logging prices from old grocery receipts, combing the store ads for the best prices, and driving around town for the best bargains...spending too much time in the process.

So why am I talking about making a price book? Because I made one that works for me and my kitchen--and you should too!

I thought our kitchen staples like chicken breasts, chuck roast, ground beef, and milk would always be cheaper at the warehouse store. But I was surprised to learn that sale prices at Raley's and Target can beat Costco, sometimes by a wide margin.

All it takes is an old notebook (or Google Docs file, if you're so inclined) where you jot down the prices for items you use often. I note the Costco price and the grocery store price, including whether the grocery price was a sale. Then do a bit of math to determine the per unit/per ounce price. This will help you compare things like peanut butter, which comes in huge buckets at Costco and regular-size jars at the supermarket. You could also note the brand if that's important to you.

Nope, I don't carry the notebook around with me when I'm shopping. But it sure helps my feeble mommy-brain compare prices when those weekly grocery ads show up!

Do you track prices? Physically or cerebrally? Tell us how in the comments.