I Made My Own Laundry Soap

Finance and Frugality Friday

DIY Natural is a blog I subscribe to. And last weekend I finally had gathered all the ingredients for homemade laundry soap and I made it and used it in my LG front-loading washer. It smells like Ivory soap because it's, you know, made with Ivory soap. So that's nice. I so far noticed no difference in the cleanliness of the clothes. But I have been mocked mercilessly by my friends last night at Happy Hour.

"Why did you make your own laundry soap?" I was asked.

The only real answer was what I replied with. "Because I can."

I also mentioned that it's less expensive ("Are you poor?") and is better for the environment ("You don't have kids, your carbon footprint is teeny tiny no matter what."). And this is when I used Happy Hour to save me from my friends assailing my choices.

"What game is that on the TV?" I asked. The guys' heads snapped immediately and they began talking about sports amongst themselves.

I turned to the other woman there and said "Your hair looks amazing? Did you change the cut?" Which started her on a 10-minute rant about how she needs a new flat iron and her conditioner is leaving a buildup on her hair and she needs to use a clarifier.

With my friends distracted I escaped any more ridicule - not that they care anyway. None of my friends really give one rat's ass whether or not I want to make my own laundry soap; they just like to give me a hard time. It's our one group ritual. And at the end of the day, I'd make my own clothes if that's what it took to be able to hang out in a cool bar with my friends once or twice a month. The acceptance, humor, and warm feelings this group of people gives me is the best return on any investment ever.