Homemade and All-natural

*I actually wrote this post earlier, but haven't had the chance to get in here and add the links I wanted to until now.

I love having things that are all-natural, organic, homemade, etc. And with so many dangerous and unhealthy things in a majority of store-bought products, everything including food, household cleaners, and health and beauty aides, you just don't have much chance of buying something that you know is safe. So, what can you do? Well, I've been finding lots of different alternatives, and I have actually been saving money! Who doesn't want to save money, especially when you can live healthy, right?

One of the biggest things I've been doing is making things at home. The stuff I make is a lot healthier, safer, and I can make large quantities for less money than it costs to buy the same thing already made and in smaller quantities! Here is what I'm making so far:

*Ketchup: I know most people wouldn't think of this being a big deal, but have you read the ingredients on ketchup? One of the major downfalls is HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup). I read the ingredients on some of the more expensive but natural and organic ketchups, and realized that I could make it myself! So, i did! It tastes so much better than the regular stuff at the grocery store, too! Everybody who has tried mine raves about it, and it goes much faster now in our house than it did before. And it contains no sugar or HFCS!

*Bread: another product unnecessarily containing HFCS and processed white sugar, along with processed bleached flour. I stood in the aisle at the grocery store and read the ingredients on every brand of bread, and 99% contain these things, even the ones I originally was deceived in to thinking were healthy! And the good ones are expensive. So, I started making my own, and even acquired a bread machine to make this easier, and now I can hardly keep a loaf of bread long enough to make sandwiches with! My kids love it that much, and that's without sugar or HFCS!

*Laundry soap: the recipe I currently have does contain Fels-Naptha, and I wonder about it, but it seems to not be irritating our skin at the moment (I have a family of sensitive skin & eczema), and the amount I made for the price of about 1 months worth, will last us about 1 year! 

*Dish Washer soap: this one still needs some tweaking, but it's working. I actually wanted to not use any commercial dish washer soap at all, but my dishes were not coming clean enough with just the borax and washing soda. But, I don't use much of the commercial soap at all, and I am still saving a lot of money. I'm still using the mixture of soda and borax, but adding a small amount of a cheap soap (that doesn't work well on it's own) and about 1/2 teaspoon Dawn, & get very clean dishes.

*Household cleaners: I'm still working on using up the commercial products I already have, but at the same time I'm using things like baking soda and lemon juice (which makes for a very shiny kitchen sink ~think Fly Lady) or vinegar.

*Shampoo and conditioner: this I just just discovered and tried for the first time last night. I found out about the "No Poo Challenge" that started August 10th from Feelin' Feminine, and I started trying that day. Baking soda to wash, and I made a mixture of apple cider vinegar, water, coconut oil and honey for conditioner. It turned out great, only I think i added too much oil. I will dilute what I have in the bottle before my next use, and work on getting a good balance here too. So, if this turns out to be as great as all the other ladies on FF say, I will use my shampoo for Fly Lady's "Swish and Swipe". That will save on toilet bowl cleaner! (*Update: I tried a mix of 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, added to 1 cup of water, and used part (not the whole thing) to wash, then rinsed with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water for conditioning. This is after having an oil in my hair for a few days because I did something wrong in the mix and made my my hair feel weird and unbrushable. Now, it is soft, smooth, and easy to brush. This is also working much better on my sensitive skin too! Normally, shampoos and conditioners cause me to have sore's on my head that itch and burn and are painful when I wash my hair again. I'm happy to say that my scalp is free of pain, itching and burning for the first time in my life!)

Some other things I've been doing and using include:

*Witch hazel for face astringent instead of commercial chemical products

*I try to purchase food products that are natural and/or organic wherever possible. I shop at a combination of places to accomplish this, including The Health Food Center. Just recently I discovered that there is a new farmers market in the city I live in. I've also been able to purchase locally raised, free-range, all-natural chickens. I can't possibly list all of the things that I buy, but a few are: the local ice cream and dairy store, Braum's, raises their own cattle for milk products, which are all natural, hormone free. At the farmer's market I found some local all-natural beef, along with honey and bread, fruits and vegi's, and eggs!

It's taken time to get this far, and I'm sure more things will be added to the list in the future. I'm also hoping to sell some of the stuff I make, like maybe bread, ketchup, soaps (along with the others mentioned, I want to try to make body soaps also). I've been trying to think of anything else that I could make and sell.

I'm hoping to start making things at home and selling them to support my girls and I. If anybody is interested in trying some of the things I've made, or has any input on how to get started selling, let me know! =)