I like to keep things as natural as I can in my home most of the time. A person could go broke with the prices of some of the organic produce out there. Not to mention the high price tags on all natural cleaning supplies.
Don't get me wrong, I do know that at least some of the time the higher price tag is warranted. The manual labor can be higher on organic crops because the farmer is doing everything he can to keep his (or her) yield up without the use of harsh chemicals that could harm bees, the environment and even our health. Plus there is the whole supply and demand thing.
Unfortunately none of that changes what I can actually afford to buy. Every year www.ewg.org puts out their Dirty Dozen List. These are the 12 produce items that when tested contained the most harmful pesticide residue. Those are the things I try to grow myself, buy organic or buy direct from farmers using organic methods.
There is also the Clean Fifteen put out by www.ewg.org as well. These are the produce items that contain the least amount of pesticide residue. Those are the things I don't worry about so much.
As for the things not either list, it depends on how much we eat of any given item. If we it a lot of it, I try to buy organic as often as I can. If we only have it occasionally I don't worry so much about it.
Sure, I would love to eat only organic produce. Unfortunately that is just not in my budget and my family would go hungry far too often at this point.
Fortunately things are much easier in the cleaning supplies department. Vinegar, water and baking soda do wonders to clean surfaces.
Another of my favorite web sites is www.tipnut.com. Go there and do a search for laundry detergent. I've tried several of the homemade laundry recipes on there and I have been happy with them all. I prefer to make liquid. I'm not really sure why because I've never had any problems withe the powdered ones, they all dissolved great, even in my hard water.
How do you stay natural and frugal?
I have 2 huge (name brand ) pickle jars and fill them with vinegar, when I have a lemon or orange I put the peel in there once the jar is filled with citrus and vinegar I let it sit for 3 months, then pour through colander and into a spray bottle. I love it, it works great. I also go no poo in the summer - because it makes me a little frizzy- when I have wind blown hair any ways. I make my own lard, candles, vinegar, soap, and like you, laundry soap. ANd because of you I have started making my own bread, especially beer bread for all the soups and stews we have in the winter. :)
ReplyDeleteI do make the citrus peel cleaner now and then. I love the smell and it does great on my kitchen counters. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're getting into the bread making. Nothing makes a house smell as good as baking bread does. I'm attempting my first loaf of read sourdough bread tomorrow.