Going Green: Price Check!

Let me preface this by saying had I done my research (which we all know I suck at) I probably could have saved a lot more money, but couponing and shopping smart is a whole other transformation that needs to occur.

So on my way home from work last night I stopped at the store to get my groceries and my aresnal of green cleaning products. It was actually kind of fun looking for them. It was like a grown up version  of a treasure hunt because quite honestly, finding some of these items was a bit tricky as the stores have them hidden in the little crevices. Smart ones they are.

Due to my lovely OCD, I ended up purchasing things you probably don't have to, but there was NO way I was mixing uses. Like measuring cups, spoons, cheese grater, etc. Despite having all those items in my home, I opted to buy new ones specific to cleaning products. I also had to buy another mop since my Clorox Ready Mop ate it. Speaking of the Clorox Ready Mop, can I just express how much of a rip off  that thing is?! the pads don't pick up nearly what they should. The cleaning solution barely spreads on the floor and smells a wee bit funky. The mop itself is SO flimsy and barely "mopping" my kitchen floor I ended up snapping the handle. I tried taping it back together, but that went over like a lead balloon. So yeah, totally done with that!

I opted for the "Wonder Mop" since you can take the mop head off and wash it in the washing machine. Score! Not to mention with it not being the traditional square sponge, I can go back to wiping the baseboards down again with it. Yay! My back is already rejoincing over this decision. It's also VERY sturdy (I can neither confirm nor deny my testing it out in the grocery store.) I need something that I can put my elbow grease into and it's not going to snap and cause a plethora of vulgar words to spew from my mouth.

Anygerms, back to what I was saying. I ended up spending a total of $51.31 on my cleaning products. Again, this includes a couple itms you may not need to purchase. Taking out my mop and my not really needed, but bought due to my OCD items, I spent $26.51 on the actual cleaning supplies. Not bad! Unfortunately, there are some items you are going to pay a little more than necessary. Like extra light olive oil, $6.99 for a small cheap brand bottle! Oy vey. I also bought a big bottle of vinegar since it's being used in multiple capacities. Taking into account the recipes that I will be using, these supplies will last roughtly 2-6 months. Obviously the vinegar and baking soda will go faster, but the borax and olive oil should last closer to 6 months.

Trying to prove my savings, I also wrote down how much the original cleaning items I would buy were. I was appaled at what I actually spent on cleaning products & laundy detergent. I actually spent up to $60 a month on cleaning stuff! Just to have a clean home & clean clothes! I might as well of hired a cleaning lady! Switching to laundry detergent alone is massive savings! A box of our old detergent was about $16 on sale. The three products to make my detergent were only $11.56 and I bought enough of it that it should last a couple months. Our original detergent would last us a month (if we were lucky.) So I'm sold on this. Haven't even started and I'm sold.

Tonight's game plan is mixing up a couple of my cleaners and my laundry detergent. I'm actually excited to try them out! This weekend I'm going to try to get some essential oils to make things a little less vinegar smelling and have a full on cleaning session this Saturday night. It's sad how excited I am about this! I do know that for a while, while we are transitioning, I will continue to use some of the old products I had. I already spent the money, so I'm not going to waste them. I'll still use the Clorox wipes to wipe down the bathroom counter every night. I'll still use my toilet bowl cleaner and the like. Once they are gone, they are gone though. I'm determined to make this change!