If finances are tight, then finding ways to cut costs from essential household items such as laundry powder can make a significant difference in the long term.
And while supermarkets stock a range of laundry products to suit every budget, for those keeping an eye on the family spending there’s a way to make their own.
Mother-of-two Jody Allen, the blogger behind Stay at Home Mum, recently shared her handy DIY laundry detergent hack that she says costs just $5.
The secret? A box of Lux flakes which she makes into six months worth of product.
Ms Allen shared her budget laundry hack which costs $5 and makes up to six months worth of product (stock image)
A box of Lux flakes costs just over $5 and can be made into six months worth of laundry powder
Blogger and budget conscious mum Jody Allen (pictured) hacked her family’s budget
In an effort to keep costs down, the budget-conscious mum revealed how turning to some tried and trusted DIY hacks have helped her shave hundreds off her household bills.
‘Honestly, one little five dollar box of Lux flakes will make you six months worth of laundry powder,’ she said.
Her recipe, shared courtesy of The Pineapple Project, used one box of Lux flakes or 700 grams of grated Sunlight soap.
She then added one cup of bicarbonate soda, and two drops of eucalyptus or tea tree oil. The ingredients were then put into a blender and processed until fine.
She suggested storing the mix in an airtight container and to wash, she dissolved a teaspoon of the mix in 1/2 a cup of boiling water first.
While it takes a little effort to make, there are significant savings to be had, revealed the thrifty mum (stock image)
Speaking on The Pineapple Project Mrs Allen revealed she wasn’t always a thrifty mum and said there was a time when she and her husband spent money in an extravagant way.
But she said all of this changed quite drastically after she and her husband had two babies in five years.
She also said during this time she was made redundant from her job, and while she was pregnant after five years of IVF.
On top of that, the mum-of-two said the family were also mid-renovations, and had to make a household budget of $50 per week work.
‘We were in the middle of building our dream home that had sort of been on the fridge for ten years when the redundancy happened,’ she said.
‘Hubby and I worked out that if we wanted to keep the house that we only had 50 dollars left over after paying all our bills at the end of the week to spend on groceries.’