Race Day and Deals

As some of you may know, Dan and I ran in the Nike+ 10k this morning. The weather was ok, not ideal though. At least it didn't downpour, that's a plus! I finished in 58:28 which was good, but I was hoping to beat my River Bank time of 56 and some change. I blame the weather. :) Dan did AMAZING! This was his first race every and he didn't train a single day for it. Now he does bike and lift regularly, but he doesn't run. He didn't stop once! He finished in 1:04:32. Wow! He is amazing!

Here is lovely us back at our house after the race. I wanted to snap a few at the race, but of course, I forgot my camera!


Another thing I've meaning to blog about is homemade cleaners. Cleaners from the store are stinkin' expensive, and I just can't seem to find good deals to match with coupons. So I decided to make my own.

First, I made a glass cleaner and all purpose cleaner. I am using the all pupose to clean everything that's not glass, even toilets. If I encounter a tough job (i.e. soap scum on the tub) I sprinkle some baking soda and a little water and scrub away. I had no issues cleaning anything in my house so far! Good-bye store bought cleaners!

These are frugal too. I paid:
$2.79 vinegar
$1.99 alcohol
$5.98 spray bottles (probably could have gotten them for a $1 at a dollar store, but I bought them at Meijer instead)
$1.89 baking soda
$1.47 rubber gloves (using $1 manufacturer coupon)

Total: $14.12


I think these cleaners will last forever too. The spray bottles and gloves won't have to be replaced any time soon either.

Next up, laundry soap! I hate buying laundry soap. It is so expensive, and the coupons are ridiculously low value for laundry soap. So I made my own! I got the recipe from the Duggar's book. I haven't tried it yet, so I'll have to update then and let you know what I think.

Total cost: $8.40 for 10 gallons of laundry soap. Yikes! I split the batch with a friend. I will have 5 gallons once it's all said and done. Also I didn't come close to using all the borax or washing soda. I can make several more batches before I'd need to buy more. The bar soap gets used up every time, but it's only $1.40 per bar.

Here are some crazy deals we stumbled up on our spur-of-the-moment Meijer trip. Half gallon OJ for $.56. Wow!!! They did expire in two days, but I think it will last a week or so after that. We'll see! :)