Goal: Make my own cleaning supplies

The goal of making my own cleaning supplies has a few drivers.

First, I've been "into" environmental issues since I was a little girl. I don't know why but the planet's health has always disturbed me. When I was nine I started a lunch recycling program at my school where food scraps went to local farmers and paper waste was saved from the general garbage cans. The program (called EAT - Everyone Accomplishing Together) still exists today but has expanded to include plastic and glass recycling.

Second, we are on a well and septic. Now that I actually own my own home I want to be sure that anything we put down the drain will have a minimal impact on our septic tank and the drain field.

Third, it saves money - like mad money.

After doing some research I've decided on making the following:

Laundry detergent
Dishwasher powder
Wool dryer balls
Glass cleaner
Scrubbing cleaning

TODAY'S MISSION: Laundry detergent

I've actually made my own laundry detergent in the past. It works well, doesn't leave potent smells, rinses clean, and is about $0.08/load. Essentially a batch of the recipe lasts about a year for us - two adults, no kids, five dogs, two cats. That being said one of the adults is a big outdoorsy type - so think dirt, mud, and hunting stains. 

A few years ago I thought I would have a blog where I would test a bunch of pins to see what I thought of them. Yeah, that lasted a few months... but one I keep going back to is the laundry detergent review I did:

http://purepindemonium.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-laundry-soap-diaries.html

This time around I used Dr. Bronner's rose soap and some beautiful purple jars. I had two boxes of the awesome plastic lids from a Manager's Special sale at QFC about four years ago - they are perfect!I'll be giving my mom a few too since she is also on septic and needs to pinch pennies since she's retiring in June.

Other cleaners

Since I was able to accomplish the laundry detergent today I found the recipes of the other cleaners I want to make and made a shopping list. As soon as these are done I'll post my accomplishments! 

Dishwasher powder
Wool dryer balls
Glass cleaner
Scrubbing cleaning

If you haven't noticed I kinda like her site...

Where it all began...

When I first started this blog my hope/expectation was to find a way to be happy and to accomplish my goals. Instead it became a brief and interruptable sounding board for my life's frustrations. Today, however, I feel more at ease - at peace. I'm finally in a place that promotes calm and creativity - I just need to accept these gifts which is harder than one would think. You go about "surviving" long enough you forget how choosing life works. So I'm bringing back the purpose for this blog - the goal setting, the accomplishments to live the life that I know I can.

To start I will include my large goals with any subset "bite size" pieces I am currently aware of that will promote goal completion. Any good life coach or mentor will tell you to choose your goals and then accomplish them through small tasks. I think I get so overwhelmed at the thought of goals and internalize the small steps so much that I essentially drive myself batty.

Goals, currently in no particular order

• Go to New Zealand in January 2017
• Go to Up Helly-a in January 2018
• Go to Zambia
• Go to Scotland
• Insulate the garage
• Harvest 300 pounds of food from my garden
• Build planter boxes
• Call for dirt delivery
• Planting guide
• Sell additional seedlings/plants/veggies
• Freeze all excess fruit from trees
• Stand-up freezer
• Make as many cleaners as possible
• Laundry detergent
• Scrub cleaner
• Window/mirror cleaner
• dryer balls
• Set up art room
• Rug hooking
• Learn to sew
• Build outdoor cat area
• Build deck in back
• Build wrap around deck
• Get a BBQ
• Buy my mom a new fridge, washer, dryer, stove, hood
• Payoff student loan
• Special project for Mercy
• Mom's surprise retirement party
• De-clutter everything
• Kitchen:
• Create a recipe folder/binder
• Drawer organizers
• Purge unneeded kitchen items
• Paper towel holder
• New fridge
• Built-in pantry area along orange wall
• Den:
• Organize paperwork (bills, house stuff, medical, etc)
• Scan what can be and load to external drive
• Get second bookcase - remove mismatched bookcases
• create built-in style
• New TV/Wall mount
• Build nicer indoor dog crate
• New couch
• cozy chairs
• Art Room: 
• storage! 
• Emails
• Unsubscribe from all unnecessary emails
• Bathrooms:
• Cleaning supply bucket in each bathroom
• Go through drawers
• Drawer organizers
• Laundry closet: 
• Storage!
• Upstairs hall closet
• build shelves
• Guest bedroom
• create office area in closet for Michael
• bed
• dresser
• decorations
• Set-up livingroom
• Jamberry sales
• Minimum monthly income of $200 - before my purchases
• Bake more bread
• sell extra loaves
• Learn to fiddle
• Move furniture from my mom's house
• Reduce my time away from home
• Lose 70 pounds
• Cut trails in back property
• Plant Christmas Tree
• Plant hedge bushes
• Michael's art
• Prints
• Etsy sales (determine sales goal)
• Money saving 
• meal prep
• bulk chicken
• farm raised meat
• Chickens! 
• Build loft
• learn about chicken raising
• sell extra eggs

This is just a preliminary list - I feel like every day I find something else I need to or want to do! Each day I'll work to dissect a goal and really plan out the steps - and maybe even mark some as accomplished! 

Here's to more productive life.