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Well I was maybe a little too hasty with that last post. I just read the ingredients in Octagon soap: Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate, Pentasodium Triphosphate and Crystalline Silica. Doesn't exactly sound natural. The quest continues.

Yes, I use those old crocheted dishcloths. The liquid soap tends to go right through them! I was talking to my Mom today and she remembered her grandmother using brown soap, she thought the name was Octagon. All it took was one Google and I found it at Vermont Country Store...

Maybe the question I should be asking is, what did great-grandma use to wash the dishes?

I have been wondering, is there a way to make rolled oats at home? What exactly do they roll them with? Is it some giant industrial size machine? And are they cooked first? If anyone knows, I would love to learn! Z. in Maine

Thanks for your responses. No, I'm not trying to save money on dishwashing liquid. A few weeks ago I read an article about how the stuff you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream just like the stuff you put in your stomach. They were mainly talking about cosmetics, skin lotion...

I would like to stop using dishwashing liquid and try bar soap for washing dishes instead, and eventually start making my own soap. What type of soap is best for washing dishes? Most of the ads I see for homemade soap assume you are going to use it on yourself. Any suggestions? Z. in Maine

Beekissed, thank you so much for this. Z in Maine

Today I helped process 65 chickens...so learned how to do my own future meat birds. I was very apprehensive about the whole thing, but it was easier than expected. Am dog tired now though. And my hands hurt. Z in Maine

After many times at trying and failing to set up a budget that works for us, I think I have finally done it. It's really a more complex version of "Needs" and "Wants." What always made it so hard is that my income is very variable. Hubby has a full time salaried job and his income is steady...

I recently read a fascinating (and depressing) book called "Big Box Swindle" about how big box stores like Walmart, Target etc. are even more evil than you already thought they were. One interesting thing was about how Wal-Mart (and other stores) use a pricing strategy called "Signposts and...

Sounds like you are well on your way to self sufficiency - congratulations! I'm not familiar with all the stores on your list. I think it depends on what your priorities are. Do you want to spend the least amount of money? If so, then you can eliminate Whole Foods from the list. Do you want to...

What a great thread! I have used Tom's of Maine for years but recently switched to the cheapest type of Colgate for financial reasons. I hate using that chemical stuff, so when this tube is gone I'm making my own! Hubby likes wintergreen and I like peppermint so I can even make a batch for each...

I'm glad I found this thread. I only knew about the liquid recipe, and made some several months ago. It gelled up quite nicely but then it didn't dissolve in my front loading washer because I am using cold water to save money. In order to use it I nuke it in the microwave for 20 seconds before I...

I just had another thought...instead of making and laundering the pads, you could just use yesterday's newspaper and toss it every day. I suspect that "dehydrating pellets" just means that they have sufficient surface area that any urine that stays on them evaporates. I think I read somewhere...

Here you go, the ecofriendly solution to roaches: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE3DA1E3BF931A25752C1A966958260

I just found out about the Breeze Cat System by Tidy Cat. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a litter box but instead of the pellets that you scoop out, they are made of some sort of permanent or semi-permanent stuff. You scoop the poop out every day, and the pee goes through to a pad in the...

I have been selling on eBay for 12 years as part of my regular income. eBay is constantly evolving and changing, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. This past year they instituted some changes that were very annoying to those of us who are long time users, including forbidding...