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I always stock up on tp and paper towels when there is a really good sale and for TP nothing beats the scott 1000 rolls. Tp never goes bad and you can always use it, also it is a good barter item in a pinch of the cheeks. Paper towels can be used to supplement a first aid kit as well as you can put them over the other bandages to mop up blood in severe injuries, plus if you are carefull you can reuse them. Plus a well folded paper towel can be used in leu of a sanitary napkin as well, I have done this before and it better to use than TP which can work but is horrible in that it disintegrates. Another good item is soap, either liquid or bar hand soap, or laundry soap. Stores really well and if you get enough of it you can also use it for bartering later.

Female Hygene products such as pads are another one you can use for other purposes like first aid plus are great barter items as well.

Any paper item is great to prep as they are fairly versitile and can be stored and rotated better than canned food.

Good tips.

For laundry soap - it is easy and extremely cheap to make:
Melt 1/2 cup grated soap melted in 4 cups hot water, then add 1/4 cup Washing Soda and 1/4 cup Borax. Stir until smooth. Add 1/4 cup Vinegar. Will foam up, but keep stirring. Stir until cooled a little. Add 2 cups water and stir. Can add hot water if is too viscous. Add 4 cups more water. Stir constantly until cool. Use 1/4 - 1/3 capful. Works great!

If ends up too viscous, then bring to a boil, then cool while whisking constantly to a smooth texture.

1 recipe makes almost 100 ounces.

Cost Analysis

Super Wash Soda: $3.15/55 oz = $0.0573/oz 1/4 cup = 2.5 oz $0.0573/oz * 2.5 oz = $0.14/ 1/4 cup

Borax: $3.35/76 oz = $0.0441/oz 1/4 cup = 2 oz $0.0441/oz * 2 oz = $0.09 / 1/4 cup

Fels Naptha: $0.99 per bar 1/2 cup is about 1/2 bar $0.50 per 1/2 cup

Vinegar: guessing ~$0.05 / 1/4 cup

Sum: $0.78 per 100 oz $1.17 per 150 oz

That's about $5 less than store-bought cheap detergent, and a lot less than the expensive brands.

If being frugal isn't your incentive but space for storage is - a box of super wash soda, a box of borax, a bottle of vinegar, and bars of soap take up a lot less space than the comparable amount of laundry detergent. 1 square foot of ingredients will make about 20-25 100 ounce bottles.

Thanks for the laundry soap recipe, yorkiemom!! I like the cost AND space savings. Do you know if this recipe works in the new (crapola) HE washers? Also, is washing soda sold near the regular laundry detergent? ♥

I’ve seen recipes before and have been planning to make some, but this is the first recipe with vinegar. Do you know what function the vinegar serves? I always have gallons of white vinegar on hand for various purposes.

I’ve been using this one for about a year now and since it is a powder there is less space used to store it. I use 1/2 c white vinegar in the softener slot and about 1 T soap for a full load. I’m happy I know what’s in my soap and my are cleaned cheaply.

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/ss/powderedlaundrysoapsteps.htm