If you like to shop online and like the thrill of the hunt for a good deal, then you have to check out www.alice.com. Alice is an online marketplace for household and grocery items. I stumbled upon it while comparing prices for Arm & Hammer Washing Soda for my detergent. I have to say, I may like it more than www.greatcleaners.com because with Alice, shipping is....FREE! The only catch is that you have to order 6 items but if you want to load up on things, it is great. They regularly have coupon discounts and from what I see, the prices are really reasonable. They carry everything from TP and paper towels, to hair gel, diapers, first aid supplies and even pet food. I am planning on putting in an order soon so I will provide an update on the quality of the actual transaction.
Please feel free to let me know if you have had experience with this site.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Soap Opera
As a kid, I remember spending time with my Grandmothers and Great-Grandmother. While there was always time for fun things like exploring the attic for "buried treasure" and making cookies, one thing was for certain. Never interrupt during the "Young & the Restless" or "Bold and the Beautiful"! Even today, I think you could turn either one of those shows on and see the same old torrid love affairs between the Newmans, Abbotts, Forresters and Logans. So what does this have to do with Gettin' Krunchy you may ask? Allow me to indulge you in a little pop culture history for a moment....
The term "soap opera" was derived from the early days of radio and television broadcasts in which the manufacturers of household cleaning products would sponsor a program in the form of advertising and later advancing in the form of product placement (think about Reese's Pieces and the movie E.T.) in the actual scene. Of course, in those days, the sponsorships were targeted toward the stay at home wives and mothers of that generation so most of the ads involved products for cooking or cleaning such as Arm & Hammer, Ivory Soap, Borax, etc.
Over time, I think we as consumers have become so focused on time and efficiency and are at times willing to overlook cost and even quality of the products we use. Take laundry soap for example. Growing up, I always saw one particular brand of laundry soap in our laundry room. When we ran out and needed something washed in a snap, I will admit, we resorted to using a little glob of shampoo. It seemed to work at the time. But now that I am a Mom, I am not only concerned with what is in the things I use but the cost as well. Let's be real here. Laundry Detergent is NOT cheap! Not to mention all the dyes and chemicals that are found in the common brands in the stores. I really laugh at the idea now that we would associate a blue liquid that smells like pooey-flowers with cleanliness.
A little over six months ago, I read an article about homemade laundry soap and have made my own since then. It is better for the environment and my family but best of all, it is dirt cheap and super easy to make.
The term "soap opera" was derived from the early days of radio and television broadcasts in which the manufacturers of household cleaning products would sponsor a program in the form of advertising and later advancing in the form of product placement (think about Reese's Pieces and the movie E.T.) in the actual scene. Of course, in those days, the sponsorships were targeted toward the stay at home wives and mothers of that generation so most of the ads involved products for cooking or cleaning such as Arm & Hammer, Ivory Soap, Borax, etc.
Over time, I think we as consumers have become so focused on time and efficiency and are at times willing to overlook cost and even quality of the products we use. Take laundry soap for example. Growing up, I always saw one particular brand of laundry soap in our laundry room. When we ran out and needed something washed in a snap, I will admit, we resorted to using a little glob of shampoo. It seemed to work at the time. But now that I am a Mom, I am not only concerned with what is in the things I use but the cost as well. Let's be real here. Laundry Detergent is NOT cheap! Not to mention all the dyes and chemicals that are found in the common brands in the stores. I really laugh at the idea now that we would associate a blue liquid that smells like pooey-flowers with cleanliness.
A little over six months ago, I read an article about homemade laundry soap and have made my own since then. It is better for the environment and my family but best of all, it is dirt cheap and super easy to make.
Here is what you will need:
- 2 bars of Ivory Soap (shave down to a flake-like texture)
- 2 cups of Baking Soda
- 2 cups of Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer)
- 2 cups of Borax
- 25-30 drops of any desired essential oil such as Tea Tree Oil. (Tea Tree oil is suggested to be anti-fungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiseptic).
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and place in any container that will keep it cool and dry. I only use about 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup per load, depending on the size of the load.
For anyone who thinks this will take too much time, it literally takes you 5 minutes. The longest part of it is shaving down the soap but you could spend a few extra bucks to buy a box of Ivory Snow Flakes if you weren't up for using a little "elbow grease." All of these ingredients I found in the regular grocery store, with the exception of the Washing Soda. You could ask your local store to order it for you or you could order it in bulk from http://www.greatcleaners.com/. Sometimes, it can also be found in hardware stores. But trust me, it is well worth the time because you will save a lot of money on laundry soap.
Give it a try and let me know your thoughts.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
What is "Krunchy?"
We have all heard the labels before. The labels "Granola", "Tree Hugger", and "Hippie" have been used historically to describe the people who try or do things that are more earth-friendly than what the average person does. I admit that I have used these labels before when referencing others in the past. But since becoming a Mom, I have become more aware of the everyday tasks I do and the things I buy, and the way it affects my family and our standard of living. Naturally, I love Planet Earth. Who doesn't? But my intentions behind "Gettin' Krunchy" are much more economically based. The term "Krunchy" is just like the aforementioned labels, only I believe it to be about saving money as well. Simply put, being green should be easy and inexpensive!
I think we can all agree that the last few years have been a real downer and we have all felt the money "krunch" (sorry-couldn't resist). It seems that jobs are being lost left and right and quite frankly there never seems to be any good news on the economic front. I know for myself, I have had to change career paths in order to make ends meet, as many other people have had to do. With my career change, came a substantial drop in income. It used to be no BIG DEAL for my husband and I to just order take out or go to a restaurant for dinner. Trust me; the transition from being Champagne-taste/Champagne-pocketbook to Beer-taste/Beer-pocketbook was really tough!
For my next blog entry, I will share my success with Homemade Laundry Detergent!
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