Future-proof with Baking Soda

In these uncertain economic times with prices rising and taxation (GST, ETS) increases pending and even unemployment on the rise it is great to know you can easily take control over your household spending. The feeling I get when I walk down the cleaning products and cosmetics aisles in the supermarket without spending a cent is fantastic.  The positive spin off to family health and the environment with less chemicals and less waste packaging is just an added bonus.

You feel weird when you first limit the grocery budget as your natural inclination is to shop like you used to but just get less.  Then you realise that there is cheaper products out there and if you don’t get sucked in to value added marketing spin, you will realise that the cheaper products are just as good if not better… we pay a lot for brands and advertising with no real benefit to the consumer.

After a while it becomes a fun challenge to spend less and get more and you and the family quickly start to realise where to find the bargains.  For me Bin Inn has been a real gold mine of value and the fact that you can avoid packaging be using your own containers and recycling is a boon.

The meals I make now are not fancy but they are hearty, filling and I think healthier that before when we used to eat a lot of pre-pared packaged convenience food, no doubt laced with addictive salt, fat and sugar.  Meals in our house are now much more appreciated too, no longer taken for granted.

Now I have the knowledge to make and create my own cleaning solutions using cheap ingredients like baking soda it has opened the doors to diminishing my day-to-day living expenses. I no longer feel threatened by uncertain economic times as I know we can live well on as very small amount of money. Even more importantly my children are learning by example and will take the skills with them into adult life.

Making my own cleaning products and cosmetics has definitely been the key to our success and the information I learned from the Baking Soda and Vinegar books (see buy books and recipes) has certainly stopped me from buying rip off branded products.  I just wish I could get my money back from all the past things I have purchased unnecessarily  when baking soda would have done the same job, better and cost a few cents rather than $$$$$. Some of these include… shampoo, cleanser, exfoliant scrub, hand cleaner and sanitiser, toilet cleaner,  foot powder, damp rid, pot scrubs, oven cleaner and kitty litter.  Never mind – you live and learn.