Things I don't buy anymore

Yeah, I know, strange title, right.  Today I got my vanilla beans in, I"ve been thinking about making vanilla extract for 2 years and I finally did it In part I finally did it as a celebration of more readily available high test alcohol in stores in WA, and because I just like making weird stuff.  So, in honor of the weird stuff idea, here are my list of things I don't buy at a store anymore, because I make them myself....things I never thought I would, and without the internet I couldn't have....see, it doesn't just suck all of our time into a vortex of uselessness, it helps us.

I will list them in order.

 First, jam.  Ever since I was first handed a brown bag of plums by my in-laws 10 years ago....I have not had store bought jam in my house.  I have made plum, mint, blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, mixed berry, and peach.  I made several of them several times....so yummy, and stupid easy, which is why I make it.  Blackberry is the cheapest for me to make, because I have a ton in my backyard....growing for free (and if I am not careful, could easily move us out of our house)

Then, Pickles.  I started with dill, and they are SOOOO good.... garlicky, spicy, sour, yummm.  They again are easy, but they do have cure time....3 long months of waiting for THIS seasons pickles.  I also do sweets, dill and sweet relish, pickled beets, and I have done dilly beans, but I don't think I'll do them again.

Then, the really weird one, I made (and make) laundry soap.  So nice to pass up those smelly bottles of laundry soap that are WAY overpriced.  I have 2 types in buckets in my garage, regular and delicate, and I spend about 5 bucks a batch, which makes 10 gallons of detergent....can't beat the price.

Then, my hubby got me a stick blender, and one of the recipes was mayonnaise.  So I tried it....it was BLAND.....it NEEDED salt, so the second batch I added a pinch of salt....problem solved.....so I have not bought it since.  I make it weekly (roughly) and not only is it cheaper, but it doesn't have all the preservatives.

Next hardware purchase equaled a new homemade project, and that is, I use my vita-mix (fantastic, can't beat it really) to make our peanut butter.  I was buying Adams, because I like the more natural, but now, we just buy peanuts, and I grind it up myself.  It is truly healthy (Skippy and Jiff are NOT) and yummy.  I don't think it is THAT much cheaper, but I like making it myself.

So now, I am making vanilla extract, and my next project is liquid soap and hand sanitizer  We don't use it at home, because I like bar soap, but I always have the slivers that are too small to use anymore, and was throwing them out.  This spring when getting the motorhome ready for summer, I realized I needed liquid soap for the bathroom out there, so my google fingers got moving, and I realized I could turn my useless slivers of bar soap into liquid soap for the motorhome.  Two birds, one stone is the name of the game.  The hand sanitizer too, I want to put some in the sewer compartment of the motorhome (for obvious reasons) and have some around the house, and I like making stuff at home....it is my hobby.