Since the early days of this blog, I’ve been doing an annual “DIY For Dummies” list. It began as a way to share some of my most simple ideas that used only two ingredients, and I’ve continued on with the tradition every year! I even surprise myself sometimes, that everyRead More
How I Climb The DIY Learning Curve
I still remember a conversation I had with a sister-in-law several years ago. She was sharing with me her latest efforts in trying to get better at baking her own homemade bread. Homemade bread is something I haven’t mastered either and so I asked her, “Has it been hard bakingRead More
4 Reasons Why A “No Spend” Month Isn’t For You
Have you heard of a “No Spend” month? Or have you perhaps participated in a No Spend month? Most frugal folks who spend any amount of time on the internet have likely read a blogger article or two about taking a No Spend month challenge and are then left intriguedRead More
DIY For Dummies (Just 2 Ingredients!) – 5th Edition
It’s my vacation week out at Lake Michigan and has been my usual practice for the last few years, I take a little break from my usual writing and instead do a look back at some of the previous ideas I’ve shared. I call this annual list of 10 ideas myRead More
It’s My Blogging Birthday!
It’s the Fourth of July holiday as I’m writing this — the day that’s the birthday of the country where I make my home — the United States of America. But whenever the Fourth of July holiday rolls around I always celebrate another “birthday” of sorts. It’s my blogging birthdayRead More
Can You Microwave Fels Naphtha Soap?
Exactly two years ago today I wrote a post about how to microwave Ivory soap for your homemade laundry soap mixtures. Putting the Ivory soap in the microwave made it puff up and once it cooled, it could easily be crumbled into a powdery consistency, saving you the time andRead More
When Convenience Isn’t Convenient
The past few weeks I’ve been browsing through a book called “Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House“. It’s author, Cheryl Mendelson, set out to write a modern day handbook for homemakers covering all areas of keeping a house including making and storing food, cleaning your home, andRead More
My 3 Simple And Practical Ways to Label
I have a love-hate relationship with labeling my homemade products. On the one hand, I very much understand the importance of labeling. Homemade spice blends, homemade sauces, and especially homemade cleaners, can be really hard to identify if you don’t mark on the jar or bottle what’s inside as soon asRead More
A New Look!
If you’re a regular reader of this blog and you stopped by and visited last week, you may have noticed that things looked just a little bit different. You may have spotted the new logo, the new colors, and a couple of the new helpful pages that have been added.Read More
Can You Use Homemade Laundry Soap In HE Washers?
I get asked questions often here at The Make Your Own Zone, but one of the more frequent questions I get is about the homemade powdered laundry soap, and more specifically, if it can be used in high efficiency washing machines (usually abbreviated as HE washing machines). Because thisRead More
My Favorite Essential Oils For DIY Cleaners
One of the great things about homemade cleaners is that they are so often made with common household ingredients. Pantry staples like vinegar, baking soda, or lemon juice can be put to good use and can help you save a bundle on your cleaning supplies. BUT – there’s usually oneRead More
Why I’ve Almost Stopped Using Coupons
For years I’ve been a person who has used coupons. For me it usually wasn’t a bother to spend a little extra time clipping and organizing coupons and reading through grocery ads so I could use coupons on sale items. In fact I’ve always kept my wallet-sized coupon organizer inRead More
Using “Parts” To Adjust A Recipe
Today’s subject is somewhat of a follow up to my last post about my Updated Chocolate Pudding Dessert. Once again when I had to update an old recipe, I was reminded that having the ability to adapt and reinvent a recipe is a very handy skill for the homemade lifestyle.Read More
Is It Time To Wash Your Reusable Grocery Bags?
Perhaps like me you’ve heard a news story about the importance of washing your reusable cloth grocery bags. Those news stories remind us of the danger of possible germs that might grow from meat juices or bad fruit or vegetables that can leak onto the bag and that’s not good!Read More
What’s Up With The Weird Label on Dr. Bronner’s Soap?
As I’ve mentioned before, shifting to homemade recipes can sometimes send you in search of ingredients that are new to you. Even if it’s an ingredient that’s not totally new, like glycerin for instance, you might still find yourself wandering around your local grocery store in frustration trying to figureRead More
A Precious New Arrival
If I fall a little behind on the blogging in the next couple of weeks please forgive me . . . but I think I have a good excuse. Last week I became a grandma for the first time and I’ve been floating around on cloud nine. It seems I’veRead More
10 DIY Recipes For Dummies (4th Edition) – Just 2 Ingredients!
Welcome to the fourth edition of my DIY for Dummies list! Once a year during my annual vacation at Lake Michigan, I take a little break from trying new recipes and instead take a look back at my previous recipes to find some that are simple combinations that only takeRead More
How To Earn Free Amazon Cards For Your DIY Supplies
For most of the DIY projects I test and write about here at The Make Your Own Zone, I try to use common ingredients that can be found at places like the grocery store, the drug store, or the dollar store. This is in part because I want the recipes toRead More
Can You Mix Dawn Dish Soap With Bleach??
I must be in a laundry state of mind lately because today’s post is once again about a laundry question I’ve been thinking about. Last week I was researching some unexpected homemade stain removers and that got me thinking about another homemade laundry product – my homemade no-grate laundry soapRead More
Answering Your Questions: Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
One of the homemade recipes I’ve been testing, using, and learning about over the past few years is homemade dishwasher detergent. It’s also one of the recipes that brings me a good amount of questions from readers because it can be a somewhat finicky and frustrating mixture that canRead More