Making sacrifices is not the only way to save money. While you might have to cut back on ordering food for delivery and not buy as many shoes, there are some less drastic changes that you can make to save money on those little things you cannot afford to be without.

You don’t have to be a chemist or a chef to swap out store-bought products and materials for homemade options.

All it takes is a little bit of research and time, and you’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by making some products at home.

Why Would I Want to Make My Own Products?

Being more in control of the materials you use every day will also allow you to control what types of chemicals and fumes you might be spreading around your home.

Not only can these chemicals be toxic to us, but they can be harmful to our pets and our kids.

Below are some homemade products you can make on your own to save money. Consider tracking some of the household items you spend money on at the grocery store and comparing the prices to how much it costs you for the ingredients to create your version.

You might be surprised just how quickly and easily having these homemade items on hand can slash your budget.

Laundry Detergent

Laundry detergent can be expensive, and the expense grows exponentially the more people you live with. Furthermore, so many laundry detergents on the affordable side are filled with harsh scents that can be bothersome to those with sensitive skin.

More natural laundry detergents are made with safer ingredients on the market, but they are pricey.

You can easily make your own laundry solution at home with items you probably already have on hand. If you need to purchase any of these products, you’ll be able to use them for other things too.

How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

One of the easiest and most effective homemade laundry detergent recipes includes:

• Super Washing Soda (1 box)
• Borax (1 box)
• Pure Baking Soda (1 box)
• 3 bars of Ivory Soap
• Oxiclean or Purex Crystals (1 container)

You can make such a large amount of homemade laundry detergent with this recipe that it’ll more than makeup for the cost of any of these products that you may have to purchase.

You will want to melt the bars or soap and smash them up into small pieces or grate them with a cheese grater. You then mix all the ingredients together; you’ll need a large tote for this. You can then transfer some into a smaller container to keep by your laundry machines, and you can refill from the tote as needed.

You only need to use about one to two tablespoons of this homemade laundry detergent, so this solution is going to last you a very long time.

Deodorant

More consumers are becoming wary of the deodorant they purchase, as many deodorants on the market contain ingredients known to have harmful effects on our health. There are natural deodorants on the market, but many aren’t effective or long-lasting, and some are very expensive.

Since you probably don’t want to go without deodorant, you can mix up a homemade deodorant that will cover up odors and keep you feeling and smelling fresh.

How To Make Homemade Deodorant

This deodorant recipe comes out like a lotion, but it is soft and refreshing and should work well if you have sensitive skin. You’ll want to have a glass jar in which you can store your finished deodorant. The ingredients are:

• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• ⅓ cup arrowroot powder
• ⅓ cup of coconut oil

• 10-15 drops essential oil of your choice (optional if you want scent)

Mix all the above components until they are blended well. You can swipe some on your fingers and rub the deodorant into your armpits. Just be sure to let the deodorant dry before getting dressed.

Household Cleaner

Many store-bought products we use to wipe down the surfaces and counters in our home or clean our floors are full of chemicals that can be toxic if ingested. The items you may place on these surfaces may contact your mouth. Residue also transfers to your hands when you clean.

Furthermore, if you have kids or pets, it may be harder to control what they are and aren’t coming in contact with. Therefore, one of the best products you can choose to make homemade is an all-purpose house cleaner.

How To Make Household Cleaner

Homemade household cleaners have very few ingredients, but they get the job done just as effectively, if not better than the products you purchase at the store.

The following homemade cleaner recipe is straightforward, cheap, and relies on citrus fruit’s natural and lovely scent. You will need:

• Orange peels from four oranges
• White vinegar
• Mason Jar
• Spray Bottle
• Essential Oil (this is optional)

You want to pour the vinegar into the mason jar with the orange peels, making sure the peels are covered completely.

You want the solution to sit in the closed mason jar for two weeks.

Then, you can pour it into the spray bottle halfway, with water to top it off. You want to strain the solution, so no pieces of the orange peel get into the spray bottle.

Flavored Water

Many people enjoy flavored water as an alternative to juice or soda, but it can be a little pricey. Moreover, it produces a lot of waste, often packaged in plastic or cans.

It’s straightforward to make your own flavored water at home, and it can be much healthier as well.

You can avoid adding sugar to your flavored water or add any sweetener you might like if you want a more saturated flavor. Agave is an excellent choice, as it enhances the fruity flavor while also adding a healthy source of sweetness. It also allows you to avoid artificial sweeteners.

How To Make Flavored Water At Home

Essentially, you will want to take any of the fruits or vegetables you want your water to taste like, along with any herbs you might like, and place them in a jar or some container that can be closed.

You then take a wooden spoon and push down on all the ingredients to mash them up. Pour water into the container and store it in the fridge to get cold.

Hummus

Hummus has become a staple in most fridges since it is very healthy and can enhance many dishes and snacks.

It is not overly expensive, but the cost can add up if you eat a lot of it. Some store-bought hummuses can also have unnecessary additives that you can avoid if you make your own.

How To Make Homemade Hummus

Making your homemade hummus is very quick, easy, and inexpensive. If you have a blender or food processor at home, you can make hummus easily. To make your own hummus, you will need:

• A can of chickpeas, washed and drained (or dried chickpeas soaked overnight and drained)
• Olive oil
• Tahini (about ¼ cup)
• Lemon Juice
• Any additional spices or herbs you want to use to change the flavor

Depending on your desired consistency, you will want to see how all the ingredients blend to know how much oil to add. For each cup of chickpeas, the general recommendation is ¼ cup of oil.

Most people will add some garlic or garlic powder at the very least to add some flavor, but some also enjoy the flavor of chickpeas on their own. You can always play with the recipe to ensure you never get bored of the delicious dip.

Face and Body Scrub

Most of us have spent way too much money on skincare products, hoping that our skin would get smoother and livelier. The issue is that these expensive products don’t always work or are crafted with harsh chemicals we don’t want on our skin.

Most of us also don’t exfoliate, which allows our skin to shed dead cells and absorb all the moisture and nutrients it needs.

Face and body scrubs are available, but some of them have harmful ingredients to our skin and the environment. Thankfully, making your own is super inexpensive and much, much better for your skin.

 How To Make Homemade Face and Body Scrubs

Many recipes you can find on the internet consist of ingredients you probably already have. This also allows you to choose ingredients based on your favorite natural scents.

For example, you can use those coffee grounds that you usually throw out after brewing coffee to make your homemade scrub. Add some to hot water and add some to the coconut oil or another oil you enjoy. Coffee is fantastic for revitalizing and nourishing your skin.

Here is an idea for a simple and powerful scrub using honey:

Mix 2 tablespoons of honey

¼ cup, melted coconut oil

½ cup of brown sugar

Homemade Oven Cleaner

Not only is cleaning an oven an arduous, labor-intensive task but store-bought oven cleaners contain some harmful chemicals that emit fumes. Do you want those in the place where you cook most of your food?

There are homemade oven cleaners that are simple to mix, and they will give you some jaw-dropping results. The ingredients you need are also inexpensive, and you might even already have them around your home.

How To Make Oven Cleaner at Home

To make a simple yet supremely effective oven cleaner, you will need:

• ½ cup of baking soda
• 3-5 tablespoons of water
• Vinegar
• Spray Bottle
• Damp dishcloth
• Rubber gloves (optional but strongly recommended)
• Spatula (plastic or silicone will be best)

You want to start the process by mixing the baking soda and water. You might have to add a bit more water to get a paste-like consistency. You will want to spread this paste all over your empty oven. Don’t put the paste on your heating elements. It’s best to do this after your oven has cooled after dinner so you can let it sit overnight.

The next day, you will take your damp cloth and wipe out the paste. You might not need it, but you’ll want to use your silicone spatula to scrape off to get rid of any excess paste that is harder to remove. Next, you’ll want to spray some vinegar over the oven to remove excess paste and baking soda.

Once the vinegar has created a foam in the spots where baking soda might still be, you can wipe it off with your damp cloth. Your oven should now be clean and smell fresh.

A little bit of research will give you DIY solutions for just about anything you can imagine. Not only are many homemade products easy to make, but they are often a little softer on the environment, produce less waste, and save money in the long term.

Image by [Prostock-Studio] via [Shutterstock.com].