Friday 3 March 2023

Saving money when making soap

As I am sure everyone has noticed, the cost of soap making oils has increased dramatically especially olive oil. Last year when I ran out of olive oil I dreaded having to spend a lot of money on new stock and was pleasantly surprised when I went into Coles to find that they had some large tins of oil reduced from over $30 to $6.95. I have no idea why they were reduced but I picked up two cans straight away in case they were sold quickly.


Pure Soap


Rice Bran Oil was also nowhere to be found last year in the usual supermarkets I visit but I did spot some in a less visited supermarket at one stage so grabbed a container. My hubby said I should have bought more while it was available and the price was good so he went back and bought another three containers. Of course the Use By date was checked first. I noticed that it is now available in the supermarkets in large containers. 


Coconut Oil Soap with Aloe Vera 


Then a friend on the Homemaker's Forum said she was able to buy Coconut Oil in 15 litre packs and, as she lives in Tasmania where the supplier is, it was very economical for her to buy the oil locally from Essential Oils and Soap and now she makes 100% Coconut Oil Soap to give away to various shelters and it hardly costs her anything. Remember that if you decide to make this soap you need to run it through a soap calculator using  20% superfat. 


So I worked it out that even with the cost of postage to Queensland 15 litres of Coconut Oil was much cheaper than buying it in smaller amounts in the supermarket. It comes in a box with a very thick plastic bag inside and the oil was solid when it arrived so thankfully there was no heat wave at the time. I guess it would have been okay if it had liquified as the bag was very thick. I waited for a hot day so that I could pour the oil into containers. The soap with aloe vera that I made had a few white specks in it and was actually pink in places where I hadn't mixed in the green mica thoroughly. Next time I might leave out the colouring and just make a pink soap. 


A friend gave us several punnets of tomatoes late last year and, for the first time, we had a glut of tomatoes. I think the rain earlier on really helped but as soon as we had a couple of really hot days I noticed that they weren't doing as well as during the cooler weather. 



I ended up making several batches of Roasted Tomato Sauce. 




A friend gave us a rose his wife didn't want seeing as I had killed all our roses apart from one and this is the first flower we have had. I think it might be a Blue Moon which would be great if it was as mine died. Sigh! I don't have a lot of success with roses for some reason. 



I have been noticing that some of the bromeliad pups are not the same colour as the mother plant which is disappointing as my hubby often buys broms from the Bromeliad Show during the Carnival of Flowers when he finds one he really likes. I must ask the experts this year when we visit the show why that happens.

 


Some plants just keep on popping up each year regardless of any TLC and this Amaryllis is a little darker than the rest and is quite stunning.  Most other plants are dying off so I have been harvesting seeds to plant next year. 

I hope everyone is keeping well. Have a great weekend!







8 comments:

  1. Hi Chel. I might have to look into getting coconut oil from the same place as you did. Bluey likes the coconut oil soap as it has such a good lather. He is positive that it cleans better as a result. I love the pale pink that the coconut oil and aloe vera goes. As the soap ages the pink becomes less.

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    1. Jane, I did ask to be notified by email when new CO stock came in but never got an email. Thankfully I checked the website and saw that they had it in stock and ordered it straight away. It must get sold quickly.

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  2. That's weird comment seemed to disappear before I finished. So starting again, these are the times for finding savings. Fortunately my roses were long established by the previous owner so have not died on me like they usually do. They are flowering beautifully at the moment.

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    1. I can't comment on some blogs on my iPad anymore so have to use my phone with its small screen 😏

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  3. Your rose definitely looks the same as my Blue Moon, Chel. They're a gorgeous colour. You know I wonder with the broms, whether it's got something to do with the soil? Like hydrangeas? Be interesting to find out.
    Hope and pray you're doing well. Bless you heaps!
    Jennifer

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    1. Jennifer, I just love the Blue Moon rose. Am doing okay despite some ongoing drama here. Hope you are okay too. Big hugs. Chel

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  4. Did you mean 5 litres - rather than 15? I buy 5 litres of coconut oil online, and that's huge! I can get 5L for approx $90 AU or 20L for approx $300 AU. That includes shipping anywhere in Australia. It's called Naked Press if you're interested, and based in Eumundi, Queensland.

    It's the Solomon Islands, cold pressed virgin coconut oil. There's another variety from the Philippines, but it's more expensive. I would post a hyperlink, only I'm unsure if auto moderation would nix my comment, lol.

    I don't know if it's better pricing than the link you supplied, as it's sold out now and no price is listed. But you'll probably have plenty of coconut oil to last you a while anyway! Love your flower and soap photos.

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    1. Chris, I bought 15 litres so will have plenty to last me for ages. That is a really good price. Chel

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