"Simple Pleasures"

Simple Pleasures ~ DIY Laundry Detergent

I love saving money and I love saving space. So when I saw on Pinterest that you could make your own laundry detergent for a fraction of the cost, I was all over it. And I chose to make a powder version, because it stores easier than a liquid version. I figured I would just let the machine add the water for me.

I purchased the 3 ingredients (Borax, Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, and a Fels-Naptha bar) from my local Walmart for under $10. You'll find them in the laundry aisle, but you might have to look carefully, because it's a pretty small portion of the aisle.

Check here for more specific directions, but basically you grate the entire bar of Fels-Naptha and mix it with one cup of Borax and one cup of Arm & Hammer. Super easy. And it's actually kind pretty. I tossed my mix in a prego jar, but eventually I'd like to get a prettier jar to put it in.

You use a tablespoon for each load, so the detergent goes really far. And the best part is that the Borax and Arm & Hammer boxes have enough for another 5 loads, so you just have to buy another Fels-Naptha bar, for an easy $1.

Here's my estimated breakdown:

Original purchase: $10

Next 5 jars: $5, $1 each

Total cost for 6 jars of detergent: $16

1 jar has lasted me approximately 4 months/24 loads

So $16 for detergent is 24 months of laundry! 144 loads!

We haven't noticed any issues with clothes not being as clean, and it hasn't irritated our skin. And I love the way it smells! It's a win all around!

Simple Pleasures ~ Chai Tea Lattes

I had a roommate in college that would drink tea. She would order something called a "London Fog" from our campus coffee shop. But I had no idea what that was, so I never ordered one.

But then about a year ago, I came across my first Chai tea. And it was way different that other teas I had tried. And Starbucks makes a mighty delicious one!

I loved them so much that I looked for an at-home alternative, so I could enjoy them more often. (As much as I adore Starbucks, I'm not one to pay $4 for coffee more than 2 or 3 times a month.)

After discovering Tazo's Chai tea bags, I'm a happy little camper, enjoying my chai almost daily. There's no foam. No creamer. Only one spoonful of sugar. But let's face it. I want to enjoy my cup of tea, not feel guilty about drinking all those calories.

Want to see more of my favorite things?

It's Cardigan Time!

I've been waiting for spring to get here for weeks. I'm really a fall kind of girl, because I love the changing leaves, the crispness in the air, and the overall gorgeousness of everything around me. But after a long winter (ok, it actually was fairly mild winter), I'm ready for cardigan weather.

Cardigan weather is my favorite. It's that deliciously in-between weather where you still need the comfort of long sleeves and you can layer without sweating. And in case you didn't already guess this, I have an obsession with the cardigan. An unhealthy one.

I currently own a dozen cardigans. And that's not enough. There are never enough.

So you can probably guess what I'll be wearing around town for the next couple of weeks. And when the first hints of summer hit, I'll be the girl in denial, still trying to rock her three-quarter sleeve cardigans.

Simple Pleasures ~ Instagram

There are some aspects of social media that baffle me, like Twitter. (But I'm working on it!) And then there are other parts that are totally me. And Instagram is one of those parts.

I love Instagram for a lot of reasons.

My phone is the camera I have with me all of the time.

It's ideal for capturing the details. Innocent little moments. The mundane aspects of the day. Looking back over my Instagram feed gives me an overview of my year.

There's no pressure. Phone pictures aren't the best quality and that's ok. Not all my images have to be crisp and high res. (Just the important ones!)

Widescreen laptop and square photo - Not the best combination.

It's such a fun way to give people a peek into your life. It's one thing to tweet or post on Facebook about your date night, but it's so much more fun if people can see it.

It lets me instantly post some sort of sneak peek from my photo sessions. 

I love instagramming my #vendormeal at a wedding.

I also love #backofcamera shots. I can instantly show off my current project.

And probably the dumbest reason of all, I can take photos of things I would love to buy and drop hints for my birthday presents. (What? I would love it if my family would leave me hints!)

(I should note that I already decided not to buy this chair. I love it to pieces, but I'd want a pair not just one.)

Want to follow me on Instagram

Simple Pleasures ~ Shopping Online

I love to shop. And although I will never give up my trips to the mall to find an adorable new sweater or pair of jeans, I love the convenience of shopping online.

Especially for gifts. Because let's face it. The sporting goods store might be the perfect place to find a gift for Ryan, but it's not my favorite place to go. And you can buy just about anything off of Amazon. It really couldn't be easier.

But I also enjoy doing a little clothes shopping online. Once you learn a store and their sizing system, it is just too convenient to peek at their new spring collection online. And they have a better clearance selection than the local store would. Win-win!

And you know that there's nothing better than coming home and seeing a box from UPS on your front porch!

May your porches be full of packages this Christmas season!