Like many people, I write down goals to keep them fresh, away from the landing-path in my head where thoughts clutter if they aren’t attended to. I’m not sure when “homemade laundry detergent” made the list, but I can certainly describe how the idea sat around, un-done, for years. It was even included (but never realized) on my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list.

Alas, soap.

Seemed it wasn’t to be until, at the Central Branch of the Cambridge Public Library, I bumped into 365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money by Trent Hamm, whose blog The Simple Dollar leant me much inspiration and energy to work on my finances (and blog-growin’.) Reading through the neat little book, I noticed a blurb about how easy and inexpensive it can be to whip up laundry soap.

Oh, soap.

I’ve been spending $12-14 a pop on some gorgeous stuff I pick up at a farm stand in Maine, or discover here and there in at natural products shops. And then there’s my old favorite – Ecover – and new favorite – Biokleen, both over $6 at my local grocer on a good day.

So, fine. I bought some Borax, washing soda, and a bar of the well-loved All One (at three different stores, admittedly, but biking cut my carbon emissions.) And I made myself some laundry detergent. It was a lot like shaving carrots and mixing flour to make muffins. Except no muffin bumping around the inside of my washing machine did much for a week’s worth of soiled kitchen towels, and my new soap worked out fine.

Goal.

Nope. Not cheese.