money-saving tip – soap pumps!

I recently read an on-line article, the first in a series on 100 different ways to save $100 this year. Since we'll be heading to the foreign mission field (where coupons, rebates, etc. don't even exist like they do here in the good ol' USA) and since one of my goals in the ministry there will be to help wives and moms learn how to make the most of what they have and live contentedly to the glory of God, I've been thinking of compiling money-saving tips, recipes, etc. that can be used both here and there. (More on that later...)

I must admit that I grinned when I read the article about living without paper towels. That's how I grew up – paper towels didn't exist there either! And the idea of eliminating one simple item from the budget got me thinking about other simple ways to save.

So, here's another idea where little savings can add up over time:

Use a soap pump, and dilute dish soap and hand soap. We've been doing this for at least three years. I've replaced the dish soap pump once and buy the hand soap pumps when Bath & Body Works has a promotion. If you use soaps acquired through bargain shopping at CVS and Walgreens, you can really save!

I fill the pumps about 1/8 of the way with undiluted soap (Dawn, Palmolive, SoftSoap, store brand, or whatever's free or almost free!) and then fill the rest of the way with water. So, for the dish soap, I fill only up to the "250 pumps" line with soap. For the hand soap, I fill only up to just under the product description lines (second from the bottom). Voila – savings!