I save £7k a year making snacks, detergent and bleach from scratch
A mum-of-one has saved £7k in one year after making her own alternatives to household products like laundry detergent, scent boosters and bleach. (Photo: Olivia Lathwell / SWNS)
A mum-of-one has saved £7,000 in one year after making her own alternatives to household products like laundry detergent, scent boosters and bleach.
Olivia Lathwell, 38, a full-time content and creator from Brighton, East Sussex says she has always been “experimental” but really found her love for making things from scratch after becoming a mum.
Her prudent ways have allowed her to save up cash to spend on things like holidays – as well as helping her build an online community.
Big savings
Olivia began making food and cleaning products after becoming a mum in 2022. (Photo: Olivia Lathwell / SWNS)
Olivia began making food from scratch after the birth of her daughter Alaya in 2022.
Upon realising how expensive pre-made children’s snacks were to buy, she began making her own foods, including crackers from sweet potatoes and her own bread rolls.
“As a new mum in the supermarket all the snacks were really expensive and I thought about the ingredients in the snacks and how it was easier to start making them myself,” she says.
She estimates that before she honed in on her DIY lifestyle she would spend around £120 per week on her food shop, whereas now it is just £70.
Everyday ingredients
Essential oils are a key ingredient in many of Olivia’s recipes. (Photo: Getty)
Olivia has since developed her own household cleaning products.
She uses everyday ingredients like Epsom salts and baking soda for scent boosters – and even makes her own homemade glue from flour and water to wrap presents with at Christmas.
Revealing how easy it is for her to whip up her scent booster recipe, she explains: “Basically you just mix one cup of Epsom salts and then one cup baking soda and whatever essential oils you want.
“It’s just a powder, you mix it together and put one spoon in with your washing.”
She adds: “To make bleach I use one gallon of distilled water, one and a half cups hydrogen peroxide, half a cup of lemon juice and 10 to 12 drops of any essential oils you prefer – I use lemon.”
Not all ideas are a hit
Olivia’s use of ivy leaves as detergent has proved to be one of her more controversial hacks. (Photo: Getty)
Olivia started sharing her household hacks online and has since found a “nice community” of parents who follow her content.
She admits, however, that not all of her novel ideas have gone down as well with her followers.
Olivia, who makes her own laundry detergent from ivy leaves, says: “The ivy leaf one always get controversy because people think it’s poisonous but you don’t eat it – you wash your clothes with it.”
To make the detergent Olivia chops up ivy leaves, releasing saponins – organic chemicals that become foamy when agitated in water.
She says: “They’re really important to wash your clothes, and then you boil it for 15 to 20 minutes.
“You strain the leaves out and just put that liquid in the drum and store it in a container.
“Some people have sensitive skin so they might not want to use it as ivy leaves can irritate sensitive skin.”
Spending her savings
Olivia likes to spend her money on holidays and has recently travelled to Ireland and Greece. (Photo: Getty)
Olivia has saved thousands of pounds over the last year with her home hacks and says the extra cash has meant she can spend it on holidays away.
Last year she visited her parents in Ireland and Greece.
Despite her thrifty ways, Olivia insists she still “loves to spend money” and does not hand-make everything she uses.
She also likes to keep an eye out for free offers on different apps – like Gail’s free coffee and sourdough on your first visit.
She explains: “People say I’m frugal – frugal doesn’t mean I don’t spend money, you just spend in a way that’s best for you.
“I save money from other things and spend it on trips away – I love to travel so go away a lot.
“I obviously don’t make everything from scratch I physically can’t do that.”
Saving time in the kitchen
One of Olivia’s favourite recipes to batch cook is granola. (Photo: Olivia Lathwell / SWNS)
Sharing more tips, Olivia says there are “so many things out there that are natural” that can be used for household tasks or recipes.
Revealing which little-known trick she loves, she says: “In winter and autumn time I gather conkers, split them in half and put them in the oven for 15 minutes.
“I put them in a laundry bag, put them in the washing machine and they literally wash your clothes.”
For Olivia, it is making snacks from scratch that is the main way in which she saves cash.
“You could fill your trolley with snacks! You do save quite a lot,” she says.
“I batch make bread on a Sunday and granola is so expensive I make that on a Sunday too.
“The granola is basically just mixing any mixed nuts with oats and honey, you can put peanut butter or maple syrup in too. Mix it together, put it in the oven and bake it. It will crisp up and then you can store it for the week.
“It’s really easy, fast and you don’t need to be in the kitchen all day.”
