Since it Rains Here Frequently

And I cannot use my clothesline this time of year, I bought myself a H-U-G-E clothes drying rack.
This is the one I bought:   http://www.homesteaddryingracks.com/laundry.html

This thing can hold 2 loads of laundry on it.  Seriously, it's that big.

Once, when our old dryer was broken, a repairman told me that the average dryer costs around $30 a month to run.  That's like 1/4 of our power bill.  And since my family is larger than average, I figure our savings is probably closer to $50.  That figure pretty much converted me to line/rack drying.

Another laundry quandary that I've pondered is trying to decide if it is truly frugal to make your own laundry soap.  Is it worth the money and time and does it get your clothes clean?  Oh yeah, man, it's totally worth it.  Here's what I've learned:
First, don't bother making a batch of dry detergent.  According to several plumbing websites I visited the powder-type detergent doesn't completely dissolve and can be a problem for septic systems.  Specifically, the undissolved borax can leave a residue that clogs the filters leading into the drain field.  Not good.  You've got to make a "wet" version instead.  I've always been hesitant to do this type because most recipes I found were for huge, 5 gallon buckets of the stuff.  I didn't want to make that much and end up wasting it if I found it to be an inferior product.  Where's the frugality in that, I say?  I created my own smaller volume recipe as follows:
In a saucepan filled with a few (maybe 2 or 3?) cups of water, add 1/2 bar FelsNaptha soap, grated.  Heat this until the soap is dissolved.  Then stir in 1/2 C. borax and 1/2 C. washing soda.  Pour it into a gallon size container (or a few quart jars or whatever you have) and fill the remaining space with water.  Stir well.  This will turn into a gel.  I use about 1/3 C. (that happened to be the only measuring cup I was willing to devote to this project) with each load.
I've been told you can use Dr. Bronner's soap or Zote soap.  You could also add some essential oil for a more pronounced fragrance.  Personally, I like the smell of FelsNaptha, so I just leave it as is.  Several of my family have sensitive skin and we've not had any trouble with this.