One of the needs that is arising out of the downturned economy is boarding homes. Boarding homes are almost unheard of now. It used to be that when Pa died Ma turned the old house into a boarding home. She was able to generate enough money to pay the property taxes, buy food, utilities, etc and have a little left over. She was used to feeding a big family and so nothing really changes for her after Pa dies. She rents the bedrooms by the week initially because that way if she ends up with someone she does not want she can throw him out after the first week. She has control of the kitchen and prepares the meals. If a boarder does not show up for the meal it is his or her problem.

You can keep hold of your home, even if one or both of you get laid off. More and more people won’t have any place to live. They can’t afford houses, even now, so they rent apartments. But very few apartments are being built, what with the credit contraction, so prices there are rising. People will be coming to you. Give a married couple a slight discount ( the cost of two boarders, minus a little ), since two are staying in one room.

Another big consideration is the communal eating/cooking. You are factoring in the food with their rent. Together, their two costs constitute a bargain for them. For the home owner, there is profit without out of pocket expense. You can cook cheaply because you have the time and equipment and knowledge to cook from scratch. Plus, you can buy at a Costco, Sams or Restaurant supply place for a discount. Your boarder can do neither. While he pays you less than what it would cost him, he pays you a lot more than what it cost you. It is a win/win. You are already giving him cheap shelter by only allowing them a room. Then, you give them a cheap way to eat because you are splitting the bulk cost of food and energy. If you are baking twenty loaves of bread at a time, the cost per loaf energy wise is much more negligible. Granted, a single person could bake an entire ovens worth and freeze the surplus. They could buy meat in bulk and freeze. They could crock pot. But, most of them can’t do it, out of ignorance or out of lack of equipment investment. You are providing a service most can’t match on cost.

You turn into a house bitch and keep your home quiet and orderly. You are providing something that your boarders are dependent on and cannot find a better deal short of the homeless shelter. You can even provide wireless internet for an added fee and for nothing you can put an antenna on your house and have all bedrooms wired for a TV. So each boarder can have a TV in their room for an additional fee.

I tried to check rates online and only found one local and they only rent out rooms for $16 a day. There were 5 boarding houses in the Houston area and they would not disclose their rates over the phone and they all had long waiting lists. I am sure there are others unlisted but that just demonstrates the need for boarding houses.

Onto another subject: I have many readers who are not commenters and I guess we all have that. I have some that have been reading for years and occasionally emailing me. A few days ago I made a comment about not knowing how to make my own soap and I was surprised by the number of people that make their own soap. Here is a list of recipes that I got as a result of that post. (this came off of another blog post from someone but they did not leave the link so I also can’t leave you the recipe link)

Laundry Detergent
1 bar soap, finely grated (I use whatever is cheapest but make sure it's white or it could color your clothes)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup baking soda
Mix all ingredients together. Use 1-2 tablespoons for each load.

Everyday Surface Cleaner (works on anything)
1 part water
1 part vinegar
Combine in spray bottle

Heavy Duty Surface Cleaner (for grimy messes)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 tsp borax
10 drops orange essential oil (optional)
5 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Mix all ingredients in spray bottle, spray on mess and wipe away.

Glass Cleaner
1/2 cup ammonia
2 cups rubbing alcohol
1 tsp dishwashing liquid
water
Mix ammonia and rubbing alcohol in a 1 gallon container. Fill almost to the top with water. Add Dishwashing liquid and mix. Top off with water if needed.

Carpet Cleaner
*test a small area first
1 part laundry detergent
2 parts hot water
Scrub into carpets and let dry completely
Vacuum.

Floor Cleaner
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 gallon hot water
Combine ingredients. Mop or sponge onto floor. Use towels to dry floor immediately.
Toilet Cleaner
Sprinkle with baking soda and lemon juice
Let sit about 10 minutes and scrub with a toilet brush
Oven Cleaner
1 tsp liquid dish soap
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp bleach
1 qt warm water
Mix all ingredients, spread over oven surfaces. Allow mixture to sit for 45 minutes. Scrub and rinse well.

Bathtub Stains
2 lemons
1/4 can cream of tartar
Wet surface. Sprinkle with cream of tarter. Rub with cut surface of lemon.

Laundry Pretreatment
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup laundry detergent.
Combine all ingredients, mix in spray bottle. Let mixture soak into clothes for 5 minutes, then wash as usual.

I had other emails with recipes for making your own laundry soap:

1 cup grated Fels Naptha bar soap
1/2 cup A&H Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax Laundry Boosting Powder
Mix and store in an airtight container (I use an old gallon ice cream bucket) and use 1/8 cup per load. That's all! I quadruple the recipe.

Next Recipe

1 cup grated Fels Naptha bar soap
1/2 cup A&H Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax Laundry Boosting Powder
Mix and store in an airtight container (I use an old gallon ice cream bucket) and use 1/8 cup per load. That's all! I quadruple the recipe.

Recipe 3

1 Cup Grated Soap *
1/2 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 Cup Borax

Mix together and use 1 Tablespoon per load, 2 Tablespoons if it is a really soiled load.

When I get home from Georgia I will make my own laundry soap!

PS:  The San Francisco Chronicle reports today that Mayor Gavin Newsom has ordered all city departments "to conduct an audit of unused land--including empty lots, rooftops, windowsills and median strips--that could be turned into community gardens or farms."