In my introduction to The Dollar Diet blog in last Sunday's Work & Money section, I mentioned that I make my own foaming hand soap and laundry detergent as a way to stretch my $50-a-week grocery budget.
I have a feeling I lost some readers right then and there. Too much trouble. Or just too weird.
But several of you emailed and posted on the blog asking for instructions so I'm posting both my recipes below, along with some number-crunching.

For the first time in months, I sent my daughter peddling off to piano lessons Tuesday afternoon on her bicycle.
I'm embarrassed to say that we had gotten lazy. As the weather had gotten colder, I had been driving Caroline to her piano teacher's house just a few blocks away, then returning a half hour later to pick her up.
Tuesday's short bike ride saved us a minuscule amount in gasoline but I thought it was symbolic of our Dollar Diet challenge.
If we're really serious about saving money, finding ways to tread more lightly on the planet and living healthier, it's time to look for ways to park the cars.

I thought you might be curious how I conducted myself in the money department on Monday - my last day of "legal" spending before the calendar rolled over to February.
I also wanted to answer a couple of questions from readers following Sunday's article in the Work & Money section.

For the month of February, my suburban family of three from Apex will attempt to live our lives without spending money.