I want to avoid putting as many chemicals as I can onto myself and my family.  This is the recipe that works best for us.

What You'll Need:
4 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
4 drops tea tree oil (or other essential oil of your choosing)
glass jar with a lid, or empty deodorant stick

In a small bowl mix coconut oil and arrowroot powder by pressing the two together with the back of a fork or spoon until well combined.  Add essential oils.  Store in an airtight container and apply a small amount to each armpit with your fingers, or, refrigerate the mixture and scoop/press into an empty stick deodorant container.  I use tea tree oil because of the natural antibacterial abilities it has, but play around with your favorites to find one you like best.

Please note that this will stop odor but  is not an antiperspirant.  You will still sweat, but you won't stink. ;-)

Coconut oil melts at around 72 degrees so if your bathroom is on the warmer side you may want to keep your deodorant in the refrigerator.  Our medicine cabinet seems to stay pretty cool so we have not had any issues with melting deodorant as of yet.

Coconut oil is easily and readily absorbed by the skin.  You should not have any worries about oily stains or such on your clothing.

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Some time ago I bought a bag of soy flour to add protein to some of my baked goods.  Today, I was inspecting the bag and found a recipe for making your own soy milk.  It is actually quite easy!

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.  Slowly stir in 1 cup of soy flour.  Simmer on low for 20 minutes.  Line a colander with a tea towel or several layers of cheese cloth over top of a bowl large enough to collect the liquid. Strain the mixture to remove any lumps.  You may add flavors or sweeteners to your soy milk.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy!

No more throwing away or composting the ends of celery for me!  You can regrow your celery stalks using the end that is cut off and usually tossed.  To do this, simply place the cut off end into a small dish of water.  Within a few days you will see leaves growing from the center.  Simply replant into soil outside if it is warm enough or in a planter indoors in a sunny spot until it can be transplanted outside.  No need to fuss with seeds!  You will have small celery stalks within a few short weeks.

I recently realized how our new way of living really is saving us money, and in turn is also keeping us healthier.  I sat down and made a list of all the things that I no longer buy whether because I have found a less expensive way to do it myself, or because I want to avoid the harmful chemicals contained in the products.  This is what I came up with.

• deodorant - contains harmful chemicals and the cost adds up.  Let's say I was buying three sticks of deodorant each month for myself, Russell, and Boy 1.  Let's also put the price on a more modest scale of $2.50/ea.  That is a savings of $7.50 each month.  I now make our deodorant using coconut oil, arrowroot powder, and essential oils.  I'll post a recipe and how to in the future. 
• laundry detergent - I wash anywhere between 4 and 8 loads of laundry a week.  The cost of laundry detergent definitely adds up.  By making my own (laundry detergent recipe here) I am definitely saving a good chunk of change.  I figure the cost of my homemade detergent is around 0.05 cents per load.  I am also avoiding strong perfumes and other chemicals AND I am reducing waste by reusing containers and not buying more! Sounds like a home run, saving around $20 each month.
• fabric softener - I won't lie.  I miss fabric softener.  I love the smell.  I love the way it makes clothing smell.  There is just something so comforting about it.  But, alas, it is not necessary, and it does contain chemicals.  I use vinegar now instead.  Thankfully vinegar does the job without leaving a stinky smell on the clothes.  Savings estimated at around $6 each month.  
• household cleaners - I buy zero household cleaners now and instead make my own.  I mostly use vinegar but I also use homemade concoctions from rosemary tea, lemon juice, alcohol, borax, fels-naptha, etc.  I'll estimate $3 each month since this was not a monthly expense.
• toothpaste - I read bad bad things about fluoride and glycerin in our toothpastes and that was the end of that.  I now make ours.  It doesn't taste fabulous, but it gets the job done.  Savings: $3 each month.
• dryer sheets - another luxury I gave up.  Totally unnecessary, serves little purpose.  Saving me $5 each month.
• chap-stick - This was an easy one to get rid of because I really enjoyed making our own lip balm.   I found some local beeswax and a simple recipe.  A very little goes such a long way.  Look for a recipe in the future.  I won't include this in the monthly savings because it was purchased on an as needed basis.  
• cold medicines - We went the entire cold season without purchasing cough syrups or sinus medication.  Instead, we used things like our vaporizer, neti pot, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, and vitamin C.  Again, I won't include this one since it was an as needed type of purchase.
• face wash - Boy 3 has teenage acne, and I, who had beautiful clear skin as a teenager, am developing the horrible stuff now in my 30s!  I was buying a mid-priced acne face wash for the both of us to use but not any more!  We now clean our face with homemade soaps that we purchase locally and then use Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar as a topical treatment.  It REALLY works. Saving me $4 each month. 
• lotions - so many yucky things in lotion.  We just skip it altogether and use either olive oil or coconut oil for moisturizing now. I believe you should not put anything on your skin that you would not put into your mouth.   Let's say around $2 a month saved.  
• prepared granola - This one is HUGE for me.  I love my granola recipe and it saves me so much money.  By making my own I know exactly what is going into it.  Look for a recipe soon.  Total saving for my large family are at the very least $10 each month. UPDATE: GRANOLA RECIPE POSTED! 

Money in the bank!