So here are some household hints I've discovered that help me cope on a budget. Take a bar of the cheapest lye soap you can buy. It is the cheap yellow-beige, tan or brown unwrapped block with big numbers on it that you see everywhere for almost nothing. Cut it with a knife into slivers and put it in a pot with about 2-3 cups of water. Boil on low heat for at least 5 minutes, stirring regularly, till it resembles thick, but not chunky soup.
Lye soap is serious stuff.
Strain with a colander into a jar or old pump dispenser. Throw out leftover lumps. Thin with more water if necessary. If your container is not airtight, you also will have to add water periodically to thin the fluid back to a soft-soap state. This soap is great dish washing soap, and soap for cleaning floors, counter tops and stove tops.