EXTRA: Make your own... laundry detergent?

Zephyrhills, Florida - As budgets tighten up, a trend called "make your own," or MYO, is picking up steam.

With borax, washing soda and one-third of an Ivory soap bar, you can make your own laundry detergent.

Using ammonia, water and vinegar, you can make your own household cleaner.

Homemade yogurt can be made with water, instant nonfat dry milk and a half-cup of store-bought yogurt.

The recipes can be tedious and some require obscure ingredients, but for many, it's worth it. They save money.

Blogs like HillbillyHousewife.com have homemade recipes for over 100 convenience foods, including recipes for often-costly condiments like mayonnaise, brown sugar, barbeque sauce, and 11 types of salad dressings.

If you dare, you can even make your own sanitary pads using flannel and some snaps or safety pins.

Clearly, creativity is king.

Do you have any "make your own" recipes? Share them by clicking on the comments section below, or email 10 Connects Reporter Janie Porter at jporter@10connects.com.

Edward and Dianne McInerney spend about four hours a week making their own foods and household items. All told, they save hundreds of dollars a month.

They make their own yogurt, pickles, bread, pasta sauce, laundry detergent and household cleaners.

You'll also find a well-maintained garden on the side of their Zephyrhills home with tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and more. The couple even grows their own spices.

Recently, Edward picked up a yogurt maker at a second-hand store. He paid $2 for it. Each week, Dianne uses it to make homemade yogurt.

First, she adds already-made yogurt to a mix of water and instant nonfat dry milk. (For the first batch, Dianne had to use store-bought yogurt. Since then, she's used yogurt that she made at home.)

On the stovetop, she stirs the ingredients until they reach 185 degrees. After that, she pours them into her yogurt maker. The next morning, she has fresh yogurt.

If you don't have a yogurt maker, you can use your oven. Bake the yogurt at 170 degrees for about 12 hours.

"[Homemade yogurt is] better for you, it has far fewer calories and, in addition, it's much less expensive," she said. For flavor, she often adds homemade jam.

Several blogs are dedicated to the MYO trend and resourceful living.

LikeMerchantShips.org has ideas for decorating on a budget, "make your own" gift ideas and money-saving meal ideas.

Sites like HillbillyHousewife.com provide a $45 emergency menu for four with seven days worth of meals.

On TreeHuggingFamily.com and other green blogs, you'll find various tips for resourceful living, including recipes for homemade non-toxic cleaning supplies.

There are grocery store coupon offers at MoneySavingMom.com and 10 Connects' sister site, MomsLikeMe.com.

MomsLikeMe.com is a social networking site for moms in Tampa Bay and also hosts discussions on everything from allergies to alcohol.

Other useful sites including CheapLikeMe.wordpress.com and MoneySavingMom.com.

Watch 10 Connects News This Morning on Tuesday for a live interview with the McInerneys about what inspires their resourcefulness and how much money they save each month.