To cut costs, our family recently started making our own Dishwasher Detergent. It's incredibly easy, all-natural, and saves a wad of cash! Here's the recipe:

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Borax
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
Dishwashing liquid (like Dawn)
Vinegar

Directions:
Mix borax and baking soda, and add to dishwasher detergent dispenser.
Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to the dispenser, and fill the rinse cycle compartment with vinegar.
 

Some say that homemade dishwasher detergent causes the dishes to come out cloudy. From our experience, adding liquid soap and vinegar solves that problem and is still cheaper than purchasing store-bought detergent.
After doing a test-drive, we recommend making a big container of detergent for convenience.

Interested in making your own liquid laundry soap? You will find the recipe here!