by Hannah Walton aka The Cheapskate Mom

 Homemade & Reusable Gel Ice Packs Are Cheap & Easy

The average ice pack costs about $2.50 – and they go missing pretty fast, don't they? You can buy reusable ice packs too… but they can get pricey! 

I was delighted to hear that I could make my own snazzy and homemade cooler gel packs for pennies on the dollar – using just ziplock bags and dish soap. Fancy that! I had to try it out for myself and found it to be the easiest project this not-so-crafty-mom has ever done. I love that we now have flexible gel ice packs in the fridge – especially now that the son is about to start crawling

Here's the dish on how to make your very own dish soap gel ice packs. It's a great idea to make up a bunch of these gel packs to have on hand in your freezer for birthday parties and sporting events! It's almost too easy I feel bad saying I'm giving you directions!

1. Take plastic bag and open.

2. Fill 1/4 with dish soap.

3. Close plastic bag but leave one tiny opening (so you can squeeze out air).

4. Lay flat on counter or table.
5. Press down to make the soap spread across the bag evenly.

6. Squeeze out air being careful that soap doesn't spill out.

7. Close bag completely.

8. Lay flat in freezer to form shape.

9. Use your gel pack when needed and refreeze after! Once frozen, packs can stand up to save room in your freezer. How easy was that?!