ecosophia | Frugal Friday

Welcome back to Frugal Friday! This is a weekly forum post to encourage people to share tips on saving money, especially but not only by doing stuff yourself. A new post will be going up every Friday, and will remain active until the next one goes up. Contributions will be moderated, of course, and I have some simple rules to offer, which have changed as we've proceeded. (As things have settled down to a nice steady conversational pace, for example, I've deleted the rules about only one tip per person per week and about limiting the length of comments; I was worried early on about people flooding the forum with too much too fast, but I think we're past that risk.)

Rule #1: this is a place for polite, friendly conversations about how to save money in difficult times. It's not a place to post news, views, rants, or emotional outbursts about the reasons why the times are difficult and saving money is necessary. Nor is it a place to use a money saving tip to smuggle in news, views, etc. I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #2: this is not a place for you to sell goods or services, period. Here again, I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #3: please give your tip a heading that explains briefly what it's about. Homemade Chicken Soup, Garden Containers, Cheap Attic Insulation, and Vinegar Cleans Windows are good examples of headings. That way people can find the things that are relevant for them. If you don't put a heading on your tip it will be deleted.

Rule #4: don't post anything that would amount to advocating criminal activity. Any such suggestions will not be put through.

With that said, have at it!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I used a diaper service for my first child, and the first part of my second, then I just bought some and started washing at home. There are alot of fancy wraps and such, but I was broke at that time and used prefold, diaper service quality cloth diapers, diaper pins, and at that time you could by nylon, coated nylon pull on ( "rubber pants") the realy cheap plastic "rubber pants" do not last well enough. Like these https://www.changingtimesdiaperco.com/products/taffeta-pant-dappi

A nice thing to do is to use the diaper service, if you can afford it for the first 3 months or so, then start doing it your self. Often it is a nice baby shoower gifst to be bought for the parents. Not only are you busily adjusting and not sleeping much then, but there are 2 basic sizes of prefold cloth diapers, newborn and then the regular size. SO this way you only have to buy the regular sized ones.

My eldest, for her baby, me and my brother bought her a "system", som eof the fancier all in ones with snap covers. Very cute. Someone else got her from the same place the little washclothes to use for baby wipes, and washable bags to transport the dirty diapers home in in the diaper bag. If you want, I will ask her the name, as I forget, but we researched it well, and the system did work well.

The issue she ran into had to do with modern washing machines ! They do not wash or dry as well as the older models. I went thru 2 children drying cloth diapers on a laundry line, but she has a different climate. The new washing machines are not as good as they do not fill as well with water, it still worked, but not near as well as an older top loader, so I would recommend getting an older Maytag, or kenmore top loader off of craigs list for $50 to wash the diapers, as it is easier.

It is better for the environment and way, way cheaper to wash yourselves, and as JMG says, still cheaper or at least no more to use a service.

The added benefit is that you wont be putting nasty chemicals next to such a vulnerable area of babies body ! Those disposable diapers have gel beads in them, and I used to do daycare so I have seen that those beads do migrate out sometimes and then you have even more chemical exposure right on their skin. Also, since disposables can hold more, people leave wet diapers on the baby way too long. And, lastly, it is easier to potty train later as with cloth, the then toddler can feel the wet, so they figure out sooner the body feelings that lead to feeling the wet bottom. The disposable they dont feel the wet as the gel beads absorb it, so they dont get the connection between feelings and wetness, and the disposable "training pants" just hte same, no feedback as to getting a wet bottom

Atmospheric River