Frugal Friday

[ecosophia]

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!

Comments

Diapers

[ritaer]

I used diaper service diapers for my three in the late 70s early 80s. At that time disposables were so inferior that I didn't even consider them, so the question was between home washing and diaper service. I read a book on baby care and expenses by a home economist who calculated that between cost of heating water, wear on machine, extra rinses, detergent, drying costs and original purchase, diaper service was more economical. I don't know how those figures work out now with all the changes in energy cost, more water efficient washers, and so forth. It is possible that Consumer Reports has covered the subject.

When mine were little the basic diaper was a rectangle with extra layers down the center. The user had to fold the sides and ends to fit the infant, changing the folds as the child grew--also putting the extra material in the front for boys. There are now different shapes and styles of cloth diapers on the market as well as different styles of waterproof pants to protect outer clothing. If you and your wife don't know any recent mothers, I would suggest contacting Le Leche League or some other new mother's group to get input from those who are using the newer diapers. Be aware that some members of Le Leche are complete breastfeeding fanatics. I have heard of women with bilateral mastectomies being urged to "just try"--insane. They weren't that strange when I was a member.

Good luck and remember that you, your wife and your child are the ones who will live with your decisions. And don't be too conscientious to let convenience be a factor--time and energy for new parents is in short supply and you won't save the planet if you let yourselves be run into the ground. I will note that modern disposables are very effective at guarding against diaper rash because they really pull the wetness away from the infant's skin. Be prepared for the pediatrician to recommend disposables if your child has very sensitive skin and develops a rash--he or she isn't just being a shill for the manufacturers. I was amazed to see this with my grandchildren.

Blessed be,

Rita

Re: Diapers

[jenniferkobernik]

We do cloth diapers (though not a service; I didn’t know that was a thing). It is vastly cheaper, especially compared to the more eco-friendly/less chemical-laden disposables. My advice is to remember that it needn’t be strictly either/or. We ended up using a disposable at night after a few months because we and the baby got much more and better sleep. We’ll also use disposables periodically if diaper rash becomes an issue or if we’re traveling. The savings in money and landfill trash is still huge. Also, don’t make any hasty decisions for the first few weeks where they poop with every feeding. It gets better. I still remember my poor husband staggering in from the clothesline at 3 am because we didn’t adequately prepare for the sheer number of poops those first couple weeks and had to maintain an extremely aggressive laundry schedule.