Money

So I did a boo boo. I forgot about an automatic payment that comes out of our checking account and we overdrew the checking account. Yes our savings is hooked up to draw money out of it in case this happens, but in order for that to work you actually need to have money in the savings account. Go figure. So I'm going to work extra hard to get money in our savings account and keep it there. But I do know that in the past I have been able to get money into our savings and something always seems to happen and we have to use that money, and then poof it's gone faster than I could put it there. It just seems like I'm on a mouse wheel running around and around getting nowhere. I need to get off the wheel and actually start moving forward instead of running in place like we have been. It seems like we take one step forward and then two or three steps back. I know that all our hard work in keeping up with our bills, and paying on time and making more than the minimum (when we can) will pay off in the end. But it just seems like it's taking forever to get there. It just sucks that the whole world revolves around money no matter what part of the world you live in.

Cloth Diapers and saving money

Lets see where to start. I use cloth diapers during the day time with both of my kids. I use disposable ones at night because it just burns there skin from the pee at night. For a lot of kids cloth works just fine at night, but not for my two little ones. I can't even begin to add up now much money I have saved using cloth diapers. I use a "pocket" diaper when I go out, and a pre-fold with a cover while I'm at home. The pocket diapers a way too cute. They come in so many colors and patterns depending on what brand you buy. I found that if you buy the "one-size-fits-all" you get your moneys worth out of them. I have used the pocket diapers on my daughter since birth, and they still fit her to this day and she is almost 17 months old. I also found that by cutting up some fleece from the craft store and putting it in the diaper like a liner that with the pre-fold diapers it helps keep the kids dryer, plus when they poop in the diaper it makes it much easier to clean up. The poop does not really sick to the fleece.

I have also found that a lot of the wipes out there can be washed in the washing machine and used again. I found this to be very helpful when money was extra tight and could not afford to buy wipes. I do use cloth wipes for the pee diapers, and then the washed store bought ones for the poopy diapers. I don't normally take my cloth wipes with me when I go out so that is how I get a lot of my disposable ones washed to use again.

Clothes line. My clothes line is one of my best friends in the summer. My cloth diapers always have a little smell to them no matter how much I wash, soak, or anything else I have tried. But the sun helps takes the smell and any stains right out. Plus I save money by not having to use the dryer as much either. I always hang my pocket diapers and covers up to dry year around, it helps them last longer that way.

Diaper creams. When using cloth diapers you have to be more careful about what kind of creams you use. Yet if you use the fleece liners in the diapers then you don't really have to worry about messing up your diapers. Fleece is cheap enough that you can just throw them away if they get to messy. If you are going to buy some fleece check your local fabric store and look in the remnants basket first. Most of the time less than one yard will give you plenty of liners.

Paper liners. They do make paper liners that you can place inside the diaper and then just take that up and flush it when it's been pooped on. Some you can wash and reuse a few times. But after a while I found it to be more of a pain than anything. Plus a waste of money as well. In a way using the paper liners is defeating the purposes of saving money with cloth diapers.