Dont spend a ton on baby sized fun!!!

     WE bought EVERYTHING when I had Sam, I bought a Crib, I got a bassinette from a friend, I bought an exersaucer. My Dad went Baby crazy he got a Walker a play mat clothes out the wazzu, bibs and outfits galore! At the shower I got about 100 toys, bibs, burp cloths, towels teethers ...we spent major bank on the baby to be! and we hardly used any of it. Really I was single and Sam slept mostly in the bassinet and then he slept with me until he was three (that crib was unneeded) I gave him frozen bananas while teething he didn't wear many of the clothes and I think he used the walker about twice, the point is that babies grow so quickly that this time around spending all that green on some stuff that I only plan on using for several months (and other babies likely haven't used for even that long) seems wasteful so I had a novel idea ! I have been checking Freecycle and craigslist and have found some really GREAT items for FREE. I have also gotten a few things from Once Upon a Child and yard sales for CHEAP!!! Here are some items I purchased and got from freecycle and from thrift shopping and and some price comparisons of similar items at retail!

Exersaucer $99.99 I Paid  $0
graco travel system $299. Freecycle $0

Fisher Price Rainforest swing
Retail Price $139.99
Once Upon a Child consignment store
$60




HOT SLING TATTOO Print
                                                     hotsling website price $68
                                                  Once...price $12 (looks new)



SO Keep an eye out for giveaways (I have won a few NICE baby items including one of these Bean bags and a Water wrap carrier. Look at Craigslist daily for items you need or want, Look at the cheap stuff section in the newspaper. And Sign up for Freecycle, buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook and yahoo groups. And don't be afraid to take something that you might need to clean up from thrift stores or from yard sales. People are usually trying to get rid of stuff they can't use and if you have a spray bottle and a dish cloth you can have a new looking item that you paid little for!





ON a side note be aware that car seats expire so check out the date stamped on the item before buying it or using, make sure when getting items like car seats you are sure they haven't been in an accident. I don't recommend using car seats second hand but I do have one myself that I know was properly cared for and in date. Also before purchasing an item second hand be sure to search the recall list for that item but entering the name of the item and "recall" on an internet search engine or by calling the retailer. Some people are unscrupulous and will sell you a recall item if you don't check it out, they themselves might be unaware of the recall. Notably Bumbo seats have been recalled and I have noticed that A LOT of people have been selling them. So be aware! and be thrifty!!

Poppin' Tags!!! Thrifty Clothes shopping for Baby

"I'm Gonna Pop Some Tags, Only got $20 in my pocket..." 

          When I had Sam I was single, It isnt a lie that GOODWILL helps people in the community find jobs, they helped me find one that I worked in until my Mother took ill and I had to stay home with Baby. That isn't what this post is about though it is about the fact that Baby clothes can be EXPENSIVE!!! and they have the most limited shelf life of pretty much anything you can buy your baby. With Sam I had a HUGE baby shower, My Aunts all came! My Friends all came everyone brought presents and almost every gift included a Out fit for my sweet sonny boy. Women especially like to buy baby clothes because you can only buy them for your own babies for a few short months, I had so many outfits for my first child that I Handed Down and donated many outfits that had only been worn once, some with tags still attached that were never worn by Sammy at all. This time around the bump, I know better. Why am I going to go pay $30 for an outfit my child will wear one time or $20 for a PJ that he is gonna wear for a moth or two? I instead got wise and Hit the Clearance rack... then I got really smart and hit the thrift store! I have been buying BRAND NEW WITH TAGS! Overstock baby clothes from Goodwill for as little as $0.75 each and as much as ...$1.49, yes that is right I haven't paid more than a fiver for a trips worth of baby clothes! Here is a Cater's Child of Mine brand Fleece footed pajamas that retail at the department store costs $16.99 I got it for $0.75 cent as it was the "Color of the week" and there for Half off! this outfit had the tags on it and Is very very soft!

I have purchased quite a few NEW and like new baby gowns (i love baby nightgowns) for this price they are all Carters or Target Circo brand and the savings doesn't stop there I plan on taking my Gently used items to the Consignment retailer ONCE UPON A CHILD to get store credit to buy MORE Clothes for baby once he Grows out of the ones I have now. I have mentioned that I checked out the Clearance racks at Target and Walmart then I saw the exact same outfits a week or so later at the Thrift store! I found the Black Onesie here on the surplus rack for $0.99 I looked it up on Target website for $4.25 a day later. I saved more than 75% I have also gotten fancy outfits Holiday clothes and other amazingly cute clothing items for cents on the dollar. I am sure that I will continue to be wise and shop for baby clothes and kids cloths for very low prices. I have also found some awesome deals on Clothes for myself! I got a $40 pair of Maternity shorts at Kohl's, the same day I hit the Goodwill and found the SAME EXACT SHORTS for $2.49 I wanted to slap myself for not shopping in the opposite order! I have gotten; NEW SHOES, skirts, shirts, and home decoration, craft items Knee socks to make legwarmers for baby, Items for my sons 1st grade class, storage containers and halloween costumes all for less than a few dollars a piece! I have seen the light and it was coming from the thrift store. You can also fell good because the money you spend at goodwill is helping to fund job access to people in your community. Dont waste money on stuff you snuggle baby is only going to wear once or twice, I also think that buying used keeps stuff out of land fills and causes less production and waste. you can resell or donate the stuff after you use it and the best part is its like a treasure hunt! you never know what Gems you will find hiding out with Gramp Pas hand me downs...here are some of mine! 

 from top to bottom; Circo onesie(.99), christmas outfit with hat(1.48) WHite shirt I tie dyed old navy brand (.79) Nautical onesie(.99) "Cowboy" shirt (.75) I have literally three times this these were just the cutest ones!

Lovely Mrs Long's Crunchy Baby Blog! : Cloth Diapering your baby when Money is an object!...

Lovely Mrs Long's Crunchy Baby Blog! : Cloth Diapering your baby when Money is an object!...:                      Before we got pregnant my Husband and I decided to try for a baby of our very own (My husband has raised my Son s...

Cloth Diapering your baby when Money is an object!

                     Before we got pregnant my Husband and I decided to try for a baby of our very own (My husband has raised my Son since age three so he has a lot of parenting experience but NO BABY training!) We talked about a lot of stuff. The biggest thing we talked about if HOW COULD WE AFFORD A BABY, We are a low income family! My Husband works and I stay at home. We rent our house and I make sure to keep a tight fist on things like food and entertainment. A few things that we do, a lot of planning for coupons, I shop at Goodwill and thrift stores for clothes, We don’t subscribe to cable, I use rewards points and programs for free magazines and Movie tickets (we also get Movies tickets when we donate blood) We eat out a Maximum of once a week and We utilize our Public library system for things like DVDs, TV shows on DVD, Books and Music. Our only “Luxury” is the internet and Cell phone (but we don’t have a home phone and have the cheapest no contract provider available)  SO now that you know everything about me you are wondering “OK when is this Cheap skate going to tell me about diapering her baby for cheap?” Well NOW! 
                The First thing I did google Cloth diapers (My Cousin CDed her baby three years ago and I saw gdiapers in Target) I found web sites with direction on how to make cheap diapers so this is where I started! 
I am a member of Freecycle.org, I got some sewing items that were offered and I have a hand me down machine from Grandma, I took flannel and fleece and made some diapers with free patterns I found on a blog called Adventures in Fluff.  I purchased snaps and a pair of Snap pliers at Joanne’s with 50% coupons for under $20, I also used another two coupons the next week and purchased a pack of PUL for under $5 you can get Fold over elastic or Elastic by the yard for Less than $1 a yard with coupons. These coupons come in the mail or in the Sunday paper. If you cant afford a paper check your neighbors recycle bins or sign up online and have them sent to you via email and print them out, Joann’s also take Competitor coupons. Remnant bins (for fleece and flannel or Jersey are ½ off) you could also purchase materials at GoodWill or a thrift store like T-shirts and wool sweaters to make soaker style covers. 
I then found an archived article by Kim Rosas on Dirty diaper Laundry about flats, she has since started another flats challenge and I have decided to build up a flats stash while this is happening so that incase of an emergency I am prepared to go without a washer. I have currently purchased a pack of Flour sack towels from Walmart for $5 I plan on getting more and I am getting a bucket and plunger (about $3 for both) so that I can make a camp style washer to wash them in. 
                   I Was lucky enough to WIN a years supply of Cloth Diaper detergent. In fact I have won about 20 giveaways in the last 6 months, I just sit for about an hour on Friday and enter all the Cloth diaper giveaways I can find on blogs I follow and search the phase “Cloth diaper giveaways” you MAY NEVER WIN A GIVEAWAY, but you will build knowledge and ties to other cloth diapering advocates that can help you on your journey. 
I Put a “WANTED” Post on Craigslist and FreeCycle and have 3 respondents one lady gave me 12 diapers (mostly fitted diapers a thirsties wrap and 3 AIOs that needed new Velcro (I put snaps instead it was easy once I looked on YouTube) One woman SHIPPED me two sweaters and some flats (Nice soft flats and snappis because she switched to pockets)  the third lady (who I am now friends with on FB! She has the cutest twin babies) sent me 3 Grobaby (now called Grovia) shells and two Chinese knockoff pocket diapers similar to a bumgenius 3.0 ( two of them needed elastic replaced, I serched how and it was easily done by hand.  I also made the Wool Soakers from one of the sweaters, and bought some Lanolin in the store for about $5 I will Lanolize them soon. I will also get some t-shirts from a marathon runner I know soon to make t-shirt diapers and flats. 

SO I have built an entire stash of cloth diapers (just by doing a little scouring on the internet) 
for less than $50 and in fact I have a functional stash for less than $20

<won     and made and freecycle

Flour sack towels
T Shirts (just cut and stich around edges for diapers and wipes)
PUL , snaps elastic ( All Cheap with coupons from craft store)
Cheap or free covers (if you cant sew or don’t have time check free cycle and craigslist DAILY) the Day I started looking I found someone giving away and entire brand new stash for free! You can also ask low priced sellers your situation and if you could just have the stuff, the worst they can say is no!
FREECYCED diapers
UP cycle sweaters, fleece throws, tshirts and flannel pjs into flats covers and wipes
THE Internet Search “Cloth diaper giveaways” enter as many as you can and check your email I have won over $1000 in baby stuff in 5 months all it took was a little time.
Ask for advice from other Cloth diaper moms and keep an eye out for tips and tutorials
I am going now to get a bucket and plunger (about $3 ) to make a washer for emergencies or incase I travel (I will also use the bucket to spray dirty diapers with the shower head or sink sprayer so I don’t have to buy a diaper sprayer)
Plain Powder Tide, Lots of people use this for diapers, it isn’t recommended for new or fancy diapers but many people use it with excellent results.
BORAX, WASHING SODA, and Castel Soap (many people make their own detergent it is cheap and additive free)
Pins or snappi (you might have to buy these from babies r us they are MAD CHEAP) and last for a very long time 

You too can diaper your baby for little to no money! 

I have been very fortunate to get a lot of diapers from a friend but before that happened I was able to confidently start building a stash FOR very little money, and with only basic sewing skills if you can cut a triangle you can make a cover) 

REMEMBER for hundreds of years women diapered their babies without disposable diapers, in the last 20-30 years they have continued to do so even though disposables are around. 

Less waste is always better and especially when it comes to the almighty dollar don’t spend money on trash and crap you can make diapers! !

 STORAGE (I might need more!) 

                                                GROBABY Covers ("donated")  

You can hang diapers in the sun for stains if they occur! 

What I did With PUL and FOE the bag has a zipper!!! 

SO different the second time around!

Hello!

     I am currently 20 weeks pregnant for the second time around. My Older Son is currently 7, This is my Husbands first baby. He is a wonderful father figure to Our son, whose biological father is absent. I am shocked at how different my pregnancy is this time around. When I was pregnant with Big Brother I was 21, single, a smoker, living with my Mother (whom had just the beginning phases of chronic auto-immune illness) and VERY VERY STRESSED! It is now no surprize that my Blood Pressure was high and my anxiety disorder was spiraling out of control and I was hospitalized three times before my third trimester I gained 60lbs and lost little of it over the last 7 years. I had to have a C-section at 36 weeks for my own health and the health of my baby. This time I haven't even had morning sickness, I was terribly fatigued in my first three months and recently I have had some gas pains but other than that I am having a picture perfect pregnancy. I lost 15lbs in the first few weeks, I have currently only gained back around 4 or 5. I feel vibrant and full of life, I am like a magical pregnancy Unicorn!\
      A little Backstory on my marriage, I met my husband a few days after I turned 16, he went to a different high school than I did and we met at a teen night at the country and western bar downtown, we dated and lived together for 3 years after that and broke up at 19. We got back together about 5 years later and got married in 2010. We started trying for another Baby immediately and 3 years later (after drinking a lot of ACV and eating a bunch of pink grapefruits) we are expecting a bouncing baby boy in late September. I am very very excited to start this new adventure I am much more "crunchy" this time around. We are going to Breastfeed, Cloth Diaper, Baby Wear and are looking forward to trying some other "Hippie stuff" I will be very interested to see how different my boys are, my older son is ecstatic he is having a brother and not a sister, even though I assured him little girls can go fishin' and play video games too. I also plan on documenting some of the pregnancy and "Crunchy" parts of parenting a second child with a lovely man that has already shown him self to be a loving and capable Father but is honestly clueless about Baby. Since we are going to have another Cesarean Section (it is medically necessary and I am not very happy about it) My husband is not taking Lamaze Classes, since he has raised a child from a toddler (really since I had a baby before) I am not freaking out about every little thing and neither is he. I am frugal and frequent Freecycle and Craigslist so I have gotten just about everything we need at little or no cost, the man doesn't know how lucky he is, I havent had very many mood swings or hormonal freak outs yet, I also am a SAHM so he wont be doing much heavy lifting as far as Mr. Baby is concerned. I cant wait to witness the joy of babyhood again  Join me on this journey!!!