How I'm saving $920 in 12 months

{image from: my couch in the living room}

 

A couple years ago when I discovered Amazon Mom and was saving 30% on my diapers and wipes, I felt like I had hit the jackpot. I couldn't believe that I was able to get so much bang for my buck (with free shipping, to boot).  I was so bummed when Amazon started cutting back on their diaper discounts, but what can you do?  I mean, babies need diapers.

Around this time last year, Trey and I had a monthly $40 budget envelope for diapers and wipes.  Chandler was being changed just about every hour on the hour at daycare. We had recently found out that we were expecting a third child, and we knew that when baby #3 arrived, our diaper expenditures would double.  Yikes! $80 every month was NOT an option.

I had heard of cloth diapering but perceived it to be either too trendy or too archaic for me.  When I read a few articles like this one (Cloth Diapering 101) and found out that I could potentially save thousands of dollars over the course of my children's birth to potty-training years, I decided to get over myself and really consider giving this cloth thing a go (Smith Family Budget Reduction Strategy #5).   Fortunately, around this time, two mommas in my life agreed to educate me on the ins and outs of cloth diapering (thank you Sarah and Nicole!).  Their expertise and encouragement were just the push I needed to finally buy my first batch of cloth diapers. 

The upside:

• On average, I save 25 cents every time I change a diaper 
• Your son can wear  a spider-man diaper and shoot imaginary webs at you
• I have only have one extra load of laundry every 2-3 days
• I am saving the planet (okay, probably not)
• If we're low on diapers, we don't have to make that annoying, unplanned trip to the store
• Cloth diapers are made to last and can be passed down through multiple children
• They have excellent resale value and can sell for as much as 70% of their original value

The downside:

• Poop (also pee)

See my other posts:
Can I test out cloth diapering first?
Cloth Diapering Products We Love