Our Cloth Diapering System {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

I pulled the cloth diapers out of storage boxes a couple weeks ago. When Peter was tiny, I used cloth diapers, but then we moved to our small, washer/dryer-less apartment and changed the cloth out for Huggies and Pampers. Now that we have a washer and dryer again, I'm happy to switch back and not shell out money for disposables!!

Using cloth diapers will save us HUNDREDS of dollars a year! Who-hoo! Plus, they're cute. 

Here's our new little cloth diapering system...

Right now I have a total of 18 diapers, and I do a load of diapers every other day.

The diapers I use:

 One Size Fuzzi Bunz Cloth Diaper. This is my favorite! It fits trimly and is adjustable so that it can fit your child all the way through potty training (supposedly!). It has adjustable elastic around the legs and the waist. These diapers are super soft and fluffy, and I find that they dry easily (I put the inserts in the dryer and hang dry the cover). And I haven't had any leak problems. 

 FuzziBunz Cloth Diaper, Size Small. These also work very well. Mine seem to be leaking a little, however. I used these diapers with Peter and also loaned them to a friend for a period of time, so maybe they have some detergent residue. Fixable, I hope.

bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper. I use this diaper with a doubler (an small insert for extra absorbancy) on Edmund overnight. Since he's still pretty little (15 lbs), this diaper is bulky on him. But it works great at night! And once Edmund is bigger, the diaper won't be as massive on him, since it will be unsnapped to a larger setting.

bumGenius All-In-One Size Small. This is an "all in one" diaper...you don't have to worry about putting in an insert. It's just like a disposable, only washable. These diapers fit very well and aren't bulky. However, since the insert is sewn in, they don't dry as quickly as my other diapers. I actually prefer pocket diapers (all of the others are pocket diapers) for that reason. I bought these diapers when Peter was little, and I don't think BumGenius sells them anymore (they switched to all one-size diapers).

Next up, the wipes. I'm using cloth wipes for the 1st time, because it just seems to make sense. The used wipes and diaper can all go in the diaper pail together. For wipes, I'm using some Circo washcloths and a flannel baby blanket, cut up into squares. To moisten the wipes, I use a peribottle filled with water. Sometimes I add a few drops of baby soap and baby oil to the bottle, other times I don't. Works like a charm!

Since you can't use regular diaper rash cream when you're using cloth diapers, I've started using Angel Baby Bottom Balm whenever Edmund has the beginnings of a rash. It's safe for cloth diapers and can actually be used for a multitude of things...scrapes, bites, etc.

So, that's it! I also have a wet bag that goes in my baby bag to put dirty diapers in while we are out and about and a liner that goes in my diaper pail. The liner is great, because then I can dump the entire bag of dirty diapers into the wash (liner included!) and not have to touch any dirty diapers.

Yes, there is more laundry to do now. But that's honestly not a ton of work. I prefer doing the laundry over making multiple trips to the store to buy diapers!

What do you think? Have you cloth diapered your babies?

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It's Thursday, so link up your adventures below!!! You know how it works. :)

 

P.S. The diaper links in this post are amazon affiliate links. I used amazon to order most of my supplies, including the Ruby Moon Cloth Diaper Detergent that I use.

Our Cloth Diapering System {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Making Cash Envelopes Work Practically {Vlog!}

Last week we talked about starting a budget from scratch, and I left you hanging about how we make cash envelopes work for us (namely, how we make them work for my anti-bulky-wallet husband!). I tried taking pictures of his envelopes, but they didn't turn out well, so I decided to vlog about them instead! I hope you enjoy:

Don't I have the best sidekick? ;) If you are having trouble viewing the video, try the link here. If you are reading from a reader, you may have to click over to view.

Here is a picture of the index card I take to the bank. You only have to fill out the "Amount Needed" and "Total Withdrawal" part once (unless you are tweeking your budget), then you can just save the card and use it each time you make your monthly withdrawal.

One last thing I wanted to mention. When we evaluate how we did with our budget at the end of the month, I use this simple monthly summary sheet. It shows all of our expenses, along with our spending goals, and how much we spent come the end of the month. You can download this sheet and customize it for your family if you like! Download it as a Word Document, and then you can type in your personal expenses/spending goals. We print this sheet out monthly, and I fill it out before our monthly "budget meeting."

Tell me what you think of the vlog! :D And have a lovely weekend...



Linked to Frugal Friday and Finer Things Friday.

Making Cash Envelopes Work Practically {Vlog!}

Paying The Bills: A Question For My Readers

Image Credit

Around our house, I take care of making sure the bills get paid. This works best for us, since my husband is buried under a pile of text books and has to be dug out each night around supper time.

My method for bill paying is to immediately send payment for each one as it comes in the mail ("God willing and the creek don't rise..."). If I'm diligent with that, then bills don't get missed. Otherwise, they get hidden in stacks of paper and risk being forgotten (eeeek!). I also sit down at the end of the month to balance the budget and pay all the bills that are due at the end of the month. Since we use Dave Ramsey's envelope system for most of our daily/weekly expenses, the bank account does not have to be balanced more than once or twice a month.

I used to have a fancy "Monthly Bills" chart, but found that I never filled it out...so it went away.

My question for you is this: What system do you use to make sure all of your bills get paid on time? Also, who manages the finances in your home and why? 

While I am the one doing the check writing/account balancing in our household, my husband and I try to have a "budget meeting" each month to review how well we've stayed within our budget and to make goals for the next month.



Linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

Paying The Bills: A Question For My Readers