Cloth Diapers

Diapers are expensive over time, even if you buy the cheapest kind each time.  It's just how it is.  Whenever I use a disposable diaper, sometimes I'm tempted to leave it on as long as I can to get my money's worth.  The problem with this, though, is that it can lead to the evil diaper rash.


Before I had M, as I was stalking reading another blog, I found a post about cloth diapers.


I'm not talking about the kind of cloth diapers that your momma used...  (although I'm sure there are still people who still like to use them.)

Picture Source

I'm talking about these...

Pic Source

Being the girly girl that I am, I will admit that I was originally attracted to the idea because of their cuteness.  :)  My husband and I started researching them and discovered that you can save a TON of money going this route.  Yes, you have to pay that first painful amount to buy the cloth diapers, but then, you don't have to keep paying to buy more every other week or so.  We ended up getting BumGenius Diapers One-Size Diapers.  They are supposed to last through potty-training (one-size adjustable diapers), and we should be able to use them on multiple kids.  


We started using the cloth diapers when M was around 4 months old, just because newborns are ALWAYS dirty or wet, plus we had diapers from baby showers.  It was a bit of an adjustment at first, but overall I loved them!  


I know what you're thinking... "It's SO much easier to just use a disposable".  Well, it is easier, but cloth diapers aren't as difficult as you may think.


We originally bought two kinds.  The first kind is the BumGenius Organic All-in-One One size diaper, shown below.

I actually thought this kind would be our favorite.  It has snaps, which made it seem like it would last longer.  It also requires no extra effort.  You open the diaper, put it on, or take it off.  Sadly, I was disappointed in this style.  The snaps are a little difficult, and two of them broke.  :(  (BumGenius DOES have a one year warranty on their diapers, which you can read more about here.)  I was also annoyed with these because M kept leaking in them, and would get a diaper rash.  However, this may have been partially our fault.  We didn't have our hot water hooked up at the time, so we may not have washed them properly.  In the end, we sold them because they weren't working as well as we hoped.  I'm sure there are others who like this style, but we just decided to stick with the other style we bought.

The kind that I'm loving now is the BumGenius 3.0 One size pocket diaper (now they have 4.0).  It comes with 2 inserts (one small and one big) that you put inside a pocket of the diaper, which absorbs the moisture.  I don't have a picture of M wearing this kind, but here is a picture of them.  (They have lots of cute colors!)

Source

Here's a video that explains how it works, just because it's difficult to explain without showing you in person.  ;)

Obviously these have velcro, which is a little easier because it's more like a disposable.  I was worried about velcro wearing out faster, and it probably will eventually, but I read here that you can get replacement kits for free.  This website is very helpful, and I'm saving it in my favorites for the day I have to replace the velcro!


It absorbs VERY well, and the layer between the insert and M's skin is always dry!  It really pulls the moisture away from her skin, which is SO much better.  So this is my favorite now!  It's a little extra work putting the inserts in, but it's not hard at all.  So here is the process, to give you an idea.

What about poopy diapers you ask?  Well, yes, those are a bit nasty, but still not too bad.  ;)  We bought a diaper sprayer off of ebay for a cheap price.  They have them for like $40 on some sites, but look on ebay--they're MUCH cheaper.

So when we have a poopy diaper, I just take it to the toilet, turn on the sprayer and spray off as much poop as I can into the toilet.  It can be messy if you aren't careful, but I just stick it far down in the toilet to avoid it spraying outside of it.  (If you don't already clean your toilet regularly, now is the time to start!)  Then I pull out the insert and throw it, along with the diaper into the diaper pail liner (wet bag).  (We didn't buy it from this site, but it's the same thing)  

Source

We keep the wet bag inside a really good trash can to keep M's room from getting stinky.  (We're actually jealous of her trash can--she gets all the good stuff)  ;)  I really don't notice her room being stinky at all until I open the trash can.

Once I'm ready to wash her diapers, I take the wet bag out of the trash can, spray some Lysol in the can, and take the bag to the washing machine.

Source

For dirty diapers while we're out, we have a couple of small wet bags.  They have cuter ones than these, but these were cheap.  ;)

We have 23 diapers I think, so I have to wash them every third day.  It's best to use special detergents on them.  We bought Country Save detergent originally, and it worked well for a while.  

I looked online for tips on how to deal with leaky (and stinky) cloth diapers, and found a lot of info that said the diapers most likely had detergent buildup, so I needed to strip them.  I tried using a teaspoon or so of Dawn and washed them several times.  Didn't work.  I bought some Calgon water softener.  Might have helped a little?  Not good enough, though.  By this time, we were using disposables constantly while looking for a solution.  Finally, I found it.  :)

Rockin' Green's website talks about how "Hard Rock Detergent" was formulated for use with hard water (they have other formulas for softer water), and when I read reviews, it sounded like the customers had the same problems I was having.  So, I decided to give it a shot.  Worse case scenario?  It doesn't work on our diapers, so I just use it for clothes.  


I should probably mention that we have a front loading HE washer, and I don't think those wash diapers as well.  To really get the build-up out, you need to soak the diapers.  (If I got desperate, I could probably stick them all in the bathtub or something like that.)  So, once we received the detergent, we headed to my in-laws home, and washed them there.  


The result?


I let them soak with the detergent overnight, and they've been SO much better ever since!!  I haven't had any leaking problems!  Yay!!  :)  The diapers are much softer and I can keep them on her longer without them getting very full.  I've washed them in our own washer a couple of times since then, and things are still going really well!


I will admit that when I was using disposables all the time, I started hoping that the diapers wouldn't work again, because I figured even if we could get them clean, they would still leak easily.  Nope!!  I'm loving them again, now!  She hasn't leaked at all, except for a time or two at night, when they just got too full.  It might work if we double stuffed the diapers, but we decided to stick her in a disposable with some diaper cream, just to make sure her bottom stays healthy.  She still does get a little rash sometimes.  I'm not sure if that's related or not, but it helps to have diaper cream on it overnight.  :)


If you're interested, we bought this detergent off of Amazon here.  You know what makes this an even sweeter deal??  You can sign up for Amazon Mom for free, and get FREE Amazon Prime shipping!  You can go check out the details at the link.  :)


So, I put all the diapers, diaper liners, wipes and the wet bag in the washing machine.  I pre-wash without detergent in cold water.  Then I do a long cycle with detergent in hot water.  Then, I double rinse!  Occasionally, I will soak them to make sure I don't get build-up again.  I'll probably take them to my parents' house to soak again next time I head that way.  ;)

Last summer I hung the diapers outside every time, but I find that's more difficult to do with an active toddler!  Most of the time I throw them in the dryer, but I'm sure it would help with bleaching and sanitizing the diapers if I put them out in the sun.  I know it helped get them whiter last year!

We're using cloth wipes as well.  We bought a few of them online, but we've discovered that baby washcloths work just as well.  We just throw them in with the diapers so it isn't a big deal at all.  We got a cheap water bottle, and just put some water in there.  You just get your wipe, spray some water on, and there ya go!  (I was using a homemade recipe for wipe solution with water, baby oil and soap, but I decided to just use water now)  :)

So, all that to say, we're loving them!  I highly recommend them if you're wanting to save money over time.  (Just be prepared for the painful experience of purchasing them--remember that it'll save money in the long run!)  :)


If you have any questions, I'd be happy to (try) and help!!  :)  Just leave a comment or contact us.  :)


Have a fabulous weekend!!

Meal Planning

I'm in the process of finding the best way to buy groceries while staying in our budget.  I tried going once a month, which was super fun.  I LOVE getting a ton of groceries at one time.  :)  The down-side?  We run out of SOME things before it's time to go again.  Also, it's easy to spend more money than I need to when I shop that way.

So, now I'm trying going every two weeks.  I have a certain amount to spend on groceries, and then a little to spend on household items.  I HAVE to stay under a certain amount because I'm paying cash.  The only problem I see with this so far, is that there are going to be times when I run out of big things all at once, which is going to use up all my cash.  I'm not sure how to handle that yet, but it's a learning process I suppose.  :)

ANYWAY.

I'm going to share how I plan out meals in order to simplify my life a little bit.  :)  (I do NOT plan breakfast or lunch, because at this point at least, those are simple and easy.)

First, I go to my handy-dandy list of meal ideas.

Seriously.  WHY does it turn my pictures?  Grr.

 This is simply a list of supper ideas so I can just pick meals off of it and write them down on my monthly calendar.  I try to plan two weeks at a time.  (Obviously, I hadn't written anything down on here yet)  ;)

After I've planned out meals, then I check to see what I need to buy.  This helps me make sure that I only buy what I need for the next couple of weeks, which of course, keeps my grocery bill down (hopefully)!

More specifically, I want to share with you how I make meal preparation even EASIER.  We all want that, right?  I love to cook, but I also like things simple!

Since my family eats a lot of things with ground beef, I try to buy a family-size package.  It's pretty cheap for the amount of meals we can get out of it, which makes it a staple in our house!  We use it to make Hamburgers, Sloppy Joes, Meatloaf, Taco Meat, and Spaghetti.  I also lay aside a portion to use for baby food.

I always bought a big portion of beef, and then would split it into different bags to freeze until I needed it.  The problem with this, was that when I needed just a little bit for spaghetti, I had to thaw out a big portion of beef.  This was annoying.  So, here is what I do now!

Here's my 5 1/2 pounds or so of beef...

Now I separate it into sections, according to how much I need for a meal.  For example, I take a small portion and set it aside for spaghetti, or a large portion for meatloaf.

Then I take some freezer bags and label them with the meal I'll use that package of beef for and the date I freeze it.

Next, I place the beef in their 'assigned' bags, and flatten them out as much as I can.  This saves a LOT of freezer space!

This is such a simple process, but makes things SO much easier for me.  Now, when I see that we're having tacos the next day, I can just go ahead and take out the bag labeled 'taco meat' and let it thaw in the fridge overnight.  SO EASY!  I also do this with chicken, which is a little more involved, since it takes a while to cut up all of the chicken.  It is really worth that extra time in the long run though.

And again.

Anybody else have some good meal planning tips??  :)

Y'all have a fantabulous weekend!!

Idea for Mother's Day!

Ok, so it probably seems I've gone AWOL, huh?  Well, I'm here, but between working some, having an extremely active child, and a blank mind, I haven't been able to blog much.  And this isn't much of a blog either but I just wanted to share it with everyone because it would be such a wonderful Mother's Day gift for all your wonderful mothers/mother-in-laws. 

It's a "buy one, get two photo books free" deal from Snapfish.  Here is what you have to do:

• Head to Snapfish.
• Choose either an 8″ x 11″ Custom Cover or an 8″ x 11″ Classic Photo Book
• Make a 20-page book, extra pages are charged regular rates
• Place all 3 books in your cart for checkout and use code MOMMYBOOKS by Monday, April 18*

(forthemommas.com)


So, hurry hurry by next Monday! 

~ Shawna

Onions, Onions, and More Onions!

Probably one thing you have learned so far with this blog is that Jennifer is the creative one out of the two of us (although I am working on a crocheting project!).  However, I do LOVE looking at crafty blogs, so maybe I'll become more creative as time goes on.  This blog, as you can probably tell by the title is about onions!  And honestly, right now, my eyes are still recovering from my battle with the onions.  This might also be an opinion review over a new kitchen gadget I have.  I'll explain about it below.

So, a few months ago, onions were pretty expensive...like almost $2.00 a pound!  Today, I found them for 8 pounds for $1 -- oh, how it put a smile on my face!  We cook with onions a lot around here.  But don't worry -- we're good about brushing our teeth!  I could have gone crazy with the onions and bought lots more than what I did, but I refrained.  I ended up buying about three pounds for about $0.40.

This is the new kitchen gadget I have.  I actually came across it at my mother's house.  She got it at a garage sale who knows when and had forgotten she had it, so she just gave it to me.

A little side note:
I used to HATE peeling onions (and even now, they're not on my top 10 favorite things to do in the kitchen), but I've learned a better way to peel onions.  It is pretty much a "duh" thing, but just in case you need a "duh" moment and you hate peeling onions too, I'll help you out.  First, cut off one (or you can do both) ends of the onion.

See...I put pictures up to help ;)  Next, cut it in half lengthwise. 

Then, just peel the outer skin off!  Much easier this way.  Saves me a lot of frustration...even though I should have thought of this way earlier.  So, if you are like me and sometimes don't think of the obvious, hope that helps!

So, I put the onion halves in the chopper and chopped away and came out with this amount in which will be stored in our freezer:

I actually thought I would have more from six onions, so I may have to go buy some more tomorrow.  Now, when I need chopped onions to throw in a recipe, they will be ready to go!

My review on the product:  I definitely wouldn't have paid more than a few bucks on it.  You have to used some strength to push the handle part down to completely chop the onion.  My electric chopped probably can do it just as good for less energy on my part.  However, it does say that that it can do potato fries, so I may try it out.  It also has another attachment that cuts up the veggies finer.  So...that's my opinion.  If you can get it for just a few bucks (or free like I got it) and you have room for yet another kitchen gadget, then go for it.

One more thing -- I got the onions from a Hispanic market.  We have one really close to our apartment.  I never thought about doing any of my shopping there, but we get their flyer in the mail and they have really good deals, especially on vegetables.  They often have specials for avocados for 8-10 for $1, and of course, specials on onions.  It's also where I get my 30 count eggs for $1.88.  So, anyways, if you have a Hispanic market close by, it may not hurt to check it out!

Stocking Up on Fresh Veggies!

Our family eats a lot of vegetables.  A lot.  I guess living overseas with an abundance of fresh (and CHEAP) vegetables taught us to love vegetables.  Living in a big city gives us several places that often has vegetables on sale.  For example, normally a pound of broccoli is about $2.50, but for two weeks, it was on sale for $0.67 a pound, so guess what?  I bought lots!  But of course, I can't use all that broccoli before it goes bad.  Luckily, in the small storage room outside of our apartment, we have a small freezer.  So, right now, it is in the beginning stages of stocking up.  It currently contains deer, clearance bread (which Big Lots has great clearance bread...at least the one near us does!), and frozen veggies.  Our inside freezer has more bread, more deer, and frozen potatoes.

This post will explain how to take those clearance veggies and freeze so you can have them on hand for later.

First, I want to explain how to freeze your colorful veggies, such as green beans, squash, your colored peppers, broccoli, etc...  You pretty much do the same for them all.

1) Wash and cut them up how you would like to have them later -- chunks, strips, cubes, etc.

Sidenote, make sure you have plenty of ice cold water or lots of ice cubes.  Important for later.

2) Throw them in boiling water and let them boil for about 3 minutes.  You want them partially cooked.  You can use the same boiling water several times before changing it.

3) Place the veggies in the ice cold water for about 3 minutes.  This will stop the cooking. Drain.

4) Put enough in each freezer ziplock bag for one meal and get as much air out as possible.  A vacuum sealer is best, but I don't have one...as of yet, but it may be a good investment. 

Use the veggies the same as any frozen store-bought veggies.  One thing I have learned -- if you want to steam the broccoli in a pot, don't add any water to the bottom.  Just place the veggies in the pot and turn the pot on.  The water from the ice will give it enough water to steam.

Now, the same also goes with potatoes.  One store close by had a 5 lb bag for $0.88, so I nabbed it.  Now, they were the older potatoes I think but that is actually great if you want to freeze them.  I read that the best potatoes to freeze are the ones that have matured for at least 30 days...so you don't want the freshest out there.

When you cut the potatoes, you can skin them or leave the skin on -- it's up to you.  You can also make french fries, potato rounds, cubes, and hashbrowns (which I haven't made yet).  After boiling and icing them, you need to lay them single-layer on a cookie sheet to freeze.  Once frozen, you can place them in individual bags.  Treat them as any frozen potatoes (i.e. frozen french fries) you would buy in the store.  You don't need to vacuum seal potatoes.

Not the best picture, but it shows the different ways to use potatoes.  My husband used the cubes the other day as a side dish and it was delicious!  He tossed them in some Italian salad dressing, cooked them at 400 until they became soft, then broiled them until they looked ready.  Delicious!  And may I say cheap cheap CHEAP! 

Freezing veggies does take time, but if you stock up when those veggies are on sale and freeze them, it can save you lots of money!  This is also great if you have a garden or know someone that will give you lots from their gardens!

Shawna

Homemade Tortilla Chips

As many of you know, store tortilla chips can really be expensive!  But what you probably didn't realize that for those that have a little extra time to be in the kitchen, your own tortilla chips are REALLY easy and cheap to make.  While living overseas in Asia, we were not able to find much American convenient foods, chips being one of them.  Well, we did have Lays potato chips, but we weren't all that crazy about the flavors -- shrimp, blueberry, chicken, etc...  But no tortilla chips, and we LOVE fajitas (even if we had to make our own tortillas, because...well, you get the idea).  An American friend of ours taught us how to make tortilla chips out of jiaozi skins, which are the wrappers for steamed dumplings.  They were easy and very good.  So, when we came back to America, we realized that we could probably do the same with corn tortillas.  As many of you know, corn tortillas are CHEAP and this recipe is very easy and healthy.  We never buy tortilla chips anymore.  Why spend the money if we can make our own?!  Here is a cost comparison:


A regular bag of tortilla chips has about 10 servings at 16 chips each equaling 160 chips (this differs a lot, I know) -- $3.00+
Homemade tortilla chips using a normal bag of 24 corn tortillas which makes 192 chips -- $0.77
Homemade tortilla chips using a bag of 72 corn tortillas on special, making 576 chips -- $1.50

So, if you are interested, here's how to make them:

First, get as many corn tortillas you want, and stacking them, cut them in 8 pieces.  My picture below only shows one tortilla.

Next, place them on a baking sheet (no need to spray).  Unstack them, of course!  You can spray them with butter spray or something similar but it's not really necessary.  Now, season with anything you want.  In my example, I did salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano.

Last, place them in an over at 400 degrees.  Let them cook for about 7-10 minutes, but watch them closely -- they will burn quickly!  Here is the end result:

Very crunchy and good, especially with a good hot sauce, cheese dip, or guacamole.

Enjoy!  -- Shawna