Free Food

Who needs a grocery store when you have in-laws with 5 acres full of wild edibles and chickens? My awesome father-in-law sent us home with asparagus, eggs and a beautiful bouquet of lilacs. Thank you!

The Power of Cloth

Since I found out I was pregnant with our daughter, I planned on cloth diapering. I not only wanted to cut down on waste, but I also wanted to save money. The plan was to use disposables for the first month and then slowly change over to cloth. I never thought I would actually have to use cloth, or cloth wipes for that matter. Our daughter is extremely sensitive to whatever dyes and fillers are in the disposable products. Thankfully cloth diapering has been a success for us. I understand cloth diapering isn't for everyone and there are many opinions about the subject. I just wanted to share our experience so far because we really like using cloth.

After about a month and a half of trial and error, here is what I have found works for us:

Prefolds and One Size Diaper Covers or Wool Soakers
I ended up having to buy newborn size covers because the size 1 Thirsties covers I had were too big for my tiny newborn. If the cover is too big around the legs and waist, it will leak and those newborn babies sometimes have tiny thighs so gaps happen where the gussets come together at the leg. I will be able to use my Thirsties covers when she gets a little bigger but for the time they were too bulky. We prefer using the diaper covers and a prefold with a snappi. We have about 24 prefolds. I get my prefolds from Imagine Baby Products. They are highly absorbent, not too bulky and are reasonably price.

I plan on converting some of our prefolds to contour diapers to make things even easier and to cut down on bulk when the warm weather hits. I also LOVE my two wool soakers. These are especially great for nighttime, providing maximum absorption. Wool is also naturally anti-microbial, breathable and is temperature regulating so baby stays cool in warmer temps. If wool continues to wow me, I may be tempted to switch to soakers exclusively.


Using Cloth Wipes and Making Our Own Wipe Solution
Hands down, cloth wipes have been a lifesaver. My baby girl developed a nasty rash that would never quite heal no matter what we did. I observed that the rash would instantly turn redder whenever I wiped her with the disposable wipes. She even started to blister. I tried a few different brands of wipes (including the ones for sensitive skin and the chlorine-free wipes) with no change. So I started using the cloth wipes I had on hand and made my own cloth wipes wash .This way I could wet half the wipe and dry her skin off with the other half. This system works great and I just throw the cloth wipes in wash with the cloth diapers.

Simplestead Wipes Solution Recipe
1/2 cup California Baby Bubble Bath (or Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap)
1/2 cup Baby Oil
2 cups Distilled Water
Spray Bottle

Simplestead baby still gets a rash here and there. She is so sensitive on her bottom. We love the California Baby Diaper Cream, it smells good, it's all natural and it's safe to use with cloth diapers. I also recently discovered that raw coconut oil also works wonders.


Washing and Drying
With 24 prefolds and cloth wipes, I do wash every other day. We have a top loader machine and do a rinse cycle then a hot wash with detergent. I sometimes add vinegar to the final rinse cycle to remove any build up. We also make our own detergent using this recipe. It's cheap and works like a champ.

 I found exclusively line drying made the diapers too rough, which irritates our baby's bottom, so I will touch them up in the dryer to make them soft. However, nothing beats the stain fighter power of the sun, plus line drying sanitizes the diapers.


We still have a few disposables around the house for traveling and in case we have to do wash. Since I do not have to spend as much on diapers, I can afford to buy the natural chlorine-free ones. They are a little more expensive but these are the only kind that don't make my daughter break out in a rash.. I like Earth's Best Chlorine-Free and Seventh Generation Free and Clear.

Cloth diapering gets a little addictive since there are so many options out there to choose from. But I am so glad we chose to cloth diaper our daughter and will cloth diaper our future children. The whole thing takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it and get your system down, it's not any harder than dealing  with disposables.

Please feel free to comment with your experiences with cloth or post any questions you may have if you are interesting in using cloth diapers. I hardly consider myself an expert, but I can point you to some good resources and pull from some personal experience.

Making Our Own Deodorant Bars

I don't think we will ever have to buy deodorant again! Not to say we are never using deodorant again (that would be gross). Thanks to Wellness Mama, we are now making our own deodorant and saving our health and money doing so.

Today, most deodorants contain aluminum, which helps control odor and wetness but also contributes to a number of health issues such as Alzheimer's Disease. We tried a few non-aluminum brands and some worked but not as well as our traditional deodorants. So with some research, I found an amazing recipe that I can make at home on the cheap and it really works. I actually think I sweat less now that I use this stuff so I am claiming it works even better than the deodorants that contain aluminum. Who knew arrowroot powder and baking soda were the answers to our sweaty problems?

Don't dis it till ya try it, son! The best part is I can let the "bars" set in the cupcake tin and store them in the pantry until I need more. Then I can use the bar as is or pack it into my empty deodorant tube. Packing it into an empty tube allows for better application. It works, it's cheap and it is better for our health. Man, I love making things I can use!

Financial Reality

I had to write this post today about facing the truth about our financial situations. I think everyone dreams of living debt free and having a surplus of cash to do with as we please. But reality is, most of us live paycheck to paycheck and are in debt way more than we like to admit. Some debt (like mortgages) are not the worst and are sometimes unavoidable. But some debt just hangs over your head and can quite honestly be unnecessary. The most unnecessary debt is credit card debt.

Yes, I would say at least 95% of us have some sort of credit card debt (ourselves included). In this day and age, this can really be a tough one to avoid. That no interest for blah blah blah months sounds really tempting or your look at your credit limit and think you will never put that much on the card. Credit cards can mask our true financial state and make ourselves and others believe that we can live a little more extravagantly than we really can. I sometimes feel we always have to be financially obligated to be available to have enough gas money, nice clothes, the money to go out, the money for a nice house and car, and money for other things that impress. I think there is always this stigma that everyone has to impress each other with all the crap we got and the crap we are going to get and there can never be any inclination of money problems. But reality is everyone who lives like that surely has money problems.  

With a tight budget there is not much left for the extras of going out, traveling, shopping, entertaining, etc. We used to be like "oh, we will just put it on the card and we will pay it off next month." Before you know it, you wonder how you are at your credit limit and how you are going to make a monthly minimum payment that is the same amount as a car payment. Credit cards are just a means to an end. And a huge no no - do not depend on credit cards to supplement income you do not have! 

We learned and are still learning that if we don't have the money, we don't have the money. That might mean we have to say no to going out to eat and drinks. That might mean we can't drive out to visit next weekend. That might mean we don't have the latest and greatest technologies. That may mean our cars are not brand new. That might mean I can't go to the mall. 

When we face our financial reality we have to live within our means and get creative about budgeting, saving money and really prioritizing what we spend our hard earned dollars on. It can be stressful, embarrassing and scary to face your financial reality. But if you are ever going to have financial freedom and have a successful future, you need to come clean with yourself. Believe me, you will feel better. Financial stress ruins relationships and families and who needs that!

Since we cut up the credit cards and started living in our financial reality, we are both less stressed and can map clearer goals of our future. We don't have to worry about if we can make that minimum payment because we always know what it is and in some instances we can pay more than the minimum payment and the amount keeps going down each month. Before we know it, there will no longer be a balance and how amazing will that be! We also spend more time at home and with our beloved animals. We spend more time outside - gardening, hiking, and walking because all of those things are free. I spend more time knitting and making which I can turn into extra income. 

So do yourselves a favor, cut up the credit cards.

The Grow List

As we continue to make everyday changes, I have comprised a list of things I would like to implement by the end of next month. I feel these pursuits will challenge us to rely less on commercially produced items and save us money while instilling our values of living a slow life.

Start a kitchen container garden so that lettuce, tomatoes and herbs are within arms reach. One less item I have to buy at the grocery store.

Pre-plan more dinners using fresh ingredients. Natural Health at Home has a Gluten Free Meal Plan that I would love to try.

Buy locally made soap.

Use the dryer 50% less. I figure now that the weather is getting warmer, I can dry clothes out on the rack outside, or I can get my husband to rig me up a clothesline.

Make my own dish soap and handsoap and store in mason jars with these nifty mason jar pump lids.

Make my own face oil.

Find a local source for grass-fed beef and pork.

20 cent Laundry Soap via Urban Farming Guys

So simple, so cheap! Why are we all not doing this?
Also be sure to read more of the awesomeness that is the Urban Farming Guys.