Living on Less

One good thing about global warming is that I can hang Rowan's diapers on the clotheslines that Esten hung in winter and not have them freeze, but dry. For those of you who don't know we are successfully using cloth diapers. These are not your mom's cloth diapers though, they are much more advanced. We use BumGenius 3.0 diapers. They are a pocket diaper that adjusts to fit an 8lb baby to a 35lb toddler. We actually used the old fashioned prefolds and covers when Rowan was a newborn because the BumGenius diapers were just too big. Those took a little more skill to keep the leaks at bay, but we survived. Now Rowan is 1o weeks old now and we have spent zero dollars on diapers and $8 on wipes. We also use reusable wipes. They are hanging on the top line in the picture to the right. They look and feel similar to a baby washcloth, except they are made of bamboo. We are grateful that we are not having to spend money on diapers and wipes, especially since we are currently living on a graduate student's salary.
And since I have way too much time on my hands(joke!), I've started to make our cleaning supplies. I'm not big on chemicals, except for the occasional bleach, and since we are living on the cheap I decided that this would be one way to save a little money. As we run out of what we have I'm replacing it with something I make. So far we have a kitchen counter spray/disinfectant (1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water, 25 drops tea tree oil.) The tea tree really covers most of the vinegar smell and I actually LOVE vinegar so it doesn't bother me. Also I made dishwasher detergent (1c washing soda, 1c baking soda, 10 drops of lemon oil.) No complaints yet, all of our glasses are coming out just as clean as they were before. I probably spent $6 on supplies (I had the essential oils) and they should last for quite a while.
In addition to making cleaning supplies I've also started making our bread. It is a very easy recipe and I read an article on motherearthnews.com about how making your own bread can save hundreds of dollars a year on your grocery bill. It seems true since we buy a loaf every time we go and it costs $4. The only problem with making our bread is that it's so yummy that we eat it by Wednesday (I make it Monday.) And then we are out until the next week. Maybe I'll start making two loaves at time.
Leave me home any longer and I may start making our clothes. Hmmm. That sounds like fun. I'll be posting some pictures of Rowan's Valentine from his Mom and Dad later this week. We, mostly I, are working on a mobile for him. He is so in love with the one he has that I thought we should put one above the changing table too. More later on that. And for the record I really don't think that there is anything good about global warming.