how does this affect us
with all this talk about the economy and everything, i have often wondered how does this affect us? we live on a farm. we grow some of our own food etc....
but what have we started doing in order to pinch those pennies, to make ends meet, to save money etc... in other words how is it affecting us...
1. cloth diapers. we have switched almost entirely to cloth diapers. we still use disposables at night, when we're traveling or in a pinch, but 95% of the time, the baby is in cloth diapers. there is a start up fee. you have to buy diapers, you have to buy diaper covers. but then that's it. you just have to do laundry.
on top of that, i'm making cloth diapers from flannel, velcro and fabric that would work. they say that if you have about 17 bum genius diapers (all in ones. these are awesome diapers) then that should get you through a couple days and you won't have to buy any more because you'll be doing laundry.. so i figure i'll need to make about that much. or a little more as the bum genius has two inserts you can use and you don't need a cover with it. so to work with blow outs, have extra..
my goal is to pay as little for the diapers i make as possible. i had to buy velcro today. but that's all.... the rest od the material was given to me.
2. making gifts. i'm making christmas/birthday gifts for the baby - a cute set of legwarmers and a cute hat to go with it... i'm trying to make a few small denim quilts for our neices and nephew... the gifts that i'm not making, i'm putting a tight budget on...
3. make a mix cookbooks... have you seen this idea? check it out. it's you take something, like a whole bunch of beef, you season it different ways, cook each batch appropriately, and then freeze it. then you have the starter for a whole bunch of different things... so that kind of thing.
4. leftovers. we're not good at eating these but we're working on it.
5. making more baby food.
6. i plan on starting vegetables from seed in the winter months using milk jugs as mini green houses... so hopefully that will work.
7. hybridizing courses. so i commute less to work. yay for telecommuting.
8. combining family plans for cell phones...
9. online learning.. free sources..
there's a whole bunch more.
but i guess what is most interesting to me is the idea of making diapers. i have been tired of buying disposables. and they're expensive. the idea that i will never have to buy diapers again after i make these couple batches of them, and that these diapers can be used for ages is just exciting to me in a geekish way...
and the free online learning is also insanely exciting to me. insanely geekishly exciting..
but what have we started doing in order to pinch those pennies, to make ends meet, to save money etc... in other words how is it affecting us...
1. cloth diapers. we have switched almost entirely to cloth diapers. we still use disposables at night, when we're traveling or in a pinch, but 95% of the time, the baby is in cloth diapers. there is a start up fee. you have to buy diapers, you have to buy diaper covers. but then that's it. you just have to do laundry.
on top of that, i'm making cloth diapers from flannel, velcro and fabric that would work. they say that if you have about 17 bum genius diapers (all in ones. these are awesome diapers) then that should get you through a couple days and you won't have to buy any more because you'll be doing laundry.. so i figure i'll need to make about that much. or a little more as the bum genius has two inserts you can use and you don't need a cover with it. so to work with blow outs, have extra..
my goal is to pay as little for the diapers i make as possible. i had to buy velcro today. but that's all.... the rest od the material was given to me.
2. making gifts. i'm making christmas/birthday gifts for the baby - a cute set of legwarmers and a cute hat to go with it... i'm trying to make a few small denim quilts for our neices and nephew... the gifts that i'm not making, i'm putting a tight budget on...
3. make a mix cookbooks... have you seen this idea? check it out. it's you take something, like a whole bunch of beef, you season it different ways, cook each batch appropriately, and then freeze it. then you have the starter for a whole bunch of different things... so that kind of thing.
4. leftovers. we're not good at eating these but we're working on it.
5. making more baby food.
6. i plan on starting vegetables from seed in the winter months using milk jugs as mini green houses... so hopefully that will work.
7. hybridizing courses. so i commute less to work. yay for telecommuting.
8. combining family plans for cell phones...
9. online learning.. free sources..
there's a whole bunch more.
but i guess what is most interesting to me is the idea of making diapers. i have been tired of buying disposables. and they're expensive. the idea that i will never have to buy diapers again after i make these couple batches of them, and that these diapers can be used for ages is just exciting to me in a geekish way...
and the free online learning is also insanely exciting to me. insanely geekishly exciting..