My Newest Frugal Experiment

That's right - those are cloth diapers!  I'm experimenting with switching LuLu, who just turned one, to cloth.

Although I have lots of friends who use cloth diapers, I never considered it at first.  It seemed a very foreign idea, not to mention the "ick" factor.  However, over the past year or so, as I've seen more mamas use them, both in person and on blogs, I've started to think about it more.  I wasn't ready to try it when LuLu was born, as I had no idea how my life would be with two little ones.  However, now things are on a pretty even keel, yet she still probably has at least a year and a half of diaper wearing to go.

Although I am definitely aware of all the non-economic benefits to using cloth, my primary motivation is honestly to continue to lower our grocery bill and to put the extra money toward a savings goal (more on that later).  Another reason that I had not considered cloth in the past was that I was not sure that it actually would save me money.  As this point, I spend a fairly low $25/month (approximately) on generic diapers and wipes.  I didn't want to invest a couple of hundred dollars in fancy cloth diapers and not be able to recoup my investment until I have another child!

After some research and discussion with friends, I determined that the care of the diapers would not be too difficult and that the only costs each month would be extra water and a different detergent.  I decided that I would invest $50-$100 in diapers and use whatever I could get for that amount of money, even if it meant using cloth just part time.  That way, I would recoup my investment in 2-4 months and still save money for at least another year of diapering.  I also decided that this would be an experiment to try, and if it didn't work for me, I could always resell the diapers.

So, a couple of weeks ago now, I was excited to score a great deal on these Bumwear one size pocket diapers on Ebay.  Eight diapers and 12 inserts for $39, including shipping!  They are used, but it in excellent condition.  (I hope used diapers don't seem to revolting to non-cloth diaper users about there.  It is actually very common with these premium cloth diapers.  Remember, babies soil their clothes all the time, so it's not much different from buying clean used clothes. :-)

So, the experiment starts this week!  I'll be sure to let you know how it's going.  And I'd love to hear advice from any cloth diapering mamas out there!