Monay saving stratigies.

Each year, for the past nine years I have been married, we have been able to claim the medical deduction on our taxes. It gets us a few hundred back. But the thing is, we spend a few thousand on medical. Most years, between my son's OT, my hubby's Epilepsy, and my slow decline, we have spend upwards of fifteen percent of our income on medical. The year our second son was born, we spent almost 30% of our income on medical. My hubby makes an alright living, and our insurance is reasonable. It's our copay, deductibles, and everything else adding up. Especially for Ot and PT. I have gotten temp jobs, night jobs, and done sewing for money trying to make ends meet.
Technically my husband's income is too high for us to qualify for any kind of discount or services, but what they don't account for is when a quarter of our net goes to the doctors.

So, I do a few things to save money:

Baby:
Cloth diaper
Nurse
make my own baby food
Make baby clothing (FREE fabric, or out of old clothing)
Ask for hand me downs. I am not shy!

FOOD
Meal plan around Sales.
Freeze foods
Check coupons
Buy Bulk when on sale
Foods in Season
Crock pot
Oven-tips: With Casseroles and things that take a while, I turn down heat or off, for the last 15 min of an hour long cooking time
-Have a master price list: know the best price,
Go generic when it does not matter.
Stretch meat.
When I mix "juice" or punch, I always add a third more water then the recipe states.
Free Food: When the apple tree down the street is dropping apples into road, I ask if i can have some, and make apple sauce. Pick blackberries down by the river and make jam.

Electrical
No TV service.
During the day I keep Lights off, open window blinds, and use sunlight.
Wash in cold, at night, only full loads, with 1/3 detergent recommended.
Run the spin cycle a second time, gets more water out.
Line dry, everything but socks and underwhere.
Wash dishes at night, and never use the "dry cycle" just air dry
Low flow in Toilet, and "share a flush"
Water-heater set to lover temp
Winterize our home, preventing loss of heat.
Dress in layers, at home.
Get free wood, and have fires instead of turning up the heater.
I reuse plastic bags
Where it out, then patch it up.


Do a lot of the fix it myself, Dad's a general contractor, and You-tube
Cloth napkins, not paper towels
Always check clearance
No Vacations
No subscriptions or magazines
No Dry clean
Don't drink Coffee, or alcohol.
No Smoking
No Gym memberships
No landline
No hairdryer
Don't use dryer sheets
Walk whenever possible
Print for free at the library .
Sell on Etsy, and Craiglist and hold yard sale.

Any other suggestions?
                                                                                                                   

Cloth diapering. Part 5. Assembeling Stuffer style

With the elastic on the leggs, you next you the Braded elastic to sinc up the back.
About 5 inches, stretched accros the back, and sewn down with the stretch/zigzag stich.

At this point pin the wing reinfoucements on, and basting stich arround the edge. Leavin as tinny a seam allowance as you can.
Pin the liner fabric on, right sides together and sew then together, leaving the back opened just big enough to get your hand in.

Right side out them.

Cloth diaper. Part 4 . Start Asembeling

First you want to lay out your diaper shaped PUL, fabric side down.
Pin your Wing reinforcing fabric, just arround the edges.
Keep in mind any place you pin the frabric is a place that moisture can get thru.

First elastic:
4 inches per leg of the clear elastic. Pin it down, Just at the ends, of the leg section.
It is best to sew thease down at this point.
Using a zigzage or stretch stich, sew the elastic down, along the curv, while you stretch it out.
[]
Now from here the style's branch out.

Cloth Diaper. Part 3. "soakers"

The soaker's are the part that does the work of soaking up the pee or poo.
 Cotton, Hemp. This is the absorbent stuff.

1. For the Covers style

1. Prefold.
1. Several layers of lightweight fabric, sewn together into a rectangle.
1. You can get them almost any baby supply place, for $1 each
2. Standard in the 60-80s
2. flat fold. Just a flat piece of  fabric, hemmed on the edges, that you fold around the baby's bum. 
2. Stuffer style

1. The Stuffer or Insert  is several layers of absorbent fabric sewn tightly down,into a single piece.
2. Sized needs to be slightly less wide and slightly shorter then the core of the finished diaper. Approximately 11 X 4 inches.
3. I have made then out of all t-shirts, towels, washcloths. Size is not too important as long as they don't stick out of the diaper. But they do need to lay flat.
3. All in one style
1. Several layers of absorbent fabric sewn into several leafs
2. Sized needs to be slightly smaller then the core of the finished diaper. Approximately 11 X 4 inches.

Cloth diapers Part 2. Cutting out the "diaper"

Lay ut you PUL and cut out your chosen diaper shape.
I like to lay my pattern out like so for cuting the PUL fabric. It makes it easer to fit the pattern four times.
And the piece that is left over. from between the diapers, can be cut up to use for reinforcing the wings on the diaper. I end up with very little waste fabric.
Green Bonus.

And cut a small piece of liner going across the tummy.

If you our doing the Cover style, then you are ready for the next step.

If your doing Stuffer style or All in one style: Cut out you Diaper pattern on the PUL as well as the Liner fabric.

 

Cloth Diapers. part 1. Supplies

1. 1/2 yard of Waterproof PUL fabric.
1. Polyurethane Laminate fabric is used to make the outer shell.
2. This is the same regardles of the style or option
2. The diaper pattern. You can find then online, or just sketch out our own.
3. Liner. Microfiber, Microflease or microswade.
1. For the Cover style, you just need a 1/8th of a yard.
2. For the Stuffer or All in one style you need 1/2 yard.
4. Elastic
1. For the Cover Style
1.  fold over elastic. 
2.  Clear elastic. 1/4 inch wide, 48 inches long
2. For the Stuffer or All-in-one style 
1. Polly brade elastic. 1/4 inch wide 24 inches long.
2. Clear elastic.1/4 inch wide, 48 inches long
5. Closures Option
1. Hook and loop, or Velcro. one ince wide, 24 inches long.
2. snaps. 48 sockets, 16 studs, 64 caps.
3. Ribon & S hooks, 8 of them.

This will get you all set to make 4 diapers. For me, this came to about $12 a diaper.

You can get this stuff at most fabric stores, or online at specilty baby diaper places
Like: verybaby.com  or find your own.

Make your own Cloth diapers

I am inspired to publish a multi part tutorial for making your own cloth diapers.
I'm doing it, so it can't possibly be that hard.

Cotton Babies is an EXCELLENT source for cloth diapering info. Their Blog answers most questions. But only you know what will work for you.

But for my purposes cloth diapers comes down to three variables;
How it assembles and how it stays on.

Style 1_ Basic cover/wrap. Single layer that hold moisture, goes over the thing doing the absorbing
Style 2_ Stufer/pocket. Two layers that you can stuff the absorbing cloth between
Style 3_ ALLinONE. Multiple layers that absorb and hold, that are pre-assembled.
Opt _1 Snaps Closure
Opt _2 "hook and loop" Closure
Opt _3 "S hook" Closure

 So to give you an idea:
Diaper 1.1 would be a basic cover, with snaps. Econo Bums brand is this style
Diaper 3.2 would be an ALLinONE with hook and loop closure. bumGenius brand is this style.

I will also tell you about the "brands" of cloth diapers that I have experienced. Not all of which are official, or even still exist :) Each has pro and con, and people dedicated to each.

Some people go for one style at night and another during the day, and a third for travel.. My hubby said he wanted me to stick with ONE style so that he did not have to think too hard when changing.