Tuesday, May 17, 2016

2016 Flats & Handwashing Challenge Day 2: Stash Day!

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             Hey folks! Welcome to day 2 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge! Today we're talking about our “stash”.
             I feel like our stash of flats is pretty boring. Like I've mentioned before, it's what I already use day in and day out. We didn't buy anything special just to take part in this challenge. Plus, we use the Gerber cheapies from Walmart. Definitely nothing fabulous about those! But, I'll talk more about those tomorrow. ;)
             As far as flats and covers being a viable option for parents who may be struggling financially, I think our set up is pretty affordable. I think I have about 11 or 12 full flats that I usually pad fold. (“Pad fold” is a somewhat nicer sounding term for “folding it into a boring rectangle”. There are tons of different ways to fold these out there!)
             I also have a bunch of flats that I cut in half. I then folded those in half twice and use them like doublers inside of the main, pad folded flat. And, of course, I have some covers. I usually have 3 or 4 in my rotation at a time and replace them once they're stinky or get poo on them. Or if it's laundry day and I remember to stick them in with the rest of the diapers. (I really need a better system. I've got diapers all over the house: Ones drying over the shower rod in our bathroom, some drying in the laundry basket in Myka's bathroom, some fitteds drying in the sunroom as part of an experiment...Yah. It's ridiculous.)
             Anyhow, let's talk numbers, or more specifically, cost. I mainly use Best Bottom covers, which retail for $16.95 each. Don't get me wrong: I love our Best Bottoms and they're definitely worth the money, but there are also less expensive covers out there if you really need to watch your spending. (I'm also a fan of Thirsties, though I have only tried their newborn covers.) We'll say you buy four, so that's $67.80. A 10 pack of the Gerber flatfold diapers from Walmart is $12.34. (Which, unless you have a newborn pooping all the time, will probably get you through close to 2 days. It does me, anyways, but I use fitteds at night.) Let's say you buy a second pack to cut up like I do and use them as doublers, so an extra $12.34. Altogether, that's $92.48. No matter how you cloth diaper, the upfront cost is going to be a little scary, but anything under $100 is definitely not bad!
             I know this post is supposed to be about MY stash, but I love diving in and trying to find even cheaper ways to cloth diaper to help other people out! (P.s. I also have a post on the cost of cloth diapering versus disposables.) So, let's say you buy four Thirsties covers instead at $11.50 each. That can bring your total down to $70.68! Plus, if you're brand new to cloth diapering, I highly recommend doing a lot of research on types of diapers and brands you are interested in. THEN, try to find a local buy/sell/trade group on Facebook so you can find what you need for even cheaper! Since finding out about my local group, I have bought a Sweet Pea fitted, that is normally $25 brand new, for $15 and two Sustainablebabyish fitteds for $15 for both, which are normally around $24 each!
             Thanks for stopping by today. Come back tomorrow when I'll be talking about why you shouldn't write off the “cheapies”!

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