Friday, March 14, 2008

Penny-pinching for Bun

Since we're expecting our little one to come home with us sometime in early September, we've been on what Ben refers to as "super budget"--we're saving every penny we can while I still receive my paycheck from teaching. (It really makes me wonder what were buying for the previous 12 months.)
We've been doing pretty good the last few months, almost putting my whole paycheck in saving. Almost.
So we're still looking for different ways to pinch our pennies, especially after Bun is born.

Our really cool (and green...and poor) friends in Pensacola have gone cloth.

I've also been reading a little about skipping out on the jars.

But I do want to make certain that these actually save money and are worth the extra time and effort! What's your experience?

5 comments:

EmmyJMommy said...

I can tell you that Briana Wohlford is a great one to ask on "skipping the jar"...she did...and I think it really does save..., but you might be able to find coupons for emergencies! I know a certain pastor's wife that is awesome with coupons! -- on the other hand...I stink at it!

Lauren said...

I love the title "Bun."

Skipping out on the jars is very easy. My kids always liked the stuff I made better. I would add cinnamon to sweet potatoes and mix up the yucky stuff like lentils with bananas.

The store-bought baby food has mostly water in it. So if you make it at home, you can use breastmilk or formula to make it more nutritious. If your baby does not seem to like the texture of homemade food compared to Gerber's food, it may be that you need to add more liquid to smooth it out. That was one thing I had to learn. Mash potatoes that you would eat are a bit too chewy for an 8 month old. I guess I should have known that.

Lauren said...

May I add one thing? Some items were easier to buy than make: applesauce, pears. My kids loved YoBaby organic yogurt. It's pricey, and they liked all the other whole milk yogurts too.

Anonymous said...

I did cloth with Tiff(22 yrs ago) and Cait(16 yrs)but I had a diaper service weekly pick-up, paid for by Gma. We converted to paper @ 8 months. Cloth cost in time and water and time; Paper just cost. Consider cloth at home and paper when you go out. Definitely "skip the jar' when bun starts to eat mixed foods. As you introduce single foods jars are convenient in serving size for smaller appetites.
I know lots of coupon sites, as does a certain pastor's wife we both know. You can save LOTS of money. I can also tell you how to make your own wipes too!
I'm excited for you both,

Anonymous said...

One of my closest friends always made her own wipes. She also bought lots of toys...really nice ones too...at garage sales for nickels, dmes and quarters. She made some of her own baby food, but not all of it. Personally, I liked disposable diapers, but mine never had ongoing issues with diaper rash...a few times, but they were few and far between and disposable was way more convenient for me.

Since we had to do formula, there was no way around an expensive baby, but, we learned to cut in a lot of our own spending patterns.