It never occurred to me to create my own diapers–partially due to the fact that I have a complete lack of sewing skills and also because it seemed so complicated.  Imagine my surprise when my friend Kara casually handed me a bag of home-sewn hemp diapers saying only, “I made this for you since I had some extra time and fabric.” I had to know how it was possible to whip out a batch of diapers in just a few hours so interviewed Kara to get the nitty-gritty details.

GBG: Where did you get the idea/inspiration to make your own cloth diapers?

Before I was even pregnant with my first son, I was researching ways to be green, more healthy and frugal and found many sources for cloth diapers online. There were a few brands that had what they called “contours” and I was intrigued… they looked much more simple as compared to pre-folds and also much less expensive than “fitteds.” Plus, they also looked VERY simple to make.

I went to a local family owned fabric shop (not a large chain one) and they happened to carry hemp/cotton fleece and jersey fabric for $7.00 per yard. I had found a few sources online… but paying for shipping could be a bit more prohibitive – so I was thrilled to have found the fabric. I also experimented with old towels, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and polar fleece and regular flannel from a chain fabric store.

I found the hemp/cotton fleece to be my favorite for durability and absorbency. I was also able to invest in a serger sewing machine, which made the process MUCH easier. In my first attempts, before the serger, I made a few different styles of diapers trying to find one I thought would work (including some fitted ones, with elastic and velcro – the works) and when it all came down to it and the baby was finally here, we loved the simplicity of the contours.

Plus they’re SUPER easy to make. I did buy a few name brand contours to make my own basic pattern from, mostly to get the measurements to work with my Bummi’s covers. Overall probably not the least expensive way to go – but in the long run, still much less $$$ than buying them at $10+ a pop… and now I can use my serger for all kinds of fun toddler clothes and projects. I’m working on recycling my husband’s old t-shirts into yoga pants and shorts for the boys right now.

GBG: What resources would you recommend for people just starting?

For buying fabric online check hemptraders.com. At around $10 a yard, they seem more reasonable than a lot of places I looked at. There are many patterns available from patterns at the fabric store to free ones online if you need more specific help.

GBG: Is it possible to make the diapers if you don’t have a serger?

There are ways to make diapers without a serger… but if you can beg and/or borrow one – I’d highly recommend it. Without a serger, you could make the diapers mostly inside out, similar to making a pillowcase, then turn them right side out and sew up the opening and then sew on a “doubler” if you like.

GBG: What are the advantages of the hourglass diaper over prefolds?

The “hourglass” or “contour” shape diaper is much less bulky than a prefold, takes much less fabric and is easier to customize, ie. double them up for night-time or naps without a crazy amount of bulk. We also made and use “doublers” which are just a couple layers of absorbent fabric with fleece on one side which wicks moisture away from baby butts, boosts your absorbency and keeps your diapers from staining as much. I think they’d also dry much faster than bulkier prefolds.

We haven’t picked out colors, or bedding, or painted a fairy mural on the wall.  In fact, our second child has no claim to any wall–or even a room for that matter.

Why have we allowed this to happen?  After all, with our first we decorated with homemade curtains, a rocking chair and a new dresser.  What we quickly found, however, is that our son was rarely in his room.  He co-slept for the first five months and during the day spent most of his time lounging in the living room with us.  He wouldn’t nap in his crib so we wore him in a sling for snoozing or plopped him down on his baby blanket.

We’d happily move everything out to make space for our newborn if we thought she would actually use it. Our spare room is currently our office. Since we’re not sure what kind of sleeper she’ll be and how her crying will affect our two-year-old, we’ve decided to just keep her in our room for a few months and then decide what to do once we get to know her.  We’ve set up a changing table on the dresser and she’ll rest in a co-sleeper that some friends have generously lent us. 

I’m sure our decision would seem strange to some, but luckily my sister, the mother of five children, has pioneered creative accommodations in my family.  It’s impossible for most families that size to afford a six bedroom home, so she’s had babies sleep in walk-in closets, in the bathroom, and in several other creative nooks and crannies over the years.  Now that they’re older, they are all using bunk beds and sharing rooms. 

The great benefit of being more flexible with space, is that it’s possible to live in a smaller house, have less of a carbon footprint and more financial freedom.  I explored this topic quite awhile ago here.  So, if you’re expecting a little one, think outside the box about your baby’s nursery, or lack thereof.  The honest truth is that your baby won’t be aware enough to give the slightest care to where he or she sleeps.  Why not keep it simple at this stage and save up so that you’ll be able to have fun with décor later on?

How did you set up your nursery on a budget?  Or did you opt out of the nursery altogether?  I’ll keep you posted on whether I’m thrilled with our decision or think it was a horrible mistake. 

We have Mr. Linky up today (if it’s working correctly!) if you want to link to your Thrifty Green posts one last week before summer break. Read here for instructions.

If you haven’t joined the grassroots home garden movement, it’s nice to know you still can–and without spending a load of cash.  Last week’s post featured several ways to get your hands on free materials. Today we interview a family who has managed to set up six raised beds while parenting two children under three years old.  Whew!

Instead of letting a pile of old cedar fence boards go to waste,  JD and Kara used them to fashion a garden in their front yard.  The results are pretty impressive and extremely cheap.  They also used other recycled materials to keep their beds safe from birds, animals.. and pesky toddlers!

GBG: How have you child-proofed/bird-proofed your beds?

JD made a “cage” for one bed that we’d planted with seeds instead of starts – the cage is made out of some weld wire fencing we had left over from our fence.  He made a sort of box shape out of the wire, about 6 inches tall to keep little hands from easliy reaching the dirt… this may have also helped for the birds… but did not help with slugs, as they ate our first round of beans entirely.

We are trying various ideas to keep the slugs away, including beer to attract them elsewhere, coffee grounds to hop them up on caffeine and keep them busy and crushed egg shells, which are supposed to be unpleasant for slugs to crawl along.

 We had birds eat our first batch of baby pumpkin buds as they emerged from the soil before we knew what was happening, so we replanted after planting sunflowers all around our fence – giving the birds something they’ll enjoy WAY more than baby pumpkin leaves, hopefully. Oh – and we have a giant bamboo teepee to help support some tomato plants.  It also seems to help deter the toddler people some. Mostly… we just have to talk a LOT about plants and how the dirt is their home and we need to be gentle and careful and soon we can eat yummy things.

GBG: What would you tell people about your experience of raising plants from seeds? 

This year we tried to start a few things from seed in the house… the only things that have made it through so far are the spring mix. 

 I think with more experience and time and space we could do more from seed – it’s definitely a LOT cheaper… but with our lifestyle and inquisitive kids, etc. I would highly recommend buying starts.

 We might be brave next year again and try a few things… but starts have a huge advantage because they’re already so much bigger and more likely to thrive AND they take less time and energy (which we obviously don’t have an excess of).  I would recommend seeds to people who are more patient and have the space to get it done.

GBG: What did you use to fasten the recycled fence boards for your raised beds?

The fence boards are old cedar 1X8’s (which are actually 1″X8″ as opposed to modern boards which are only 3/4″X7 1/4″). The corners are just butt joints with 3 evenly spaced 2 1/2″ #8 deck screws.  I may need to eventually repair or reinforce the corners with pipe strap. 

The beds are 6′ by 3′ and the center brace is to keep the soil from bowing out the sides (which usually isn’t an issue on a bed this size if you are using 2X8 lumber). 

Thanks for adding your Thrifty Green Thursday links below so that all of our readers can learn from your simple tips on how to save a bit of money and the planet.  Everyone’s welcome, but if you don’t know where to start, click here for directions.  Thanks for joining us this week!

Imagine creating a kitchen garden that yields heaps of produce all summer long—for free!  Thanks to our recent family budget cutbacks and some wise neighbors, we’ve suddenly found that free gardening is quite possible.  Here are the latest tips we’ve discovered:

1. Find free wood, recycle what you have, or just dump dirt:  When our friends replaced their cedar fencing, they saved the old boards and used them to build raised beds.  Since the boards were just one inch thick, they cross braced them so that the wood wouldn’t bulge.  On Craigslist or through your friends you can usually find people who are looking to unload wood.  If you can’t find wood, just dump dirt on cardboard in your yard and make a bed without the border.  It will work fine and still grow some lovely veggies.
2. Ask for composted dirt: The soil generated by a home compost system is lush and loaded with nutrients.  You may have neighbors or friends who will be happy to donate a bit of their stash for your garden.  If their compost bin hasn’t reached the proper heat, there may be seeds in the soil that “volunteer” over the summer, but that can be an added bonus to a free garden! 
3. Search for free plants.  Since home gardening is all the rage this year, many families have extra garden starts that won’t fit into their beds.  Check Craigslist and ask neighbors to find if you can score a few free plants.
4. Use cardboard instead of weed mats/landscaping fabric.  Instead of weird polyester fabric, cardboard is completely made of paper—and it’s free!  We just cut large boxes open laid them down between the plants.  They block weeds from growing up to the surface and finding light without any harmful pesticides or chemicals.  People also use layered newspaper but I have found that cardboard lasts longer and is a more formidable barrier.   Then we layered on our next free item…. 
5. Use leaves as mulch. Here is our son Roscoe perched upon a mountain of free leaves the city provides to its residents for mulching. The spot is close to our house and we’ve gotten a few carloads already.  The leaves work great to enrich the soil and we’ve just heaped them on top of the cardboard.  They’re attractive, eco-friendly, and, again, free!
6. Make friends with arborists. We asked another neighbor if the giant pile of mulch her driveway had been bought and delivered.  She quickly told me that she’s in the habit of searching out arborists and asking if they will unload their chipped wood at her house.  They’re happy to do it rather than hauling it across town to the dump site.  She also checks with city workers and if she sees that they have extra bark dust after they’re filling a park or public space, she asks if they’ll leave it at her house.  It saves them money, and always provides her with free mulch!  I haven’t mastered this skill yet, but I’m on the lookout for a chipper/shredder to visit our neighborhood sometime soon!

If you use even a few of these tips you’ll save hundreds of dollars and create a food generating system that you’ll enjoy all summer long.  Happy hunting!

For more eco-friendly, budget friendly tips, check below.  We love hearing from our contributors and seeing how our community comments on one another’s sites.  Feel free to join the carnival today just by reading the directions here.  Thanks for visiting us!

Skip this post if you live in Canada, Denmark, Australia, France, or any one of 163 countries worldwide with paid maternity leave.  We’ll try not to think about the fact that in those nations mothers and fathers get months and sometimes even years of paid time to raise their children.  Here in the U.S., it’s tricky to be able to maneuver our maternity leave, but there are always ways to creatively find more time to spend with your baby.

Why try to take as much time as possible?  It’s not only critical to your sanity, but it often ends up being far more eco-friendly as well. My husband and I found that when we were both working we ended up using more jarred baby food, eating take-out more often, and generally spending more money on convenience items just to survive. Staying home means you’ll have the time to experiment with washing and drying cloth diapers.  Plus you’ll end up buying less and just enjoying this phase of baby’s life.

Of course the type of leave you’ll be able to take depends on what type of benefits your job offers, but here are some ideas for making the most of the system:

• Use vacation or sick leave: One of easiest and most convenient ways to extend leave is to use up your stash of accrued time off.  If you’re pregnant or planning on being pregnant soon, try to save up as much time as is humanly possible so that you can get an extra month or two in addition to your maternity leave. 
  
• Have your spouse take family leave: Although it’s is usually unpaid, you can get as much as possible if you involve your partner’s leave time as well.  If your spouse is eligible for leave or has a bit of extra vacation saved up, you can arrange your months with baby back to back so that you get the first three home and while your spouse stays home the next three.  Then you don’t have to consider daycare for at least six months and you both get some individual bonding time with baby.
• Spread out your time over baby’s first year: Depending on your job, you can get creative with part time work.  With my first son, I had saved up almost six months of sick leave time after working for over ten years.  I took six weeks off right when he was born and then went back half time after that for a few months.  When he was six months old, I worked three half time and two full time days for the rest of the year.  I blew through all of my sick leave, but never had to take any unpaid days.  Although it was tough going back at six weeks, it was worth it to get to have that much time with him over the course of the year.  

If you’re looking for more advice, read last week’s post for tips on how to negotiate with your workplace, present a plan to your supervisor, and hold onto your family time.  Some of you ended up never going back to work. We’d love to hear what you’ve found to be the best part of staying home or negotiating a work solution that’s ideal for your family.

Thanks for joining us week for Thrifty Green Thursday!  If you have an idea about how to save money and the planet, please read this page to see how to add your link below.  

It was heart-wrenching to go back to my career after my baby arrived, but luckily I had worked out a solution that gave me as much time off as possible over the course of his first year.  It required some creative thinking, some begging, and some negotiation, but it was worth it!

As you may have read in my last post, I found that the time I spent at home increased the quality of our lives and the quality of the environment. We were able to prepare homemade meals, hang cloth diapers out to dry, and generally spend less money. 

So how do you ask your supervisor for the best solution for your family?  Here are a few tips that worked for me.

• Think of a win-win-win solution. It’s possible to come up with a situation that is best for your family, your business, and your clients.  In my case, I found that spreading out my sick leave provided more consistency to my students, less cost to my school district, and an easier job for my supervisor.  When I presented it as such, my boss was very supportive.
• Problem solve before you make a proposal.  Are you the only one at work who can do a specific task?  If so, can you train someone so that they’ll be ready when you go on leave?  Can your company bring in an experienced, retired person to work temporarily during your leave so that training won’t be an issue?  There’s always a way to solve the dilemma and it will impress your supervisor if you can come up with it!  In my case, my leave request meant that there would be a Spanish class I wouldn’t be able to teach a few days a week.  I proposed that we changed the course to Spanish Language and Latino Art and teamed up with an amazing art teacher.  My principals were thrilled and my students enjoyed the whole experience.
•  Realize that family leave time is your right.  If you end up being pressured by your supervisors to come back before your three months of leave time is up, remember that it’s your legal right to have that time off.  The only exception is if your business has fewer than 50 employees or if you haven’t worked a total of 1,250 hours in the previous 12 months.   Otherwise, they have to let you have the leave and give your job back afterwards.  

In short, there are ways to negotiate a personalized solution that works for your family and your budget. You’ll be glad you took the initiative to explore all options and be even more appreciative when baby arrives and you get the chance to sleep in!  How did you handle going back to work or how did you make staying home fit into your budget?  We’d love to hear your stories. 

Thanks for adding your Thrifty Green Thursday links below so that all of our readers can learn from your simple tips on how to save a bit of money and the planet.  Everyone’s welcome, but if you don’t know where to start, click here for directions.  Thanks for joining us this week!

Upon hearing that my husband was laid off a few weeks ago, both of us found ourselves surprised by our own relief.  Obviously for many families losing a job can be tremendously stressful—especially with young children involved.  In fact, if my husband would have been laid off a few months later we would have been in serious trouble.  By that point I would have signed a half time teaching contract for next year which wouldn’t have been enough income to support our family.  Thank goodness I still have the option to teach full time next year and we have enough of an emergency fund to ease us through the summer. 

We know there will be financial sacrifices with my husband staying home to care for our kids, but for the last three years we have embraced the adventurous life of voluntary simplicity.  In the past, we didn’t need to shop at thrift stores, give home haircuts, or make our own cleaning supplies, but we enjoyed the challenge and delighted in the fact that we were helping the planet and beefing up our savings account. Every month we dutifully deposited money in our emergency fund, thinking we wouldn’t need it anytime soon. 

The down side of all of that working and saving was that we always felt harried.  We spent weekends catching up on family time and chores. When our son would get ill, we had to cobble together daycare coverage using our sick leave with occasional help from friends and family.  There wasn’t any flexibility in our schedules and we felt overwhelmed by the pace of our life—especially since our second child is due in just a few weeks. 

Now that my husband is an official “domestic engineer,” I don’t have to rush home from work to cook a meal while trying to spend quality time with my son.  Instead when I arrive on our doorstep, dinner is in the oven and my family is completely relaxed.  I’m also amazed by how much the bond between my son and my husband has grown over just a few weeks.  Here they are enjoying swimming lessons together–something that never would have fit into our work schedules before.

Over the summer we’ll have to be careful with our budget, but next school year (which starts in September) we’ll actually be better off financially with me working full time and my husband staying home.  When we sat down and crunched numbers it occurred to us that the savings in taxes and childcare are impressive.  What a thrill to be able to have more family time and save money too!  

So, my official Thrifty Green Thursday tip is to set up your emergency savings fund!  Even if you can only sock small amounts of money away each month, it’s worth it to know that you’ll have a bit of padding in these rough financial times.  It’s amazing how powerful that saving momentum can be once you start trimming here and there and seeing your balance inching up.   Since we believe going green truly involves simplifying, buying less, and buying used, you really can go green and set some green aside in case of a rainy day.  

We would love to have you join us with your tips on saving money and the planet.  Just be sure to add a link on your post that directs readers back to this post.  That way they’ll have the chance to explore everyone’s tips.  For directions on where to begin, just click here.  Thanks for joining us this week for Thrifty Green Thursday! 

Have you ever pulled supposedly clean diapers out of the washer only to find that they’re nearly as stinky as when they went in?  What’s the problem?  It could be a variety of factors including the iron content in your water, the laundry soap you’re using, or synthetic fabrics. 

The other day I stumbled across an amazing solution: hydrogen peroxide!  It turns out that plain old hydrogen peroxide will provide you with your own homemade version of non-chlorine bleach. 

For the wash: Add a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide to each           washload or a bit more for very full or dirty loads.  

 For stains: douse them with peroxide and then spot wash with         detergent. It’s best not to let the peroxide sit on the fabric for a long period of time.

 For household use:  Just add 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide to one gallon of water and use on kitchen sink, tile, bathroom, shower, toilet and bathtub.  

You can toss this mixture into a load of dirty diapers and find that it will make a big difference in smell.  

While chlorinated bleach hurts the environment, breaks down your diapers, and is potentially toxic, hydrogen peroxide is perfectly safe to use on cloth diapers.  In fact, the manufacturer of Bummi’s recommends using hydrogen peroxide to battle smells in stinky diapers.  It neutralizes the acidity, which is the cause of the smell.  While some people have found that vinegar works, it can exacerbate the problem since it’s also highly acidic.  

Thanks for joining us for Thrifty Green Thursday.  If you’d like to join us this week, click here to learn how to jump right in.   If you had your link deleted last week, it’s because you forgot to link back to this post.  We’d love to have you join us again this week!  We hope you can share some frugal, eco-friendly tips with our readers and benefit from all the wisdom of our ingenious contributors.

Mildew is my nemesis, but I much prefer it to the fumes of chlorinated bleach. Even though chlorine is very hard on the environment and our health, it’s found in a wide variety of household cleaners—all of which I’ve now replaced with homemade versions.  The one hurdle we hadn’t quite overcome was bleach. So the last time we desperately needed to clean out the shower I asked my husband to purchase chlorine-free bleach to save the environment and my nose.

When we read the label on the container we were a bit shocked.  The ingredients were simply hydrogen peroxide and water.  Why then did we pay too much when we could have made it ourselves? 

If you’d like to skip our expensive mistake, just follow the simple directions below. 

• For the wash: Add a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide to each washload or a bit more for very full or dirty loads.  
• For stains: douse them with peroxide and then spot wash with detergent. It’s best not to let the peroxide sit on the fabric for a long period of time.
• For household use:  Just add 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide to one gallon of water and use on kitchen sink, tile, bathroom, shower, toilet and bathtub.  

This mixture isn’t officially considered a disinfectant, but it will clean wonderfully.  Enjoy!

If you have a simple budget-friendly, eco-friendly tip we hope you’ll join us this week.  Read here to learn how to jump right in and add a link to your themed blog post.  Also, please read each other’s blogs and comment.  It makes it more fun for everyone!