Tip Tuesday: Protecting Your Porcelain

Noritake in Silver Palace. (I won a winning contest when I was 15 and received 8 place settings of my choice pattern!)

Always protect your fine china during storage, even if it's just in your cupboard or china cabinet, by placing one or more coffee filters between them. This inexpensive technique will go a long way in protecting your favorite dishes.

Cloth Wipe Solution

Loving cloth wipes? You can use them dry, but for extra messy diapers it's best to use wet cloth wipes. You can use just plain water, but using a solution can be soothing to baby's bottom--especially if baby has a diaper rash.

****Please note that you should never soak then store your wipes at room temperature. They will grow mold that way. You have two options: either keep your wipe solution in a spray bottle and spray wipes prior to use OR if you do soak your wipes, store them in a wipe warmer.

Supplies:

-1 Cup Water
-1 Teaspoon Baby Oil (or Olive Oil)
-1 Teaspoon Baby Wash or Shampoo
-1 Teaspoon of Calendula Oil (optional-great for treating or preventing diaper rash)

-Mix all together and store in a spray bottle.

How to Make Your Own Cloth Wipes

Cloth wipes are fabulous and amazing. I feel like they clean better than disposable wipes, they are super soft on baby's skin, and easy on the budget...if you make them yourself. Cloth wipes available to buy are usually $2 a piece or more, which is crazy to pay when they are so simple to make. I promise you will love using cloth wipes!

Supplies:

-Fabric of choice (I recommend flannel or another soft, cotton alternative)
-Thread
-Sewing machine
-Scissors

While you can simply use scraps of fabric (some prefer oval shaped wipes), I like having wipes that fit perfectly into my travel wipe case. You could use 8 x 8" pieces and fold them, but I prefer having smaller wipes.

-Cut an even total of 4" x 8" pieces of your fabric.

-Sew them together using a tight stitch. If you want a clean edge, use a tight zigzag stitch along the edge. If you want a frayed edge, a tight straight stitch is perfect.

Tip Tuesday: Shaving Tip

Looking for a cheaper way to shave? In this economy, who doesn't need to save a few extra pennies? Try replacing your fruity scented shaving cream that always seems to run out too quickly with a cheaper option--aloe gel. Most shaving creams boast aloe as an ingredient, so why not use it exclusively? It works great for even my sensitive skin!

Tip Tuesday: Polishing the Silver

Did you know you can polish silver with toothpaste? Instead of using nasty smelling chemicals, which never seemed like a healthy way to polish silverware any way, use toothpaste. Try it on your silver jewelry, silverware, silver teapot, or any other tarnished silver you may have in your home.

How to Not Fall into Debt While Using Deal Sites

Deal sites are fun and exciting. You try to grab the next deal before it sells out. The deep discounts can be oh so very tempting. Next thing you know, you find yourself considering $40 fleece lovey that was featured in "O" magazine because it's super cheap...Seriously?? Time to put the credit card down!

Here are a few tips to keep your head on straight and your credit card in your wallet!

-Before you click "Buy", check the shipping costs. Often the additional cost of shipping makes your "deal" a few dollars short of full price.

-Instead  of just hoping to find a good deal, you want to have items you need in mind. Make a (mental) list. Say, cloth diapers, amber teething necklace or sleep sacks are on your list. When a deal pops up for cute bibs or burp cloths, you don't have to consider buying them if they aren't on your "need" list. Often I'll scan deal sites and don't even bother looking at the deal if I don't see a key word from my "need" list.

-Avoid buying sized items, unless you already know the size you need from that specific brand. Remember, deal sites cannot accept returns.

-Remember, it's only a bargain if it's something you need or were planning to purchase beforehand. Otherwise, you're just spending money.

-Always have a good idea of the regular price of the item before you purchase. Sometimes the price listed on the deal site as the previous cost is higher than actual retail price on several other sites. Do a price comparison before you buy unless you know the price!!

-If you need the item by a certain date, be sure to check for any notifications that shipping will be delayed. These notifications are usually toward the bottom of the page.


Happy Shopping!

For a list of baby deals sites, click here.

Homemade Cloth Diaper Detergent

Did you know that your not supposed to wash your cloth diapers in regular laundry detergent? On top of that, you're not even supposed to treat diaper stains with products (refer to my cloth diaper laundry tips for more information). The reason why you're not supposed to use detergent is because it builds up a residue in the fabric that creates wicking...aka you get leaks. That issue can be solved by "stripping" the diapers, a process you're more than welcome to Google should the problem arise. Anyway, the residue is similar to what happens to towels if you toss them in the dryer with a dryer sheet or fabric softener, which reminds me... NEVER USE DRYER SHEETS OR FABRIC SOFTENER with cloth diapers.

So what kind of detergent should you use? Well, homemade detergent (which I can't rave enough about. I LOVE mine) works great or you could buy some specially formulated for cloth diapers, such as Rockin' Green. Even then, less is more so it lasts a long, long time. Still, I don't even purchase regular laundry detergent because I make my own. I've heard great things about Rockin' Green, but it's still pretty pricey. So, I make my own cloth diaper detergent and let me tell you...I haven't had a single problem.

Supplies: 

-Borax

-Sun Oxygen Cleaner or Baby OxyClean (do NOT use regular OxyClean!!)

-Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

Directions:

-Thoroughly mix 3 cups Borax, 3 cups Sun Oxygen Cleaner, and 3 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda in a plastic container with a lid.

-Store in plastic container.

-Use 1 tbsp of mixture per load.

My Baby Shopping Secret (Deal Sites)

Everyone knows babies cost money. Luckily, despite the fact that we live in the time of big, expensive yet essential buys like car seats, we also live in the age of the internet. Specifically, websites dedicated to deals for moms. Most of the time when I'm asked where I bought one of my baby products, it's from a deal site. Here's my favorite sites for baby details:

http://www.babysteals.com/ This site offers TWO deals a day, 9am and 9pm, that are up to 80% off and once they are sold out...they're out. They mostly have clothing, diaper bags, and that sort of thing. I get their email notifications, but often by the time I get them, they are sold out. They are on Facebook and always post info on their deals. Here's a link to their archives, some of which are still up for grabs. http://www.babysteals.com/dailydeals/archive.php (Hint: they also have sister sites called kidsteals.com and scrapbooksteals.com)

http://www.babyearth.com/baby-sale  You can score serious deals on this site. It works like this: From 9am - 5pm CST every hour, on the hour there is a new deal. It's starts out full price, but every second that goes by the price drops one cent. The catch? You have to wait for the best deal you can while hoping the deal isn't sold out. (I noticed today that it's usually sold out by/before 50% off) This site is actually a lot of fun. Once an item pops up that you want, it's link an invisible auction. It's a bit of a rush when you manage to get a deep discount. Be careful--they can sell out faster than you think! This site also has "open box" and "scratch & dent" (stuff slightly damaged during shipping) discounted items like strollers to bassinets for sale.

http://www.mamabargains.com/ This site has multiple deals a day. When one deal sells out, it's replaced with a new one. From strollers to hair clips to baby clothes, they have a huge mixture of deals. They also have a Facebook page.

Deal-a-day sites:

http://babyhalfoff.com/

http://www.motherofadiscount.com/

http://www.mamasretreat.com/

http://www.greenbabybargains.com/

https://www.ecobabybuys.com/ (Great site to find cloth diaper deals!)

http://www.minibargainz.com/ (Canadian based site. Watch out for shipping charges)

http://kids.woot.com/

http://www.geniusbabies.com/deal-of-the-day.html

Coupon/Discount Code Sites:

http://www.momondealz.com/

http://www.momsview.com/adeptbaby.shtml

http://www.babycheapskate.com (this is a great site to keep track of deals online and in stores!)

http://www.retailmenot.com/coupons/babies

http://www.dailyedeals.com/coupons/baby.htm

http://www.babycenter.com/free-baby-stuff

http://freebies4mom.com/category/1-freebies/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/welcome

Switching to Cloth

Diapers. They are a necessity when it comes to babies and an expensive one at that. When it came time for me to decide what kind of diapers I wanted to use, it wasn't a choice. I was using disposables. I even told my husband not to even bring up the option of cloth because I was adamant that I would never ever use a cloth diaper.

Then I had Baby Ruffles. I loved my disposable diapers. I used Pampers Swaddlers and was 100% satisfied with them. Thanks to Amazon Mom, I wasn't even sweating the cost. The only thing I wasn't thrilled about was how many we went through in a day. Baby Ruffles would not tolerate a wet diaper. The minute it was wet was the minute she would start screaming as if we were torturing her. We would use at least 15 diapers in a single day, usually more. The number of trash bags we took out each week quickly doubled and everyone knows there are few things more disgusting than a plastic bag full of dirty diapers. It became extremely frustrating since we were just throwing away money.

I had a few friends come over with their babies which of course led to diaper discussions. They would mention that they had tried cloth diapers and loved them. I would smile and nod with very little interest. Until one of my friends actually handed me a cloth diaper. It was soft! So soft! Not to mention completely adorable. She mentioned how they are super absorbent and it got me thinking. Maybe Baby Ruffles would tolerate wet diapers better if they were cloth. I decided I would buy one or two to test out.

I believe it was within a week that I found a deal online for AppleCheeks that were half-off. I picked out two and waiting impatiently for them to arrive. It was love at first touch. They were so buttery soft and looked so cute on. It took me a few tries to get the fit right and other things like that, but the main thing I noticed is that Baby Ruffles was suddenly tolerating wet diapers.

I had to get my hands on more. Soon, I was searching online for reviews, deals, and advice. Now, I have a wealth of knowledge about cloth diapers and a lovely blog to share it on. When I got started looking into cloth diapers, I quickly became overwhelmed which is why I want to share what I have figured out along the way. I have to say all the research was completely worth it. Cloth diapers were something I swore I'd never do and now I cringe at the thought of ever going back to disposables. So, what changed my mind to stick with cloth? Here are a few reasons:

-My baby tolerates a wet diaper for a change!

-That pile of baby clothes on my washer being pre-treated after blow-out? GONE!

-Saving money!! Even if you bought 24 of the most expensive cloth diapers, you would still be paying less than you would on disposables. Not to mention if you take care of them, they can be used for your next baby or even sold.

-Fewer diaper rashes.

-I actually look forward to diaper changes now. I get to pick which color to put on her next and which brand.

-They are so cute and feel like another fun accessory to the outfit!

-No chemicals against my baby's bottom!

-No more tabs that tear off making the diaper useless!

-No more stinky trash bags to throw out!

-No more midnight runs to the store when you run out of diapers. If you need more, you just wash them.

-Less waste and environmentally friendly, of course!

Still not convinced? Here are a few links to articles written by other bloggers about their switch to cloth:

http://www.clothdiaperblog.com/why-consider-cloth-diapers-for-baby/

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2010/10/age-of-modern-cloth-diaper.html

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2010/08/why-i-went-cloth-and-you-can-too.html

Sound like a worthwhile switch? I certainly thought so! Now that you've read my story about why I made the switch, you can learn about how you can make the same switch. Basically, the fun is just about to get started. I will be posting cloth diaper Q&As, brand reviews, laundry tips, and other awesome information.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I don't know about you, but I do a TON of laundry. It's a good day if I manage to get through more than a day or two without washing a load of clothes. Funny thing about washing clothes--it requires detergent. I found myself spending a small fortune on detergents due to my slight obsession with treating stains and keeping clothes smelling fresh and clean. I used coupons, but that only created a small collection of various products I couldn't afford to buy full price!

When I first heard of homemade laundry soap, I thought it sounded crazy and even a little bit gross. How could you make sure the clothes are actually clean? I'll give you a hint...the homemade soap is made with soap. Trust me. This stuff cleans!! Not only that, but one batch lasts forever. I whipped up my last batch back in December, it's now June, and I'm not even half-way through it! Talk about saving some money!

Homemade Laundry Soap

-1 Fels Naptha soap bar

-1 cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda!)

-1/2 cup Borax

Instructions:

-Grate Fels Naptha soap bar into a small saucepan and cover with water. Heat to med-high and stir occasionally until soap completely dissolves.

-In a 5-gallon bucket, mix washing soda, borax, and dissolved Fels Naptha mixture. Stir well until powder is dissolved. Fill bucket with hot tab water, cover with lid tightly and set overnight.

-The next day, stir mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water and store in a smaller laundry-detergent dispenser or container. 

-Shake before using. Use 1 cup for top loading machines and 1/2 cup for front-loading machines. Use half the required amount for smaller loads.

Now start saving money!

-Mama Ruffles