Day 5 of the Third Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge

"I am taking part in the Third Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 400 participants from all over the world!"

After 5 days on this challenge the lessons that I have learned are...
Keeping a regular washing routine is crucial!
Stick to folds you know or be ready for some messy clean-up.
Take it one day at a time.
Second time around is not as fun as the first.


My go to fold from last year. Tutorial here.

This year I am struggling more with the challenge. I am dreading having to wash the diapers today. I am avoiding that job like the plague. But it must be done.
This year I stuck to pad folds. That's it. I know BORING. But I just can't get fancy with the folds when I have a boy that won't stop. Not even for 2 seconds. Last year I was more adventurous with the folds and learned the hard way that the origami fold was not for us.
This year I just am not as motivated as I was last year. Maybe since I already completed the challenge and know I can do it and proved to myself that I have done it. I don't know but I just don't have the same gusto as I did last year. But I am no quitter! I will finish!
Don't forget I am giving away a new pair of homemade wool longies size large- x large. To enter please leave a comment. The winner will be announced Monday.

Day 4 of the Third Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge

"I am taking part in the Third Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 400 participants from all over the world!"

This week is flying by. I am half way through this challenge and actually think I may make it to the end. If you had asked me this morning you would have gotten a totally different answer. I was set on quitting this morning. I hadn't gotten to wash yesterday and was faced with a large pile of poopy diapers this morning. My son had a record of 4 poopy diapers in a 24 hour period. We recently switched to raw milk which I think might be causing the increase in poop.
My saving grace I suppose was that the internet wasn't working so I had nothing better to do than wash those darn diapers. LOL.

This is a picture from last year's challenge. My camera is on the fritz :(

I am still not sure if we will make it to the end of the day. I have one dry diaper left and some jersey fabric if I am desperate. I thought I had 16 diapers...turns out I only have 10!
This year I have been washing in the bathtub instead of a 5 gallon bucket like I did last year. I fill the tub enough that the diapers can move freely in the water. Then I add my soap. I have been using dawn just because I keep forgetting to go down into the basement to get my homemade laundry soap. Then the fun part begins. The stomping! I get in the tub and walk all over the diapers squishing out every last bit of dirt. I totally feel as if I should be chanting "crush the grapes" while doing this. BB likes to get in there and help during the rinse cycle. I have found this method more efficient then using my hands. It even is a great way to wring the diapers out.  

Don't forget I am giving away a new pair of homemade wool longies size large- x large. To enter please leave a comment. The winner will be announced Monday.

Here is my post on hand washing from last year's challenge.

Day 2 of the Third Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge

 

"I am taking part in the Third Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 400 participants from all over the world!"

Today's topic is: How did I prepare for the challenge?
Fortunately I had everything I needed already. After last year's challenge I invested in some extra flour sack towels from Target to use when we travel. Last July we went to Turkey for a month and I used flats exclusively during that time. The flour sack/ tea towels were almost $5.00 for a 4 pack. I have 2 packs. Seeing how cheap and effective these flats are is really making me regret buying expensive prefolds and pockets.
I also have 6 birdseye flats that I got 2 years ago from GreenMountainDiapers.com and 2 receiving blankets that I am using. So a total of 16 diapers! Not bad.
I have been doubling up since BB is such a heavy wetter lately. But with 16 diapers I can skip a day of washing if I have to.
My only problem is my lack of covers :(.  I needed to retire the Velcro covers I had since BB would not keep them on. So now I am down to only 4 covers. I can make that work.
Don't forget I am giving away a new pair of homemade wool longies size large- x large. To enter please leave a comment. The winner will be announced Monday.  

Third Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge

DirtyDiaperLaundry.com

"I am taking part in the Third Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 400 participants from all over the world!"

This will be my second year participating in the Flats and Hand washing Challenge. I decided to participate once again for the simple reason that I had so much fun last year. Yes I find hand washing diapers covered in poop and pee to be fun! LOL.
Last year my reasons were much more personal. I was poor growing up. I lived 3 years from the age of 6 to the age of 9 without running water. Our well had dried up and my parents could not afford to get it filled. It was hard. But through that experience I became more conscious about water conservation.  For the whole story you can read my post from last year here.
This year will be more challenging than last. First of all my son is 2.5 years old and soaks through everything. I have slowly moved further and further away from cloth diapers and have been much more reliant on disposables. I really need to get back on track with cloth diapering and hope this challenge forces me to do so. My budget and the environment will thank me for that.

Lastly I believe that the more knowledge and experience that I have with diapering on a budget the more I can help people that may be in the same position I was in as a child.
Like last year I will be holding a give away to celebrate the end of the Flats and Hand washing Challenge. This year I will be giving away a new pair of handmade wool longies. I made them from an upcycled thrifted sweater that I felted. They are size large- x large. I am not much of a seamstress so there are some flaws but are totally functional. The waist is elasticized. If you'd like a chance to win these longies please leave a comment. The winner will be announced Monday May 27, 2013.

Goals for 2013

With a new year comes new dreams. I started this year with a new appreciation for life and a strong drive to make this year the year I finally accomplish my goals so I can live the life I have always dreamed of living.
1) My biggest and probably most difficult goal for this year is to take control of my health and lose around 50 lbs. I have struggled with my weight my whole life but am determined to get to a healthy weight. I have been eating clean for the past 3 weeks. It has been wonderful. Not only am I eating better... I am saving time by prepping ahead and saving a bundle of money since I am not eating out anymore. The biggest change has been giving up soda. I never realized how addicting that stuff really is. The first week or 2 I kept craving it but now I have no desire for it.
2) Produce more of my own food.  With me transitioning to a clean real food diet I am thinking more and more about where our food comes from. The food industry is so corrupt that the only way to guarantee what you are actually eating is safe you must grow or raise it yourself.  I am going to try my hands at some meat birds this year Inshallah.
3) Get out of debt for good.  This has been an on going process.  I have paid $600 towards one debt this month and cut up my only credit card. I sold my old car so will be getting another $1000 to pay down our debt.
4) Spend more time together as a family. This is more my husbands goal but I have always wanted to become closer. We decided we will start praying together. This will be a great tool to help teach BB more about our faith.  It will strengthen our iman and our love for Allah (swt). Bonus, praying in congregation increases its reward too!

I have declared this year as my year of change! I am so excited to share my journey this year with all of you. Happy New Year!

Debt Diet

Unfortunately over the years we have gotten into debt. Since we are a one income family it has been tough paying down what we owe. We are not very extravagant but still need to find more ways to cut back on spending so we can eventually be debt free Inshallah.
The game plan is to make October a no spend month. We like to eat out about 2 times a week and I probably get lunch out more than that. If I start eating at home I could probably save about $100 a week. That is $400 a month! That is my car payment!
Yesterday I took an inventory of what is already in the freezer and am trying to make meals out of what's already there. I will be doing my grocery shopping this week, which will include what I need for the whole month. But after that no more spending for the rest of October. I do have some exceptions though. I can buy milk, eggs, oil, flour, sugar and bread if we need it. Things can be purchased with coupons and gift cards. I hope to save about $150. All money saved this month will be applied towards our debt.
I have always heard that the first step in taking control of your finances is to actually see what you owe.  Well this morning I checked both mine and my husbands accounts and added everything up.  I was shocked at how deep we are in debt.  I honestly didn't think it was this bad.  OK so between credit cards and hospital bills we owe $10,966.13.  The car we still owe $17,976.97.  I owe my mom $3,270 and I think my student loans are about $7,000.  I am not even going to bother adding our mortgage.
Fortunately we are refinancing our mortgage this month and will be saving another $300 a month YAY! I already stopped going to the chiropractor and getting electrolysis which is saving me $250 a month.
Wow! I am overwhelmed, but I am excited to see how much I can get these totals down!

In Tirmidhi a hadith is narrated that:

"Whoever dies free from three things arrogance, cheating and debt will enter Paradise."