1. Cloth diaper - We use Alva baby, the re-usable diapers and liners can be ordered from china for 6 dollars a pop (or cheaper, about $2.50 or $3 if from a co-op). We have a lot of probably 50. The money up front is worth it in the long run. Every time Crystal does a load of diaper laundry, it makes me happy. Notes: To prepare the diapers for washing we bought a bidet-like sprayer attachment for our toilet. It makes cleaning easier. At first I thought it was kind of gross washing baby diapers, but like many things in parenting it gets normal very quickly. We also have a diaper pail just for those diapers. For more information, seek the sensei, Angel McDowell, or her cloth diaper sidekick, Crystal :) Saved $Lots
2. Those things you have to buy! - I made the mistake of buying Isaiah a cool little fisher-price farm set from Babies-R-Us because it was something I loved as a child. The reason for my remorse was that it was over $30 for it. A few days later while I was at Goodwill I saw four or five of the same set for a couple dollars. This is an example that reinforces a concept. If you want something for you or a child, keep note of it and explore all means before retail. Is it online? Craigslist, consignment, FB, Ebay? Goodwill, Value Village etc? Many times people sell brand new items they've never used and you can save 40-80% on them or just make sure to clean the item after buying it used. You can usually buy small missing pieces etc online for cheap if a set is not complete. Another example recently, we wanted a second Ergo for Matthew. They are about $130 or so brand new. We explored and found a lady selling a brand new Organic Ergo Baby carrier (about $150 new) that we got from her for $80 cash. (Remember to ensure the item is not a knockoff, know your item before buying). Saved $70!
3. Refurbishing - Recently Crystal and I had to sell our coffee table because Isaiah was banging on the glass. We had been looking retail for one but they were so expensive. One day while haggling with a lady about buying her couch she offered hers for free. It was pretty chewed up from her dogs in a couple spots but was originally bought from Pier 1 for a pretty penny. It looked slightly retro in color, but I thought it would be a fun project. I took it off her hands for free. So out came the electric sander and a can of nice dark brown krylon. After about an hour of work and sitting overnight we had a brand new quite expensive coffee table for FREE! The glass is so thick on it that Isaiah can't make a lot of noise and it looks great. Always look for the potential of an item, use your creative eye to see what it could be after being worked and polished up! Nicole Hoxworth and Jenny McDowell Hoxworth are the pros for renovating items! This saved us $150-$300!
4. Dining In - This is a preventative med that will save you countless dollars. We are just now seeking to almost solely dine-in because the babies and because I feel awful every time we spend $30-$100 on one meal. Lame
5.a Learn some skills - I used to never touch my vehicles, changing my own oil/brakes/etc was beyond what I really thought about doing. Then God made Youtube, you can sit and watch a professional do many things and just copy them. I was completely surprised how easy changing my own brakes was. It took me about 10 minutes. I bought some of the higher quality brakes, all of the tools necessary and some extras for less than it would've cost to get the cheapest crap brakes. Always explore and see if you are capable of doing something yourself. Fear doing something wrong, but don't let that fear keep you from trying. Some things are very easy, I think they just keep your car for longer to make you feel like it's money well spent. Note: Always make sure you purchase the proper tools. Almost anything I've done wrong in the past was simply because I tried to shortcut on the tools. It's not worth it, just buy the correct tool for the job and buy one that will last you a lifetime! Crystal has taken up sewing over the last few years, she has saved us countless dollars in doing small projects herself instead of purchasing items for 20 dollars here and 30 dollars there. Thanks to mother-in-law Debe McDowell too for extra sewing guidance!
5.b Repair things - Most things that break can be repaired cheaply without having to purchase a new one. For example, our vacuum pooped the bed and started smoking last year. Our first intuition was to go back to Target and buy a new one for $130+ I mean why not, buy it-break it-and buy a new one. That's the American way. Well I opened the vacuum up and found the problem. The little belt at the bottom had broken because of some prolonged hair caught up in the rotor. After a quick cleaning I went on Ebay and ordered the needed belts, two for $5. I simply put the new belt on and voile, the vacuum has worked since then. Saved $125
6. Don't throw it away, sell it - Your trash is someone else's treasure, literally. Use craigslist and local bookoo's to sell larger items to a smaller audience and use Ebay etc to sell small items to a large audience. I often purchase things for the sole purpose of resale. IE Buy something at Goodwill or on Craigslist and sell it on Ebay. Money Saved, $Thousands.
2. Those things you have to buy! - I made the mistake of buying Isaiah a cool little fisher-price farm set from Babies-R-Us because it was something I loved as a child. The reason for my remorse was that it was over $30 for it. A few days later while I was at Goodwill I saw four or five of the same set for a couple dollars. This is an example that reinforces a concept. If you want something for you or a child, keep note of it and explore all means before retail. Is it online? Craigslist, consignment, FB, Ebay? Goodwill, Value Village etc? Many times people sell brand new items they've never used and you can save 40-80% on them or just make sure to clean the item after buying it used. You can usually buy small missing pieces etc online for cheap if a set is not complete. Another example recently, we wanted a second Ergo for Matthew. They are about $130 or so brand new. We explored and found a lady selling a brand new Organic Ergo Baby carrier (about $150 new) that we got from her for $80 cash. (Remember to ensure the item is not a knockoff, know your item before buying). Saved $70!
3. Refurbishing - Recently Crystal and I had to sell our coffee table because Isaiah was banging on the glass. We had been looking retail for one but they were so expensive. One day while haggling with a lady about buying her couch she offered hers for free. It was pretty chewed up from her dogs in a couple spots but was originally bought from Pier 1 for a pretty penny. It looked slightly retro in color, but I thought it would be a fun project. I took it off her hands for free. So out came the electric sander and a can of nice dark brown krylon. After about an hour of work and sitting overnight we had a brand new quite expensive coffee table for FREE! The glass is so thick on it that Isaiah can't make a lot of noise and it looks great. Always look for the potential of an item, use your creative eye to see what it could be after being worked and polished up! Nicole Hoxworth and Jenny McDowell Hoxworth are the pros for renovating items! This saved us $150-$300!
4. Dining In - This is a preventative med that will save you countless dollars. We are just now seeking to almost solely dine-in because the babies and because I feel awful every time we spend $30-$100 on one meal. Lame
5.a Learn some skills - I used to never touch my vehicles, changing my own oil/brakes/etc was beyond what I really thought about doing. Then God made Youtube, you can sit and watch a professional do many things and just copy them. I was completely surprised how easy changing my own brakes was. It took me about 10 minutes. I bought some of the higher quality brakes, all of the tools necessary and some extras for less than it would've cost to get the cheapest crap brakes. Always explore and see if you are capable of doing something yourself. Fear doing something wrong, but don't let that fear keep you from trying. Some things are very easy, I think they just keep your car for longer to make you feel like it's money well spent. Note: Always make sure you purchase the proper tools. Almost anything I've done wrong in the past was simply because I tried to shortcut on the tools. It's not worth it, just buy the correct tool for the job and buy one that will last you a lifetime! Crystal has taken up sewing over the last few years, she has saved us countless dollars in doing small projects herself instead of purchasing items for 20 dollars here and 30 dollars there. Thanks to mother-in-law Debe McDowell too for extra sewing guidance!
5.b Repair things - Most things that break can be repaired cheaply without having to purchase a new one. For example, our vacuum pooped the bed and started smoking last year. Our first intuition was to go back to Target and buy a new one for $130+ I mean why not, buy it-break it-and buy a new one. That's the American way. Well I opened the vacuum up and found the problem. The little belt at the bottom had broken because of some prolonged hair caught up in the rotor. After a quick cleaning I went on Ebay and ordered the needed belts, two for $5. I simply put the new belt on and voile, the vacuum has worked since then. Saved $125
6. Don't throw it away, sell it - Your trash is someone else's treasure, literally. Use craigslist and local bookoo's to sell larger items to a smaller audience and use Ebay etc to sell small items to a large audience. I often purchase things for the sole purpose of resale. IE Buy something at Goodwill or on Craigslist and sell it on Ebay. Money Saved, $Thousands.
