I made another diaper this evening. I’ve had to retire a few of our son’s diapers over the last month, as he’s started to outgrow them, even with the alterations I did a few months ago. So I figured I better start making some bigger ones to replace them. I finished one this evening, and got halfway through a second one when my bobbin ran out of thread. I decided that was a good stopping point, since I had a lot of other stuff to get done this evening. But I should be able to finish the second diaper in about half an hour tomorrow. I’m making pocket diapers (the kind that have a removable absorbent insert), as I’ve decided I prefer them. They’re not as much fun when they’re wet or dirty and we have to reach inside and pull out the insert, but the quick drying time and more thorough cleaning make up for that.
We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. We spent Thursday with some of my husband’s extended family, and then spent Friday with my family. My parents were putting in a fence around their yard, and the whole family showed up for a fence-raising party. The fence was finished just as the sun was going down, and we had a great Thanksgiving-Part-Two dinner to wrap up the day.
I bought a Moby Wrap yesterday, for $20 (Craigs List rocks). It had been used a couple times, but the lady didn’t like it and was selling it for less than half the retail price. I love it, and I think it will work until our son is too old for a sling. It had started to be uncomfortable carrying him in the ring sling we made when he was a few weeks old, since it puts all the weight on one shoulder. The Moby Wrap spreads the weight out over both shoulders and the whole back. I walked several miles with him yesterday, and barely felt his weight at all.
My husband ordered 500 worms yesterday. We’re going to start worm composting in our garage next week when they arrive. We’ve been composting for years now, but worms take it to a whole new level. And apparently we’ll be able to use worm compost tea as nutrient for our hydroponic garden once we have everything set up properly. Stay tuned for updates about the worms.
Here’s what’s new in the Frugal Blog Network this week:
Almost Frugal has a great post about getting a clean house the frugal way. And be sure to check her site this week – she’s going to be posting a fabulous giveaway worth $100 tomorrow!
Frugal Zeitgeist has a tip about eating well for less. Rice and beans are a staple in the Frugal Babe household. I was a vegetarian when I met my husband, but I started eating meat again once we moved in together in 2001. Six months ago, I decided to go back to being vegetarian, and am nearly vegan now. We eat rice and beans at least twice a week – I buy organic brown rice in 25 pound bags, and cook a batch in the solar oven every week.
Not Made Of Money has some good ideas for dressing up your home for the holidays without breaking the bank. We’re hosting Christmas dinner for my family this year, so I imagine we’ll be doing at least a little bit of decorating. I’ll let you know how it goes…
Tight Fisted Miser writes about how he saved money by not shopping on Black Friday. We spent Friday helping my parents put up a fence, so we didn’t spend any money either. And we had a lot more fun than we would have had at the mall.
Frugal Duchess has an article with tips for savvy online shopping. For those of you doing your holiday shopping from your couch, this is for you.
Kacie says
Sounds good! I hope you like your Moby.
I’m planning on getting a Maya-style ring sling first, and then a Moby once we start to get the hang of baby-wearing and once he starts to get a little bigger.
April says
I was in the middle of Big Bend National Park on Black Friday! I didn’t even have cell phone reception during my 5-hour hike through the desert. It’s my favorite way to spend Black Friday, since we go every year.
Cathy says
I love Craigslist too! We put a compost bin in our back yard 4 years ago, and the worms have moved in there on their own–makes for good compost.
FrugalBabe says
@Kacie: We loved our Maya ring sling too. We made our own, which took about half an hour, using an old flannel bed sheet. Here are the directions we used:
http://www.mayawrap.com/n_sewsling.php
I bought the rings for about $4 from this site:
http://slingrings.com/
It worked wonderfully for about five months. It’s easy to put on and take off and get the baby into. Now that he’s nearing 20 lbs, it’s a bit uncomfortable when I wear it for long periods of time. The Moby Wrap is great (and much easier than it looks – check YouTube for wearing instructions) once the child is too heavy for the ring sling.
becky says
I *love* my moby wrap. I still occasionally carry my little guy in it, even though he’s 1 and about 25-26 lbs. I need to figure out how to do a side carry, but using both shoulders and my back is much more comfortable.
Lila says
Sooooooo…
I see you are looking for frugal ways to decorate your home for the holidays.
My older sister once taught me an excellent decoration technique involving egg cartons, wrapping paper, tin foil and glitter.
I would be happy to pass it along ;-)