Home Audit {Disposables}

Day two of the Home Audit at Down to Earth Blog.

Again Rhonda's questions are bolded and my thoughts are in italics.

Some things to think about:

Are you ready to stop buying disposables?

We currently try to minimize our purchases of disposable products. Two years ago we stopped buying paper napkins and paper towels. I made us napkins and cleaning rags/towels instead. Old prefold diapers work great for cleaning up large liquid messes and spills. Three years ago (once we had our own washer and dryer) we started cloth diapering. We use family cloth (cloth tp) for #1 only. I just can't bring myself to do this with #2 and Joe will have no part in it.. We have 2 females using the potty at this point and eventually it will be 4 females so this is a lot of toilet paper. I have noticed a small change in the amount of tp we use. This is also easy to wash as I just dump the pail in the washer when I wash a load of baby diapers.

What we are saving:

Diapers- 1 case of diapers a month for Naomi about $35 (at Costco)

1 case of diapers every two months for Marah about $35 (at Costco)

Naomi is using most of the same diapers that Marah wore as a baby so we have not had to spend any more to outfit her in diapers.

Paper towels and napkins- We used to buy a case of paper towels about every one and a half months. We used to use these for napkins as well. At Costco these are about $18 a case (I think, its been a while since I bought these lol).

One thing I would like to work on is cloth wipes for diapering. I have enough currently made and love how much nicer they are to clean baby bottoms with. I do have a toddler who has some tummy issues and the well shall we say the consistency has made cleaning up rather unappealing. We used to use the cloth wipes and I am going to make a conscious effort to do this again. This will save us about $18 a month on a case of baby wipes.

If you are, use up what you have at home, and start preparing rags and making napkins and dishcloths and whatever else you want to try. Remember, there is no guilt in the audit. If you can't let these things go now, promise yourself you'll think about it again later in the year. You might be ready then. These activities make a powerful statement - for the environment, for your purse and for the life you intend to live.