Weekly Randoms 2/21

kboydbowman

That's.  So. Random. 

What random things are on your mind this week?

whitta1015

I had an eye appt this morning and really need new glasses. Has anyone had a good experience with Warby Parker or any of those "try-on" sites?

laj0217

@whitta1015 haven’t heard of that one. We love zenni.com at my house. Super affordable and lots of options. We’ve order two pairs so fair and both have been good quality and exactly what we were expecting based on pictures. 

whitta1015

@laj0217 Thanks! I'll check them out too!

blanket_girl

@whitta1015 haven’t personally used it but I have a few friends that swear by Warby Parker! 

lilbean18

@whitta1015 I use Warby Parker! I had a rx for glasses and once I found the pair I liked if grabbed them. I’ve had them a few years now and love them. I really liked that I could try on multiple pairs. And, for me they were much cheaper than going through a traditional shop 

whitta1015

@lilbean18 Thank you! I ordered the 5 free pair to try on today, so hopefully I find some I like!

whitta1015

So another thought... anything you guys plan on doing to save money for baby? We have always had free childcare with our first, but she'll be starting private school this year, and we will have to pay for daycare for baby #2, so other than already trying to pack my lunch every day, and budget heavier on groceries, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas, or anything you do to save money? We already make all of our coffee at home, hardly ever eat out at night/on weekends, etc. 

lucyg00cy

@whitta1015 we are trying to save as much as possible too. Daycare is outrageous but it’s the only option for us so we’ve started to save traditionally, meal prep (buy in bulk from BJs), get baby stuff from Facebook marketplace, cancel unused subscriptions/consolidate those kinds of things, postpone our wedding until after the baby and we’ll probably really downsize that too, use cash-back apps (iBotta is great), and sign up for coupons. We did also get new insurance, we pitted a few places against each other and ended to saving $2K a year together this way which was nice. My fiancé is a killer negotiator though so I’m not sure if I could’ve gotten that much of a discount on my own 🙈

lucyg00cy

Random thoughts- can you imagine giving birth in the stone ages?? Also did you all know that the chainsaw was originally invented for childbirth, basically slice a woman open when babies get stuck.........absolutely not even with all the drugs in today’s world. 

kboydbowman

Got my first Shein order today and 2/3 of it is keeps....so I just made my second Shein order lol

foreveronyourside

@whitta1015 we pay $270/week for our son now and it will be $300/week for the newborn rate. I’m hoping we can scrape by until he can go to preschool part time because I believe preschool is free through the public school? We are also already pretty frugal! When I start going down the rabbit hole of thinking about it I just change the subject in my mind as fast as possible so I don’t have a freak out haha  

jhysmath

@whitta1015 if you're not opposed to cloth diapers you can usually find those preloved cheap and could save a bunch of money that first year or two when you're not buying diapers, even if it's just part time. We cloth during the day and use disposables at night or when we're extra lazy. 

Cash back apps like ibotta and Rakuten can save a bit, most of the time I save the most on those for Christmas time, and if you're looking to save, spending isn't the best idea to save unless it is for stuff you already want. I'm also a part amazon shopper panel and get $10/ month for sharing 10 receipts with them.

Our big thing we will need to cut back on is going out to eat. First trimester is bad and we eat out 3-4 times a week because once I buy something it doesn't sound good when it's in my fridge. 

theblondebump

I’m a big fan of Rakuten!

also, definitely check out “buy nothing” or other local Facebook groups for free or low cost baby stuff. Any time I try something out that I don’t like or my baby doesn’t like (a new brand of diapers, a specific bottle, a swaddle, etc), I just donate it on those groups but most of it has literally never even be used. 

laj0217

@jhysmath the amount we’re spending on take out for the exact same reason 🙈 It’s insane but so was the amount of groceries that were going bad. We finally settled on just buying frozen and dry goods. I’ve eaten microwave rice for lunch two days in a row, but finally felt like the lasagna in the freezer. The new plan seems to be working.  

@whitta1015 I am close to paying off my car, so I’m throwing every extra bit of money towards that (rebates, mileage checks at work, etc). I’m positive I can pay it off before the baby and that will free up some money. I’m also working extra hours at my second job while I can to create a savings account for unpaid FMLA days. So basically, I’m tired and broke now so I can be tired and broke with a baby too 😂

trapperkeeper87

@whitta1015 I agree with @jhysmath on cloth diapering. It isn't for everyone, but we've done it during the day since she was about 3 months old and I can't even begin to tell you how much we've saved. We do use sposies at night and during nap (my kid is a daily nap time pooper and I don't want to mess with that in the middle of my day). Most people complain about the time commitment or the disgust, but truthfully, that's really a non-issue. We wash diapers once a week, at night, and they're ready to go for me by morning. When we've done sposies for a week here or there, I'm more grossed out by the smell of those than I am about the cloth.

I place no judgment on how people diaper, but I wish so many people weren't judgmental about a process they don't understand. Modern cloth diapering is nothing like our parents and grandparents remember. 

theblondebump

I’ve started to feel baby moving this week! I indulged in a Diet Coke tonight and felt baby move after haha 😬😬😬

babywiik

@theblondebump so exciting!! Sometimes I've had sensations that feel like baby movements but pretty sure they're still gas bubbles at this point😂 so fun to feel the little flutters though, can hardly wait❤❤

jhysmath

@trapperkeeper87 in lucky that I haven't really had anyone opposed to it. I've also converted a cousin and a friend by having them borrow my newborn diapers. My newborn diapers have been used by 5 kids and just yesterday I sent them with a friend who is going to be induced tomorrow in hopes I can convert another. Once people realize how easy it is, even committing to part time helps out a bit.

@theblondebump I'm so jealous. 

blanket_girl

@jhysmath @trapperkeeper87 this is encouraging to hear! I want to try cloth diapering, at least during the day, for the cost and also the reduced environmental impact. Unfortunately, the few people I’ve told that I’m considering it have been VERY skeptical (“lol good luck with that” or “you’ll quit two weeks in” or something similar). It’s very annoying but I’m glad to hear some moms find a way to make it work! 

jhysmath

@blanket_girl spite is a powerful motivator. I'd buy a variety during the earth day sale, I found that I spent enough money that I had to not give up. 

trapperkeeper87

@blanket_girl I've found that those people are usually the ones that are thinking of the old style. While that's definitely still an option, modern cloth is much easier. My in-laws were supportive, but hesitant on it. Once they saw how easy they snap on and off and realized all they have to do is plop the solids (which you're supposed to do with sposies too...), they were fully on board. It's seriously comical to me to think that I thought we couldn't succeed with cloth; it's so easy!

mokay19

My mom cloth diapered us with the old kinds and I told her that’s impressive and she goes “not really, I did it because the neighborhood had a FREE service that picked up the dirty ones and dropped off clean ones every week.” I told her that I would definitely cloth diaper if I had that service haha. 

trapperkeeper87

@mokay19 Many areas still offer this service, but it's not free. 😄

mokay19

@trapperkeeper87 yes, that’s why I had to stress FREE haha. 

mk2022x

Had to actually get full business-dressed today and put on my fave work pants and they didn’t button 😭 I found another pair that still does but ugh, my entire wardrobe is going to need to go into storage! I have skirts and dresses that will work for longer but it’s too cold to wear those right now. Have to do the same thing again tomorrow but luckily, it’s the last time I have to hide my baby bloat. Planning on telling work next week.

mk2022x

OKAY new random. Just saw this pop up on my news app: “ Couple Who Faced Pregnancy Challenges Find Out They're Expecting Just Hours Before Baby Is Born”
https://apple.news/AbuNDoDAKSbiVcgrFU_4V2g (sorry for you non-Apple users!)

how is this possible?! These stories are bizarre to me every time. It’s starts off by saying “after nearly a decade of trying to get pregnant…” if you are trying to get pregnant, you really didn’t take a pregnant test AT ALL in the last 9 months? Congrats to them and I’m glad they’re both healthy but I just don’t understand how this can happen. 

lilienne

@trapperkeeper87

This may not be random enough for this thread, but can you tell me more about 'modern cloth diapers?' I haven't started looking into any of this stuff yet, but I'd love a pointer if you have one.

kboydbowman

Old school cloth diapers are what most people picture - a piece of cloth wrapped around and fastened with pins.

New school cloth diapers are a removable insert fitted inside of a waterproof cover.  If you look up cloth diapers on Amazon, you'll get new cloth diapers.  Basically it's actually two separate things you but - the inserts and the covers.  Usually the covers are snaps, no pins involved (although you can get ones that pin)

jhysmath

@lilienne I personally love my all in one cloth diapers. There is no stuffing of extra pieces, you just put them on and go. When they're soiled you wash. Makes things easily easy. 

trapperkeeper87

@lilienne The two ladies above covered it pretty well. Our preference in our house are fitted diapers and prefolds with a cover when they're little (fitted diapers are shaped like a regular sposie and have snaps similar to what to see on a onesie and prefolds are what you see many moms use as burp cloths, where the fabric is thicker in the middle). Then we move up to pockets, which look just like a "regular" diaper, but you stuff extra pieces inside to catch everything that isn't solid.

There are so many options! We tried the all-in-ones that @jhysmath mentioned, but we weren't fans. That's a great example of how you really have so many choices to figure out what works best for you and your family!

If you're in the US, my favorite site to purchase from is https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/. They have lots of good resources and pointers on there if you're looking for more info.

mnmomma84

I like the idea of the cloth diapers, but I don't know if I can get on board. I'm probably one of those people that you're all describing that pictures the old school versions. Something for me to look into...we are discussing the possibility and financials of me not returning to work so anywhere we can cut costs would be ideal. Is there a specific brand(s) anyone could recommend looking into? I doubt we'd be eligible for any kind of pickup/cleaning service - we don't even get food delivery at our home out of town. 

Weekly random is that snow days just hit different as an adult. We had back-to-back snowstorms come through Monday and Tuesday so the boys' schools were cancelled and my college campus was closed. I made soup, got some organizing done that's been put off for the last 6ish weeks, and finished up two netflix series I started last weekend. 

kboydbowman

@mnmomma84 You can actually get them off Amazon as well - tons of different brands, styles.  That's the other cool thing about cloth diapers - you can get all "fashion" about them.  The initial investment is more, but you will save a RIDICULOUS amount of money over the pre-toilet-training years.  Diapers will be a product spotlight in awhile too.  

Another thing to consider is that a surprising number of babies have skin sensitivies/allergies that *necessitate* the use of cloth over disposables.  My brother and I both had severe reactions to disposables, which is why my mom did cloth.

whitta1015

This is probably a stupid question, but how do daycares feel about cloth diapers? I just wonder if they'd be like, "we aren't dealing with that. please send disposables."

jhysmath

@trapperkeeper87 @lilienne I bought a little bit of everything different styles and brands. That way I could try out and find what I liked. Like @trapperkeeper87 said there are different types I liked for different times. prefolds and covers were great for the newborn days, and when I got lazy and didn't do laundry later on. Personally I'm a very lazy cloth diaper mom so I default to the aios and ai2s  because I hate stuffing diapers. I pretty much only avoid the aios when I can plan on my kid pooping because the flaps on my aios  make it more difficult to get the poop off...again wicked lazy cloth diaper mom

jhysmath

@mnmomma84
I spent about $1000 on cloth diapers over the last 4 years, but I have a newborn set that has been used by 5 babies and is off to the 6th baby currently. I also only bought American brands and didn't buy the cheaper ones that you can find for $5/diaper. My cousin chose to buy those and she has done amazingly well with them and likely spent less than $200 over the last 4 years and two kids. I would recommend not joining cloth diaper groups if you want to stay in it for the budget...I find so many groups post stash shots of 100s of diapers and are always buying the next best print that was released and it's hard to resist and not get in that mind set too. I have probably 25 diapers in newborn and 40 in one size which can allow me to go 2-3 days in newborns (some of my one size can get small enough to use then and I have a lot of prefolds and covers that can be reused) I can go 3-5 days in my one size ones and could easily go a full week without washing if I used my covers more than once, but normally get get sent to daycare and thrown in the wet bag and get gross so I wash each time. 

dsmith211

@whitta1015
with our first we entertained cloth and daycare said they’d do them but they wouldn’t be able to remove any solids (like you’d be able to do at home) and then they’d just sit in a bag all day till we go home to deal with it. Which is understandable bc the infant rooms there didn’t have toilets and it wasn’t sanitary for them to do without one.

It wasn’t something I wanted to deal with so we decided against cloth.

jhysmath

@dsmith211 lazy cloth diaper person here, and the solids usually stay in the wet bag for a day or two until I make time to do 2 or 3 bags at once. Cloth diapering is my thing, so my husband puts them on the back of the toilet until I get to them so they sit even if they're done at home. In the summer I get to them asap first because I'm home with them all summer and second because I've read horror stories about maggots when it's warm and I wouldn't be able to handle that. 

mokay19

@whitta1015 that’s the issue that I ran into when researching cloth diapering… none of the daycares we were on the waitlist for would do them. So it’s not worth the money if they’re in full time daycare and I’m paying for disposables for there anyway. 

dsmith211

@jhysmath

That was my problem, I know I’m lazy. 😂 

That, plus Florida heat, plus my forgetfulness is probably not a good combo. 😬

jhysmath

Oh yeah... Florida that wouldn't be