I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie - Ode to Cloth Diapering

I don't currently cloth diaper, but I know some that LOVE it. If you are even a tiny bit interested, visit this Cloth Diapering 101 tutorial by Little Bean Tree. She does a great way of explaining everything with several breakdown links.

There are several reasons to cloth diaper. It is environmentally friendly, safe for your baby, and... you guessed it, thrifty! You buy products that grow with your baby so you use them over and over again. Want to see real savings? Use them with a second baby. You can even buy stashes on Craigslist and Ebay. It can be addicting to get that new cute cover or scoop up that sale off the internet, so watch yourself. It still probably beats buying diapers by the box every month.

Minimalism

A friend posted this link on Facebook. It really hit home to me.

When we were facing low balance alerts in our checking account - our only account - we had to really reevaluate our lives. We started selling everything we could.

When we went through the thought process of what we could sell, we had to evaluate what we could live without. Sure, we got that ping pong table for free when my husband pulled it out of the garbage, but did we NEED it. No. We ended up selling it for $50. The same story goes for our air hockey table. Sure, those things provided great fun for our kids, but we needed to be able to pay our bills and put food on the table.

As it turned out, getting rid of a bunch of our junk allowed our basement to become a very open space. Since our daughters were sharing a room at the time, the extra space lent itself to an extra bedroom. It's not a finished basement or anything, but it has a sliding glass door and a closet, so it could technically be used as a bedroom. One thing led to another and it became a bedroom for my husband and myself. We love it down there. It wouldn't have been possible to do without getting rid of some of our stuff that cluttered it.

As a design major, I also find that minimalism is the most aesthetically pleasing to me. We live in an uncluttered home (just ignore my desk). It makes it easy on the eyes, easy on the checkbook (since we're not trying to constantly fill it with stuff), and it makes it easier to clean.

After reading this, I urge you to evaluate your life and see what you could live without. Where can you minimize?

Coupon Alert!

Michaels Stores has a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase. Follow this link and print your coupon before you go to the store or just show the coupon on your phone at checkout!

"You're moving?"

In today's market, it's tough to sell your house. There are that many have had success though, so congrats to them!

If you hear that your friend has sold their house, congratulate them. It can be a very trying time for a family. Trying to coordinate selling your house and finding a new place to live can be very intense. Make sure you offer to help them move. And when you do, be sure to casually ask if there is anything they are getting rid of. No one wants to take all of their junk with them. It's a hassle. Nothing like a move to make your reevaluate your possessions and figure out what to purge.

Some friends of ours just sold their house (CONGRATS!). My friend mentioned that the buyers didn't want their hot tub.

"Really? What are you doing with it?

"I don't know. We'll have to get rid of it."

"Ummm... Can I have it?"

"Yes!"

Suhweeeeet! Guess who has a hot tub now? ME! And it was free. In the process of moving it, we do need to build a new frame, but we are handy enough to be able to handle that. I even have my eyes out for some free or cheep treated lumber on Craigslist. People take down their decks all the time and want people to come and take the treated wood. I've seen the posts. Now I just need to wait for the right moment. If I get the lumber for free, that means we have an awesome hot tub for the cost of some screws and some manual labor.

In fact, our friends were so grateful that we were taking it for them that they cooked us lunch and helped find some big dudes to help move it.

The point of this post isn't just to brag about my new (to me) hot tub. It's to show my Thrifty Readers that sometimes being bold with your questions can sometimes get you something awesome and help everyone out in the process.

Anyone have any similar experiences? Did you help a friend move? Did you recently move and give away all your stuff? I want to hear about it. :-)

Own a Home without a Mortgage

I came across this video and couldn't help but share it. Maybe you're not into exactly what they do, but you could certainly learn tips of ingenuity, minimalism, and contentment. While *I* wouldn't do this, my husband likely would it if we could figure out where to put three kids. He's hard core like that.

 

Shotgun Shack

This family of 3 lives in a 320 sq ft house and even homeschool their son. They run a business next door. It is all simplifying and focusing on "what you have and not what you don't have." They even have a guest bed. I think this is a great idea if you can make it work. Discuss what you think in the comments.

Thanks to my friend Coot for sharing the link with me!