Desperate for Diapers

I've recently decided (see last post) that I will probably be going with Thirsties diapers instead of the BumGenius diapers. The price was a big factor, however, a little research had also brought up the fact that apparently the BG dipes have a tendency to unravel far faster than what it's worth - which is leading me to the Thirsties route instead. I am slowly saving up bits and pieces of my paychecks, although at this route it will undoubtedly be a very long time (read: several months) before I can even begin to order the six dipes and 20 prefolds that I had originally wanted. I've considered getting a smaller number of each - maybe three dipes and 10 prefolds to start out, as that would halve my spending - but I would no longer qualify for the free shipping, and I would hate to start out on the path to cloth diapering without some sort of stash set up that's big enough to actually make continuing worthwhile.

For now, we're back in the dreaded disposables. We've gone from the moderately expensive Pampers dipers to their same-brand counterparts, the Pampers BabyDry dipers. I absolutely hate disposables - we go through so many that we need a separate trash can for them and the damn thing reeks no matter what I do to it - but Alex has basically outgrown the gDiapers at this point, and I have no ability or desire to waste money I could be using on buying AIOs or OS dipes on more gDiapers that will only last so long anyway. I would have to order online either way, as no local stores carry the gDiapers anymore, so at this point the wait isn't what concerns me in the least.

I do still intend to take a stab at making a couple of diapers, as I do still have the materials, although I'm aware that in order to use them I'll need to pre-wash all of the fabric still, pre-shrink it, and then buy some of those evil plastic covers. That is the cheaper route in the long run than buying premade covers online; they would look better, for sure, but expense is a problem at this point and I cannot afford to put any more money into this than I am already planning to. All I want is to get a decent number of dipes built up so after this I am free to experiment with whatever diapers and combinations of covers/prefolds/inserts/dipes that I please without feeling concerned about their quality affecting the number of diapers I have in my stash (ie buying just one or two now and teasing myself with the idea that I can use these diapers long-term without wearing them out at all).

In other news, we've begun the slow transition into organic and natural food. I have to say, I thought natural peanut butter would taste crappy, but I prefer it hands-down to its processed sibling! A few things I am currently skipping: organic eggs (price), organic milk (oh my GOD that is expensive), organic meats (I know, I know, but damn, that's a lot of money), organic ice creams (most of it seems to be lactose-free and none of us are lactose-intolerant). We did, however, get some vegetarian powdered egg substitute, as a $10 bag is actually cheaper in the long run to use in baking and such than an actual egg.

Will we make the full transition? I have no idea, but I do know this is a GREAT way to start working more fruits and veggies into our diets. One step closer to a better lifestyle.