Kids Swap - The Big Red Barn

In Chilliwack as you head west there is a big red barn. Further out there is a big yellow barn. Believe it or not, these are actual terms of direction. As in, "You know, the exit by the big yellow barn." Please, no female driver jokes.
Anyways - yesterday was my first ever kids swap at the big red barn. I've heard about it MANY times from other mom's as the IT place to pick up hot stuff on the cheap - but I am either hopelessly out of touch with current events (actually, that's a fair accusation) or the organizers are crap at advertising. I was filling up with gas early Saturday morning, when a hand written sign on poster board let me know that I was at that very moment missing the kids swap.
So I popped in later when I had a few minutes. I was warned that all the good stuff goes quick, so I can't say what I missed - but I was very pleased and tempted beyond what I expected. However, I didn't loose control and only walked out with a few things that I had been wanting to buy anyways.
So, would you like to know the score?
For the grand total of $11, I got an outdoor swing (the kind you install from a tree branch or under your deck), one of those little four wheel trucks that toddlers can ride - Pooh theme with all of the musical buttons, etc. still in good working order, and (my favorite) one of those little popcorn 'vacuums'.
There were loads of clothes and toys and strollers that ranged from almost new prices to dirt cheap.
I will definitely attend next chance I get, and I highly recommend to the local girls that they do too!

Baby Saving 2.0

Since I've been working a fair bit these last two weeks, I've been scrambling to find free child care. I have a few faithful friends who are more like family, really, and for the most part they've been able to cover most of my shifts, and gladly which is a real bonus. But I didn't want to stretch anyone too thin, so I tried to find a sitter.
Luckily, I know another SAHM who's pinching her pennies, so I asked her. And she said?
Keep your money. Let's swap hours. I'll watch yours if you watch mine later.
Genius.
We all have heard about swapping hours for dates or what have you, but I just hadn't done it yet. So for the very few of you, if any, who haven't heard the idea yet, I thought I would post.
It's an especially great idea for those of us who don't have grandparents near by who are itching to babysit.

Baby Saving

My 14 month old is in the process of learning how to eat like a grown up. We have repeatedly introduced the spoon to her daily eating regimen, but it seems that she thinks of it as something to point with or throw instead of using it to scoop food into her mouth. She has these cute little brightly colored toddler spoons we got dirt cheap (something like 20 for $3.50) in the States. I only wanted one, but buying 20 of these was cheaper than any of the single spoons there. As soon as I started using those spoons, I was on the look out for cute little brightly colored plates, bowls and cups to match; but in the midst of my shopping dilemma I realized that I had plastic containers and lids that would do just as well.
Kid stuff is SO expensive, and what's more, it seems like most people buy everything brand new and matching when they have their first little sprog. And I don't blame them - every magazine, commercial and store you walk into has a 4 piece bedroom set and color co-ordinated crib linens with decor and toys that accent the color scheme. It just seems like the thing to do. And it's fun.
We were lucky enough to get everything we needed second hand and her whole bedroom cost us $81 (linens included). It's not a matching set, but the colors are the same so it doesn't make much of a difference.
Along this line of thought, here are some of the things we are actually doing (that are cost effective and they work) to save money in raising our little monkey:

~We ask for diapers and wipes as gifts (do they really need more toys?)
~We arrange clothes swapping with other moms.
~We thrift shop for clothes, baby items, books and toys
~We use plastic containers and lids instead of buying plastic dishes
~We return gifts we don't need for items we do need
~When she turned one, we switched to whole milk from formula
~When she turned one, we gradually stopped buying baby food and cereal and give her real food
~We do walks, play dates and go to the library for entertainment
~We always bring snacks and drinks when we leave the house
~We mostly only give her water to drink (it's healthy AND you're already paying for it)

To sum it up, we use what we have, play with what we have, wear what we have (even if it's not stunningly stylish and in perfect shape) and don't spend what we don't have.

Tried and Tested Homemade Baby Wipes

Good Morning, my partners in crime.

I recently made a friend online named Jenni, and for being my first customer ever on etsy, she will go down in history as a "Lovely Person" (she even shouted me out on her blog:

http://travelinglonghorns.blogspot.com/2009/10/apples.html

{I am so flattered}).

She's been reading the new blog, and has this to share with us:

Also I saw you started a new blog and yesterdays post was very touching. My sister has made homemade baby wipes and swears by them. 1 Tbsp baby oil, 1 Tbsp baby wash, 1 cup water and place in container with paper towels, the best is the select a size kind like bounty though they are a bit more...but you can buy in bulk. Also there are other recipes but this is the one she uses!

I forgot to add my sister wasn't sure about the recipe for wipes the amount of water, it may need more. Some other recipes use more water and essential oils instead. The reason she swears by it is the baby oil moisturizes and protects. I guess regular wipes have alcohol and who wants to put that on a baby's bum? A little background on why she tried it, she had a tight budget and had gone shopping for groceries only to realize she was out of wipes after getting home. So she looked up a recipe and made do with ingredients on hand. Hooray for frugality and necessity.

I am thinking that you could use one of the wipes containers (I love the pampers ones, with the soft rubbery dispenser top) you've used up already (maybe that goes without saying?). I will look into the cost effectiveness of this option and post a review for us all.

A word on homemade stuff.

A lot of people seem to think it's just 'too hard' for 'too little pay off'. But I wanted to say that it's one of those things that only seems too hard until you actually do it - take, for instance, the laundry soap. I procrastinated for a week, dreading how long it was going to take. And you know what? It took less than a half an hour of easy work! It's harder to make lunch. And the powder formulas take a fraction of even that! I was looking at the detergents in the laundry isle yesterday, and the cheapest 64 load bottle was around 10 bucks. Just think about that - I saved NINE DOLLARS (a 90% off sale is almost unheard of)!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAYYYYYY! So I just want to encourage you that it's not hard.

Would it help if I started a 5 star system? Like when I review a homemade recipe, I can rate the cost effectiveness, the easiness, the effectiveness of the product?

Okay - and a tip from one of my FAVORITE readers, a slow cooker blog: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/save-money-by-using-your-crockpot-slow.html

I am linking you straight to the post on cheap slowcooking, because as she writes, doing new recipes all the time gets expensive.