Here at Growing a Green Family we’re looking at how to save $50,000 by going green. In case you’re curious, so far we’ve managed to save $13,761.00, just by taking some basic green actions. That does leave us $36,239 left to go, but cloth diapers should cut a nice big chunk off of this figure.

Image by Flickr User simplyla

How many disposable diapers will you need?

The average newborn baby can speed through 12 diapers in a single day. Older babies and toddlers use less, but still average around 6 to 10 diaper changes a day. That’s a whopping total of 7,500-8,000 disposable diapers over 2.5 years. However, many babies are in diapers longer. Still, for the purpose of this post, we’ll assume you toilet train one of your children super fast.

How much will all these disposable diapers cost you?

It sort of depends on which diapers you use. This being a green blog, I suggest you use the least toxic disposable diapers possible. I’ll be using Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Diapers because they’re probably the most popular less toxic disposable diaper around.

Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Diapers

Below are typical diaper prices, if you buy in bulk, along with the sizes you’ll need for various baby ages – although note, the sizes are only average estimates. Some babies run bigger or smaller of course.

• Newborn diapers – up to 10 lbs – 25 cent per diaper (1 mos to 1.5 mos) – 12 diapers a day – 540 diapers = $135
• Stage 1 diapers – 8-14 lbs – 20 cent per diaper (1.5 mos to 4 mos) – 10 diapers a day – 750 diapers = $150
• Stage 2 diapers – 12-18 lbs – 25 cent per diaper (5 mos to 7 mos) – 8 diapers a day – 480 diapers = $120
• Stage 3 diapers – 16-28 lbs – 18 cent per diaper (8 mos to 23 mos) – 8 diapers a day – 3,600 diapers = $648
• Stage 4 diapers – 22-37 lbs – 32 cent per diaper (2 years+) or Stage 5 diapers – 27+ lbs – 37 cent per diaper (2 years+) depending on your kid – 5 diapers a day – 750 diapers = $255

Total diapers needed – 6,120 for one kid, 12,240 for two kids.

Total cost = $1,308 for one kid, $2,616 for two kids.

You’ll also need some Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Training Pants (55 cent per pant). We’ll assume one of your kids potty trains fast, by age 2.5 and the other not until 4. For the first child you’ll need about 5 months of training pants, along with regular diapers, or about $247 worth of training pants. For the second child, you’ll need about $1,133 worth of training pants. That’s a total of $1,380.

Total diapers + training pants for two kids = 14,749

Total costs for two kids = $3,996

Keep in mind that research shows that the average family, with two kids will go through 16,000 diapers, so there’s a good chance I underestimated price.

How many cloth diapers will you need?

Again it depends on what sort of cloth diaper you use. In this case, I’m going with ease of use, which for me, means you use all-in-one-cloth diapers or a hybrid, which are a little more expensive, but also easier than traditional pre-fold cloth diapers. Some choices include:

• GroVia
• gDiapers
• Kushies
• FuzziBunz
• Charlie Banana

Once you choose a brand, you’ll need to choose sizes and amounts. I suggest going with real sizes, not one-size-fits-all, mainly because fit can be iffy. To read more about how to choose the best cloth diapers, I suggest reading Eco-nomical Baby Guide, which has an excellent cloth diaper section, or you can simply read Cloth Diapering Myths to get started.

gBaby Bundle

Overall, say you use gDiapers with reusable inserts. You’ll need about 6-8 little gPants per size (small, medium and large). You can get the gBaby Bundle which comes with 12 tiny gPants, 6 small gPants, 80 gRefills and a swishstick for just $125. Then you’ll also need 8 gDiapers Little gPant Diaper Covers Medium ($136), gDiapers Little gPant Diaper Covers Large ($79) and 3 or so packs of reusable gDiapers Cloth Diaper Inserts ($79). Plus probably an extra 6 or so diapers along the way ($79). Total cost for the gDiaper system = $498.00.

Now, if you go with another brand, like FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diaper, you’ll need about 12 small, 12 medium and 12 large diapers. That’s a total cost of $577.

If you don’t want to work too hard, you could also go with a mega set, such as the GroVia Live Package ($349), which pretty much allows you to cloth diaper your baby for his entire childhood so long as you add 24 extra shells ($196). Charlie Banana is also easy, as they offer quick sets with 6 reusable diapers + 12 reusable inserts. Once you buy all the sets you need, it’ll be about $600.

You won’t need training pants, as larger size cloth diapers double up as both diapers and trainers.

Charlie Banana cloth diapers

Other supplies you’ll need for cloth diapering:

• A few wet bags, which hold wet cloth diapers and inserts on the go, such as Itzy Ritzy Zippered Wet Bag – $36 for two.
• A bin for wet and icky diapers – same cost as the garbage can you’re using for disposables.
• Disposable inserts some of the time (maybe) when out and about or on a trip. $34+ depending on how often you use them.
• A book about how to use and care for cloth diapers. Again, I suggest Eco-nomical Baby Guide – $14.
• Water for washing and laundry soap. You can use basic, natural laundry soap and cold water. You’ll wash maybe every two days or so. I’m not figuring in this cost because you’ll also spend money on gas to go and get disposables, plus extra garbage fees to toss those disposables, so I’m guessing it all evens out.

Total diapers needed for cloth diapering – about 36, although most people collect a few more. Plus you’ll need reusable inserts – about 24 to 30. If you use disposable inserts, you’ll need more and it’ll cost more, but I suggest reusable inserts on most occasions.

Total cost of cloth diapers – it varies depending on brand, but on average about $556 plus supplies = $636.

Note that this is a high estimate in my opinion. You can easily pick up gently used all-in-ones at your local thrift store or baby consignment shop. Seriously, we’re talking $1 to $2 diapers, which would bring your costs down considerably. You can also register for cloth diapers for your baby shower.

Plus, don’t forget, cloth diapers will last through both kids. Assuming you need to replace some diapers and inserts, which you will, your total cloth diaper costs should only be around $700-$800 if you splurge and $120 – $300 if you really shop around at consignment stores. If you use basic pre-fold diapers, you’ll save too.

Here are some more cost comparisons of cloth diapers – what real parents spend, cost of cloth diapers and cost savings of cloth diapers.

Comparing costs

Overall, if you have two children, you’ll spend $3,996+ on disposable diapers. If you go with cloth you’ll spend about $300 to $636 for both kids that’s a savings of $3,360 for two kids. Even if you totally go nuts and splurge on all sorts of adorable reusable cloth diapers, plus buy brand new for both kids you’ll still save around $2,724.

Image by Flickr User IngaMun

PLUS…

Beyond cost benefits you’ll be helping the planet. Most research suggest that 250 to 500 years is a conservative guess as to how long disposable diapers will sit in the landfill after you toss them and most conventional disposable diapers are 100% gross. They’re stuffed with icky SAP, pesticides, perfume, latex, chemicals and plastic (made with non-renewable oil) and other junk.

Where we’re at right now…

• Save $3,360 by using cloth diapers
• Save $835 per kid by using to reusable baby wipes
• Save $1,612 by using homemade green cleaners
• Save $2,960 by having a less consumer Christmas
• Save $1,000 by ditching paper towels
• Save $1,354 by using cloth napkins
• Save $6,000 by switching to reusable water bottles

TOTAL SAVINGS SO FAR: $17,121.00

$ left to save: $32,879

I’m working on an ongoing series here about how to save money by going green – “Live green and save $50,000 in five years“. The point of this series is to find out if the average family of four can save $50,000 in five years, simply by initiating green practices into their lifestyle.

However, it’s been tough going tracking these costs. So, I figured I’d do a little round-up post and keep it updated here. If you want to follow along, bookmark this post so you can return as the savings add up. Don’t forget, if you have more or less than four family members, savings will vary.

How to save $50,000 in five years by going green

• Save $3,360 by using cloth diapers
• Save $835 per kid by using to reusable baby wipes
• Save $1,612 by using homemade green cleaners
• Save $2,960 by having a less consumer Christmas
• Save $1,000 by ditching paper towels
• Save $1,354 by using cloth napkins
• Save $6,000 by switching to reusable water bottles

TOTAL SAVINGS SO FAR: $17,121.00

$ left to save: $32,879

If you’ve got any questions or comments about this series, or if you have a green practice you’d like me to consider, leave a comment below.

I’ve been slacking on my, “Save $50,000 in five years” series. It’s a lot of work (all those calculations!) However, it’s time we got back to it, so without further ado… Let’s look at cleaning products.

Image © kabliczech

Why use green cleaning products?

In this post I’ll be comparing the costs green cleaning products only – both store bought and homemade. What I won’t be doing is comparing savings on making homemade cleaners over conventional cleaners, because you shouldn’t be using conventional cleaners at all. That’s a much longer story though and an issue that goes beyond budget.

If you’re interested, read Ten Problems and Hazards of Conventional Cleaning Products.

How I’m getting these calculations:

Green cleaning supply costs can really depend on your family, how much you clean and many other variables. We’re a family of five, and we clean fairly regularly, so I’m just going to use us as an example. When it was just my son and me, we almost always only used homemade cleaners. Now that we live with another family, who can’t seem to figure out homemade cleaners (longer story for another time) it’s sometimes easier to buy green cleaners at the store. I’ve also had to test out store bought green cleaners for reviews.

That said, I have a decent amount of experience with both types of cleaning supplies. However, I’m kind of a Grinch about buying anything, so I also looked at some market research to see how much people are spending on green cleaners.

Cleaning my family regularly does annually & supplies needed:

We do daily chores, such as wiping down the kitchen and dining room table surfaces about 2-3 times per day, most days of the year. On a weekly basis, we have two bathrooms to clean, scrubbing out the kitchen sink, recycle bin and garbage can, along with mopping floors and dusting surface. 

On a twice monthly or monthly basis we clean windows (glass and frames), wipe down the fridge, wipe down walls (Oregon mold prevention), spot clean couches and floors if needed and clean the oven.

For the chores above we need all-purpose surface cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, glass cleaner, tub cleaner and organic liquid soap.

*I’m not including vacuuming carpets (vacuum cleaner) or other tools such as scrubbing brushes or cloths or paper towels – just cleaners. I didn’t include laundry or dishes, because low impact laundry and dish washing savings are their own posts.

How much do FRUGAL basic store bought green cleaning supplies cost over five years?

These are the store-bought cleaners we buy, when we buy them. These in total are few, and not very typical to what I see among most families, so we’re going to figure two scenarios.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner – $3.49 per bottle – lasts about three months. Need 4 bottles = $13.96 (per year)

Glass & Surface Cleaner – $4.99 per bottle - we use a concentrated, mix your own cleaner that lasts us about 3 months – but we use it for lots of stuff; glass, the fridge, all surfaces, etc. Need 4 bottles = $19.96 (per year)

Castile Liquid Soap Organic $14.99 per bottle – we use this for a ton of stuff, from scrubbing out recycling bins to cleaning sinks and more. We tend to get the 32 oz size which lasts and last because a tiny bit goes a long way. Need 2 bottles = $29.98 (per year).

Fabric Stain and Odor Remover $5.05 per bottle – due to the kids, we go through more of this than other stuff, about a bottle every two months. Need 6 bottles = $30.30 (per year).

I never buy a scrubby type cleaner. If I want to clean the sinks or tub with something other than homemade stuff, I’ll squirt a bit of castile soap or surface cleaner into the sink or tub, sprinkle a bit of eco-laundry powder or eco-dishwasher powder into the area and scrub with a brush.

As for floors, we use our Shark 2-in-1 Vac-then-Steam, which we didn’t pay for, but costs $149.00. I suggest using this, as you don’t need any cleaners for it, and it’ll last the whole five years I’m guessing. Plus sweeping and mopping sucks. You do need to buy a steam mop pads, maybe once per year, for $6.75. Total costs for five years = $182.75. Still, had we not gotten the steam mop for free, then we’d simply use some of the castile soap or surface cleaners + a basic cheap mop, so our costs on floors would be negligible.

Total frugal green cleaning store-bought supplies = $94.20 per year or $471.00 over five years or $653.75 with the steam mop.

Image by svilen001 via sxc.

How much do TYPICAL basic store bought green cleaning supplies cost over five years?

We buy very few store-bought cleaners, even when we’re using them regularly, because we mix it up with homemade and use them sparingly. However, we’re not very typical.

When I visit other people’s homes, I often see a much larger amount of cleaning products – both if they’re buying green or not. People seem highly attracted to single use products – i.e. they need a kitchen vs. bathroom cleaner. Typically I see the following stuff in typical homes… Oh, and I’m going to guess, based on my experience how fast the average family of four would use these up and I’ll choose the most popular green cleaners at Amazon – since it’s hard to tell what typical people buy.

• Furniture polish $8.67 per bottle - I’m guessing a bottle of this would last a year (?) = $8.67 (per year)

• All purpose cleaner $8.80 per bottle. Need two bottles a year, since you’ve got all these other cleaners too = $17.60 (per year).

• Kitchen cleaner – surface spray $3.98 per bottle - maybe 12 bottles a year, people use a lot of kitchen cleaning spray. If I mix my own from eco-concentrate, I still mix up about 1.5 bottles per month = $47.76 (per year).

• Bathroom cleaner $3.86 per bottle - as with kitchen cleaners, if I mix bottles myself, I use about 6 or 7 per year on the bathrooms alone. Especially because the kids totally over-spray = $27.02 (per year).

• Toilet Bowl Cleaner – $3.49 per bottle - lasts about three months. Need 4 bottles = $13.96 (per year).

• Some sort of disinfecting multi-surface wipes $4.97 per container - I’ve seen people go through 2 or 3 of these per month, but that’s just nuts. I know a more frugal cleaner who uses 1 container per month, so I’m going with that = $59.64 (per year).

• Window and glass cleaner $9.70 per bottle - 4 bottles = $38.80 (per year)

• Fabric Stain and Odor Remover $5.05 per bottle - 6 bottles = $30.30 (per year).

• Floor Cleaner $4.85 per bottle for mopping and such – I have no idea how long this might last, but floors are big, so I’ll estimate at least three bottles a year = $14.55 (per year)

• Oven cleaner – I’ve actually never seen a readily available eco-oven cleaner. BUT you don’t want to go the conventional route. Oven cleaners are the worst of the worst cleaners. I do know of one oven cleaner that’s supposedly safe, but I haven’t used it. It’s affordable at just $7.69, I guess it would last the whole year = $7.69 (per year).

• Tub and tile cleaner $3.74 per bottle - hopefully you’d use less of this, especially if you’re buying other cleaners. Once, Seventh Generation sent me a bottle of tub cleaner spray to test, and it lasted me about 3 months, assuming I cleaned the tub entirely with it = $11.22 (per year).

• Bleach $11.63 per bottle

Total typical green cleaning store-bought supplies =$300.56 per year or $1,502.80 every five years.

How much do people REALLY spend on green cleaners?

My figures were $545.95 for frugal green cleaners and $1,502.80 for typical green cleaners over five years. However, to be clear, my best estimates about typical cleaning product purchases don’t match what other market research says.

David Bach, author of Go Green, Live Rich estimates that the average American family spends about $600 per year on home cleaners. Packaged Facts estimates that the U.S. market for household cleaning products through 2012 will reach $8.1 billion. People seem to buy an outrageous amount of cleaning products. Currently green cleaners only make up 3% of the home cleaning market, but they cost more, so if you buy a full range, you’d be spending a bundle.

For example, in 2009, $339 million was spent by a very small percentage of people on green household cleaning products. Packaged Facts estimates that green home cleaner sales should reach $2 billion in sales by 2014 while the global market for household green cleaning products forecast is US$9.32 billion by the year 2017. About 1/3 of green cleaners sold are laundry products, but even so, that leaves a hefty amount of other green cleaners being sold.

According to market research, my best guess figures were extremely low. The cleaning market is a rich market. It’s very likely that people spend much more on cleaning products than I figured, more in the range of $500-$600 per year. Or $2,500-3,000 every five years. If you split the average of $2,500 and $1,502, you’re looking at $2,001 every five years.

© Franny-Anne

How much do basic homemade green cleaning supplies cost over five years? 

Okay, these figures are easier, since for years, homemade green cleaners were all I used, so I have a much better basis for comparison.

Here’s a list of my basic supplies for a year’s worth of cleaning naturally.

• Prevention + arm power – both free – if you clean often, you avoid big messes that can’t be cleaned and you’d be surprised what a basic good scrub with a brush will get rid of.
• $3.00 (2 containers) salt - usually store brand or bulk.
• $6.00 (3 massive boxes) baking soda – usually store brand or bulk.
• $9.60 1 lemon per month (I refuse to pay more than 80 cents for a cleaning lemon, if it’s more I go without for cleaning.
• $9.02 1 bottle of Organic Tea Tree Oil.
• $29.98 (3 bottles) Castile Liquid Soap Organic
• $1.80 a small containers of vinegar – I HATE vinegar and use it ultra sparingly, actually forgetting to use it, so it costs me almost nothing.

I personally buy Fabric Stain and Odor Remover $5.05 per bottle - 6 bottles = $30.30 (per year). However, there are homemade versions you can make. They’re a bit more trouble, so this is one area where I spend extra.

Total costs of natural cleaners $59.40 for a year or $297.00 over five years. If you buy the steam mop ($182.75) I suggested up above, you’d spend $479.75 over five years.

Savings with natural homemade green cleaners over store bought green cleaners:

• $297.00 – $479.75 spent on homemade cleaners (highest estimate).
• $2,001 spent on store bought green cleaners (conservative estimate).
• You’d save $1,521  to $1,704 every five years if you went with homemade green cleaners (average of $1,612.00).

We’re trying to save $50,000 and so far we’ve saved the following…

• $1,612 by making homemade green cleaners
• $6,180 by using reusable water bottles vs. buying bottled water
• $1,000 by using cloth instead of paper towels
• $1,354 if you use cloth napkins instead of paper
• $835 by switching to reusable baby wipes

That’s a grand total of $10,981.00. That leaves $39,019.00 left to save. That seems like a lot. Whew, by the way, next time I’m doing something easy – these calculations were a nightmare. For now, if you want to start making your own green cleaners, check out the following:

• Green and safe kitchen pantry homemade cleaners
• Homemade all-purpose and mold cleaners
• Homemade green kitchen cleaners

DIY play kitchen sets are a great alternative to more expensive, already built play kitchens. Usually, homemade play kitchen sets are more affordable, especially if you re-purpose materials. Plus, you can make a homemade play kitchen as eco-friendly as you like, so long as you choose green materials.

• Safe and eco-friendly play kitchen features.

Aim for materials such as real wood, not plywood or MDF, organic fabric for curtains and of course add eco-friendly play food and play dishes. If you’re at a loss for how to get started on your own DIY play kitchen, see these options below. Each takes some time, but if you get started now, you’ll have your cute kitchen ready in time for a Christmas unveiling.

• DIY Play Kitchen from IKEA Hackers

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from Southern Exposure

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from The Crafting Chicks

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from What Happens at Naptime

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from Happy Hawkins

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from Apron Strings

   

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• Virginia's easy to make Ikea-based toy kitchen

   

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• Jack's Suzy Homemaker Play Kitchen

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from Ana White

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from A Project Hopper

   

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• DIY Play Kitchen from DIY Network

   

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• DIY Play Grocery Store from Domestic Candy

   

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DIY Play Kitchen from IKEA Hackers: This bright and cheerful vintage style play kitchen offers tons of play space plus an awesome window view. I wouldn’t modify with MDF, but otherwise this kitchen is amazing.

DIY Play Kitchen from Southern Exposure: Recycled nightstands and coats of fresh paint, along with some really cool knobs and accessories allow for a fully functional and super cheerful play kitchen.

DIY Play Kitchen from The Crafting Chicks: One of the more beautiful play kitchens I’ve seen, this blue beauty was, incredibly, the builders first project – wow right!?

DIY Play Kitchen from What Happens at Naptime…: This play kitchen safely features curtain instead of cabinets (zero slammed fingers), plus low shelving for younger, shorter kids.

DIY Play Kitchen from Happy Hawkins: See how to transform a $10 end table into a wonderful play kitchen.

DIY Play Kitchen from Apron Strings: This kitchen is tabletop and space saving, plus offers a very unique working burner light. Classic white dishes and knit play food add lots of charm.

DIY Play Kitchens from Ohdeedoh: Ohdeedoh features play kitchens often, but two cream of the crop creations include Virginia’s easy to make Ikea-based toy kitchen and Jack’s “Suzy Homemaker” Play Kitchen, that includes an awesome table component.

DIY Play Kitchen from Ana White: Just beautiful (the stars are an amazing touch). A pregnant mama made this one no less!

DIY Play Kitchen from A Project Hopper: A sweet, gender neutral kitchen handmade by one very cool dad. No in-depth instructions offered, but a good base design in the works.

DIY Play Kitchen from DIY Network: Very in-depth plans regarding building an entire play kitchen. I especially like the little touches on this kitchen, such as the text on the different appliances.

BONUS! DIY Play Grocery Store from Domestic Candy: Domestic Candy is one of the coolest blogs I’ve run into lately. The entire blog is amazing and crafty, but this play grocery store takes the cake – or sells it, as the case may be. This play set is a bit more costly, but it’s so gorgeous I had to share. You can lower costs if you can build a playstand yourself, which is possible,  No in-depth instructions offered, but with a little creativity, and maybe a playstand base, this is entirely doable.

• Also see - DIY Green Toy – Nine Affordable Play Kitchen Sets

As the autumn chill sets in (and winter’s just a skip away) people tend to use more hot water. Because you’re cold, you may take an extra long shower. You may use hand washing as a way to warm up a little.

First of all, pay attention to your water habits in the cold months. Secondly, you can save energy and cut costs by simply adjusting the temperature setting of your hot water heater. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, for each 10ºF reduction in water temperature, you’ll save between 3%–5% in energy costs. Many water heater thermostats come set at 140ºF, but most families are fine with them set at 120ºF.

Other benefits include less chance of a scalding burn and reducing your water temperature helps to slow mineral buildup and corrosion in your water heater and pipes. This means your water heater will work longer, better. Check out your water heater owner’s manual for instructions about how to turn down the thermostat.

If you’re an avid supporter of organics, it’s not uncommon to feel a little bit of sticker shock at check-out. Thankfully, organics don’t have to be out of reach. There are ways to save on healthy organic food:

• See 70+ tips about how to save money on organic food.

A new way to save!

You can save even more money on organics if you shop your local farmers’ market. Older research shows that the typical consumer perception assumes that farmers’ markets are more expensive, but that’s not actually true. According to a new report, Vermont Farmers’ Markets and Grocery Stores: A Price Comparison (pdf), most organic produce is more expensive at grocery stores than it is at the typical farmers’ market.

Photo © Flickr user NatalieMaynor

This new report notes that organics on average, cost 40% less than the same items at grocery stores and some farmers’ market items, such as melons and lettuce only cost half as much as their regular grocery store counterparts.

Luckily, it’s not that hard to find a good farmers’ market anymore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 15 years ago there were just 1,755 farmers’ markets across the country, but currently we’ve got 5,274 farmers’ markets to choose from.

• Locate a farmers’ market near you.
• Make the most of shopping at your local farmers’ market.

+ Source

Currently I’m running an experiment here at Growing a Green Family. Can the average family of four save $50,000 in five years simply by living green? With this in mind, I decided to see how much you can save by celebrating a less consumer Christmas.

Can you really spend just $250 on Christmas?

That’s a good question. Technically yeah, you can even have a $0 Christmas. It all depends on what you want. A better question to start with is how much do American families REALLY spend on the holiday season?

Most resources and studies I’ve found only factor in the cost of gifts. For example, one source I found says, “In the United States the average American will spend about $750 dollars on gifts and accessories.” Another source says the average American will spend an average of $658 for gifts.

But that’s just gifts. People also spend cash on holiday decor, the tree, food and likely, I’m guessing, nonsense goods they wouldn’t buy in the first place, but do buy, because they happen to be at the store more often. Overall, if I had to take a stab, based on figures I’ve seen, I’d assume that on average, individual American adults spend about $700-$1000 for Christmas (figuring in everything).

There’s no way on earth I’m spending $700 on Christmas.

Spending less does mean planning:

If you celebrate Christmas, or another consumer driven winter holiday, you’ll need to do some planning to spend less. As noted before, I’m not all that on board with most holiday stuff, mostly because a lot of it seems super consumer driven to me. At my house, we tried, really hard to come up with an alternative holiday plan this year. We sat down and had a family meeting about Christmas. It didn’t go great, because people were at semi-odds. In my household, here’s where we ended up:

What I want – a Christmas that’s fun, eco-friendly and not focused on consumerism.

What Dave (the live-in boyfriend) wants – a Christmas that’s fun, not focused on consumerism and that has some focus on the real meaning of Christmas, which for Dave means religious stuff.

What our kids want – Our two youngest kids (aged 9 and 12) said they want a fun Christmas, want to see some family, don’t want to drive around and claim to not want too many gifts. I think they do want some gifts, but are playing it down because Dave and I are playing that aspect down. Still, overall they seem to be on board with fewer gifts and more family activity instead.

The oldest kid in the house is the only household member who wants a consumer Christmas. It’s a much longer story, but to sum up, the stuff aspect of Christmas is all she’s discussed with us and I’m guessing it’s because it’s always been that way for her. It’s habit.

With the above in mind, here’s what we’re doing for Christmas:

During Christmas break we’re having a cookie making day and will do other general hang-out stuff like playing game, going on walks, etc. We’re also getting together with some family for lunch. Nothing spectacular, but fun stuff. On Christmas day, we’re staying at home, some friends are coming over and we’ll likely make a meal of some sort. Maybe Dave will read something from the bible – or discuss it? I’m not very clear on this aspect yet.

As for gifts:

Since no one but the oldest kid in the house wanted a super consumer Christmas, we’re doing very few gifts. We talked to adult family and friends and said NO GIFTS PLEASE for adults. We’ve asked this before and had family agree to it, but they still get us gifts. I’m hoping this year everyone will follow through. We’re giving gifts to the kids, but we’re sort of doing our own planning on this one. For example, Cedar’s dad and I have our own ideas, while Dave and the girls mom have theirs.

MY CHRISTMAS SPENDING PLAN:

Because I wanted a less consumer holiday, and because we were unable to come up with a set ideal about gifts in this house, I made up my own set of ideals, which is…

• I’ll get gifts for the kids in the family. I’m not getting a gift for any adult except Dave and we agreed on a very low price limit.

• Everything I’m getting for folks (minus one gift) follows a reduce, reuse, recycle slant. Meaning, I decided to get gifts for people this year ONLY if they have the following qualities – you can get a lot of use out of the gift, the gift is eco-friendly plus safe and the gift can be either eventually recycled or totally used up.

• I refuse to spend a lot of money on Christmas. The average (as noted above) is $700-$1,000, which in my opinion is 100% insane and doesn’t really equal the less consumer holiday I’m interested in.

Here’s my $250 plan:

The bulk of my money, no surprise, is going toward my son Cedar, who is the only person getting a non-eco gift. He really wanted a specific Lego set, which I did get him (don’t worry, he doesn’t read this blog, so it’ll still be a surprise).

So Cedar is getting one bigger gift, plus a couple smaller, eco-friendly items and some stocking stuffers. As for everyone else, I got eco-friendly gifts for Dave + gifts for six other kids. My total cost for all gifts was $178.

We’re also making a holiday meal, but splitting the costs, potluck style, with the folks who are coming over. So even though we’re getting organic food, my total costs should fall at $30 or less (a figure I’m basing on how much Thanksgiving food cost me). The last thing I’m buying this season are some organic baking goods. I’ve got some baking goods, but am running low, and wouldn’t be buying more right now if it wasn’t for cookie making day, so I’ll figure in about $20.

Gifts = $178

Food + baking goods = $50

Get together – we’re not getting together with all our family on Christmas day, so we’re meeting some for lunch before hand. I’m factoring this in at about $30 for gas and food, because we’re meeting for pizza (inexpensive) and splitting the costs.

Total = $258

OVERALL: Money saved over five years if you celebrate a less consumer holiday:

I’m getting gifts for one adult and 7 kids. I’m also feeding a houseful of people on Christmas day, holding a baking day and getting together with some other family before hand. My total costs will be about $258.

The average American spends $700-$1,000 on the holidays, which is an average of $850.

IF I can manage to spend around $258 each year for the holidays, I’ll save $592 per year or $2,960 over five years.

Of course this is VERY abstract thinking, and based on how many people are in your house. But the averages stay the same. If you plan to spend less, your average from the previous year will go down, no matter what you spent. If you work at it, you should be able to save thousands over five years.

What we’ve saved:

So far, in my quest to save $50,000 by living green we’ve saved a total of…

• $1,000+ by switching from paper towels to cloth.
• $1,354 by switching from paper napkins to cloth napkins.
• $6,180 by switching to tap water vs. bottled.
• $835 by switching to reusable baby wipes.
• $2,960 by having a less consumer Christmas (or other winter holiday).

We’ve saved a total of $12,329 and have $37,671 left to save. Not too bad. Coming up some ideas that can help you save money on your holiday celebration and I’ll tell you how I spent under $200 for gifts. Cutting down that $850 average isn’t as hard as you might think.

This week, reports of lead in reusable bags broke, possibly leaving many to wonder why they even try to live green. Seriously, we’ve got bunk organics, greenwashing and of course dangerous reusable bags that harbor death. Now lead. Sigh.

Be aware that this lead issue is confined to cheap reusable bags – the very same cheap store-brand bags I continually warn against.

I’m not for cheap store bags because…

• Why use a cheap bag that you’ll have to throw away sooner?
• You usually can’t further recycle or use these bags.
• You can’t wash them.

I guess now you should also avoid cheap reusable bags because some of them contain lead. None of the bags in question were cloth. All of the bags thought to contain lead have been made with polypropylene.

Money savings with quality reusable bags:

Beyond all the reasons above, you should also consider avoiding those tacky cheap store bags because they’re more expensive. For example, while cheap at first (about $1 a pop) they don’t last long at all. I’ve been given two of these, which yeah, isn’t a great sample study, but these bags only lasted for about 4-5 uses. Then they started fraying, lost their ability to hold as much (the bottoms felt weak) and the handles started to bust off.

If you use about 5 bags per week for groceries, that’s about 260 uses per year. That’s estimating very low too. Here we have a family of five and use about ten or so bags a week for grocery and other shopping plus use them to cart books and other gear around. BUT, we’ll say 260 uses a year.

If we estimate that each of your cheap bags might last about ten uses each, you’d need 26 bags a year so you’d pay $26 over a year. Not too bad. However, these cheap bags still can’t beat quality reusable bags.

My favorite set of reusable bags is my set of ACME Bags – Lightweight Recycled Cotton Tote with Dual Handles. I bought eight bags and each cost about $6.22 at the time. I’ve had these bags since May 2008, or for about 2.5 years and they’re going strong. I doubt I’ll have to replace them for another 2.5 years. A couple of them have developed holes in the side seem, but it’s nothing a quick mending won’t fix. After they really die, I’ll cut them up and use them instead of paper towels to clean with, saving even more cash.

Since I’ll get about 5 years or more worth of use out of my good reusable bags I’ll save money. It would cost me about  $130 to keep buying cheaper bags, but my good bags never cost more than the original price of $50. That’s an $80 saving. That seems like spare change, but every bit helps when you’re trying to save money, plus it’s still a whole lot of organic milk (about 32 half gallon cartons) and you’d save even more over more years.

Do you use those cheap store bags? What do you think? I’ve heard that some hold up better than others, but that hasn’t been my experience.

Kids and teens are major consumers in the United States. For example, kids under 14 years of age spend about $40 billion annually while teens spend about $159 billion. And that’s just the tip of what’s a very large consumer iceberg. Parents can help make a huge impact by simply trying to avoid consumerism, but kids and teens can also take the initiative and work to be better consumers.

With that in mind I thought I’d post some kid and teen-specific consumer tips:

Kids and teens can actually follow the same set of basic flowchart rules that I mentioned in how to afford the holidays. For example, before making a purchase kids and teens can ask themselves…

• Do I need it?
• Can I afford it.
• How badly do I want it?
• Will I use it?
• Is it recyclable or otherwise healthy for the planet?

Other ideas for kids and teens to consider:

Do you have an item like this already at home? If so, do you enjoy it a lot, or is it sitting on a shelf, slightly used. Be honest. If you buy many items and don’t use them, that’s a waste of resources and that, in turn is not healthy for the earth.

Is the purchase worth the cost? Is it worth the cost if you’re paying for it yourself vs. your parents paying for it? If you’re not paying for the item yourself, consider if you’d still want the item if you had to use chore or babysitting money to buy it. If you wouldn’t use your own cash for it, then it’s likely not a smart purchase.

Never buy an item right away. If you see something you think you might enjoy, walk away. Think about it for a week. If after a week, you still think you need the item, go pick it up.

How much stuff do you  have already? If your bedroom is full of slightly used and unused items, maybe it’s time to really think about why you’re asking your parents for this stuff in the first place.

Avoid fads that fade. Here’s an example; no matter how many Lego blocks my son gets, they’re put to excellent use. He reuses them over and over. However, he also sometimes like fads, like Gogo’s. I think Gogo’s are lame because they’re all plastic plus have minimal replay value, so I refused to buy him any. He decided to buy some with his own money, and now they’re just sitting there, unused. He’s concerned now because he doesn’t use them, can’t recycle them and it was a waste of his money. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean you’ll like it.

Can you find an eco-friendly version? For example, as noted my son really wanted a Pillow Pet which is not eco-friendly. I looked around and found some better, greener pandas and Cedar has decided that one of those would be fine with him. Make sure you buy the greenest version of an item you can.

Is the item healthy? Some smart healthy items you may want to spend cash on include a skateboard, a bike, a fun class, a Frisbee, a musical instrument, a camera for taking nature photos and so on. Try to mix it up so that you’re not always buying passive activity items.

Extra eco-shopping tips for kids and teens:

• Look for natural fiber clothing and organic items.

• Shop at a thrift store.

• Get to know how greenwashing companies target you.

• Don’t buy animal fur items or fake fur items. Fur is sometimes used in toys and clothing. If you buy real fur you’re responsible for killing an animal – just for fur. Fake fur isn’t great either, as most fake furs are made from non-renewable oil-based fibers.

• Be careful when buying shells. It’s fun to visit a beach and find shells that have naturally washed up on the beach, but buying shells from a store might mean you’re getting shells that were intentionally stolen from the ocean and the animals who use them.

• When buying new music, consider used CDs or LPs or purchase digital music. You’ll get a better deal, more music for your buck, plus save some resources.

• If you buy a toy requiring batteries, be sure to pick up some renewable batteries and a battery charger as well. This way you won’t have to waste resources to charge your toys.

• Before your next shopping adventure you might want to consider going through the stuff you already have. Sort it, clean it, and offer it to a family or youth shelter. Or you could have a garage sale, which is a great way to recycle instead of toss items.

• When shopping be sure to carry a reusable bag or backpack. Reusable bags come in all sorts of cool designs for kids and teens nowadays.

Kids and teens can be really smart eco-minded consumers. All it takes is a little planning and some conscious caring about the earth.

It’s been a while since we’ve tried to save any money around this blog. Too bad since we’ve got a lot to save if we’re going to save $50,000 just by going green.

Today, baby wipes. How much can you save if you make safe, non-toxic baby wipes vs. buying disposable baby wipes? Let’s find out.

HOW MANY DISPOSABLE DIAPER WIPES WILL YOU NEED?

First of all, we’re just going to look at 2.5 years not 5. On average, folks like to assume that babies are out of diapers by two and a half years (many aren’t) but for the sake of this post, we’ll say 2.5 sounds fine.

The average newborn can speed through 12 diapers a day. Older babies and toddlers typically use about 6-10 diapers a day. If your baby is out of diapers entirely by the time she’s two and a half years old that’s still about 7,500-8,000 diaper changes over those 2.5 years.

If we’re being VERY prudent, the typical diaper change requires two cloth baby wipes or two or three disposable wipes. I’ve used both reusable and disposable wipes and for large messes, you can end up using a ton of disposable wipes. BUT we’ll say oh, two wipes per change.

So, 7,500-8,000 times two wipes per change is about 15,500 disposable wipes in 2.5 years. Imagine that pile!

HOW MANY CLOTH BABY WIPES WILL YOU NEED?

If you’re making a reusable baby wipe kit, here’s what you’ll need at bare minimum.

1. 20-30 baby sized washcloths and 20-40 regular sized washcloths – this is literally all the cloth wipes I needed the entire time Cedar was a baby.
2. A cloth wipe bucket – small, with an easy to remove lid.
3. A couple reusable wipe bags for when you’re out and about. Alternatively, you can use disposable wipes when out, but let’s pretend you want to go totally reusable.

Natural soap and organic essential oils are nice additions but not necessary, so I won’t be adding in these costs.

HOW MUCH WILL DISPOSABLE WIPES COST?

For disposable baby wipes I picked an eco-friendly brand, because I personally cannot, and will not recommend that you buy conventional baby wipes. You might save more buying conventional vs. less toxic baby wipes, but since they’re not safe for kids, and since this is a green space, there’s no way I’m using them for a comparison.

Personally I’ve tested, liked and can recommend the following eco-friendly baby wipes:

• $34.99 – TushiesWipes Refills, Unscented Natural Formula with Aloe – Wipe Refill Packs (960 Wipes).
• Elements Naturals – $5.95 – 80 count at Drugstore.com.
• $13.99 – Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Baby Wipes, 350-count Box.
• You can browse other safe baby wipes at Skin Deep.

For this calculation, we’ll use my favorite, and likely the cheapest eco-wipes first – TushiesWipes. You’ll need 15,500 wipes, or about 16 cases in bulk. That’s $560 over 2.5 years.

We’ll also use what I most commonly see – what I usually see among friends, and when I’m sneaking peeks at carts at the store are those Seventh Generation baby wipe tubs. Many people do not buy in bulk. Those tubs and single refill packs are about $4.50 – $5.50 for 70 wipes or around $1,107 over 2.5 years. If you shop this way, a reusable baby wipe kit will save you around $1,107 per child.

If you split the difference between buying in bulk and not, you’ll pay around $835 for 2.5 years of disposable wipes.

HOW MUCH WILL REUSABLE WIPES COST?

You’ll need 20-30 baby sized washcloths and 20-40 regular sized washcloths. We bought on the low end; maybe 25 baby sized and 25 big ones. It’ll depend on how often you do laundry. I suggest you buy organic cotton, bamboo, or some other sustainable fabric. Some ideas…

• $9.00 – Under The Nile Organic Cotton Baby Wipes – 6 Pack
• $24.00 – Kissaluvs Soft Organic Wipes, 12 Pack
• $14.50 – Babykicks Baby Wipes – 10 Pack
• $9.57 – 100% Organic Cotton Oversized Washcloth Set of 4
• $12.00 – Kate Quinn Organic Baby Washcloths (10-Pack)

You’ll also need a BPA-free container to hold your wipes. I like the $16.99 – Oxo Good Grips POP Big Square 4-Quart Storage Container, but any container will do, just make sure the lid is easy to get off with one hand.

Lastly, you’ll need an on-the-go solution like $10.99 – Kushies on-the-go wet bag (set of 2); also available in girl prints or in different sizes.

That’s a total of about $100. If you went with thrift store goods you’d make a killing though and could likely build a kit for less than half of this. Used washcloths aren’t as good as organic IMO, but still a greener choice. Also, you’ll have to pay to wash your wipes. However, as noted in the cloth napkin costs post, it’s only about $8 per year to wash a ton of napkins. When compared to gas costs to get disposables, it pretty much evens out.

Money saved over 2.5 years if you use reusable vs. disposable baby wipes…

$835.00 on average – Now, if you use wipes longer you’ll save more. One reusable baby wipes kit will last forever. For sure it would see you through two or three babies. For example, I’m STILL using old washcloths from Cedar’s reusable baby wipe kit now, to clean with. It’s been almost ten years and the wipes are just now starting to die off. Cloth lasts forever.

IF you have two kids you’d save almost $1,700. A nice college fund starter or a ton of organic apples. Plus, let’s not forget all those resources you’ll save due to NOT buying over-packaged toss-away baby wipes.

Learn exactly how to make your own reusable baby wipe kit.

END RESULT: We’re trying to save $50,000 and so far we’ve saved…

• $1,000+ by switching from paper towels to cloth.
• $1,354 by switching from paper napkins to cloth napkins.
• $6,180 by switching to tap water vs. bottled.
• $835 by switching to reusable baby wipes.

So far a total savings of $9,369. That leaves $40,631.00 left to save. Saving $9,000+ isn’t bad but we’re going to have to break out the big guns of green living to save $50,000.