I’m a diaper hoarder
That’s right, I’m coming clean. I hoard diapers. Wait, just a second – I’m talking about clean, unused diapers - just so we are clear.
Anytime there is a sale or a coupon, I snatch up diapers. Just this week, I drove to BJ’s in Millsboro just to save $10 on a 152-count box of Luvs. I love that leak-lock core.
I am not proud to admit this, because after all, I aspire to be an all-natural mama, using cotton diapers with wraps and machine-washing and air-drying. But, alas, my tot went through several cotton diapies and so I have mostly given up. I now work to find diapers on sale and stockpile them in my sunroom. It’s not just diapers either, I have stockpiles of wipes too. Those holiday gift cards I received from beloved family members – yup, most of them went towards my addiction to stockpiling baby supplies.
Ode to diapers, continued
I still use the all-in-one reusables once in awhile to give baby’s bottom a break from synthetics; but mostly, I use Luvs. They just seem to hold better than other brands I have tried.
But I am not a diaper diva, solely devoted to one brand over others. If there is a coupon or deep discount, I am there, tongue-hanging-out and ready to swipe the plastic. In my stockpile, I also have some different natural brands and Huggies. I have found that diapers go on sale regularly and you just have to wait for that week when your brand is on sale. For Luvs, it seems like every three weeks they go on sale everywhere. And then I price-check.
I usually browse store ads and then compare those sales to Amazon.com. Amazon usually tries to have their sales just a few dollars cheaper than stores. And, thanks to Amazon Mom (if you don’t know about this, you better get on it because I think they are ending the program at the end of this year), you don’t have to pay shipping for two-day delivery.
But, if you can find that coupon to take off another percentage or dollar amount, you can actually beat the Amazon price. That’s what I did this week and I was very proud of myself.
Couponing is a skill
This goes out to all those extreme couponers out there. I tried to be like you. I cut coupons from Sunday papers, I signed up for online alerts and deals and I received several items for free through various programs. But it is exhausting. Extreme couponing is definitely a skill and it is not one that I am great at. Sure, I dabble and get some great deals here and there, but I am no where close to the likes of many of my Facebook friends, who save gobs of money by planning ahead. I raise my third cup of coffee to you!
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Real Parents. Real Food. Real Fun.
Welcome to Adventures in Drool! Talking about green living, getting rid of plastics and toxic chemicals in our homes and raising happy kids on a budget. Join the conversation (www.adventuresindrool.com) and don't forget to Like us on Facebook!
Rachel Swick Mavity, author of the blog, lives with a reformed drooler (Droolface), who at age 3 loves to get muddy, drink homemade smoothies, giggle and flirt with old ladies. Her current drooler (Birdy) enjoys spitting up on work clothes and leaving drool trails as a way of showing her love.
Mavity previously worked as a journalist for seven years at newspapers from Pennsylvania to Maryland and Delaware. In Sussex County she worked for several newspapers, including the Cape Gazette. She lives in Lewes with her husband, Ryan Mavity, their son, "Droolface," and daughter, "Birdy."
