A Different Kind of Green

A wonderfully brilliant friend of mine recently welcomed his very first child into the world – a gorgeous little boy who came out of the womb smiling and seems to be embracing the world with the same gusto as his dad. At a dinner recently, I found myself marveling at their environmentally friendly commitment as we feasted on vegetables from their own garden and washed it down with a delightful home brewed beer. Young Phillip was asleep on a quilt made from his grandfather’s old work shirts surrounded by delightful garage sale finds that had been lovingly restored. Even PJ’s cloth diapers were ” certified pre-owned cloth diapers.”

“You guys sure are green.” I confided to the host. “I’m impressed.” He tossed me that characteristic smirk, held his hand up rubbed his thumb across four fingers and said, “oh,yeah. We’re green alright.”

He’s absolutely right. The average parent using disposable diapers will rack up a bill of approximately $2500 buying and tossing disposable diapers from birth to toilet training. Even if you clip coupons and buy generic you’re still forced to keep replenishing your supply whether your budget can handle it or not. In contrast, a cloth diaper supply can be had for as little as $100, although the average parent spends approximately $3-400. With one size diapers and diaper covers that grow as your baby does, your savings are even greater.

Seems my friend is motivated by a different kind of green; the kind of green that’s going to give his little boy a better life in more ways than one. Every week my friend calculates his savings and stashes that money in PJ’s saving account. The only footprint my friend is worried about is the one his boy will make on a college campus and the green he’s most motivated by is the one in his wallet. Brilliant.

We’d love to hear from you about your diaper savings – ways you’ve saved, how you’re stretching your family dollars. Whether you’re just starting out or just washing your last diaper…are you still all in?