Saving $$ - Organic Food and Diapers/wipes

we joned your health source Co op http://www.yourhealthsource.org/
I get a box of produce every other week & all organic for $50. Seems to be a good deal exp compared to buying organic at the grocery store. I do love Costco for all their organic stuff (esp the frozen broccoli-really good!)
Also have had good luck with the Sams club diapers & wipes but I only tried them after an associate told me I could return them if I didn't like them. (a friend is a member & every month she picks up diapers & wipes & I pay her back so I don't have to join both clubs)
If you are doing organic milk, costco has good prices on their brand in organic but the best deals I've found are at Sprouts.
Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

I made most of my own baby food with a food processor & freezing in ice cube trays. I would buy frozen or fresh produce from places like Sprouts, Whole Foods, Central Market, Costco, Sam's, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Tom Thumb, etc. Try to look for sales & buy what's in season.

I would make mostly carrots, green beans, squash, potatoes, bananas myself. Some of it like applesauce I would buy in a large container.

You can buy grains, beans, lentils, pastas in bulk. You can also get plain yogurt & cottage cheese in larger containers. My son also likes eggs. Oatmeal is a good inexpensive breakfast.

For milk, Braum's is better than most non-organic since they don't use the growth hormones. Most stores sell organic milk. Shop around to find sales. We now get fresh goats milk.

Food co-ops are good too since a group of people will split the cost & get a bigger discount for buying a bulk order.

You can also look for local growers in farmers markets, roadside stands, etc. We're growing a lot of produce in our backyard garden now. Here are some links for some information & local growers you might find of interest.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/

http://www.localharvest.org/organic-farms/

http://www.picktexas.com/

http://cbs11tv.com/wrapper_consumer/moneysavers/Food.Coop...

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/otherstates.php

http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm

http://www.crosstimberscoop.org/

1 mom found this helpful

Hey S.,
First of all, it's awesome that you're feeding your baby organic and making it all yourself! I did the same for my baby and was kind of in the same boat as you when she was 10 months old. I don't know which part of the metroplex you live in, but our Tom Thumb has a pretty extensive organics section. I always buy my little one organic milk and eggs (because she eats/drinks those every day) and then I did sweet potatoes, apples, pears, green beans, peas and carrots. Often you'll find that you can get the veggies (and sometimes the fruits) frozen for less. Make them in bulk and freeze them so you're not cooking all the time. Things like bananas and squash aren't as important to buy organic because they have such a thick skin on them.

Since apples are out of season right now, buy bananas and squash at the regular grocery store, buy organic apple sauce in the jar, buy your beans in the organic frozen section and you'll probably find that you're saving some money. Butternut or Acorn squash is so yummy and it makes a TON. Get one of those, make your baby a batch and freeze it. Once he's old enough to eat meats, you won't be so stressed about feeding him the quanitity of food he needs with just fruits and veggies. Then you'll have to worry about finding organic meats. :)

As far as the diapers and wipes, we use Huggies diapers and Pampers wipes. I've found that the Huggies diapers are mid-range in price, but they work just fine for our little one (though every baby is different) but we can't scrimp on the wipes. Everything but Pampers gives her diaper rash. You could always go with the reusable diapers with the flushable inserts too. Each diaper is about 10 dollars, but you reuse them over and over, so in the long run, you'd be saving money. Just a matter of how much of an inconvenience you're willing to put up with.

Hope this helps. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions!

H.

We do a good deal of organic, as well. We buy alot of our groceries at Sprouts Farmers Market, it is less expensive than Whole Foods. Someone mentioned Target, also Tom Thumb has some organic products. I am not sure if they are any less expensive.
As for diapers, our older children had issues with diaper rash as well. I was using Huggies, as they were the only ones that did not seem to bother them. We had two in diapers, and I was discussing trying to cut costs with a friend. She suggested Luvs; I tried and loved them. They are considerably less expensive, and they worked really well for us.

I don't have any help for the organic foods, unless you live close by a farm that might grow organicly.

But as for diapers- cloth! If you are a stay at home mom, you could easily use cloth diapers. They are relatively very easy care. They use to make (sure you can still find) these liners that would make cleaning up solid waste much easier, remove the liner and dump solid waste in toilet. I would rinse out the diaper (whether just wet or soiled) in hot water and even wash the liners. Then have a separate bucket or small hamper with lid to put the diapers needing washing, then wash once day. Worked great. I used cloth almost exclusive on my oldest son - and I worked (my mom babysat though). And used cloth alot on my youngest son (not the middle one- but only because we did not have a washer/dryer at home). You wash once in bleach, then once without. Saves tons of money. The only time I used disposable diapers was when we went somewhere. And with my youngest- at the babysitter. I think it makes potty training alot easier as well.

I know I’m chiming in late, but wanted to add one caveat. I, too, made my own baby food with organics which I purchased at Whole Foods. I think most of us want to do what’s best for our families. However, as consumers, we should be aware that “certified organic” does not always mean 100% organic. Until recently I was paying $7.00 a gallon for Horizon milk. I also purchased Horizon yogurt, thinking this product was a better choice. If you Google something like “Horizon not organic” you’ll see one example of how the certification system has gone wrong. I don’t mind paying more to get a better/healthier product, but we should know what we’re actually getting for our hard-earned $$$.
Sorry, I know these aren't the money-saving tips you were looking for, but maybe you can save a few bucks by being aware of what you're getting. I still buy lots of organics, but I check things out. Websites like organicconsumers.org have helpful info. Also check cornucopia.org.
~K

Costco wipes are awesome! And I hear that their organic produce is a good deal. We just joined, but had friends buy us the wipes for a long time. I also just discovered a brand of wipes (and other stuff) called "Mom to Mom" that I swear are the exact same as Kirkland (Costco's house brand). I found them at Safeway in Colorado - Safeway is the same as Tom Thumb, so you might try there. For diapers, we personally prefer Pampers Cruiser, so can't help you there. I keep trying generics and even Luvs, but they never hold stuff as well, smell worse, leave silica beads on her bottom, etc. I know one friend went cloth and saved a lot of money after making a one-time investement.

you can get huggies wipes at cosco for $20.00 for 1,000 wipes. They come in 6 packages with zip locks.

Perhaps if you join a produce co-op you could save a little money on produce. I've also heard that Costco (not sure about Sam's) has a good selection of organic produce. When my boys were little I made a lot of their baby food as well. I would buy bags of frozen vegetables, cook them up, & blend away!

I like Target band wipes they make them in sensitive.

You can get alot of organic stuff at Central Market, but I doubt the price there is much better than Whole Foods. I do know that Target also carries alot of organic products as well.

we did the organic froz veg route as well (steamed then pureed) altho to be fair, he didn't eat purees very long as he almost went straight to table food/off my plate! :)
regarding diapers, i do part time cloth and part time disposables, and pampers were the best for my son's sensitive skin. the cheap brands always always always make him break out. we used 7th gen for a while (the ones you get from whole foods/central market) but i can't remember how much they cost compared to pampers; i want to say they're about the same. the were *okay* for daytime use but not nights for my heavy wetters.

Look into joining a food co-op--I know there's one in Dallas--I think it's called Dalles Moves (don't quote me on that). Also try farmer's markets and compare prices. Good luck--I'm trying to do the same thing.

Try Babies R us for pampers. Try Earths Best or Seventh Generation brand , I love them. They are not much more than your typical brands huggies, or pampers. I know they are latex free, and free from perfumes so that might help with rash problems. Also Seventh Generation has other products and wipes also. So go to Babies r us and check it out.

good luck