2015 Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 2: What's in your stash?

So it's Day 2 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. You can find the sign-up, rules, and more details on why they started it here. Basically it's to help raise awareness that there are more than just expensive disposables for families in need. To help people know they have options. I think it's awesome!

Today's prompt is:

Day 2 (May 12)- Show Us Your Stash!  Talk about supplies and give us a breakdown of the total cost, including the things you are using that you owned prior.

Well, I almost feel like I'm cheating because I use flats and prefolds full time anyway, so I've been able to build up a good stash over the last few years. I actually started using flats full time because of the Challenge in 2013. I figured out how amazing they are and decided to get "real" from the store flats and replace my old FST (Flour Sack Towels) and cut up t-shirts with them. So Here is my stash! (I've included links to where I bought what below.)

I have 12 Diaper Rite Birdseye Cotton Flats (size Large: $26.95 per 12 pack) and 12 Diaper Rite Bamboo Flats (Size Large: $34.95 per 12 pack)


Covers:
I have about 7-8 covers of varying brands and prices. My favorites cost under $10 and most of the others I have are definitely under $15. I have more covers but I rarely use them except for when I absolutely need to (they're pretty worn out because of how old they are and how much use they got, but they're still good if I have to use them. I even have some that are about 13-14 years old that my SIL used on her son when he was a baby and they still work great!)

The Covers I currently have and use most often are:
--Imagine One Size Diaper Cover (hook and loop in Rawr print) - $8.95
--Diaper Rite One Size Diaper Cover (in color Electric Carrot) - $8.95
--Buttons Diaper Cover (in color Cherry) - $11.00
--Econobum One Size Diaper Cover (trim color Moonbeam) - $11.95
--Sweet Pea One Size Diaper Cover (in print: Bandit the Raccoon) - $11.95
--Thirsties Duo Wrap Diaper Cover (hook and loop, can't remember the print) -$12.75
--Blueberry Coverall Diaper Cover (print: Dino) - I didn't actually buy this one, I received it as a gift but I looked up the price and it's $18.95. Way more than I would spend on a cover because I'm cheap.

For help with night time, because I have a super heavy wetter, I use:
--Diaper Rite Bamboo Diaper Doubler - $3.49 each - I have 3.
--Geffenbaby Hemp/cotton insert/doubler - not sure of the price I got it in a mystery package a few years ago.

Wipes:
--Diaper Rite Flannel Wipes - $5.95 for a 12 pack - I think I have 2 packs
--Some homemade wipes a lady from church made me when I was pregnant with my first

Washing:
--Molly's Suds Cloth Diaper Laundry Powder - I won this in an online giveaway. Price is: $14.99
      Normally I use Country Save or Biokleen which are both about $15 give or take a few bucks and they're a bigger package than the Molly's Suds.

--Aquas Diaper Sprayer - $49.95 (I'll admit this was a huge purchase for me but it was worth it I suppose)
       It's starting to crap out on me, it's a few years old (we have extremely hard water that is very hard on these kinds of things) I've discovered you can buy sprayer things at places like Home Depot for way cheaper. Next time I get one I'm getting one there or somewhere super cheap. You don't even need a diaper sprayer. I diapered my first baby without having one and it was just fine swishing them in the toilet. I actually hated the sprayer when I first got it.

--The diaper pail (where you keep the dirty diapers) is just some Sterilite container I got from Walmart when I started using cloth about 4.5 years ago. It was probably $5 or so. I don't even remember. I definitely wouldn't have paid more that $10 though for sure. I love it. It makes me think of Oscar the Grouch's trash can that he lives in, hehe. You don't have to have a fancy pail/liner. Just whatever container with a lid.

--Camp Style Washer Bucket - This thing is amazing!!! It's homemade and cost less than $10 to make. All you need is a big bucket, (5 gallons) the lid for the bucket, and a plunger. Drill some holes and you're golden! (the tutorial also has a door sweep strip thingy to put over the hole in the lid but I never put that on or bought any. It works just fine without) I also drilled some small holes in the plunger to decrease resistance while washing. I learned about this from a Dirty Diaper Laundry Tutorial. I looked it up because I wanted to use cloth while camping but I needed a way to wash them. My friend showed me where to see the video tutorial for this glorious thing and I LOVE IT!!! It is so handy and you can wash so much more than just diapers in it. I will say this. Splurge and get the freaking screw on lid for the bucket! Seriously. It's such a pain to do the snap on/off lid. We have a snap on/off lid and I hate it. lol I mean I obviously put up with it but I have weak hands/grip and it's a huge pain to try and get the dang thing off. Just save yourself the trouble and get the screw lid! lol

--Clothes Pins and Holder thingy (made from a hanger with fabric sewn into a pouch on it) to hold them and hang them on the line while hanging laundry. I don't even know how much it costs. I got a bunch of clothes pins from my mom and she made me the holder thingy. I have bought a pack of clothes pins of about 50 pins or so for a couple bucks. They are super cheap to get.

--A clothes line to hang stuff on. Mine was here when we moved in. If I didn't have one I'd get a rack or something or make one out of pvc piping for cheap. Or just use my shower rod/towel rod to hang them on. Or put up a string across a room in my house and hang them on there.

So the total of this particular stash is roughly give or take a few dollars probably (I didn't include stuff I got for free) comes to: $209.92

Keep in mind. This is a "fancy" stash that has been built over a period of about 2-3 years or so. It was not bought all at once but in little snippets here and there. Thus, making a seemingly large purchase much more reasonable.

I have also done this for much much much cheaper. The first year I did this I use FST, cut up t-shirts, and covers I already had. Maybe like 4 covers that I got brand new at about $13 each. (I could have got much cheaper and used for even less if I had looked harder) I probably bought 3-4 4packs of FST that were about $4 each. So that's a dollar per diaper. So $12-$16. The t-shirts I used were my husbands old shirts. I maybe cut up 5 or so giving me 10 diapers (2 diapers per shirt) for free. I also had left over receiving blankets that were given to me that is used. So that's another diapers for free. I think I had one pack of 12 wipes at the time. So that's about $5. So that stash was about $73 (which wasn't all at once either) because I spent $50 or so on covers. The covers are always going to be the most expensive item when it comes to flats, just because the flats themselves are so cheap. And even then the covers aren't expensive really, especially considering the use you get out of them. I could have done it for even cheaper.

Part of my original flats stash of FST and t-shirts. With a few covers.

 Some people don't really use covers they just pay more attention to when the baby is wet right away and change accordingly so it doesn't get on anything else (because flats don't have a waterproof shell it's just fabric so that's why most use a cover. They have things like Snappi's, Boingos and diaper pins that you can use to hold the diaper on in "fancy" folds. (I don't use them, I'm too lazy and cheap to buy them, not that they're expensive or anything, and just do a pad type fold and place it in the cover. lol)

Anyway, considering how expensive disposables are this is an excellent solution. Especially since they can be used for years and through more than one kid.