Friday, March 6, 2015

Thriving Eco-mom (of twins) on a Budget


I have always made an attempt to live gorgeously green. Granted, I wish I could do more (home compost system, utilizing grey water, organic cotton clothing and products, sustainable garden...) the list could go on and on, but alas, I do the best I can. I make a point to recycle as much as possible, while also trying to reuse anything that may serve an additional purpose.

I also like to live a different sort of green, the kind that keeps money in my wallet. I'm sure you can imagine that can get tricky when shopping for two little boys.  While I have gotten away with not having to buy two of everything, there have been things I was forced to go double on: carseats, baby loungers, carriers and high chairs.  So, why not get the most bang for my buck and try to find any corner I can cut. As long as I am sticking to safety standards, I never turn away from a hand me down or a killer garage sale find.

So many of the boys toys came from garage sales like this classic favorite!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these $20 Ikea highchairs, just take 'em out and hose 'em off when the babies are done!
For me, being an eco-mom also means doing what I can to reduce the waste that two babies create as much as I can.  That starts with using cloth diapers. Just cutting down on the massive amount of trash diapers create makes me feel like I am doing just a small part to help the Earth. Even better? Our cloth diapers save me some serious cash! My next eco-mom attack is wipes. I could just cry at how many wipes those two little butts need each day.  I know it would be much cheaper (we go through about a box, yes that's right a box, a week) to purchase some felt (or use old T-shirts), cut them up and whip up some baby-friendly booty spray.  More on that transition to come!

If you are already a mommy then you know that babies go through a lot of clothes each day. I know for me, my boys barf, pee and blow out of multiple outfits each day. I am not one to dress my boys up in fancy fits, I prefer a plain onesie and a pair or sweats or shorts. I buy four to six of everything (2-3/baby), of course only when it is on clearance. I try to buy organic cotton when the price is right, but don't stress too much if the boys are in regular old 100% cotton.

We love a good sleeper! But does each baby really need more than 3?! The way they grow, no way, time to hit up another mommy.
Another cash saving tip? Don't turn down a hand me down. When another mommy asks if I want something that I can use, I always say yes. I am not above accepting used items and passing them along when I'm done. Why go out and buy something I can get for free? Isn't that what being gorgeously green is all about? Just recently I was in the need of a few more 6 month sleepers (the boys are growing like weeds), what is a cash saving, eco mom to do? Call a fellow TW of course! Nic was kind enough to let us borrow the sizes she had stored since BK had grown out of them and she saved me some serious cash.  Instead of buying even more than I already had, I was able to borrow and save! Now that is defs an eco-mom move.  We already set up a Thriving Mommy Closet, next up, Thriving Baby Closets!


While I have been using the Medela for pumping purposes as well as Lansinoh storage bags for my freezer stash of breastmilk, I am thrilled to have crossed over to aluminum bottles for the boys. I am not a fan of plastic and don't use much of it myself. I had been wanting to cross over for some time now and am surprised at just how long it took me. Enter the wonderful Kid Kanteen bottles, courtesy of my girl Megs. They can be used as bottles now, but with a quick top change they become sippies and even little water bottles too! Now that is what I am talking about eco-moms! With one Kid Kanteen bottle each, I decided to also try the Pura Kiki Stainless Bottles since I figured the boys should have two bottles each, just in case.  These two will be a perfect one stop bottle-shop from baby to toddler to little man. I love them and am very pleased with my green purchase!


As the boys get older I know I am going to continue to be on the look out for eco products that won't break the bank. With so many things to buy as kids grow older, I look forward to keeping my "green" intentions in mind and making smart choices for my family and the Earth!

What are some eco-mom products you love? Are you able to get them for a deal or are you happy to pay the extra cash?



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