Friday, July 17, 2009

How cost-effective is it to make homemade pantry staples?

I just read an interesting article about homemade pantry items. The author tries out several recipes to see if she can make things like bagels and yogurt at home for cheaper than it costs at the grocery store. You can see the article here. Enjoy!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Favorite Baby Products that Don't Cost a Fortune

Here are a couple of my favorite baby products. Don't worry, Frugally Green isn't turning into a baby blog, I'm just trying to point out how to get some good deals.


My Brestfriend Nursing Pillow
Despite it's ultra cheesy name, this is my absolute favorite baby product ever. It helped with nursing more than anything else out there. Unlike the boppy pillow the brestfriend sits high and close around your waist to get the baby in the perfect position for breast feeding. There are also two little bumps on top to either provide additional softness for your elbows or to prop your newborn's head on so that he latch properly. With the boppy my babies would slide down in between the pillow and my belly and I would end up hunched down and uncomfortable. The My Brestfriend pillow completely changed nursing for me. The are pretty expensive new--$30 to $40 dollars depending on which cover you get. But these babies are all over Craigslist, Freecycle, and in consignment shops and thrift stores. I bought one at a thrift store, still in the package for only $2! But a more realistic price on Craigslist is about $15.







Antilop Highchair by Ikea


This highchair costs $19.99 new and you can purchase the tray for $5. $24.99 for a highchair is a steal. But! Check resale stores and Craigslist. We found ours for $8 at a baby consignment store and I've seen them listed on Craiglist many times. What we love about this highchair is that it's simple, simple, simple. Since the seat is all once piece it cleans up very easily and if needed we can fit the tray in the dishwasher. When our son was little we just put a little pillow behind him to fill up the space. There are no different seat positions but we've never found that to be a problem. Plus, it looks great and doesn't take up much space.


I'll add more to this list in a couple of days. In the meantime, what are some of your favorite frugal or green baby products?