Lately my husband has had this thing with call me a hippie. I laughed along with him and took on the title proudly because I felt the reasoning behind his name calling were actually pretty good.

This all started about three months ago after a meeting with a lactation specialist. I decided that having our baby at a birthing center and not a hospital would be best for me, the baby and for my husband also. The further along we were with the pregnancy the more I studied, researched and analyzed the pros and cons of hospitals/treatments and birthing centers/coaching. I was, and still am, convinced that an intervention free birth was the right course. Now mind you this new belief of mine is coming right on the tails of us visiting and choosing one of the top, high tech, modern hospitals in the state. So I understood when my husband was just a tad bit sceptical but yet very supportive.

But my ‘hippiness’ according to him did not stop there. Shortly thereafter I started turning all Green on him.

I have to admit, majority of my life I have understood the importance of caring for the environment and being all aware of my actions and how the could effect our planet, but I was far from active. To me, turning off the water while brushing my teeth just seemed to be a bother … besides I was just one person.

Now however, and again I blame it solely on this baby soaking up the energy and brainwaves in my life, I have a totally different view on being environmental cautious and energy efficient. Not only for my babies health but also because majority of these changes save us tons of money (well maybe not tons, but enough).

What are my ways of going green so far???? These are just a start, I am sure there is much more we can do.

Recycling.When we first got our own place we really didn’t recycle that at all because we had a tiny apartment and the addition of another garbage pail just seemed way to inconvenient. Now if I see a coke can in the garbage I go crazy.

Cloth Diapering.I know I have mentioned this like twenty times before but we will be using cloth diapers. Saves loads of money and arguably better for the environment. For going out and possibly overnight we will be using the gDiaper system.

Reusable Bags. A few months back I decided to grad a bunch of those reusable bags for groceries. I can’t say that I have been 100% diligent with them yet though. Have forgotten them at home many times.

Cleaning Supplies. I have been reading up a lot on the different cleaning solutions you can make on your own at home using items you already have. I have a few friends that do it and they all say it cleans their home at good, if not better then the chemical stuff at stores … and yes again they save money.

Electricity. There are so many different ways to save on the electricity used daily. The main ways we have started is turning off all the lights when they aren’t needed. Turning off all electronics when not being used. Opening windows and using natural light.

 I am sure there are more ways that I am turning hippie, but off the top of my head that is what I have come up with so far.

 I did stop to really check this out though, and I don’t think I can actually call myself a modern day hippie yet. According to Robert Fuller there are just Four Types of Modern Day Hippies and looking at his definition of each, I don’t quit fall into one of those. The closets I come is the Granola Child but with out the vegetarian element, I love me some meat. So I think my husband and I will create our own definition one day.

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So I have been researching different ways to minimize the amount of money spent during the babies first year which I hear can be pretty costly. According to Claire Vande Polder in 2005 an average middle-class family spent about $10,220 on a baby during the first year of life. BabyCenter.com also gives similar results quoting approximately $10,158 in the first year. I like the one on babycenter.com because it is interactive and you can adjust the costs based on your parenting plans. Both sources did not include the costs of the actual delivery itself which can range any where between $700 – $5,000 depending on your insurance coverage and needs.

As for me and my family, here are the different ways we are looking to save money and cut costs where ever possible. Some seem like it will be a lot more work, but you know, if I am a stay at home mom I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to achieve these goals. (I say that now, check back in about 6 months, yikes!!)

• Insurance/Medical Bills: While some members of society may look down on this, I am so grateful and blessed that I was able to qualify for and receive state issued Medicaid coverage. It wasn’t my goal, and know that they system does have it’s hiccups, but to be able to sleep each night knowing that each medical bill and the total delivery for my baby is covered is such a relief. If our income stays the same even our Pediatric bills will be covered for at least the first year. Praise God!
• Major Purchases: We have been blessed with an amazing family who has seen our various needs and have been able to provide for us some of the more costly items. We already have a crib, which is one of those awesome 3-in-1 cribs that will convert into a toddler bed. They are also looking into getting our crib. A lot of my friends and family have also recently had children so there are some other furniture items that we will receive.
• Breastfeeding: I am hoping and planning on breast feeding for the first full year. They say it is best to stop by their first birthday because they could begin getting attached to the bonding. Also hope to just pump the rest of the time so hubby can enjoy feeding time also. The goal is to not use any formula unless the doctors determine baby is not gaining appropriate weight and so forth.
• Diapering: Crazy idea, but I really want to try cloth diapering. I have been looking into this for months now and reviewing the different products to choose from. Hubby is concern about the amount of work needed and the costs of so much washing but we both agree either way that it is certainly cheaper and better for the environment.
• Solid Food Preparation: I was unaware how early you could being introducing soft foods to your baby. I got real excited when I started reading about people who were preparing their own foods rather then purchasing the little bottles. Looking forward to see how that works also. Ultimate goal would be that hubby and I lived somewhere that we could even grow our won fruits and veggies, but until then …

Those are just the major things I have foreseen that we can control. I am sure the ride will still be an expensive one but any way we can cut costs, I am eternally grateful.

What about you, do you have some awesome money saving tips to share? What worked for you?

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