Choose Reusables to save money and decrease environmental impact - Top 3 Cost Savings Hacks

Like everyone at the moment, the team at DBHQ are looking to save money but it is important to us that we do this without compromising on our environmental values. We recently put our heads together as a team to discuss some of our own cost saving strategies and wanted to share them with you. 

1. Hack your daily parenting costs 

One cost that you may not think about when you first have your baby is the cost of being at home each day. Increased heating/cooling and general household electricity costs often come as a surprise to families. The added costs of expanding your family such as Nappies, Baby Wipes, and Sanitary items in your groceries can add significantly to your weekly costs.

 

Power saving

One of the easiest power saving switches that you can make is moving from using a dryer to air drying. Having enough of each item to last you through your washing and drying cycle can reduce your costs in the long run as well as reducing wear and tear on your items as use is spread over more of them. Setting your heating and cooling at an economical level and avoiding turning it on and off multiple times per day can also save on power. Leaving it on means that the system doesn't have to use huge amounts of energy to bring the room to the desired temperature. 

Adding an extra layer in winter and selecting breathable fibers for summer are economical and environmentally friendly ways of reducing our heating and cooling needs. Our Cosy Campers are a great option for chilly weather and drafty houses. Our organic cotton Blankets are the perfect bedding for adding warmth in winter and make a great covering in summer when heavy bedding is the last thing on your mind. Choosing organic cotton Swaddles for your little one will allow them to regulate their own temperature more effectively. 

Choose Reusable Products 

A choice that many of our customers make is to use Reusable Nappies and Reusable Wipes to lower their shopping bill by $40 on average each week. 1 Reusable Nappy each day = 1 less disposable you have to buy and 1 less disposable in your rubbish bin and landfill. The number of Reusable Nappies that you choose to use each day is completely up to you. Some families choose to use Reusable Nappies full-time from birth, some choose to use them during the day only, some choose overnight only to reduce leaks. There is no one size fits all approach and it is not all or nothing. Making the switch to reusable cloth nappies will save you a huge amount of money, and a huge amount of disposable nappies from heading to landfill. Check out our Nappy Calculators to see just how much you could be saving with each child. 

One of the things we do hear from families hesitant to try Reusable Nappies are that they are worried about smells and washing. If this is you then we want to assure you that you shouldn’t have smells, you will be dealing with the poo at the nappy change anyway, and the washing is all done in your washing machine.  You may want to do some further reading and our blog, “A Beginners Guide to Reusable Nappies” is a great place to start. 

The benefits of Cloth Nappies should also be mentioned and it is not just cost savings and environmental. Your little one’s skin will also benefit from it. Our Cloth Nappies have a breathable shell and feature bamboo inserts so they are gentle on your little ones skin, can hold a lot of wee, and also reduce chances of developing nappy rash

2. Plan ahead for the holidays

Set a budget for the holidays so that you have a clear idea of what your expenses will be and can plan accordingly. Some costs can be paid for in advance and others can have money set aside. Planning out in advance can ensure you weigh up each activity and can decide what will fit your budget.

For those who are traveling you might want to think about up-cycling your Travel Wet Bags and Regular Wet Bags into Packing Pods. Using Wet Bags for packing can reduce use of plastic bags and take your organization to another level. The Wet Bags can be used on the holiday as makeshift shopping bags, beach bags, or dirty laundry bags. 

 

Two of our favorite product picks for holidays are our Recycled REPREVE Kids Swimwear and our Large Family Picnic Mats. Our Swimwear is the perfect addition to your holiday as they feature long sleeves and have a UPF50+ rating. Coming in sizes 6 months to 8 years there is something for everyone.

3. Items you can upcycle or that have multiple uses so that they grow with your child

We always plan out our products with future uses in mind. Our Nursing Pads can be upcycled into makeup wipes, ice packs, pads for your first aid kit and more. We love seeing Totes and Wet Bags turned into book bags, swim bags, and lunch bags. Our Swaddles make the perfect wrapping for gifts, and our XL Wet Bags have spent many a Christmas as a makeshift Christmas Stocking. Play Mats will get years of life as a picnic mat or beach mat. And our Blanket range are heirloom pieces that can be kept and used for lifetime.