So you probably know that I don’t have any children yet and that I’m also not pregnant. But I have amassed a decent fluff stash (cloth diapers) and I keep adding to it. Why is that? Because cloth diapers can be expensive. And having a baby is even more expensive. It seemed like a good idea to me to start buying things that I know I will need NOW, to spread out the cost. A baby is a lot less expensive if you have longer to pay for the things you need. I kind of consider it buying on credit. Buy it now, get the baby later.

That doesn’t mean that I haven’t gotten some killer deals, because I totally have. I bought a Moby wrap at a store closing and only paid $25 for it. I buy generic baby legs on Ebay, or wait until they have a really good sale and stock up. (I have like 20 pairs of baby legs because of sales.) I got a Seven Sling because they keep having coupon codes for free ones. (Seriously, use the code ‘breastfeeding’ and get a free sling from Seven or a free nursing cover from Udder Covers.) Diapers are no exception. So I thought I would share some of the deals I’ve scored as well as photos of my current stash, and how to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to cloth diapering.

First up, the Itti Bitti Tutto pile. You might notice I have several. Seven, in fact. Five were purchased from Kissed by the Moon during a buy 4 get one free sale. Bitti Tutto’s are $26.95, which is WAY more than I would normally pay for a diaper. But when you add in the free diaper, you’re only really paying $21.56 each, which is a bit more reasonable. So, my first tip- Stalk the sales. Subscribe to your favorite cloth stores’ newsletter. The other two Bitti Tutto’s were purchased off of BabySteals for around $16 each. BabySteals is a daily flash sale site. Usually around 9am, they post an awesome deal on something baby related. The only down side to that is that they have a huge customer base and things sell out really quickly sometimes. Tip two- Subscribe to flash sale sites. Baby Steals, Baby Half Off, FairyTaleDeals, etc.

The Rumparooz was purchase full price, because they rarely go on sale. Part of the reason I only have one, lol. The GroVia was purchased from EcoMom with a discounted gift voucher that I got from MamaSource. MamaSource is kind of like Groupon for mom deals. I was able to purchase a $40 gift voucher for less than $20 on MamaSource. I put it toward a few fluffy related items, including that GroVia. Check the discount sites, like MamaSource. There are also the ‘member only’ deal sites like EcoBabyBuys, Zulilly, and Totsy.

Then there are the generic diapers. The very top diaper is a GoGreen pocket Champ. It’s on the mid-range of the price scale, coming in at $15.95, and I paid full price, which again is why I only have one. That and I found diapers that are exactly the same for less. Which brings me to Alva Baby diapers. Alva Baby is a Chinese company that sells directly from the factory to the consumer. Their diapers range in price from as low as $4 to around $9. They aren’t the greatest quality, but they are perfectly fine to use. Especially if you’re on a budget! You can often find Alva co-op groups and get an even better deal. Buy in co-ops to save even more! They have lots of different colors and prints, and come in several styles. Buy generic. Alva, Sunbaby, Kawaii, etc. Join co-op groups on Facebook. Alva Baby Color Snap diapers are EXACTLY the same as GoGreen Champs, with the exception of the actual color of the snaps. (Champs have a rainbow of snaps at the waist, the Alva’s have groups of different colors.) Also very similar are Lovely Pocket Diaper Raves and Bumfetti. ($12 and $12.50, respectively) LPD also has a very inexpensive option, their original line which is $7-7.50, depending on if you get solid colors or prints.

The BumGenius were purchased in a store sale. One for some holiday last year, and one for Earth Day this year. I paid under $14 each. Happy Heiny’s were purchased full price. (And I love them, they might be the only diaper I’d regularly buy full price. haha.) The Fuzzi Bunz was purchased from a flash sale. Hiding underneath it is a Charlie Banana, which I won in a giveaway. Yes, seriously. I NEVER WIN ANYTHING, but I won a giveaway on the CB Facebook, of all places. (That swim diaper at the bottom is also a CB, won in the same giveaway.) Enter giveaways, even if you don’t think you’ll win. You might be surprised! The brown Oh Katy diaper was purchased used from a cloth diaper swap group. It’s in perfect condition with no staining, and was a killer deal. I think I paid $11 with shipping for that one. Buy used! Save a ton of money and help out some other mamas. The other two OhKaty’s were purchased in a normal store sale.

Fitteds are a type of diaper that are really difficult to find on sale. Most of the better ones are WAHM brands, and while you might find the occasional discount, it’s rare. You can combat this by purchasing used fitteds through diaper swaps. This is how I purchased the GoodMamas I have. GM’s are regularly $35. I didn’t pay more than $15 for the two I have. The white one is in perfect condition, and the flower-y one is in play condition, but that’s not a bother to me. You can also hunt for inexpensive WAHM made diapers. BC Fleecy diapers are extremely well priced at $16 each. The downside is that she only stocks about once a week, 5-6 diapers per stocking. She occasionally has custom slots available as well. Do your research and find well made diapers that are regularly priced cheap. The last fitted is a random WAHM brand with no tag, I bought it used.

I have 35 cloth diapers, which is a fairly complete stash. I’m not anywhere near done, though. One of the ways I’m helping my future self is by purchasing a large stash now. When it comes time to use the diapers, I’ll not only have a lot of options, but I’ll have a good rotation going. The bigger your rotation, the less each diaper is used, which means each diaper can be used longer. I’m doing this so that I’ll be able to use these diapers for all my children, and never have to purchase a bulk of diapers for any one child in an ‘emergency’ situation. I’m about to purchase 15 newborn diapers in a co-op, and spend $75. These diapers look EXACTLY like a Rumparooz Lil’ Joey, but at less than half the cost. This combines two money saving tips- buying generic and buying with a co-op. My goal is to eventually have at least 100 diapers. Crazy, I know. But fluff is addicting. (So is saving money!)

Did you purchase diapers before getting pregnant? How many diapers are in your stash?