Which Saves More? Answers to Tough Questions (2)

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

04 Dec 2007 09:44 AM

We are answering those tough frugal questions that stump many of us in our quest to save the most that we can and be good stewards of our resources. In part one of this series, we covered whether leaving lights on when you are going back in the room saves money, and whether a shower or a bath saves the most. You might be surprised by the correct answers to these questions.

Now, we'll cover a few more of the tough questions that may have you shaking your head or arguing with your family and friends. For example, with the price of heating water these days, are disposable diapers a better bet than cloth? And does a slow cooker save money when compared to an oven? These are just a few of the questions to ponder. Do you think you know the right answers?

Diapers

In general, cloth diapers will save you a lot of money compared to disposable diapers, even if you wash and dry them by machine. There is the initial cost of the diapers, which you can divide out over the use of more than one child to recognize a large savings. A disposable diaper, on average, will cost you somewhere around 30 cents each. You can wash and dry an entire load of cloth diapers for about twice that amount. And, if you line dry those diapers, the cost goes down. You can also recoup some of your investment by selling the diapers on Ebay or Craigslist when you are done.

Slow cooking

Does a slow cooker save you money? Well, this is a little tricker to tell. It all depends on the efficiency of your appliances. A slow cooker does use less energy than an oven to cook, but for a meal, the energy savings may all be a wash. Last year I would have said that it definitely does, but now I am not sure. This is because modern ranges are becoming more and more energy efficient. And, there is one other reason that a slow cooker may not save you money in terms of energy usage. That is because a slow cooker is always on. It stays on until someone shuts it off or the timer shuts it off. An oven, on the other hand, cycles on and off, so it actually uses less energy to cook the same dish, as long as you don't keep opening the oven door. A slow cooker can save you money in other ways, such as by making dinner cooking easier, thereby avoiding impulse take out.

Any more questions to answer? Sure there are! What are your questions?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Which Saves More? Answers to Tough Questions (1)

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Turn Off Your Oven! Frugal Ways to Cook and Bake

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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indianabc (15) 05 Dec 2007 07:39 AM

Is buying 2 liters a cost saving? I must confess that the item I am not frugal on is my diet Coke. My wife always makes me buy the 2 liters over the case of cans because it is cheaper. Well I have since done the math and if I watch the sales - I can get my way! My last visit to the store 2 liters were 1.50. A case of cans was on sale for 4.99. After A LOT OF MATH - I figure the 2 liter was .02 an ounce and the case was .017 an ounce! WOO-HOO, I bought several cases!!!! Now if I was really frugal and sold the cans I could even reduce that per ounce price even further!

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 06 Dec 2007 11:47 AM

You've got the secret--always calculate the unit cost! I wrote an earlier blog about how buying bigger isn't always better. Here is the link: http://frugal.families.com/blog/is-buying-in-bulk-bad-for-your-budget

And, have you tried generic diet cola? I couldn't tell you if there is a taste difference or not.

georgiamamaof4 (30) 10 Jan 2008 07:31 AM

Unfortunately Ebay won't let you sell used cloth diapers anymore. It is very disappointing. There are smaller boards you can sell them on, but you usually don't make back nearly the investment that used to be able to.

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 11 Jan 2008 05:21 AM

Oh, I had no idea that they changed their policy about used diapers. Hmm. Thanks for the information.