If I'm honest, cloth-bumming wasn't an overnight revelation for us and it took us a good few months to build up our stash (which is still very small compared to some I've seen) and the same amount of time to have my little girl in these majority of the time. The picture below is about 80% of our stash (I have some more on the way - it's so addictive!)
Buy nappies preloved
A lot of my nappies have come from preloved sites including pages on facebook, and they are brilliant. This a perfect solution for if you're wanting to try as specific brand, as more often than not someone has one or two lying around which they don't use. Some of my Miosolos (bottom shelf) cost as little as £3-4 before postage which is a fraction of the cost to buy brand new which is normally around £15 depending on the site/shop.
Have a good look online for cheaper prices
Keep an eye out for offers as well. All of my new nappies have been bought on offer, as I just can't afford to pay the full price. For those in the UK, Tesco stock white Miosolos for £7 each on their website which is fab if you aren't too bothered by the print. My Totsbots were bought in an event on the makers page before Christmas, costing £8.50 each instead of the usual £16 (depending on site). I have also noticed many sites also have offers on depending on the time of year (black Friday, Christmas etc) which can usually get you a few ££'s off.
Some real nappy sites that I've seen also have their own 'preloved' sale pages where they sell off ex-display or also old prints that are no longer stocked.
Sign up to real nappy websites
Many websites give you a discount code for signing up to their website which can be anything up to 15%
Check your local supermarkets and baby shops
It seems cloth bumming is becoming more and more popular so it's also worth looking at baby events in your local supermarkets, as a lot are starting to stock real nappies lately. For example my local Morrison's in the town centre and the Waitrose in the next town all stock Miosolos. I haven't ever seen these for much less than retail price apart from one store, but it does save your postage costs from buying online.
Check with your local council for incentives
Many local councils in the UK run incentive schemes or money back schemes, which allow you to claim back some of the money from purchasing your nappies. These depend on your local council but it's definitely worth looking into. My local council give packs of two nappies or a £25 voucher if you spend £50 (including preloved nappies)
For those in the UK and looking into cloth nappies, there's LOTS of information, along with a list of local cloth nappy libraries where you can borrow and try different nappies to find what works for you on this website: http://www.goreal.org.uk/uk-cloth-nappy-library-network
