Here's the true story of how one woman on a budget who was completely new to cloth pads used a sampler set to determine what she needed.

She ordered the standard variety set made with all cotton and hemp materials. This set helped her determine that she liked the secure feeling of a fluffier pad, flannel was her preferred topping, and she liked the pieces that covered more area.

Considering that she would be able to do laundry mid-cycle, she figured out that 2 night time boosters, 3 long contoured boosters, 10 standard absorbent boosters and 10 Liners would be enough to get her through each menstrual period. She sent me the printed flannel to be used for the tops of all her pads, along with some other cotton fabrics and knitted dishcloths for barter.

I imagine that she will use the pads something like this:

long contoured boosters, standard absorbent boosters and liners for her heaviest day, and a night time booster instead of a long contoured booster at night.



Mostly liners and standard absorbent boosters as her flow eases up on the second and third days. By the third day, she will have washed the pads from the first two days and she will be reusing the liners and standard absorbent boosters. (A good trick is to save up a load of towels to wash and throw your pads in with them.)



As her flow continues to lighten up for the remaining day or two, she will use the liners alone.

Her total costs were: $15 for the sampler set; and then 6 dishcloths that she knitted for me, 2 lbs of cotton fabric that she couldn't use herself, and $30 for the remainder.