Disposables to Cloth transition

Umm... So... Recently I've been seriously thinking of moving out of my mother's house and trying to survive independently. Which would also mean financial problems, one of which (and a pretty big one) are my incontinence supplies, since for now mom fully provides me with these...
And I kind of thought I should cut the cost of my "problem", so I'm seriously considering switching to cloth diapers. I've used them before, but only for a short while and at night, the pocket-style ones. Now, though, I'm thinking of always using cloth diapers when at home or even going in them 24/7. And I'm not sure, I'm afraid I may be missing some vital points, since cloth diapers are so very different from disposables.
Can anyone give any advice? Anything, really — differences between the two (in terms of everyday wearing), tips for using cloth, changing, tips for washing?..

I think the best option is to use pre-folds and plastic pants, perhaps the PUL plastic pants. They are expensive to purchase and you might need quite a few since you are incontinent, necessitating maybe several diaper changes with a 24 hour period. I wash my cloth diapers in the washing machine and I can even wash the PUL plastic pants on a lighter setting in the washer. You can never put plastic pants in a dryer. I air dry mine on a plastic hanger, but they dry fairly quickly. The thicker the cloth diapers, they longer they take to dry in the dryer, and there is some electricity expense with that.

The all in one and pocket diapers tend to have their outer shell degrade much faster than the cloth part does. As mentioned, you may want to consider prefold cloth with a seperat diaper cover. I too use PUL as they tend to last a long time and are more comfortable to wear.

You will also want a dedicated diaper pail. Fill it with a gallon or two of water and add a cup of vingar. This will allow you to temporarily store your cloth diapers for 2-3 days without getting too much of a bad ammonia smell. Long enough at least till you have enough for a load of laundry. And yes, you will be doing laundry a bare minimum of twice a week. I also recommend using dreft detergent, which is formulated for cleaning cloth diapers best.

Take note that new cloth diapers shrink on the order of 20% of their size during the first few washings, so buy big.
There are cloth liners available also to thicken the front and crotch. They are ten layers thick and do very well, but also are harder to dry. With these, you can use 4-layer flat cloth which is easier to fold to fit than are the prefolds.

I use both cloth and disposables. I use the disposable for my daytime wear. They're more convienent than cloth when out and about.
I wear a 4-10-4 prefold with a 10 ply booster for overnight. I use PUL panties with my prefolds which last me about 3 years. I rinse
them out in the shower when I take my morning shower. I hang them on a hangar and let them dry. My prefolds I hand wash everyday
as I don't have access to a washer. I rinse mine right after I take them off. I then let them soak in hot water with Arm&Hammer with Oxi
Clean about 3 hours. I then rinse them good in the shower and hang them to dry. I'm still using the same diapers from Changing Times Diaper
Co going past 6 years now. I have 8 of those.

Cloth diapers are a great option for saving money. I estimated that mine paid for themselves after 4 months while wearing them each once a week. I use prefolds from adultclothdiaper.com and baby-pants.com. Having your own washer and dryer is pretty much a requirement otherwise using a laundry mat is more expensive and more of a chore than it already is. Also having space where you can dry them outside in the sun is really great. Drying them in the sun not only reduce the amount they need to be run in the dryer but it helps remove stains.

I'm sure you may have thought of this already but definitely stock up before you move if you decide to.

Before moving out of my foster parents house I should have definitely saved up more money or bought things I would have needed before I left behind vary cheap living expenses.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the valuable advice, everyone! There were things I haven't even thought about among what you all said, so, really, thank you.

Anything else anyone else can add is still appreciated! =)

Prefolds are my favorite kind of cloth diaper, but then I’m not incontinent and don’t have to wear diapers when I’m out and about. I generally keep my prefolds at home. They are bulky, and even when sized properly, have a tendency to make one waddle. For daytime wear away from home, I’d probably go for pocket diapers stuffed with purpose-made inserts or pad-folded flat cloth diapers. That would provide a trim, discreet fit similar to a disposable diaper, and when the cover/pocket portion wore out, that would be the only portion needing replacement. Definitely avoid AIOs.

I too wear 24/7. The way I manage my costs is by using baby diapers. I use pullups as my main diaper. Inside the pullup I use a baby diaper as a booster. Whenever it's wet I pull down the pullup and change the inner diaper. The outer diaper helps to prevent leaks from the inner diaper. By using this method I've saved a lot of money. It's also more discreet than wearing cloth diapers.

You can use baby diapers as boosters with your main diapers to make them last longer. It should help reduce the cost a little bit.