Monday, September 15, 2008

Money Saving Monday

So we are in the throes of the Ditch the Disposables challenge. In most cases I've chosen to go back to the basics, not to save money, but because I think it's the best thing for our family and our environment. The fact that it saves me money is just a bonus. Since getting rid of disposables will save money I've decided to post about it on Mondays.

Paper napkins to cloth napkins
I talked about our switch (as a way to save money) here.

Paper towels to cloth towels
This was mentioned in the same post.

Tissues to handkerchiefs
About a year ago I bought everyone hankies to use to blow/clean their noses. At first everyone was really excited about their new hankies. But the newness of keeping up with them wore off pretty quickly. (Does anyone else have children that can't keep up with anything?) So once they started losing it...that day...they gave up. If you walk into our bathroom right now you can see the floor around the trash can (yes I said around...evidently no one can hit the trash can) littered with toilet paper from cleaning noses. But I have a renewed interest. So I'm going to round up those hankies and have the girls start using them again. I know Ashlea won't. She's not into natural or organic living. But the other girls will. And so will I. Jeff? Probably not.

Paper, plastic or Styrofoam plates to your kitchen plates
We got rid of those a long time ago. Now the only time we use them is when we have a party. I tried to get around it, but really how can you when you have more guests than plates, or if you are going to be eating outside????

How is your challenge going?

7 comments:

Jeff Johnson said...

Hey baby. I am the ultimate when it comes to natural-nose-blowing/snot-maintenance. I don't use any products at all. Instead I sniffle or in emergencies I use my sleeve. It's all because of how much I love mother earth.

Unknown said...

Okay, first of all, thanks for the idea of where to get a COOL new template for my blog! Very scrapbook looking, and fun! And to comment on your post, I do some of these things, but not all. The cloth napkin thing is a good idea, I would just need to find some on sale somewhere for cheap so I can stock up on a whole bunch of them. We use napkins all the time around here. I really don't know how I would ever get rid of paper towels. I do have a basket of cloth rags, but I just need paper towels sometimes you know? Any tips on how I may be able to be less dependant on paper towels in the future?

Michelle said...

Jeff is just kidding! I think.

Marcy, at first it is kind of hard, but then you get in the swing of things. Amazon has a bunch of really nice ones for reasonable...and Walmart puts them on clearance when they get the new seasons in. And you know what, I'm trying my hand at making some.

I use cloth for everything I use to use paper towels for. Even draining grease. You'll see how easy it is if you just jump in and get rid of the paper.

I love her blog stuff. Very much like scrapbook pages!

Unknown said...

ahh Jeff is so gross lol!! i am so surprised ashlea is not into natural living or organic eating thats so strange!! maybe its her way of rebelling??

Anonymous said...

Do pant legs count as napkins? haha As a kid I always wiped my hands on my dad's jeans b/c i knew they were dirty anyway and now sometimes I catch myself doing it to Shanw and he looks at me like-What are you doing??! As far as ditching paper towels-no prob. We always just use kitchen towels for mouth and hand wiping and when it comes to cleaning I am in LOVE with microfiber cleaning cloths. $2 each at kmart and I use the tar of them. They rock. And Ashlea will come around one of these days. She's 17. You remember what it's like being 17..anything to NOT be like your parents!!!

Jenni said...

I make washable tissues out of old teeshirts--I just cut them up (no need to hem, they don't fray) and i keep them in a little wicker basket on the back of the toilet. Need to blow? go grab one, and then go ahead and drop it right in the laundry basket. If one gets ikky--from a bloody nose for example--then I don't mind throwing it away. But there's no need to remember to hang on to the handkerchief all day, no chance of getting last-blow's snot all over yourself on this blow...nope! Just washable kleenex!

Michelle said...

Adeline, pants count...LOL. Thanks for reading my blog. I'm so glad you posted!!!!

I love those microfiber towels. I even use them in diapers sometimes. We use them for everything.

No kidding about Ashlea.