Why I stopped buying paper towels

A Revelation

   Eight dollars and fifty cents... the price glared at me as I thought of my measly budget. I was newly married and my husband and I temporarily lived off my $1200 monthly part-time income so he could go finish school to make a better life for us. Suddenly eight-fifty seemed like so much to pay for almost anything, let alone paper towels, which were something we overused in our house, ultimately be thrown away. I stood there as my mind began to wander... why do I need these anyway? How much do I spend every year on them? How would I wipe up anything without paper towels? Then a realization hit me... my mom never used to buy them... I actually grew up without these things! Its amazing how much advertising can effect me. So that was it, the start of my household revolution.  I felt that I had outsmarted the sales pitch of paper towels, the modern-day staple, and decided never to buy them again.

  That was five years ago. I've saved around $180 more or less since then and I still don't miss them. So here is what I do instead, at walmart I buy 15 terry washcloths for $4 as well as 5 flour cloth napkins for $4.50 its a paper towel solution that lasts years opposed to months. 

Figuring out a system

At first I had wet, dirty washcloths lying around which really bothered me, and if I threw them in the hamper wet, then mold would grow and become smelly. So every morning I get out one washcloth to use it for wiping up anything and everything dirty and another for light use. After each use I rinse & squeeze then hang it up. Leaving it to dry over night is the key to no moldy laundry, and in the morning I toss the used dry rag in the hamper and get a fresh one. SO EASY!

Napkins

 Another thing we used paper towels for was napkins. I hated using cloth napkins because I was so used to the rough absorbing texture of paper towels on my skin and most of the cloth napkins I used (polyester) felt as though I was rubbing the oil around my face instead wiping it off. The flour cloth napkins I purchased feel so great to wipe my mouth with. They are white though, so maybe not the best for company, since they can stain easily. Any 100% cotton napkins feel great, but the knit of the flour cloth has my personal preference.

Flour cloth is great for glass!
  The last thing I used paper towels for all the time was wiping my windows and mirrors clean. I found that flour cloth napkins work great for this, and they don't leave those awful little particles that paper towels leave behind.

There you have it! An easy way to have a life free of frequent paper towel purchases.