Tip of the Day

I think that tips are nice things to have and occasionally might be useful to others. That is why I'm going to start posting a "Tip of the Day." If you have tips, please e-mail them to cindispenny@gmail.com and maybe you might see it as a tip! :)

Tip #1: Get rid of those throw away paper products.

How much money do you spend on kleenexs, paper towels, paper napkins, and paper plates? For just my husband and I, we could easily spend $150-200 a year on these products. Now imagine if you had a family of 4 (and if you have any kids, you know you run thru those things like crazy!). It's so easy (and surprisingly inexpensive) to invest in some cloth napkins, hankies, cloth rags, and a plastic (and dishwasher safe) dish set for picnics and parties.

My story: I have found several sets of cloth napkins for $0.50 a piece at garage sales and thrift stores, I received some old rags from my mother-in-law, I bought a package of 9 hankies at the store for $6 (40% off), and I found some plastic dishes at a thrift store for $5. So, for about $30 I have basically eliminated our need for one time use paper products.

Go Green: Did I mention that it also keeps that stuff out of the land fills?

Problems: One thing that we have found with replacing these items is that we occasionally need them for out of the ordinary things. I like to use paper towels to clean up things in the kitchen that have raw egg or meat in them. I always keep a roll handy, but hardly use it. It takes me a year to go thru one roll!
When you are sick, the last thing you want to blow your nose with is a rough hankie. So, we keep one box of nice and soft kleenex's for such an occasion.