Economical Alternatives to Throwaways

At one time my family used a lot of paper plates and towels.  Talk about literally throwing away money! Paper towels were being used to wipe counters and paper plates routinely replaced real dishes and dish washing.  If you are serious about saving money, paying down debt, or just being more responsible about what you send to the landfill, there comes a time when you need to wash some dishes and do a little extra laundry.

This household economy didn’t grow out of environmental self-righteousness or plain old cheapness. It grew out of just not having money! I had to pick between food and stuff.  

Here are some of the easy and simple things I did that saved our family money in the area of disposables:

·         Switched from disposable to real dishes and silverware

·         Switched from paper towels to rags and newspaper (for cleaning glass and mirrors)

·         Switched from paper to cloth napkins

You may be thinking that this is all a “no brainer,” and maybe it is to most of you, but not everyone knows the difference between what is a need and what is a want anymore. We have become such a throwaway society from the cradle that a lot of us don’t know there is another way.

Do I ever use paper towels? Yes, for draining fried food (I still don’t feel good about using newspaper for that!) but not for cleaning the counter or floor! Do I ever use paper plates and plastic silverware? Yes, but only when I get the stuff free or at a garage sale (and my sisters insist that we not wash any dishes that day).

 I hope this has helped you save some money that could be put to better use. Begonia

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