This time of year, I think we are all looking for some ways to save money. Let’s face it, the holiday parties, gift exchanges and general merriment amount to a lot of spending in just a few short weeks. So anything we can do to make our hard-earned cash stretch further is helpful. One easy way I’ve found to save money is by going mostly paperless throughout the house.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do the weekly grocery shopping for an ailing family member. The cost of the paper goods caught me off guard. The paper towels and toilet paper comprised 20% of the total bill. That was $20 out of the $100 order. To me, that’s a tough pill to swallow for something that is just going to be used once and then thrown away.
I’m not proposing that we do away with these items entirely. I’ve tried the family wipes concept for a month and it definitely wasn’t for us. We will stick with toilet paper, thank you very much. (And that’s coming from someone who cloth diapered two children and used reusable baby wipes!) But paper towels, tissues and disinfecting wipes, those are a different story. I can easily replace those with reusable items and never miss the paper products.
Here are some of the items that make this switch to paperless much easier:
Skoy Cloths
I’ve been using Skoy Cloths (Swedish dish cloths) for well over a decade. They are incredible. The best way I can describe them is to say they are the love-child of a sponge and a paper towel—they’re super absorbent like a sponge, but flexible like a paper towel. I use them every single day, buy them as stocking stuffers for Christmas, and even take a pack with me on vacation each year. They are THAT versatile. And they are super easy to disinfect, just rinse them out and pop them in the microwave for a minute. It steam cleans them. (We also toss these in the washing machine with our load of whites and they come out wrinkly, but clean.)
They come in a 4-pack for about $6.99 on Amazon, and each one is the equivalent of 15 rolls of paper towels. They last for months and months and when they finally do get a bit ratty, you can compost them.
UnPaper Towels
I’ve been using unpaper towels for about 12 years. They are basically soft, thin cotton cloths that are super absorbent and can be used to clean up spills on counters or floors, splatters on walls, wipe grubby hands and wash little faces. We even use them as cloth napkins sometimes. I keep a basket of them on my kitchen counter and the kids know to grab one when they’ve made a mess. We just toss them in the hamper after each use and wash them with our load of whites. I keep about 40 of these around so that I always have some to use.
I bought my first batch of them on Etsy years ago—unfortunately, the shop where I bought them is no longer in business. So, when I went to replace them this past spring (after a decade they were starting to get some holes), I found some on Amazon that I love. They are a little thicker than my originals, but I think they will last even longer as a result.
There is definitely an initial investment with these. They run about $35 for 20. However, if you are already paying about $10 a month for paper towels, these will take less than 7 months to pay for themselves and then last you years and years.
Disinfecting Wipes
I have a disinfecting wipe addiction. Until I figured out how to make my own reusable disinfecting wipes, I am ashamed to admit that I had been spending about $25-30/month on disinfecting wipes. I realize that is a bit excessive. As I said, it was an addiction. But then I figured out how to make my own reusable disinfecting wipes and all of that changed.
Now, I only buy the disposable disinfecting wipes every once in awhile as a gift to my children’s teachers. (Nothing says “thank-you-for-being-a-great-teacher” or “sorry-I-sent-my-kid-to-school-for-an-entire-week-before-realizing-her-cold-was-actually-Mono” like a pack of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes and CleanWell Foaming Botanical Hand Sanitizer!)
To learn how to save yourself some money by making your own reusable disinfecting wipes, check out my post on DIY Reusable Disinfecting Wipes.
E-Cloths
Last year I discovered E-Cloths. They are microfiber cloths that disinfect with regular water. And I have fallen madly in love with their Window Cleaning Pack. (Their floor deep clean mop head is pretty darn awesome, too!) I’ll be the first to admit that before I discovered these bad boys, my windows and mirrors didn’t get cleaned very often. And when they did, I used A LOT of paper towels. But these are pure unadulterated magic. I truly don’t understand the science behind how they work, I just know that I can clean all my downstairs windows (that is 8 large expanses of glass, both inside and outside) with just this one set of cloths. Then, I need to rinse it out or wash it and let it dry. Afterwards, I can do all my upstairs windows, inside and out. I’ve also used this to clean all my car windows inside and out. As I said, it’s pure magic. Last year, I bought a set of these for each family member for Christmas. And I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews!
Cloth Napkins
The possibilities here are endless. They’ve become much more mainstream over the past 15 years. It used to be that if I wanted nice colorful cotton napkins I had to buy them hand-made on Etsy or from a craft fair. (I like to have colorful napkins so the kids can each pick their favorite color and we don’t get confused as to whose is whose during meals. No one wants to use a napkin someone else has wiped mac & cheese on, and this cuts down on the dinner drama.) Now, I can go to Target or Amazon and find them easily. I bought this colorful 12-pack from Amazon five years ago when I first started hosting Thanksgiving dinner each year, and despite daily use, they are still colorful, vibrant and stain-free. Not bad for $20.99.
Handkerchiefs
When I was a kid, I thought it was so strange that my Grandmom always carried a handkerchief in her pocket, sleeve, or purse. As an adult, I think that she was brilliant and ahead of her time. Both my daughters have seasonal allergies and if we didn’t use handkerchiefs, I would likely go broke from the sheer number of tissue boxes I would go through in the Spring and Fall.
That said, I don’t really use traditional handkerchiefs. I keep a few nice ones in my purse and some to send to school, but for daily use at home, I just take our old cotton t-shirts and use pinking sheers to cut them into 10″x10″ squares. I only use the t-shirts that are past saving—if everyone has outgrown them but they still have some life left in them, I donate them to Goodwill. But if they have holes, stains, or are just too damaged to pass along, then they get a whole new life as handkerchiefs. The beauty of this process is that by the time the t-shirts are that worn out, they are usually super soft for little noses and they don’t cost me anything other than 5 minutes of time with the scissors.
However, if you do want some nice handkerchiefs for use in public, they are readily available online. In fact, I just ordered a 12-pack from Amazon for $10.99 to use as a stocking stuffer for my hubby. I can’t wait for them to arrive, I may even steal one to put in my purse. Shhh…I won’t tell if you don’t!
In Conclusion…
Going paperless has really helped my grocery bill. I buy the occasional roll of paper towels or package of disinfecting wipes, but it’s rare. I do still keep a solitary roll of paper towels under the sink to clean up cat vomit. For some reason cleaning up hairballs with a reusable wipe is a hard pass for me. But for everything else, I’m just as happy with the reusable items and my bank account is much happier!
And keep in mind, most of these items make GREAT stocking stuffers! You’ll be helping your loved ones save money AND the earth! To quote my favorite movie: “Clark, that’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.”