Simple Living: No Paper Towels, No Problem

So, I decided to do a little series on simple living and some of the steps our little family is taking toward making a change for the better.

As many of you may know and some may not know, we've made the commitment for me to stay home and homeschool Sienna for preschool and kindergarten. We would like to homeschool for longer, but we first have to see if we can find other creative ways to earn money and support our little family. One of the things we are learning to do is be more thrifty with our money. 

It's sad to admit that we were blowing through a package of paper towels from Costco every month. Not only is this very expensive, but also not very good for our mother earth. Last month, we started using dish towels in the kitchen when we would normally use paper towels. We were also using dish towels as our napkins, too. 

But, then I remembered that we do have some cloth napkins that we would use for special occasions. So, I decided to also use our fancy napkin rings. I wouldn't recommend going out and buying these, but we already had them. They were all gifted to us by various family members. (Thank you, Nana and Aunt Mary!) 

Then, I added them to my favorite handmade basket. (Thank you, Grandma & Grandpa!) And now, it's the perfect chore for Sienna. It's her job to make sure everyone has a napkin and she chooses the perfect one for everyone.  

 No paper towels, no problem.

Pretty napkins all in a row.

In the basket, ready for Sienna.

Of course, they do need to be washed, but they can be put in with our weekly bath/dish towel wash.