A Month of Saving Day 3

Well, today's change is probably the simplest of all so far. We have stopped using paper towel for everyday uses. We probably were running through 1+ rolls of paper towel per day here. I NEVER used washcloths for wiping the kids' hands or wiping off the counter. We are going to try to only use paper towel for minor emergencies. Let's face it... I am the mother of a 1 and 2 year old. I am sure I will still be using paper towels at times, however, we are making a conscious effort to not automatically head to the paper towel roll when the kids are finished eating or when we need to wipe off the counter. For math purposes, let's say paper towel averages around $1/roll. If we can decrease our use of paper towel by 75%, we can save around $275/year. I am also toying with the idea of starting to use cloth napkins for dinner. We do not usually utilize napkins on a regular basis, but we often had paper towel at the table with us. We may need to dig out some of the cloth napkins in the near future!

As we are evaluating our spending and the habits we have grown into, we are quickly realizing that the changes we are making really do not change our lifestyle that much. It is simply an intentional adjustment and our everyday lives remain virtually unchanged.