I told you that Tuesday I would feature money saving products. What is a big part of most household budgets?
Paper Products!
Well, I haven’t come up with what I consider a reasonable solution to quit buying toilet paper, but I have come up with an idea that will say you money on paper towels and napkins.
I love cloth napkins!
They are easy to wash with your towels and other linens, and you save on buying expensive paper products. Let’s face it, it is very rare that we get paper towels for free anymore. If you eat at home a lot, this is a way that can really help you save over time.
Here are some things I found:
1 Dozen Polyester Napkins on Amazon
Tutorial to Make Your Own Cloth Napkins
Tons of Cute Cloth Napkins on Etsy
I am a cloth napkin convert. I know some of you are too.
Well, what if you want to go a little farther on saving on paper products? (I have to admit that I have NOT tried any of these.)
You might want to consider cloth diapers, cloth sanitary napkins, and if you want to be more EXTREME cloth toilet paper. 
What do you do to save money on paper products?
I disclose: There may be affiliate links in this post.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
The cloth sanitary naplins isnt very sanitary. And dont get me started on the smell after 3 days. Eeewww. I know folks used rags or whatever back in the day to wipe. But NOW??? Gross! Maybe cut the paper towels into stripes or 4zzzzs.
I love my cloth napkins. Like the ones you eat with. I sure haven’t tried any of the others and don’t intend to, but to each her own, I say.
I bought a pack of small microfiber towels at bed bath and beyond that look like paper towels–$5 for 30. I bought three packages and put them in a dollar store basket nexr to the sink. Hubby uses one and puts it in a bucket under the sink. Because they are microfiber they have to be washed separately from other towels(or they’ll collect lint) in warm water with liquid soap and no fabric softener or dryer sheet. Isn’t a problem for me because I use a microfiber towels for my kitchen towels ($12 for 24 at Sam’s). I still keep a roll of paper towels for nasty spills/cleanup. However for just drying hands they’re great. But my question is–does the cost of washing/drying cost more than the paper towels?
If you are doing separate loads, then it might cost the same or more. I just throw my napkins in with my linens, and they don’t take up much space!
We love our cloth napkins. We always used wet baby washcloths for our kids’ hands and faces (and still do… they are 4 and 5.5) and one day, I thought why don’t the Hubby and I use cloth napkins for oursleves?
So a few years back, we made the switch to cloth napkins and have used them ever since. And, just as you said, they can be washed with other things, and don’t take up much space at all. We bought ours on clearance at Kohl’s pretty cheap and they’ve held up perfectly for many, many uses over the past few years and I imagine they will hold up for many years to come! Money well spent!
Oh, and for cleaning, we mostly use cleaning rags instead of paper towels. These cost us nothing, because they are just old bath towels, hand towels and washcloths that have worn out. Those, we wash seperately in their own load since they are yucky. But still, it’s one load every two weeks or so, which isn’t bad at all.
Thanks for sharing! I have some of hubby’s old t-shirts I use!
I recently got a sewing machine, so I tested out making my own cloth napkins. It sure beats paying full price for them at a store! I chose colors that are fun and different. All the while, we are saving a few tress and I’m expanding my sewing skills. We converted to cloth napkins a few months ago & really like it. I feel like dinners are more “special” because of the cloth napkins.
We wash our napkins with the other kitchen towels. I’m planning to make even more soon!