Everyone please take out a blank piece of paper and pencil. Okay, you don't actually need a paper or pencil for this pop quiz, but I'd like you to look at the picture above and tell me what you think it is a price tag for. (I'm sure many of you have recognized it is a product sold in Target.)
It's $14.99, so I guess that means it could be a number of things. Maybe a DVD on sale? A children's board game? A cookbook? Even a cheap pair of summer sandals could be had in Target for $14.99. Have you made your prediction? Well, hold on to your drawers because THIS, my dear friends, is a tag for PAPER TOWELS. BOUNTY paper towels, to be specific.
Does the answer seem as alarming and ridiculous to you as it does to me? It's CRAZY! I mean, you use them and throw them away (which also applies to my disgust at the cost of garbage bags, but that's another battle for another day). And did you notice they were on SALE? The regular price was $17.99! And if your family is anything like my family (and for your sake, I hope they're not) they use the Quicker-Picker-Upper faster than you can say Quicker-Picker-Upper. It's ridiculous. And the insanity is going to stop right here and right now.
Although I do drive a car and don't buy all organic, I have become much more mindful of what we are doing to our one and only Mother Earth. I've got four little freeloaders, I mean children, that are going to inherit these landfills, so I feel like I could do a little more to keep the planet healthy. Not to mention the savings I'm hoping to see by just consuming less.
So without further ado...Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you (drumroll) the cloth napkin.
When you get back up off of the floor and stop laughing, I'll tell you that I realize most people will think I'm completely delusional to bring back the cloth napkin. (I'll share that I did try to bring the "sexy back" awhile ago. I'm hoping my venture to bring the "cloth back" is much more successful and a bit less embarrassing.) I know that kids and cloth napkins don't necessarily seem like a good match, but I am really hoping to instill a little bit of environmental consciousness in them and maybe, just maybe, teach the little savages about some of the finer things in life.
As you can see, I've also invested in some new color-coded washcloths for kitchen clean-ups. Don't get me wrong, I am not banishing paper towels all together from the home. I do draw the line at cleaning up dog and/or people vomit with cloth....I'm just not willing to go there. But I do think we can cut back dramatically on our paper waste. And with as much laundry as I do, I don't think I'm going to see a big difference. These items are small and I can toss them right in with the towels.
So there you have my first installment in my quest for "LESS". I'd love to hear your environmentally friendly ideas as well!
Oh...and lest you wonder, I will say that, yes, I'm still buying toilet paper.
2 comments:
You go, Steph. I feel the same way about paper towels. The nerve! I started using cotton dishcloths and cotton towels about a year ago, and I love it. I refuse to pay those prices. Especially when my kids typically use several at a time, when they only need one. Grrr... don't get me started.
You're right that it's easy to pop the cloth ones in with the other laundry. My only advice - have lots of them. You don't want to have to wait until wash day to wipe the counter.
Steph, I knew it had to be for something like paper towels or Tide (both which are outrageously priced). I too have the same red and white kitchen towels. I love me some target!!!
And no you aren't crazy for using cloth napkins, my Grandmother did all the time, even with 6 grand kids, we even had the fancy napkin rings...which I expect that to be your next crafty project ;)
I am also trying to find ways to reduce our use, even though it's only two of us...I won't buy little bottles of drinks (whether soda or water) one it's wasteful, and two I can pay $1.49 for a two liter or gallon of water...much easier to recycle!
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