Organically Inclined

Lose your paper towels! No, really. Stop buying them - you don’t need them. With five kids, I used to use paper towels like they were going out of style. I couldn’t imagine not having a big roll of Bounty in the corner. And then my husband went to an overstock store and got two dozen terry cloth towels for $5. He hated the way the kids and I “went through” paper towels and he was even more disgusted with how much they cost per roll. After a week of using only the towels, I was hooked. Not only did they work better, nine times out of ten, I could simply rinse it out in the sink and reuse it. In fact, I liked our new system so much that I went back to that store and bought two dozen more rags to use as baby wipes. Rinsed in warm water, Jack has never had a rash - compared to the small ones he had when I used commercial baby wipes.

It does take a little time to get used to, but soon it becomes second nature - I never even think to look for a paper towel anymore. If you can’t find a good deal on towels (although I’m sure you can), you can use the cheaper end washcloths for sale at most stores, a bag of rags commonly sold at car parts stores, or old t-shirts cut into appropriate sizes (the sleeves are particularly good for this).