Lasting value in a disposable culture

Every tightwad journey eventually stops at the Multitude of Disposables, usually sooner than later. When you start to save money in different areas and control your spending, it will occur to you that spending money on disposables is often like throwing money in the garbage.

Let me put it this way: if a package of 100 napkins costs $2.00, then each time you throw away a napkin, you can imagine throwing 2 cents in the trash. A family of five would throw away 10 cents with each meal. At three meals a day, that’s 30 cents a day. Or $2.10 a week. Or $8.40 a month. Personally, I could think of several better things to buy each month with my $8.40.

I use alternatives to every paper product except toilet paper & flushable toddler wipes. Many would disagree on the necessity of those wipes, and honestly, we could do without them if pressed. But we like them and are willing to pay for them. And that’s OK. You might not like using cloth napkins, or you might be very reluctant to do without paper towels. That’s fine. Doing away with just one disposable product each year would still make a difference in your budget and a huge difference in your trash output within 5 years.

Here are some alternatives to disposable products to get the mental gears turning. Everything you use once and throw away should be considered and examined.

paper napkins - cloth napkins
paper towels - cloth rags or cloth napkins
paper plates & utensils - regular dishes or cloth napkins for plates
baby wipes - rags dampened with water or wipe solution
tissues - handkerchiefs
diapers - cloth diapers
tampons - The Keeper or The Diva Cup
menstrual pads - cloth pads
Ziploc-type bags - glass jars, plastic containers, or wash & reuse bags

I will go over each of these in depth at some other time. For now, keep on the lookout for all of the disposables you use and see which ones you might be able to do without. Many people start with cloth napkins, and our task today will require you to make some cloth napkins to have at hand. However, you might want to start with the item that is currently costing you the most money. For example, if you have an infant in diapers, switching to cloth diapers could potentially save you over a thousand dollars before your child is potty-trained. (Although an entire entry about cloth diapers is forthcoming, I do have links to other sites with great starter information. If you would like more info, please email me at tightwad_trainer@fuse.net or leave your query in the comments section.)

The great thing about tightwaddery is that it often helps the environment at the same time. If you’re still self-conscious about your new frugality, you can claim the more righteous environmental reasons and no one will be the wiser. Personally, I care a great deal about my wallet and the environment for if the world we live in becomes a trash pile in front of us, it won’t matter one darn bit how much money I have in the bank.

Get Moving: Find some scraps of fabric around your house. If you don’t have any fabric lying around, consider pillow cases, outgrown or outdated clothing, old tablecloths, or old cotton curtains. Cut them into squares of about 5 inches x 5 inches each. You can hem them if you would like, as hemmed cloth napkins are cleanly finished and great for company and gifts. But be forewarned, it will take some time and you probably will not be able to make as many napkins.

Pinking shears are most helpful for making everyday napkins. If you have pinking shears, you can use them to cut your napkins & forego sewing. If not, consider purchasing some from the sewing department of any major discount store or asking for some as a gift. They are useful for a variety of projects when there is no time to sew. In fact, I have found them to save me their purchase price many times over since I have little to no time to sew, but still need to make modifications to clothing & other textiles. With pinking shears, you should be able to make about 30 napkins in less than ten minutes.

If you have no pinking shears and no time to hem, just cut the napkins with regular scissors and trim the frayed edges if they happen. Not all fabric frays badly. Don’t let the lack of pinking shears or a sewing machine (or just time) stop you from making your napkins.

Use your newly made cloth napkins with your next dinner and see how your family likes them. Wash them with your regular laundry.

Annoying but necessary disclaimer: All information contained herein express my opinions only and are based on my health status & location. Each person's situation, health, and local laws & ordinances are different. By all means, use your own common sense & don't do anything you see here if someone more important than me (like your doctor, your local police, your own conscience) would disagree. If you're easily persuaded by everything you read, and you think I might cause you to hurt yourself or break the law, quit reading my site, please.