How to Save on Paper Towels - Paper Towels vs. Rags

From the http://www.livingonadime.com/ newsletter.  I use rags quite frequently.  I get most of my rags the old-fashioned way...old clothes.  When my husband's socks or underwear get holes, when my daughter staines or tears her clothes, those things become my rags.



Tawra just emailed me and asked if I would write something concerning rags vs. paper towels. I have not spent a whole lot of time deeply contemplating the issue of paper towels vs. rags so, at first, I wasn't sure what to write.

I do love paper towels and totally believe in using them, but I only use them rarely. I had a friend once who used nothing but paper towels. Not only did she use them exclusively, but she would think nothing of yanking off three or four of them at a time to use for just a small job.

I remember watching her once and thinking that, some day when I am rich, one of the luxuries I was going to allow myself was to use nothing but paper towels and lots of them. Well I haven't arrived at that point yet but now I find that, in most cases, a rag seems to do a better job.

I do use paper towels sometimes as I said because I have found nothing that works better for things like draining my bacon on lining my fruit and veggie drawer in the fridge. In the fridge, when the bins become dirty I can just throw out the paper towels and quickly wipe them down. I also like to set them under my spices and things that will create spills because it makes for easier clean up.

I have often wondered if others don't use paper towels the way I do, especially after seeing shopping carts piled high with them and seeing so many people buying them in bulk. Then when I saw a show where a woman had a shower stall filled with them, I knew something was very different.

Since I use only one to two rolls of paper towels per year, I couldn't even begin to imagine what people were doing with all these paper towels. Just then, I realized that many people not only don't use rags, but a lot of people don't know how to use them or even that you can. Hopefully the next few paragraphs will change all of that.

My Background


Yes strange as it may seem, I do have a background in rags. Not many people can say that. On the other hand I'm not sure whether this is something one should be proud of or not. : ) You might say my grandmother was an expert in rags and rags were her business. Now before you wonder what kind of a strange family I come from, let me explain.

My grandmother wove rag rugs for a living. She did it all of her life and her mom did it before that. They made unbelievably beautiful rugs, completely different from the ones you see sold now. The colors and designs she used would make any artist break down and weep and she made them all with rags.

I remember as a child going to her house where she would have huge appliance boxes full of carpet balls. These were balls of fabric (from rags) that had been torn into strips, sewn together and rolled into balls. My brother and I had great fun rolling and playing with all of those fabric balls!

Nothing was thrown away. Every button, zipper and piece of trim was cut off and saved. I guess frugality must be in my blood. : ) Needless to say, I did learn some things about rags that I hope will help you to look at rags in a whole new light.

Rags

One of the main complaints we get against using rags is that people don't like to wash them because they get so nasty sometimes. I don't like to wash them either, so I don't. My rags fall into two categories: rags to toss and rags to wash.

Rags to Toss

The rags I toss are the ones I use for the nasty jobs:

If I wipe something greasy

When I clean the bathroom floor

If something is sticky like a bottle of spilled syrup

My dust rags

If I use them to dust mop my floors

To clean really dirty tools or really dirty anything

At times, if I just don't want to wash them, I toss them.

By the time a rag gets to my "use and throw" pile, it is already pretty far gone. I have probably used it for many other "clean" jobs and it is on its last leg, so I have no qualms about tossing it. I use it just like I would a paper towel.

Rags to Wash

These are my studier rags. They are usually old tea towels, wash rags, etc. I use them to:

Wipe fingerprints off of the wall

Wipe mildly sticky things from furniture

Wipe the spray starch off of my ironing board

Shine my mirrors

Wash the insides of my windows

Wipe my bathroom faucets and wipe dry everything in the bathroom

Join me in my addiction

I LOVE McDonald's frappes.  Both the mocha and the caramel are really good, but I usually go with the caramel.  There is now a coupon for $1/1 off a frappe or smoothie .  All it takes is your name and a printer!

Walgreens

I got my deals from mommysnacks.net. My retail was $15.83.  I paid $0.96 which is a savings of 94%.  I realize now looking at my receipt closely that I actually should have paid less.  I had two coupons for $0.50/1 for my Goldfish and only one came off.  Grrrrrrr...

$.50 Nabisco Cookies or Crackers 3 oz
$1/2 Nabisco Crackers 5/16/2010 SS Insert (exp 7/25/2010)
Net Price FREE
 
$.99 Goldfish Crackers 6.6 oz
$0.50/1 Goldfish Crackers
Net Price $.49 each

$3.99 B1G1 Right Guard Total Defense Deodorant
$3/2 Right Guard Total Defense 5
Net Price $.50 – $1 each

CVS--Start of Free School Supply Season

I got my deals from becentsable.net.  I collectecd the first of my free school supplies.  Whatever I don't plan to use I donate or sell. 

My retail was 14.95.  My OOP was $0.05 which is a savings of less than 1/2%.  At both CVS and Wags today, I had to buy more to end up paying less.  My lowest ECB was $5, and my cost was 2.97 which wasn't enough to use it.  I added 2 packs of my husband's favorite gum which made my total enough to use my $5 ECB, and I ended up payin only $0.05.  I think it's so funny that I can puchase more and pay less!


Paper Mate 10 ct. $.99
Get $.99 extra care bucks
Final price: Free

Caliber 5” handle scissors $.99
Get $.99 extra care bucks
Final price: Free

Bic Soleil Shimmer razor starter kit or cartridges 4 ct. $3.99
Use $3 off from 7/11 SS insert
Final price $.99

Walgreens under the wire

Nothing like waiting until the day before the sale ends!  I'm blessed that I found anything!  I got my deals from bargainbriana.com.  My retail total was $8.96.  After sales and coupons, I paid $0.23 which is a savings of 97%.  I then recieved $3 in RR which means I earned $2.77 for going to Wags.

Colgate MaxFresh or MaxWhite Toothbrush or Toothpaste 6 oz. – $2.99
Earn $2 Register Rewards
$0.75/1 Colgate Max White Max Fresh Product, any
Final Price after Register Rewards: $0.24

Visine Eye Drops .5 oz. – $3.99

Earn $1 Register Rewards
$2/1 Visine Product, any 4/11/2010 RP Insert (exp 7/31/2010)
Final Price after Register Rewards: as low as $0.99

Van Camp’s Beans – $0.50
$1/4 from ConAgra coupon booklet
Finap Price: $0.25 each

Dealing with a Tight Budget

This article is from today's email from www.LivingOnADime.com.

Hello everyone! I was recently interviewed about debt free living and how living without debt relates to my faith. I thought you'd find some of the answers helpful, so we'll be including some of them in the newsletter.

-Jill


Interviewer: What are the top lessons you would give a family or even a single person who is dealing with a tight budget?


Stop spending.

Don't think that using a credit card or getting a loan will make it better. Going into more debt will not help you get out of debt..


Get rid of your pride. You may have to shop at garage sales for a while. You may not be able to have your kids in sports and you might have to say no to friends when they want you to go to an expensive restaurant. Pride is a sin. God didn't kick the angels out of heaven because they murdered someone or were doing drugs, drinking or smoking but for pride.


Stop worrying about what others think or whether or not you are making a good impression. We constantly tell our kids not to give in to peer pressure but we do it all the time. We Christians can be especially bad about worrying what other Christians are going to think of us. That is the same as when your kids worrying about their peers.


Cut back on everything. You can save 50% on your grocery bill before you even go to the grocery store by simply exercising good portion control with your food. It is better for you, too. Go from a 30 minute shower to a 5 minute shower. Not only will you save on utilities, but your skin will thank you.
 
This should be number one: tithe. Right now when others are panicking about their 401k's or about what their stocks are doing, I don't have a worry in the world. I have invested my money in Someone who has promised that no matter what happens in the world, including with finances, I and my children will be fed and taken care of. He has demonstrated His faithfulness over and over. To me, my tithe is the best savings a person can have.



The real test of a person's character occurs during hard times. Keep your integrity, be responsible and be trustworthy and honorable whether your situation is your fault or not, whether it is fair or unfair. Proverbs 22:1 says "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."


I once received a notice of foreclosure on my house. I had 2 weeks to come up with $35,000 and I couldn't sell my house. I didn't have $35. I wasn't sure what to do. If I lost my house, my kids and I would literally be out on the streets. After a few moments of panic, I prayed and God told me what to do. One of the first things I did was to call the banker and tell him I wanted to start up our old business, which I knew nothing about and had no money for supplies, no customers and a limited market.
What loan officer do you think would say, "That's great-- forget the foreclosure and you don't even need to make a payment until your business is up and running well"? None that I know of, but that is exactly what he said. We had banked there for a while and, because of that, he knew I always paid my bills (the foreclosure was because of debts my husband got into when we were separated). The loan officer said "Jill, I know you and trust you to pay so I'm not worried."
Everything God tells us to do is for a good reason and it is usually for our good. He wants us to have a good name because He knows at times when things hang in the balance, a person's good name can tip the scale in the right direction.


Don't decide you are going to change your ways and then expect God to suddenly produce a miracle and make all of your debt go away. God loves you, but He is also a just God. He expects you to pull your weight and if you spent 5 years carelessly spending, you may have to work extra long and hard for 5 years to get yourself out of your mess.
It would be like telling my teenage son to clean his room. After a month goes by, he is out of clean clothes, can't find anything and has been grounded by me for failing to do what I told him to do. He tells me how sorry he is, insists he'll never do it again and repents all over the place, but he still has to clean his room, which is such a big mess it is going to take twice as much work.
I forgive, but he is perfectly capable of cleaning it himself, so he has to clean up his own mess.

Here's something to think about:


In Matthew 6:24, the Bible says "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." We always think that this verse relates to having lots or money, that it only concerns the wealthy or those seeking wealth, but it can pertain to the poor and those in debt, too.


Be careful. What controls your waking thoughts? God or money? What do you seek after more? God or a way to pay your debts? What do you talk about more with your family? God or how the bills are piling up "in these hard economic times? Do you spend all of your money eating out, playing a game of golf, buyting your kids sports uniforms and dance lessons and having your nails done or do you first tithe?


I have found most people give their money to whoever or whatever has their heart and soul. I don't say these things to condemn you but to get you thinking, "Do I have things mixed up? Can I do something differently? Do I need to change something, even if it is something small?"



We guard our families in so many areas. Don't let Satan sneak in the back door with this and destroy you, your family and your testimony.

 

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