Friday, February 25, 2011

Frugal Friday: Paper Napkins

Linen Napkins2

 

Last week I discussed my favorite frugal tip for replacing paper towels with re-usable dishcloths.

This is another, closely related favorite, but I found it required a slightly larger change of mindset...replacing paper napkins with Cloth Napkins.

Now, hear me out on this one please. Because I bet you were like me and thought that paper napkins were another modern life necessity. And that cloth napkins were only for special occasions once or twice a year.

Once again, I was driven not by being "green" (which it is..added bonus) but because I felt like I was throwing away money.  I'm sorry...I guess I'm a terrible person. And I do care deeply about the environment...and it was a contributing factor...and I feel great about it now...but, mainly, I was cheap frugal.
I had a ton of cloth napkins from my Grandma and from my bridal shower just sitting in the basement. So I pulled out a few and gave them a try.

At first, it felt kind of strange. Like I should be at a formal dinner party. But..it was also kind of nice, bringing a little bit of formality to an everyday dinner.

We focus a lot on this blog about making ordinary, everyday things special. Using cloth napkins is one of those things for me now. It makes me happy every time I use them. And it helps save money and the environment.

People will may think you are crazy at first...they'll get over it.


Linen Napkins
images from pottery barn

Doesn't this look nice??
Give it a try and let me know what you think!




2 comments:

Christy said...

Yours are so pretty. I have handmedowns from my MIL (she passed away last summer) and white ones that we use all the time. I love them. It just feels so much nicer than a piece of paper imho!

Anonymous said...

I have thought of doing this for years and think this might just be the time. I have quite a few cloth napkins. some my daughter in law made me and some are from the thrift store. I do feel like paper napkins are so inexpensive, but it wold be another small step to saving money and developing my frugal life style. I also want to start making my own cleaning cloths and home cleaners!

Thanks for your post!

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