Going Green: Napkins, Swiffering, Baby food and Diaper wipes!

So often it seems that making the green or environmental choice also means making the more expensive choice or the choice that requires a lot more work on your part or the choice that is a lot messier on your part. Composting? Messy. Recycling (at least in my town) is not done curbside.  The energy efficient appliances often cost more up front, and my things always need replaced when we have the least amount of disposable cash.

With our recent move our budget has been restructured in such a way that I've been looking for ways to cut unavoidable costs. With two kids in diapers it is a given that we have to buy diaper and wipes. I could certainly go all cloth, and perhaps  that would end up cheaper or greener, but I am not willing to do that.  I did discover that for the baby at least, that flannel squares will work much better at wiping her little tush than store bought wipes of the cheaper variety. (For the Bug we still buy store bought ones.) I mixed a little baby soap, a little squirt of baby oil, and some water in a plastic wipes box, and I quick hemmed some flannel and now we have reusable wipes. I toss them in a little plastic basket in the laundry room after each use and when I'm down to one or two I do a small load of laundry, just the wipes,  on hot water with some bleach and that's it. And if you want to know the real details, the flannel was a couple old receiving blankets we no longer use, in a distinctive print so no one accidentally wipes their nose with one.

Baby food has been  more expensive with each child and I'm much more confident and relaxed with my third child, so we plan to make a small bit of food, and then mostly feed her what we're eating. I have a stick blender and I'm not afraid to use it! Plus, no more little jars into the garbage and landfill!

I hemmed a bunch of blue receiving blankets into Swiffer sized squares and bought floor cleaner of the spray and wipe variety instead of buying pre-moistened disposable Swiffer cloths. Works just as well and the Bug gets to help me with the spray, which he loves. He knows the blue rags are for the floor and often does it all on his own (minus the Swiffer itself.)

We've been using cloth napkins for years now and I don't buy paper towels for general use. We do keep a roll or two around for specific things like cat puke and cleaning toilets, but they aren't kept in a location that tempts you into drying your hands on them or wiping up milk with them. The cloth napkins are make from regular cotton fabric that I hemmed with my serger. We have little kid sized ones and adult sized ones. The Pirate even takes a Pirate printed one in his lunch.

Since I know that I can't afford the big environmental changes, it makes me feel good to know that I'm keeping stuff out of the landfill and saving myself money all in one go. I know there is some debate about washing all that extra stuff and the water usage,  but since the financial considerations are just as important to us right now, this is working. I admit I feel a bit crunchy when my in-laws come to dinner and I hand them a cloth napkin or pull out one of little miss's Christmas tree print wipes, but I also feel incredibly frugal to be reusing things in new ways, instead of just looking at them on the closet shelf. What things do you do that both saves your family money and helps the environment? What else could I be using those blankets for?



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