It's the simple (and cheap!) things in life...
Yes, I get excited about towels. I'm weird like that.
Over the years I have transitioned to all white towels, wash cloths and dish towels.
First, if I need additional towels, I don't have to worry about finding the right "red" or "green" or "blue." I just buy white.
Second, I like the fact that I can bleach everything. Ever think your towels smell "musty?" Adding vinegar to the rinse cycle works...so does making sure you don't let them sit in the washing machine too long! But if all your towels are white, it is easy to get rid of any musty smell by bleaching and you always know your bath towels and kitchen towels are sanitized!
A few years ago I had a tenant who worked for a commercial laundry facility and she would bring me HUGE bags of dish towels and wash clothes. Some had stains or rips and those were perfect for my "shop rags" or cleaning rags at the apartments. But some were in pretty good shape and I used them as kitchen dish towels. When those got stained or worn, I just tossed them in my "rag box" in the garage!
She doesn't work there any more so when I decided I needed hand towels, I went on line and started shopping around for "bar towels." I like those pretty decorative dish towels (I have a few for the holidays), but let's be honest, who wants to pay $5-10 for a stupid dish towel!
I found them...on Ebay sold by Georgia Towels. The exact same towels I have been using, but new....
For less than $31 (free shipping) for FIVE dozen (60 total) I got perfect little hand/dish towels for my kitchen. Even though they have a blue stripe they can still be bleached. The hand towels also come in yellow, red and green stripes and they have 12 x 12 white wash cloths, which I use quite a bit in my kitchen!
MUCH cheaper than using roll after roll of paper towels! Big enough to dry pots and pans but small enough to wipe down counters and clean up spills.
If you are going "paperless" like Martyea suggests on her blog, this is the perfect, inexpensive solution!
I love the quality and price of these little towels so much I decided to give their bath towels a shot!
These are "ringspun" 100% cotton towels. According to HSN.com, "Ringspun cotton bath towels are made by twisting long and short fibers together to make smoother, finer yarn. The created yarn feels more luxurious than combed cotton bath towels threads."
These towels are "17# per dozen" so they are considered a "medium/heavy weight" towel!
They are totally awesome towels!!! At less than $7 a towel, they are much less expensive than what you will pay for the same quality in retail stores. Much plusher than I thought they would be!!!
This brings me to my "lecture" for those of you who "impulse" buy. Thankfully, I am not a shopper...I honestly don't like shopping. At Christmas, I burn up the internet and wear out my UPS guys and pretty much make one visit to the mall.
I avoid "discount stores" even when buying groceries. I shop in a grocery store to avoid being temped to buy new towels, sheets, clothing, auto supplies, office supplies, etc on a whim. Yes, prices on groceries may be a smidge cheaper at the "discount stores," but your overall shopping experience can end up costing you more because of "impulse" purchases!
For personal products (detergent, shampoo, tooth care, makeup, pet food, etc) I coupon shop. I use the sites totallytarget.com and wildforwags.com (there is a CVS site as well!) to help me identify great deals on products I can stock up on! To give you an idea of how much money I save, I rarely pay ANYTHING for toothpaste, toothbrushes, and soap, I never pay over $1 for shampoo and conditioner (high dollar brands too!), and just pennies for high end razors and shave cream, meds, and detergents!
No, you do not have to be one of those crazy "extreme couponers" who sit and clip coupons and make excel spreadsheets all day. Just scroll through those two sites and identify the products you use...or will use! They tell you exactly how to "structure the deal" and what coupons you will need. Many coupons can be printed right off your computer or Iphone. When you combine manufacturer coupons, store coupons, online apps (like Target's cartwheel) and sales, you can save TONS!
Before you "impulse" buy necessities, look around and see what you REALLY need. Limit your grocery shopping to ONLY things you eat...buy your "personal products" using coupon sites to help you identify great deals on items you can stock up on.
A tiny bit of homework and limiting your "impulse buying" can save you thousands a year!!!
This week I started working on my kitchen...OH MY! Now I remember why I don't tear into huge projects any more. Long days, major frustrations, several trips to the home improvement store a day....and the mess. I'm just moving cabinets and building shelves and we have eaten take out two nights in a row!!! Just too much clutter going on in there!
Hopefully I will be able to share a little bit of the progress next week!
