How it's going so far

Remember this post?

I'm here to report that it's going just swimmingly. We still have the same mostly-full package of paper napkins that we had last December (I've used a few to grease an occasional baking dish).
The cloth napkins I made from unused flat sheets I had on hand are not perfect but they are usable. I wish they were softer and more absorbent - 100% cotton or something like that - but they'll do for now. I will hopefully remember to be on the lookout for a large piece of cotton cloth at the thrift store to make napkins with when these wear out.

The large white washcloths that we are using in place of paper towels work great. I started with 40 and have never once ran out before it was time to wash a load of whites. I have put a couple of them into the rag pile because they got stained. For some reason it is more acceptable to me to scrub a bathtub with a stained white rag than it is to dry a dish or wash a sweet little face with a stained white rag. So the stained ones have moved to the rag pile, and we still have plenty of clean ones to use in the kitchen. Barring some disaster I think I will not have to buy more for at last another year.  I've used one to two rolls of paper towels so far this year - of the 10 rolls I started with last December I have six that are still unopened, and three that are partially used. I'm still using paper towels to take care of super messy or greasy or icky jobs like:

• covering bacon while it cooks in the microwave or
• lining the plate while I'm frying taco shells or
• patting dry raw chicken or
• wiping off paint brushes.

It's been so long since I purchased paper napkins and paper towels that I don't remember the prices, but next time I go to the store I will check and try to estimate how much money I haven't spent on these items in the year 2012.