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Paper Towel Tally Sheet – Reduce Paper Towel Usage

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In a recent post I gave tips for how to reduce your usage of paper towels. I’ve begun to think about this topic more since I am definitely a person who overuses them. I’ve learned that many people get by just fine in their kitchens without paper towels, ever. They use real towels and other items to get the job done.

So I got an idea for how to regulate my paper towel use and encourage myself to think twice before tearing off a sheet. It’s called “The Paper Towel Tally.” It’s a PDF printout that you can post on your kitchen cabinet or another place near your roll of paper towel. Every time you tear off a sheet, you have to mark a line under the reason. Check it out below (and download the PDF version here).

Paper Towel Tally by LovingOurHome.com

Just keep a pen near the paper and draw a “scratch mark” under each reason each time you take a sheet (you know, like |||| is five marks). At the end of the month do a tally and find out what you’re using most of your paper towels on. Then you can find a different solution, like the ones I recommended in this post.

Feel free to share this Paper Towel Tally sheet with other people who need it. Hope it helps you to reduce your usage of paper towels over time!

Posted by Jasmine

How to Save Money on Paper Towels

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Confession: I am a habitual hand washer. Yes, I admit it. I wash my hands at least 15-20 times per day—especially when I’m cooking or cleaning the kitchen. And because of this, I use a whole lot of paper towels. I could go through a whole roll of towels in a day if I spend enough time in the kitchen. This can become a very expensive habit being that a multi-pack of paper towels at BJs or Costco costs well over $20.

So I decided it was time to figure out how to save money on paper towels. Here is a simple 9-point plan to reduce your usage of paper towels.

  1. Place a large hand towel near your sink to dry your hands.

This should be a towel that’s bigger than a standard hand towel and extra fluffy, so invest in a good one. Hang it from a towel rack over your sink so that you have easy access. Throw the towel in the laundry every week or so.

 

  1. Place another absorbent small towel in a convenient place that’s only for drying dishes.

Dedicate this towel just to drying your dishes—no hand drying or wiping the counter tops with it. Hang it on your stove or dishwasher. Keep a pile of clean, dry ones handy.

 

  1. Reserve a few large old towels to do big clean ups.

For those big messes, keep an old or tattered large towel or two under your sink. Wipe up the mess and throw the towel in the laundry pile (preferably with similar dirty cloths that come into contact with the floor or your pets).

 

  1. Purchase only rolls of paper towels that have half-perforated sheets.

When you’re shopping for paper towels, choose select-a-size rolls that allow you to take a half a sheet instead of a whole one. You may find that in most cases, a half of a sheet is more than enough.

 

  1. Place a basket next to your paper towel holder for sheets that can be used again.

There are some instances where you might use a sheet of paper towel for a quick, clean job, and it can be used again for wiping something down. Put a small basket near your roll of paper towels to hold these re-usable sheets.

 

  1. Get a bottle of hand sanitizer to use whenever you feel the urge to wash your hands.

When you’re cooking, cleaning up, and handling raw meats, use the hand sanitizer to quickly disinfect your hands. Shake them out a little and let them hand dry instead of using a sheet of paper towel.

 

  1. Keep a $1 box of tissues in your kitchen for sneezing.

When you need to blow your nose or sneeze, a sheet of paper towel really isn’t necessary. Just go to the dollar store and get a $1 box of tissue for those moments.

 

  1. Use paper bags to drain excess oil out of fried foods.

Instead of using a bunch of paper towels to sop up excess oil from fried foods, use leftover paper bags. You might not want to put your food directly on the bag, so just lay one or two paper towels on top of the paper bag as a buffer and then put the food on top. (Reducing or eliminating fried foods from your family’s diet is also a great idea!)

 

  1. Use disinfectant wipes to clean off your countertops and surfaces.

Chances are, you use disinfectant wipes (like the Lysol brand) a lot less often than you reach for paper towels. Use one wipe each day to disinfect your countertops in the morning before you start cooking—that way, you can feel more confident that your surfaces are clean throughout the day. Resist the urge to use a paper towel or another disinfecting wipe unless you accidentally spill meat juice on your counter top.

 

You may find that there aren’t many good reasons for buying and using paper towels on a regular basis if you take these simple steps to save money on paper towels. Simple solutions!

Posted by Jasmine

4 Simple Tips to Save Money on a Tight Budget

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Many Americans today live above and beyond their means. Learning how to save money is a can be a challenging lesson to learn. You have to ask yourself why you need the latest tech gadget, biggest sports utility vehicle (SUV) and the latest high-end fashion accessories – especially when it puts you in debt. Instead, investigate ways to save money on a tight budget!

Maintain the Vehicle You Have

Front of Car
© Melking | Dreamstime Stock Photos

This is the usual course of action for the average American consumer: pay monthly for an auto loan for five to seven years only to then purchase another automobile, pay for another five to seven years and basically continue a never ending cycle of payments. If you’re paying for a $15,000 car with an average car loan length of 60 months (five years) with about 7 percent interest, you’re giving up about $18,000 during that period of time, which includes interest. Instead of committing to plunking down another $18,000, maintain the vehicle you’ve already paid for instead.

Ask yourself three questions to decide if you need a new vehicle:

1)      Is the current vehicle safe and reliable?

2)      Is the current vehicle good on gas?

3)      Were you happy and excited when you initially purchased you vehicle?

If you answered yes to all three questions, re-evaluate the desire for a new vehicle. Maybe it’s not necessary. Maybe you can invest just $2,000 or $3,000 in your car during that next five years to keep it in tip-top shape and looking like it’s brand new.

Make Your Home a Constant Vacation Spot

The average American expects to spend an average of $1,200 per person while on vacation, according to a 2012 American Express survey. Does spending that amount make sense when you already spend hundreds or thousands per month on your home? Why not make your home your vacation paradise since that is where you invest a large portion of your salary every month?

For the cost of a week-long vacation for the family, you can purchase an indoor pool for your yard to enjoy for years to come. Besides the enjoyment, it may also enhance your property value—that means that your luxurious vacation pool could be making you money while providing you with a getaway. You could also have a deck or a screened-in porch, Jacuzzi or game room built in your home for your continual pleasure that may cost less than a vacation for a family of four. Once again, these improvements might add to the value of your property.

Get Your Cable and Entertainment Costs Under Control

According to a study by the NPD Group, the average monthly cable television bill was around $86 as of 2012, and could rise to as much as $200 per month. This is a compelling argument for subscribing to a less expensive option such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Instant Video starting today. Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video cost significantly less (around $8 to $10 per month as of 2014) and provide just as must entertainment value as cable. Even if you were to opt for all three services it would cost under $25 per month, which is a savings of over $60 per month.

Make Your Own Detergent

It may seem like a small issue at first, but if you look at the cost of the leading brands of laundry detergent, it is clear that an alternative could save you a lot of money each year. There have even been stories of people stealing laundry detergent and trying to resell it due to its high value. Luckily, you can make your own laundry detergent to save yourself some money.


According to the EPA, the average American family washes about 400 loads of laundry per year, which works out to about 7.5 loads per week. An average 50 ounce, $15 bottle of leading brand detergent covers about 30 loads.

If instead you make your own detergent you can yield enough laundry detergent to take care of as much as three years of laundry for around $10 by buying Borax Natural Laundry Booster, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, a bar of Ivory Soap and combining it with three gallons of water. Experiment with a bit of each to find the right mixture for your clothes.

The idea of making even small changes to your daily routine can be difficult to grasp at first, but once you see the amount of weekly, monthly and yearly dollars you can keep in your pocket on average by making minor changes to your household habits, you will probably want to learn about even more ways to save.

 

Sources:

money.cnn.com/2012/05/10/pf/expert/vacation-spending.moneymag/

epa.gov/greenhomes/Basement.htm

huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/cable-bill-200-dollars-2020-study_n_1418779.html