Your Voice: Money-Saving Tip #1 - Kitchen

When I first moved in with my boyfriend (who is now my husband) at age 18, I was working a full-time receptionist job making minimum wage ($6.50/hour) while taking a full load of classes. Because there was no way I could take on an extra job with all my obligations, I knew I had to be extremely tight with my earnings just to make ends meet.

I started researching and educating myself on how to save money by Googling just that.

Much to my disappointment, I was already doing almost everything these blogs and advice-centered websites offered.

I decided at that point, if it wasn’t on Google, I would have to come up with my own ways that go beyond, for example, only using the dishwasher once it’s full.

So, frugal readers out there, I am attempting to condense some of the lessons I’ve learned about being domestically economical over the last 4 years into a series of blog entries, all for you! This is meant for anyone wanting to save a little bit or a lot of money. These tips will range from being fairly simple to pretty extreme. As you read, remember that saving money is the main objective; this may require you to think outside of the box and take a little extra time out of your day to follow through.

Let's start in the kitchen:

Paper towels? Who needs them?

You would be amazed at how much we reach for paper towels on a daily basis. Have a spill? Need a napkin? Need to clean your counter or wipe down your mirror? How about dry your hands? Okay, so you see my point:

A two-person household can easily use around 2 rolls of paper towels per week. That’s around $4.30 (if these rolls are bought 1 per pack), which is $17.20 per month.

Instead, invest a set of cloth napkins and dishtowels. Dishtowels do not have to be expensive (I often by mine from Ikea for $0.49/each here http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10100909 ). These can be used for wiping down, drying hands, drying dishes (pretty much everything a paper towel does). For cleaning purposes, cut up old t-shirts, use old missed-matched socks, and even old towels to get the job done.

Total savings per year (before cloth napkins and dish towels are bought): $206.40

*Savings vary from household to household*

--
Emily Tabouring is studying speech pathology at San Francisco State University. For more from this younger woman, please visit her blog.