Day 2: Giving Up Paper Towels

The Task: Stop buying paper towels. Completely.

The Why: Using reusable cloths and towels saves money and time (the time spent running to the store for paper towels!) and reduces waste. Plus, it saves space in my linen closet because I don't have to find a place to store the big bulky extra rolls of paper towel.  Sounds good to me!

The How:  We actually stopped using paper towels to clean up most of our messes ages ago.  We keep a stack of absorbent bar-mop towels in a kitchen drawer with our dish cloths and dish towels and my kids know to reach for them when they spill something or make a mess. I have to buy a new package about once a year because they endure a lot of wear and tear, but the 7 bucks I spend each year is far less than I would spend if we were reaching for paper towel every time one of the kids spills their milk.

I did, however, still buy paper towel for cleaning glass.  I tried using newspaper for the job but found that to be frustrating and unsuccessful.  So now I've purchased a pack of 2 microfiber cloths. The pack cost me 3 dollars and now I don't need to buy paper towels all year.  One small purchase to save a dozen more.

By the way, I use a half and half solution of vinegar and water as my window cleaner.  I've tried plain water and plain vinegar, but the half and half combination works better than either of those things on it's own.

But what about....umm...you know.....icky messes?  Like, what if a child vomits on the floor?   Well, if one of the children vomits on the floor I guess I will just have to whisk away the worst of the (I really hope you're not eating right now) chunks with a piece of newspaper and use an old grungy rag to clean up the rest of the mess.  I can handle that...I think.

The Verdict: Reusable towels don't create any extra work for me because they just get thrown in with the daily laundry, and they save us money, are better for the environment, and take up less space.  Fingers crossed that we avoid the stomach flu!

We are doing one small thing every day for a year to create a simpler, quieter, more intentional life. Take a moment to read all About Us, check out The Rules of our year long project and sign up for our RSS feed or "like" us on facebook so that you can follow our journey to radical simplicity!

Day 1: Tossing the Throw Pillows (Ack!)

The Task: Give away (most of) my throw pillows.

The Why: I had a hard time deciding what to do for day one.  The whole point of this project is that 365 little changes adds up to a radically different lifestyle.  What one little thing could I do to kick off a series of little things?

So I chose the thing that I was most illogically apprehensive about. Some of the things we are going to do in this coming year are understandably frightening and ultimately life changing.  But throw pillows shouldn't be. Right?

But the fact that I am so attached to decorative pillows that I cringe at the thought of getting rid of them is a pretty good indicator that I should in fact get rid of them.

The bottom line is that my throw pillows just don't pass the William Morris test.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” -William Morris

Sure, they are nice.  But beautiful? No.  And they certainly aren't useful since I've practically forbidden my family from putting their heads on them ever. Most of them aren't even comfy anyways.

Plus, throw pillows need to be washed occasionally and picked up off the floor a million times a day and replaced when they get worn and old or (more likely, since they never actually get used) out of style.

 I do not need throw pillows.

Full Disclosure:  We have two comfy throw pillows that we actually do put our heads on when lounging on the sofas watching movies, and my daughter has a somewhat sentimental throw pillow I made with her silhouette on it (I've blogged about that on my other blog), so we are keeping those ones. All the pillows in the picture above are being donated pronto!

The Verdict:  The part of me that loves to shop and own and swipe my VISA at stores that sell pretty shiny things is objecting big time.  (But who doesn't have throw pillows? Why would I get rid of perfectly good throw pillows. My sofas will be NAKED!)   But I'm excited about what this year will bring.  I'm excited to foster an atmosphere of cozy minimalism in my home and I think that in time I can get used to the look of my naked sofas...maybe.

We are doing one small thing every day for a year to create a simpler, quieter, more intentional life. Take a moment to read all About Us, check out The Rules of our year long project and sign up for our RSS feed or "like" us on facebook so that you can follow our journey to radical simplicity!