Being home 24/7 and trying to limit grocery trips and ordering really makes you evaluate how quickly you’re going through supplies in your home. With two little kids, paper products were something we were blowing through and made me wonder how we could change this for the better. | This post is not sponsored but does contain affiliate links |
Now when I say "paper products" in this post I'm talking about paper towels and paper napkins. To greatly reduce our usage of these things we made the switch to reusable "unpaper" towels and aren't looking back.
(And before you ask... yes, reusable toilet paper/wipes do exist too - but that's not for us, though if the toilet paper shortage continues who knows...).
“Unpaper” towels are cloths that you can use like paper towels but wash and reuse for a long time. You could really use just about any kind of cloth - wash cloths, tea towels, cloth napkins, pieces of flannel, etc. Hopefully you have something around the house already that you can use, but if you don’t and decide to purchase some we’ve found them to be worth the investment. For the price of a large package of throw-away paper towels, you can purchase of set of reusable ones that will last you a very, very long time and will eventually pay for themselves.
We thought about just using our current dishtowels but we use them regularly already for dishes and big spills (which happen a lot with two small kids). We were primarily looking for something smaller that would function like a paper towel and also wouldn’t fill our washing machine quickly (something else to consider), which is why we settled on these modestly-sized, organic bamboo cloths.
Some people will roll them on a paper towel holder and use them in place of ALL paper towels, completely eliminating paper towels in their home. For our household we decided to fold them and place them in a basket on our counter, next to our roll of paper towels. That way we’d be constantly reminded to grab a cloth instead of a paper towel whenever we had to wipe a dirty face or sticky fingers, but we’d still have paper towels at the ready if we really needed them. I even hung a little note over the paper towel holder to remind us to use less of them.
Since starting this system we’ve cut down on our paper towel usage big time. This has saved us money on our grocery bill and we feel like we’ve made a positive long-term change that’s more eco-friendly.
Cleaning Unpaper Towels: I hung a small mesh laundry bag on the doorknob of our laundry closet, which is conveniently right off the kitchen, to toss the used unpaper towels in to be washed. Whenever I start a load of laundry, I just throw the mesh bag in with the rest of the washing. You could also easily hang a mesh bag or small basket on the inside of a cupboard door with a Command Hook too if that is a more convenient spot.
Hopefully I’ve inspired you to find a reusable, money-saving solution to something in your home like we have found unpaper towels to be for us.
This post is not sponsored but contains my personal opinion as well as affiliate links.
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Having a newborn means there's a lot of little essentials you're going to need - and even though this is our second baby, things like new combs, thermometer, and teether are always needed. Safety 1st was kind enough to send us their Precious Memories Premium Baby Care Set for our newest addition to the family and I wanted to share with you all the wonderful things that are included.
| This post contains an honest review of products provided to us from Safety 1st. This post also contains affiliate links. |
First of all I just wanted to point out what a great value the Premium Baby Care Kit is! It includes all the items seen below - including a fox wash mitt, booger sucker, cradle cap brush, thermometer, toothbrush, comb, brush, teether, nail clippers, and photo cards. Whew. And it's all boxed up neatly in a sturdy wooden box that can easily be reused as handy storage in the nursery. All-in-all it's a $75 value but retails for less than half of that on Amazon! This would make the perfect affordable and easy baby shower gift for a friend or coworker (or for yourself!).
The kit also comes with these really sweetly illustrated "First Cards" by Milestone Baby. These are perfect for documenting those special firsts with your baby. I also love that there's a little spot to record the date as well so the cards can be kept and tucked away in your memory box after.
We've been using these items for a few weeks now and our favorites so far have definitely been the cute fox washing mitt (which our four-year-old has claimed as hers) as well as the cradle cap brush which we use religiously with each bath for our baby. I just love how the brush really scrubs off the the flaky skin without being too tough on your baby's sensitive scalp! It really does a wonderful job.
- I received this item for review from Safety 1st/Milestone Baby but all opinions expressed are my own. Please read our full Disclosure Policy for more information -
Safety 1st's Premium Baby Care Kit can be found at various retailers including Amazon and Babies 'R Us.
Don't forget to follow @Safety_1st and @Milestonebaby on Instagram to see their latest products!
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We always try to spend consciously, but this year I really stepped up my couponing game as well as finding discounts for the shopping that we do. In doing so I've narrowed it down to my 9 favorite money-saving apps that I use most often - and in just the last few months I've already saved a couple hundred dollars! | This post contains my experience with these apps as well as some referral links |
Oh Amazon... we buy everything from gifts to groceries on here. But what I really love most is using Amazon on the fly and checking prices in-store before deciding where to purchase. If I'm in a big box store and thinking about buying a book, new sneakers, etc, I always use the
Amazon
app to scan the barcode of the item (so handy!) and see what the price difference is - and spoiler, it's often slightly cheaper (sometimes a lot cheaper) on Amazon. And since we have AmazonPrime, shipping is typically free!
Walmart also has a super-handy barcode scan feature so you can check prices while you're out shopping, but it's Savings Catcher feature is probably the most handy. With
Savings Catcher (a feature within the Walmart app), you simply scan in the barcode on your receipt and Walmart checks your items against advertised sales of other chains in the surrounding area. If an item is found to be cheaper at a surrounding store, Walmart credits you the difference on an eGift card which can be used towards future purchases. Savings Catcher helps make sure you're always getting the best deal.
Cartwheel
is Target's "coupon" app - every week there are new offers for you to unlock and claim when you checkout in store (just scan the barcode generated on the screen of your smartphone). The savings are typically small but really add up over time, especially if you do a lot of grocery and clothing shopping there.
EatRight (or whatever particular incentive your health plan may have)
With EatRight Rewards, you unlock weekly offers and discounts for healthy foods and the amount you save gets credited to your account. Once you accumulate a minimum of $10 you can cash it out. I particularly love that this app only gives discounts on fresh fruits, veggies, and healthier foods. (*EatRight Rewards by Nutrisavings is the particular app that is specifically contracted with my health insurance plan, which is why I use it. Check with your particular health plan to see if they have any healthy-eating incentives available for members!)
With Ibotta you unlock offers and earn rebates for items you purchase in exchange for some basic market research (typically viewing an advertisement or answering a multiple-choice question). Once you earn a minimum of $20 back you can cash it out to your PayPal account or redeem it as a gift card. I've written a
more indepth post on Ibotta here
, if you're interested.
Checkout51
has offers for rebates back on grocery items - simply scan your receipt and select which rebates you qualify for to earn money back, with no market research questions to answer. Once you earn a minimum of $20 you can cash it out. - And both Ibotta and Checkout 51 can be used in conjunction with each other to really stack those savings.
Rakuten (formerly called Ebates)
Rakuten (formerly called Ebates) is great if you do any kind of online shopping - think Amazon, photo sites, clothing stores, etc. Simply log into your Rakuten account (Chrome has a handy extension you can download too) and launch the retailer's website from there.
Rakuten
will suggest discounts and coupon codes at checkout and often will allow you to earn back a percentage (usually very small but it adds up) of your purchase as a rebate. Every quarter you can cash out if your balance is $5 or more. I can see Rakuten coming in very hand this Christmas season while ordering Christmas cards and buying gifts!
Coupon Sherpa is a great app for quickly finding in-store coupons and discounts while you're out shopping, as well as coupon codes for online purchases. Simply open the app and look up the store you're in - Coupon Sherpa will list all the current coupons available so you can choose which one works best for you. Simply bring up the coupon on your phone and have the cashier scan it when you check out.
The Kohl's app allows you to save coupons, and keeps track of rewards points and Kohl's cash. I don't know how many times I've had an awesome coupon for Kohl's only to have forgotten it at home! Thankfully with the app you don't have to remember to bring these things, and it's easy to check current offers and rewards balances.
So those are my top money saving apps right now. If you have any questions regarding them, please ask away - and if you have a great app that I haven't listed here, please let know!
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