The thing I love most about being green is saving green...

Although, some people might consider us miserly (I am talking to you, Aunt Evelyn) - we spend a pretty penny on certain items like laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, toilet tissue, and paper towels.  I am not a fan of saving money if it is going to diminish my standard of living.  So, I refuse to buy laudry detergent that doesn't get my clothes clean, dishwashing detergent that makes the dishes cloudy instead of clean,  tissue that makes me cringe when I wipe myself, or paper towels that tear apart after wiping up 3 drops of water.

We use Bounty for paper towels. (I would prefer Viva for paper towels, but let's not get ridiculous.  I am NOT paying $3 for a roll of paper towels.)  I came to HATE going shopping paper towels because of the expense - and having kids you have to use them way too much.
 
Well, Zekey's pre-school is pretty green.  They actually mandate strongly suggest that we bring their lunch in non-disposable containers.  So, no ziplock baggies for Zekey.  And I actually love the concept of being green AND saving money (um, I only have to buy those non-disposable containers ONCE).  So, of course I try to get tips on how they are doing other stuff.

At the beginning of the school year, they had a tea party at which I peeped their napkins - and guess what they were?   PIECES OF CLOTH!  I know, duh!  What the heck is a napkin but a piece of cloth!  And isn't that what I LOVE about Bounty and Viva is their likeness to cloth?  And, and, and the cloth they used wasn't even surged!  No, it is like they just cut up some fabric and called it a napkin.  Genius.

I have been wanting to do that, but I could not figure out where to find cloth that is 100% cotton, really soft and absorbent, and (duh) cheap...  This weekend, I had an epiphany!

Receiving Blankets!

They are super absorbent (I know this because I often have to use it to catch the milk from one boob while I am nursing on the other one.)  They are soft and 100% cotton as stuff for babies often are.  And they are pretty cheap.  Well, actually free for me because I bought a whole bunch of them when I was in my diaper-cake-making phase.

(I have since left that phase as buying diapers for diaper cakes was crazy expensive - and not that unique.  A bunch of people were doing it and I found myself nervous to make them because chances were someone (much more professional) was going to have done one and show me up.  I would rather spend less than $5 on a couple of cotton skeins of yarn and make some crocheted stuffed animals and/or bibs.)

Back to the napkins.  I was saving the receiving blankets to maybe make a quilt or something (someday). But realized this weekend that they are the PERFECT material for napkins.  So, that is what I did.  I cut them up, and called them napkins

Unfortunately, this will add to my never-ending growing heap of laundry, but I guess I will worry about that later ;).