I love to save money...so I watched it. It's too bad she wasn't feeling well when she did her TedTalk, I thought she did amazingly well and got her point across. Her points, her logic....were valid. Less wasteful purchases = less money spent.

I thought she was very good and she had her facts straight and presented them well. Too bad several people chose to make snarky comments about her delivery or her voice or trivial things instead of paying attention to content and the message she was trying to convey as it applies to today. It’s not about ‘how it used to be’. It is a guide as to how things could be done now to improve both spending and wastefulness.

When paper products became popular there were several studies such as Rusty suggests. At that time it was found that the actual cost in energy to make the paper products was less than the cost to maintain the cloth ones. Some things have become more efficient so that may have changed. I do wonder if the people who use the "solar" method have looked at the reports showing particles in the air in their area. Living near a major road I was shocked at how many particles were being shown. An easy check for this and I have not looked through a microscope to see what they are is to leave your car outside for one day. Then take a damp cloth and wipe.

I totally agree with the statement, "Is anything really saved by not using paper towels." Yes, I use paper towels.

My DH's coworker just asked him if he inherited money in order to buy this house.....and then the next day announced he'd spent $20K on hosting a Labor Day party for this upcoming weekend. He was picking up his custom jacket and new boots that night. Hhhhmmmmmm...........then there was the $30K on his daughters coming out party. Then at dinner I noticed his wife was sporting a ring.....at least 4cts. Then as they drove away.....their car was newer then mine......

So......yes....I believe there are ways people can save money....maybe paper towels are NOT what I would suggest for the people asking me for advice. smile :0)

There is another good one... how about this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRudjy0cub0&t=171s

Well you should be able to figure out the detergent, water, and energy costs to wash a load of cloth towels. I know I can easily wash 80 flour sack towels in my energy saving front loader and have stain free, snow white towels using a few Tablespoons of Persil Perls/Pearls. Pe rhaps for a single or retired couple its not worth it but for me it sure saved money.

I always find it interesting that these feel good videos and books are always written by someone that has money but only chooses to live like that for a certain period of time. Having been poor, potatoes fixed someway almost every night. Then well off enough that most of what I wanted was available I do not want to live like I did when I was younger. I also seriously question if these people can continue to do this for years and why. Die never spending or doing anything because it will cost money. I have seen people that have done that and they were never happy or contented with what they have. I consider these people as only playing with these ideas and not sustaining them.

mamapinky you are forgetting the cost for the sewer system to clean that water so that it can be reused. The enlargement needed for those pipes if everyone used that much water. There are expenses beyond what is obvious. How much did it cost environmentally to raise the material that goes into the cloth.

20 k Labor Day Party? How?

Zalco....live band. Caterer. Open bar. Stretch limo to pick everyone up. Yeah...DH asked the same thing, "How?" and that was the answer.

A question of minor impact with no real answer to find. That's the hint. Whether it's paper towels or reused washed ones, do what you prefer without a hit to your conscience. Saving crumbs accumulates only crumbs, there are bigger wasteful things with much bigger impacts that everyone does that are more worthy of attention.

I get a kick out of some young folks around me who declare they are minimalist. I get it. It sounds cool. However, driving an Audi Q8, living in and furnishing a 4,500 sf house on 2 acres with a spanking brand new John Deere to mow it...and so on. Yeah, he has the desire but not the ideals.

Smile and move on.

Funny....it used to be called "being poor", now it's cool to say "minimalist!". I guess now it can be a choice.

Paper towels require growing trees, planting thinning, trimming, cutting hauling chipping processing into fiber, bleaching, turning into paper, making rolls, cutting them up wrapping in plastics(their own environmental disaster) hauling to store you hauling them home to wipe up a spill and toss into the trash where they have to be carted away and put in a landfill where they will outlive you. I toss my cloth towels into the wash with the rest of my laundry but then I am not as concerned with snowy whiteness as Mamapinky so no special load or extra water. I know how towels are made and it requires growing cotton processing spinning and weaving but the resulting product lasts me years.

foggy, I think the difference between a minimalist and being poor, is : one is a choice, the other well, it's hard to get out of.

I don't consider myself a minimalist... but I chose to purchase a small house, that I could afford, that is a cinch to clean, cheap in upkeep. Since it is small, I don't have an abundance of stuff... so, some of my acquaintances think I am a minimalist, and my friends know I chose to live like I do, instead of going to work, to make money, and then be tired and worn out to enjoy the stuff I could afford.

Nope, I am not poor. I am however frugal. :)

patriciae, I am sooo with you. At the moment I have two rolls of paper towels in my cupboard. One I purchased at the beginning of the year, and the other is from my daughter, she gave it to me when she dissolved her household and moved overseas again.

I use cloth, and self knitted dishcloth for just about everything from spills to cleaning. Even my dirty bike chain gets cleaned with cloth... the kind that just looks to yucky to reuse... and there are always some in a container in the garage for extra yucky clean ups.

Moni

IMHO....sometimes frugal is just another way to say cheap!! Everyone has their own idea of what is important in their lives, I would say. I prefer to live

comfortably and clean in my every day life and not skimp and skimp to travel, buy a very expensive car, etc., etc. (nothing against these...just examples). Luckily,

we are all different...makes us more interesting. :) The saving for me is for

a comfortable future...who knows what we will have to face? My neighbor

complains how hard it is to pay their property taxes....but takes a very expensive trip every year. But....I sure won't reuse paper towels, keep grease in cans, etc, nor spend my life "stepping over a dime to pick up a penny". I want clean. For me, I am well

satisfied with the life I have. As far as the first

video....her voice drove me bonkers and I couldn't watch it all. She hemmed

and hawed and didn't even seem to know what she wanted to say. Not

someone I would take advice from. And "Outsideplaying", sorry I couldn't

listen to her to the end.

I do want to say that I love Mamapinkys expertise in cleaning and I have learned bunches from her posts and do not mean in any way to disparage her snowy whites, I am just too lazy to do it. I do not find washing and folding away my cloths to be a burden. It is like reusing socks. You wash match fold and put away socks. Not a burden. I also like doing my part to keep the earth healthy. It is a choice I make.

Uptown, there is a definitely a difference between cheap and frugal. Cheap is anyone who always buys the cheapest item. They just don't want to spend money. Frugal people don't have a problem spending money. Frugal people weighs quality, value etc compared to price . Sometimes it is frugal to buy the most expensive item. Example- A cheap person will buy the cheapest fridge in the store. A frugal person will research the best fridge for their needs and wants and then buys it at the store with the best price.

I use paper towels. After use, I compost them and spread compost in flower garden.

I recycle any thing the city allows, and I use Mason jars to store dry and wet goods.

We do our best to keep garbage to a minimum and line dry all we can. We even live in less than 1000 square ft home. We hope to keep our footprint small.