Cloth Napkins Save Money

Cotton, Linen, and Other Earth-Friendly Alternatives to Paper

Sep 4, 2007 Judith Zwolak

Get or make discount cloth napkins and save some green while your dining table gets "greener."

Frugal families can save more than a little money by switching from paper to cloth napkins. This eco-friendly choice can also help save natural resources.

Cloth napkins—whether in the form of cotton napkins, linen napkins or damask napkins—not only spruce up your dinner table, they also help save trees needed to make disposable paper napkins.

The monetary savings come over time, of course. Investing in a good selection of cloth napkins will cost more money at the onset than buying a package of paper napkins at the grocery store. The payoff, however, comes later, realized in less garbage sent to the landfill, more trees left standing in the forest, and, eventually, more money sitting in your wallet.

On sale, a 400-count pack of Scott brand paper napkins costs $4.49 at Amazon. If a family of six uses one pack each month, paper napkins can cost a household about $50 a year. For the same amount of money, you can purchase 16 Fieldcrest cloth napkins from Target (four sets of four at $11.99 each). Quality cloth napkins can last years, and they are softer, gentler, and much more absorbent than basic paper napkins.

Cloth Napkin Tips:

Using cloth napkins means more laundry, but there is no need to wash these napkins after every use. After each meal fold the napkin or thread through a napkin ring and keep at each family member’s table setting. Or, purchase or make unique napkins rings for each person and stash napkins in a drawer between meals.

Make your own napkin rings or help you kids make simple cardboard napkin rings by recycling toilet paper or paper towel tubes. Cut out a few one-inch segments from the cardboard tubes and gather some crafting supplies. Artful and unique napkin rings can spring from a collection of markers, sequins, glitter, feathers and dried macaroni.

Save even more money and make your own cloth napkins out of leftover material or remnants from the fabric store. Cut a 16-inch-by-16-inch square from cotton, damask or linen material and hem the edges. For a sophisticated table setting, sew beads at the corners of the napkin or line the edges with ribbon.

Cloth napkins also have uses that expand beyond keeping hands and faces clean during mealtime. Line a straw basket with a pretty cloth napkin to serve bread or rolls to set an attractive table. At a buffet-style party, place a cloth napkin in a plastic or glass tumbler and drape the edges of the napkin over the sides of the glass. Use the container to store utensils for guests to pick up as they make their way through the buffet line.

The copyright of the article Cloth Napkins Save Money in Family Finances is owned by Judith Zwolak. Permission to republish Cloth Napkins Save Money in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Fieldcrest Cloth Napkins