We don’t use paper napkins.  We don’t wipe our hands on our pants.  (At least I don’t think anyone at our house does that!)  We reach for cloth.  Skipping the paper towels and napkins is an awesome way to use fewer resources, create less trash, and save money.  What’s there not to love?

Going paper free in the kitchen hasn’t been a huge challenge, probably because both our parents were quick to grab dish cloths to wipe counters or clean up spills instead of paper towels.  You know how it is.  The things we learn as kids certainly become huge habits as we get older.  So when a few comments came up on the topic of paper in the kitchen last week, I just knew it was time to show what we know.

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After releasing baby books in the journal shop and being away for the weekend to celebrate two birthdays, it was pretty obvious that this week was going to be pretty taxing in terms of the higher-than-normal paper load and lower-than-usual available time to tackle it.

How about you?  Did you manage to cross off the first decluttering item that you chose to tackle at your house for our little challenge?

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We didn’t have a dryer in Germany.  All of our clothes dried on this rack from OBI for about 20 euros.

It filled a big chunk of our living room every time we set it up.

Then our laundry took over 24 hours to dry on wet winter days.  Nobody gave us funny looks; line drying clothes was the norm.

Now we live in the Rocky Mountains (where there isn’t intense humidity) in the heat of the summer.  A lot of our neighbors are using dryers.  But not us.  The dryer here is just collecting dust because living in Germany reintroduced us to the laundry habits our mothers and grandmothers were doing for years.  I love it!  Here’s why:

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When Katherine sent me a few pictures from around her new home, I was stunned at how beautiful her house is becoming.  She and her husband just moved in last fall, and like most newlyweds, they didn’t have much.  Katherine told me, “We moved in with nothing much more remarkable than a bed, a couch, and stacks upon stacks of books.”

I just knew I had to share her new home with all of you.  Katherine has some beautiful ideas for creating a home that’s both financially and environmentally responsible, so I think you’ll just love what she has to say.  (And swing by her blog if you get a chance, too.  We recently did a super fun interview about Gadanke over there.)  Okay, Katherine.  It’s all you…

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I have been known to speak with grocery store managers about the egg selection in the United States.  Martin either rolls his eyes and thinks, “There she goes again.”  Or he joins me.  I do not like supporting businesses that only offer styrofoam containers.

Gosh, I’m realizing I have spoken with a lot of managers about using styrofoam… hotel managers about the continental breakfast, the auto repair shop with free coffee, small town restaurants I love, the deacon of my hometown church.  Yikes!  They’re probably glad I’m thousands of miles away.  ”Here goes that Katie girl again, off to ask us to switch our practices.”

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Do you ever get excited to do laundry?  Hmm.  For some reason, I’m having trouble hearing your kazoos and drum rolls.  Come on, people.  It’s LAUNDRY!  yeah!

Okay.  I confess I have only been excited about laundry once – the day I didn’t have to go to a laundromat because we finally saved up to get our own washer.  I really didn’t think I could get excited about dirty laundry ever again.  Seriously – laundry?  Yawn.  Gag.  Ehh.  And now… well now I might pull out a few kazoos for all of us.

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