Mission Impossible

In this age of "going green" and sustainable living, retailers are not making it easy for consumers in this dire economy. Yes, there are an abundance of green, organic or alternative products out there now a days, but the price of these products is more than that of others in most cases.

For example, I looked into recycled paper towels today. I think they were $8 for 3 rolls. I just can't image someone on any kind of budget spending that kind of money on paper towels. My family can use 2-3 rolls of paper towels a week. Now that is alot of waste! While I stood there in the store contemplating what to do, I thought... duh, why not use cloth napkins. We have actually used dish towels in a pinch and I actually liked them better.

Photo copied from Flicker

So, I now have a mission... durable, cotton napkins for a reasonable price. I have been combing the web in my search and I am not pleased with what I have found. I know I really can be cheap but I find $3-$6 per napkin an insane amount to pay. I have thought about buying stiff dish towels or wash cloths, but I just don't know.

Any thoughts or ideas on where to search next would be great... stores, websites, etc. If only I could sew, I would make my own cloth napkins and lower my ecological footprint by tons.

Here are some directions for making cloth napkins out of sheets if anyone is up for the challenge.