Let’s have a serious talk about cloth napkins and mason jars. I know that folks may have tried to talk to you about this subject before. Wait. What’s that you say? No one has ever tried to have a serious talk with you about napkins and mason jars? Weeeeell…. It’s about time someone did. Let’s begin.
Once upon a time, our family was just like a million other families in America. When we went to the store, we always threw in a bag of paper napkins and frequently bought those little throwaway plastic food and storage containers. BUT THEN…
We started thinking about how wasteful paper napkins seemed to be. We were only able to use them once and needed at least 9 napkins for our daily meals; and that wasn’t counting using any for snacks. It seemed to us that we were wasting money buying napkins over and over again. We were also wasting space in a landfill… It seemed that a simple solution would be to use cloth napkins and wash them with the regular laundry.
At first, we looked into buying some cloth napkins. They were ridiculously expensive and ugly. Scratch plan A. Plan B was to make some napkins. Happily, it was around Christmas time when Plan B went into action. For one of our Christmas presents that year, my Mom and Grandma made us napkins!
Turns out that napkins are extremely easy to make. If you want to make your own, simply cut a square of cloth the size you want your napkin to be. Hem the edges all the way around. Presto! You’ve got a lovely cloth napkin. It’s been five years since Mom and Grandma made us those first napkins. Guess what? We’re still using them and they’re just as good as new.
Well, now that we’ve had a little napkin talk, let’s move on to mason jars. Our love affair with mason jars started when we began reading about the negative effects of plastic. There was more than enough research out there to convince us that plastic needed to have a limited role in our life. So, the little plastic containers got recycled and sold at a yard sale. Then, we were in a bit of a quandary. We used those little plastic containers a lot. What was going to replace them?
Helloooooo masen jars! We already had lots of mason jars on hand since we canned almost all of our own food. These were our perfect solution! We have discovered that these jars are the handiest things ever! Mason jars are perfect for storing leftovers in the fridge. You can use them instead of plastic containers to carry food in your lunch box. You can freeze them (if they are can and freeze jars). They also make great water bottles for working on the farm or taking to work.
Taking mason jars to work? Yes, I do. At first, I got some strange looks when I whipped out my cloth napkin and mason jar filled with iced tea at lunch. But, my co-workers are used to me being a little different, and after explaining why I had them, most people thought it was kind of neat. It really all depends on what you’re used to. When I told my little girl that some people only used paper napkins instead of cloth, she thought that was extremely bizarre!
Cloth napkins and masen jars….simple items that can make serious changes!
*Have you made any simple changes in your life like using cloth napkins? Let us know about your simple items that make serious changes by writing in the comments box below.
