It's nothing major, but it's one of those "little things" that really adds up.
With life comes mess.
Add kids into the mix and you've got lots and lots of mess.
Dishes, counters, tables, walls, floors and don't even get me started on the bathroom - GAH!
What do we do about it?
Simple! We grab our cleaners and our sponges and tackle the mess of the moment.
When my 2 younger boys (12 mo apart) were small I was going through so so so many sponges! I had 1 for cleaning dishes, 1 for cleaning the bathroom and 1 for table and counters and 1 for walls, floors and other misc toddler leftovers around the house . I was using them so often, that after only a week or two, I was having to replace them.
Every 2 weeks I was buying a 4 pack of sponges.
No big deal, right?
I didn't think so, 'till I sat down & did the math.
A simple 4 pack of Scotch Brite costs $4.99 x twice a month = $119.00 a year.
On sponges.
Yeah, that's ridiculous.
So, I switched to brushes & rags. Simple as that!
I have 2 brushes that I use at the sink. Long handled & short handled from Scotch Brite.
The short one wears down from use and so I have to replace it about every 3 months, but the long one I've had for over a year. Pop them in the dishwasher with your evening dishes & they're good to go!
For everything else I use washcloths. Nothing fancy, just a pack of white rags I pick up at either Target & Walmart. I get a new pack every year & a half or so.
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| My 14mo old got to the rags before I could snap the photo. Little stinker. |
With life comes mess.
Add kids into the mix and you've got lots and lots of mess.
Dishes, counters, tables, walls, floors and don't even get me started on the bathroom - GAH!
What do we do about it?
Simple! We grab our cleaners and our sponges and tackle the mess of the moment.
When my 2 younger boys (12 mo apart) were small I was going through so so so many sponges! I had 1 for cleaning dishes, 1 for cleaning the bathroom and 1 for table and counters and 1 for walls, floors and other misc toddler leftovers around the house . I was using them so often, that after only a week or two, I was having to replace them.
Every 2 weeks I was buying a 4 pack of sponges.
No big deal, right?
I didn't think so, 'till I sat down & did the math.
A simple 4 pack of Scotch Brite costs $4.99 x twice a month = $119.00 a year.
On sponges.
Yeah, that's ridiculous.
So, I switched to brushes & rags. Simple as that!
I have 2 brushes that I use at the sink. Long handled & short handled from Scotch Brite.
The short one wears down from use and so I have to replace it about every 3 months, but the long one I've had for over a year. Pop them in the dishwasher with your evening dishes & they're good to go!
For everything else I use washcloths. Nothing fancy, just a pack of white rags I pick up at either Target & Walmart. I get a new pack every year & a half or so.
Let's say over a year, I buy the short brush ($3) 4 times and then the long brush ($3.50) & rags ($4) once (even tho they last longer) a year. That comes to a whopping $19.50!
By simply ditching sponges, I'm saving $100 annually. That's a month of piano lessons!
AND if I bought the brushes at the dollar store, I could save even more!
Finding ways to save money, even after cutting back as much as possible, can seem overwhelming.
It's when you stop and look at the little things that your eyes are opened to the savings all around you!
They really do add up!
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By simply ditching sponges, I'm saving $100 annually. That's a month of piano lessons!
AND if I bought the brushes at the dollar store, I could save even more!
Finding ways to save money, even after cutting back as much as possible, can seem overwhelming.
It's when you stop and look at the little things that your eyes are opened to the savings all around you!
They really do add up!
Thank you for stopping by today. Take a minute while you're here to sign up to get the blog posts sent to your email, so you don't miss another post!
You can also follow me on Facebook & Instagram.
I wonder what the cost & longevity would be if I knitted the rags. A ball of cotton yarn is about $3 & can make 3 smaller rags. You can make them more "scrubby" by knitting strips of tulle in. I will have to test it one of these days! :-)
ReplyDeleteOoohhh!! You should try! I'd love to see that!
DeleteI never saw this post whenever you put it up. Good points- I hate rags, especially in the bathroom. It's so gross. But those cleaning wipes are SO expensive, so I just deal with it. :) We use a scrubby sponge/dish soap thing for dishes because Jared does the dishes and that's what he likes. But I really like those brushes for cleaning-especially my cursed tile counter tops.
ReplyDelete