Thrifty Thursday: cloth napkins

Welcome to my new weekly feature, Thrifty Thursday!  Every Thursday, I'm going to post either a cool thrift store find, or share a thrifty, eco-friendly tip you can try.  Today's post is both thrifty and a thrift store find!

Several months ago, I blogged about our dependence on paper towels.  And I don't use the word "dependence" lightly.  We were using a case of paper towels every few weeks!  We used them to clean up messes large and small, as dinner napkins, baby wipes... everything.  I committed to using fewer paper towels, and set out to make some cloth napkins, using this great tutorial.  I sewed dozens of cloth napkins. . .

. . . and my family actually loves using them.  In fact, each of my kids has their own favorite print, and some are quite protective of "their" napkins!  ;)

Then I started noticing bundles of cloth napkins at my favorite thrift store.  High-quality fabrics in interesting prints, and never-before used, for maybe a buck or two -- per set!  So for about $10, my family of 11 now has an abundant supply of eco-friendly cloth napkins.

some cute summery prints... I'm loving the double-sided set!

I've found them in all different sizes, from a petite 10" x 10" to the large 20" x 20".  I've also found some in large quantities (like the green and white print above -- more than thirty!)  Sometimes, I find small sets, like the cute orange poppy print (and my favorite) -- only four.   Good quality, "new" cloth napkins seem to be pretty common at thrift stores, so if you're interested in giving them a try, you hould have no trouble in rounding up some awesome prints for your own family!  

Oh, and another cool thing:  I don't remember the last time I bought paper towels.  Paper towel addiction -- BUSTED.

What's your favorite thrift store find that you use regularly in your household, or has made your life easier or greener?

(And if you have a great thrift score, or thrifty tip, and would like to share it with my readers, shoot me an email!  I'd love to have some guest bloggers!)