I don't spend money on....

[latraviata]

christine-mary.blogspot.com/

Well, here the list of things we don't spend money on, including the comments.

I love this one in particular:

Toilet paper. I keep some on hand for guests, but our family generally uses the family cloth (flannel cloths that are washable).

[holothuroidea]

I've done that before. It's not as gross as it sounds but regular TP is worth the price in convenience if you can afford it.

[Esther]

The family cloth?!

... I'd rather die. Ew.

[Minerva]

What?! Please tell me they at least wash the family cloth between uses. With bleach.

[Witsec7]

Hmm, she didn't list birth control :lol:

[dairyfreelife]

http://christine-mary.blogspot.com/

Well, here the list of things we don't spend money on, including the comments.

I love this one in particular:

Toilet paper. I keep some on hand for guests, but our family generally uses the family cloth (flannel cloths that are washable).

Christine's aren't that odd, but MooMama, :shock:

I think I'm grossed out. My family using the same cloth to wipe their...so much ick to that. Glad my parents weren't fundie nuts. Seriously, spring for toilet paper! Your family's health is more important than a few dollars.

Not to mention she says no OBs, even unassisted homebirth...that's scary.

Here's her blog: moosaidthemama.blogspot.com

[dairyfreelife]

Hmm, she didn't list birth control :lol:

Zsu said it in the comments and Christine agreed.

[Witsec7]

Zsu said it in the comments and Christine agreed.

aw shit :oops:

[Jessica]

What?! Please tell me they at least wash the family cloth between uses. With bleach.

It's the same thing as cloth baby wipes. It's not one big piece of cloth being shared.

[holothuroidea]

What?! Please tell me they at least wash the family cloth between uses. With bleach.

Yes. Well generally you use oxyclean or whatever the generic name for it is, because it degrades the fabric less. They'll wear out twice as fast if you use bleach. I used bleach because we were doing it short-term and bleach is cheaper.

When I did it, there was a bucket full of bleach water to put the cloths in after you used them, and they got washed every morning.

[holothuroidea]

It's the same thing as cloth baby wipes. It's not one big piece of cloth being shared.

:lol:! I never thought of it, but now I see that it could be interpreted that way.

No, they are individual cloths. One time use only.

LOL EW

[Esther]

:lol:! I never thought of it, but now I see that it could be interpreted that way.

No, they are individual cloths. One time use only.

LOL EW

THANK YOU GOD. THANK YOU.

[Jessica]

Also, I think a lot of people who do it use cloth diapers and have a diaper sprayer, which doubles as a bidet... so you're cleaning off with the sprayer and just patting dry with the cloth, instead of...well, you know.

[jjmennonite]

Slightly OT - when I was a child, my very poor fundy-mennonite cousins just had an outhouse, and used catalogues and newspapers to wipe their bottoms. (And I did, when I was there.) Christmas time was a special treat time in the outhouse, because we got to use the green tissue that the oranges were wrapped in, and it was MUCH softer and more absorbant.

I am also happy to hear the family cloth is one time use.

[ilovetchotchkes]

:lol:! I never thought of it, but now I see that it could be interpreted that way.

No, they are individual cloths. One time use only.

LOL EW

I can't tell you guys HOW many times lately I have been so HAPPY i made the decision to cloth diaper lately. Being pregnant, and peeing approximately every 20 seconds, we go through TP at an alarming rate. Also having NO BRAIN anymore due to girl fetus I will FORGET IT when i go to the grocery store for the specific intent of BUYING IT. :doh: So i've used the cloth baby wipes in a couple of instances until my husband being the sweetheart he is, brings it home on his way home from work. (for 3 months we only had one car )

However, while they dont' get bleached, they get washed in HOT AS HELL water with oxyclean.

However, its definitely one of those "in a pinch" things. I'm not planning on doing it full time. I mean come on, how many of us have run out of TP and resorted to using a wash rag before (surely SURELY I am not the only person this has happened to???)

[contrary]

It's not for me, but i understand it to be much like cloth diapering (flush any solids and drop the used ones in a wet bucket).

It is pretty funny to imagine one of those long cloth rollers, like in old gas station bathrooms to dry your hands...

[Deleted03]

aw shit :oops:

yeah she does not spend money on birth control, because she spends much more money on kids.

[Conuly]

Yeah, it's not really any "grosser" than cloth diapers or menstrual pads. You would wash it betweentimes! But if it's not for you, I certainly won't belabor the point. We don't do laundry regularly enough for it to be for us :oops:

[contrary]

Don't be embarrassed! I am just a lazy ass. I don't find it "gross" at all (same as i don't find cloth diapering "gross").

Mostly, I just find myself to be exceptionally lazy.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I can see advantages either way, but does it actually save money? Toilet paper is one of the loss leaders that stores periodically offer below cost, to entice to into the store. Plus, hot water and electricity cost money too.

[holothuroidea]

I can see advantages either way, but does it actually save money? Toilet paper is one of the loss leaders that stores periodically offer below cost, to entice to into the store. Plus, hot water and electricity cost money too.

If you already cloth diaper, it's basically free.

A days worth of cloths are not enough for a full load of laundry. Not even close. If you already wash towels or something daily or every other day, it's cost effective. If not, then it's not really worth it.

[Witsec7]

Blessedly underwear is not on the list :lol:

[ladypuglover]

I can remember my mom using wash cloths when she was changing my nephew's and niece's cloth diapers back in the 70's. I didn't think it was gross at the time because she would then rinse out the wash cloths in the toilet along with the diaper and then throw everything into a bucket of some kind of premade soaking agent. Every morning she would throw the contents into her washer and run everything on HOT water and line dry or use the dryer if weather was bad. We never had stains on our wash cloths or an infection so she must have done something right.

If I knew then what I know now and had my act together I might have gone the cloth diaper and wash cloth route for my kids and maybe even cloth pads for me. I have used a wash cloth when lady bits or baby bits are red and sore but that is only after using TP or a wipe. Since 3/5 of my kids are grown and no longer in diapers and I'm at the end of my monthlies I don't think lordpuglover is going to be willing to change to the hippy way. Maybe 20 plus years ago but that old dog is too grouchy to learn new tricks. :whistle:

[HoneyBunny]

I've been lucky enough to travel a lot around the world. Most of the people in the world don't have access to toilets and TP that would meet American/Canadian/Western European/Australian standards. It's a case of "when in Rome...", and I've squated over troughs in China where I watched others' BMs pass under me. Toilet paper? Never saw any except what I brought with me, and it got put in a baggie and carried out to be disposed of later. No wastebaskets either. You do what you have to do.

But here we have TP. During my husband and my graduate school years, it was the ultra cheap stuff. Now it's nothing but Charmin (and not Basic).

If it's a money thing, use the cheap stuff. If it's a green thing, watching all those family cloths and drying them in a dryer is probably more expensive. But to each his own.

[bionicmlle]

Seems like the issue of family cloth came up with Emily, the WonderWash and the soapnuts.

(I'm wistful, now...)