most of the time, that is. I don't know what made me think of this today, but I did. I think it's important in the simplifying process. It's one "lesson" my father and grandmother were very adament about. When I married, Granny said she was buying my washing machine. Why just a washer? As per Granny, because you can air dry anything, so a washer is more important. When I went to buy it, she told me to get a Kenmore because they were reasonably priced and long-lasting. Okay. And then she said not to get the most expensive just because someone else was buying. But also not to get the least expensive, because it won't be as durable, and I'll have to end up paying for repairs in a few years. So I took her advice and got the mid-priced washer. Not too many bells & whistles- soak mode and pre-wash cycle, extra-large capacity. And I've been washing the hell out of cloth diapers for the last 6 years with no problems.
You get what you pay for. Simple enough, but think about it. Buy some cheap-ass washer for say, $100. 2 years later it breaks, so you pay $50 to fix it. Again in a few more years. Well guess what? You could have spent $200 originally and saved yourself the trouble. (and I'm totally making up numbers here, I have no ideas how much washers or repairs cost right now). Obviously, it doesn't always work out that way, but you really should research what you buy and buy SMART, not just frugel. When I was a teenager, I had a friend whose dad was a mechanic. He would buy the shittiest, cheapest car he could find and "fix it up" for her. And then spend the next year picking her up when it broke down and "fixing it" again. Then buy another car and do the same cycle again. I figure by the time she was 20 years old, if you totally up all the quick fixes and supplies he bought, she could have had a freakin' Maserati.
I think our "Wal Mart mentality" in today's society hurts us. We look at most items as disposable.
I use as much cloth as I can in my home: cloth diapers, cloth baby wipes, cloth kitchen towels, cloth menstrual products, and yes...cloth toilet paper. I can't even imagine how much money I have save on paper towels alone. We still buy paper tp 'cause....well... there are some things I don't ever need to see, much less wash :D, but I buy less than 1/2 the amount of tp than I used to.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this post! Just rambling, so I'll end it here. Have a nice day.