Kitchen towels, little luxuries, and a challenge

Thursday, June 27, 2013

I was at the store the other day picking up some things for dinner, and I got sidetracked by a display of really cute kitchen towels, which is weird, because who spends more than 10 seconds of their life thinking about kitchen towels?

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Dish towels are one of those things that you get 30 of at your wedding shower. You get so many that it seems like it's going to be a lifetime supply, and then you never buy them again.

Or your mom buys you a whole bunch when you finally leave home, and you're like, WTF mom, don't spend all this money on DISH CLOTHS, just give me cash.

It's not like anyone actively buys kitchen towels for themselves, right? It's not like they're important.

But your kitchen towel hangs there on your oven door handle in all its glory, and everybody sees it. You see it every time you come into the kitchen, a thousand times a day. There it is. Dingy and stained and ratty. You touch it every day. You use it constantly. Yet you continue using worn-out, fugly dish towels.

So I bought the new cute towels. They were $4.99. I was hardly breaking the bank. But it wasn't a necessary purchase. I have a whole drawer full of towels in the kitchen - some stained, some faded, most not very cute, but they do the job. They just aren't very exciting to look at.

What I am starting to realize is that sometimes, the best little treats are the nice kitchen towels. Or the fancy toothbrushes. The soaps that cost $15 each, but smell amazing. Super-soft pillowcases. Small luxuries that are relatively inexpensive, but make you happy when you use them, every single day - those are worth it. Life is too short to use ugly towels and scratchy pillowcases and bunchy underwear.

I challenge you, this weekend, to take one thing you use each day that's aggravating you, throw it out, and get a new one. A nice new one. Chuck your gross shower curtain or your un-cozy bathrobe or your grody juice pitcher, I don't know, just get rid of something that you use every day. AND UPGRADE. It doesn't have to be expensive, but don't get the 99 cent toothbrush, get the swivelling head toothbrush with the extra soft bristles and the cushiony grip, know what I mean? Get the good makeup brushes. Toss your leaky travel mug and get a really nice one that'll make you happy every day when you make your morning coffee.

That's your assignment for the weekend. Take one of your routine "musts" and make it into a daily treat, a little luxury. It'll be worth every penny.


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10 comments

  1. Ummm.... I actively think about (and buy) kitchen towels. I can't help it. #weirdo

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    1. Maybe I'm the weirdo for not thinking about them? :)

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  2. Replies
    1. I'm in the habit of buying something like a new shirt or a pair of shoes when I need a pick-me-up, but then you only get to use it once in a while. Splurging on something you get to use every single day is way more enjoyable!

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  3. haha i love this. I LOVE when people buy me kitchen towels as a gift because I never splurge myself. As I glance at my stove at the corner of my eye, one dingy blue and white (previously gifted) towel and one hot pink one from my old pink kitchen apartment. I might need to upgrade immediately.

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    1. Do it! You'll smile every time you go in the kitchen!

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  4. I hear you, I buy Dr Bronners soap because it makes me happy, It really is the small things!

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    1. It's well worth the splurge when it's something you use every day!

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  5. At this moment I'm sitting in a Starbucks, killing time waiting for G. I'm not one to go jump into Canada day festivities on my own, so I gave myself two options - Go shopping, or grab a comfy seat in a coffee shop. I would LOVE, love, love to be shopping right now but nothing is open. Poor me.

    You're so right though, something as simple as a new dish towel can really bring your kitchen to life.

    PS - I so totally could have used this time to plan a coffee date with a Blogger friend... NEXT time!

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    1. Next time for sure!! We didn't take in much Canada Day stuff, just took Eli downtown to run around the public gardens and see the Bengal Lancers horses :)

      I have been making a little list of things to update in each room of our house so next time I have the urge to go shopping for nothing in particular I can get something that will actually serve a purpose!

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