To paper plate or not to paper plate...

... that is the question.

I'll be honest. I hate doing housework, chores, getting dirty, what-have-you. I prefer the easy no muss no fuss methods of keeping everything clean and tidy. I have better things to do than clean and tidy up all the time. Don't you? So I'm always looking for ways to make the whole bit of cleaning simpler. One way has been using paper plates at home for casual every day meals. The use of paper plates made cleaning up after meals much quicker. Just throw it away - voila - done!

And before you go there, yes, I do have a dishwasher and it does get used. But for some reason the use of paper plates just seemed so much easier and quicker. There were the occasions when a paper plate would be reused, perhaps after having just toast or non-messy sandwich on it. I was doing my part of recycling. And each paper plate, when used beyond reuse, would be tossed in the recycle bin. I would never use the styrofoam products, never have and never will, they are so bad and although they are cheaper I just cannot bring myself to use them (just like I will never buy another non-cage-free egg again, chickens deserve to frolic around too).

So, in the past several months I have been making an effort to save money and be a little more green and I stopped buying paper plates for home use and figured we'd just use the dishwasher more. The dishwasher option is fine but does take the time to rinse plates, then you have to run the thing (which the sound freaks the dog out and that is a whole 'nother story), then the worst part is putting the dishes away. I really hate that job. I know, it's so simple, right? but I hate doing it. I'd prefer to clean our dirty fish pond. And then I noticed we were using a lot more dishwasher soap and using more water running the dishwasher more often. But I kept on with this new method of kitchen cleanliness.

Then one day we were going on a picnic and I bought some paper plates at the Dollar Tree. There were plates left over that I brought home to use for casual meals at home. And then I remembered my fondness for the paper plate again. So simple to use, so simple to clean up afterward. Why did I stop using them? Oh yeah, saving money and being more green.

But which option truly is more green and less expensive?!? I have been pondering this question for a week or so. Paper plates cost money to buy and then they create trash (ok, in my case recyclable trash) and some trees were cut down to make the paper plates. Paper plates are not as pretty or sturdy as regular plates but I can live with that. Using stoneware plates is much more aesthetically pleasing and holds food better and does not cost any extra money, they are reusable. But then they have to be rinsed, washed and put away which uses more water and makes me buy more dishwasher soap.

So I'm torn between the two options... for now I have not purchased more paper plates and continue to use traditional plates that require more effort but make my meals look that much more tasty and promise not to let food fall in my lap. All the while I write this I am dreading the dishwasher cycle ending, signaling time *yet again* to unload and put dishes away... there's got to be some other activity I can find to do to put off unloading that thing again...