Dishwasher or paper plates?

I prefer the dishwasher over the paper plates. I live by myself and have few dishes to wash. I run my dishwasher about every 7 days or so. I rinse plates and such so any residue is gone to prevent things from drying into cement waiting for the next time I run the dishwasher. It might be different if you have a large family. I know a guy who lives by himself like me but does neither, electing to take an even cheaper route. He does all the time, what I do when camping out, simply wipe the dishes clean with a paper napkin and then tosses the napkin in the fireplace.

always the diswasher for us. A family of four could easily go through 1 pack of cups in no time, and the disposable plates-while it seems convenient-it still costs.

Consider: Cups: depends on your area $1.00-3.50 for a pack of 12-18 cups.

Plates: can range from high $3.00 and up for a smaller pack or the wholesale 24 count and above for $3.00 and up-which are usually foam-so you can't heat on them, and you can't put really hot foods on it.

1 box of detergent would equal at the highest $4.00, and you actually use less water than hand washing. This of course is filling your dishwasher to capacity everytime and doing this once a day.

I would rather do better stuff with my money, like stay out of debt, build savings, etc. To buy these things is like throwing money away. It's ok to maybe use these for picnics or holidays-but not on a regular basis.