Do you reuse something in some way that others might not know about?

Clever!
Patty

 

This is not my idea, but I like it. A friend uses cereal boxes to organize magazines, school books, books by seasons, etc. She cuts them out just like a magazine holder and labels them. Very clever!

 

I tried to cut cereal boxes up to use the same way. Even had wonderful directions to follow but they came out all odd shaped. Kids just ended up using them to paint on.

 

A square tissue box makes a great grocery-sack-holder. I have/leave one in the minivan as well. Comes in handy when shopping at Aldi's or if I need a sack for trash in the van.

 

A friend of mine saves her small margarine tubs (all the same size) and uses them for snack bowls for her kids (as well as leftovers). I save these and take them to our church and leave them in the kitchen cabinet. Then, when we have pitch-ins, people have containers to take left-overs home in if they want (especially those desserts! )

 

Baby food jars (#3 especially) can be used to hold nails, screws, nuts, bolts, etc. Take the lids off, screw them to a board, then nail the board to the bottom of a shelf. Fill the baby food jars, then put them on their lids. They will be hanging down where you can see them, nice and clear, and you just 'unscrew' the jar from the lid when you need a nail, etc. out of it.

 

I recently used grocery sacks for 'padding' for a package (box) I was sending to a friend...this way she could (hopefully) re-use the sacks as well. And I didn't have the mess of packing peanuts to deal with.

 

Oh I also have purchased the drop cloth canvas at Big Lots really cheap instead of artist canvas and my kids cut squares out for painting. It's alot cheaper. This is more of a cheap skate idea rather than recycling but I just thought I'ld share.

 

Lee, you have some great ideas. I never would have thought of using drop cloth.
Patty

 

All these are great!! I also use plastic table cloths for play-doo and painting. Big plastic buckets (from ice cream) for blueberry/strawberry picking. Water dish (outside) in the summer for my dog. The kids like to use them out in the sand.. Or getting tadpoles out of the pond..

 

This is why I love this thread.
I never thought of using my ice cream buckets for picking fruit or soaking the pistachios.
Thanks!
Patty

 

I absolutely love Dublin Dr. Pepper, which comes in glass bottles, and I like to use them for a single flower or two, to go in a bathroom or my bedroom, on the rare occasions I have fresh flowers in the house.


Honestly I can't think of anything interesting I do as far as reusing right now. If I think of anything I'll come back

 

This may not apply to most of the moms here, but we use Crown Royal bags for small toys like marbles and jacks. My family (not my husband and I, but the rest of my family) drinks the heck out of that stuff, so we've got an over abundance of purple and gold cloth drawstring bags.

 

Okay, I love the homemade Febreze idea. How much of the fabric softener do you use???

 

I bought a Swiffer to dry sweep my Pergo flooring. I am too cheap to continue buying the Swiffer cloths so I have a handful of wash cloths that I use specifically to sweep my Pergo floor. I turn the cloth over and use the other side too and then wash it.

I also use them to wet mop with my Swiffer.

 

Tissue boxes for my cats to play in.

 

My cat loves boxes too. When the mail comes and she sees a box she gets up right next to the box as it is being opened and she jumps inside. If there are styrafoam peanuts in the box she jumps out right away because they freak her out! Otherwise she will stay in the box playing for hours.

 

I know! Aren't they just the funniest!

 

My cat is facinated with bread ties from loaves of bread. I found her stash of bread ties that she just plays hocky with on the floor. We have bought her toys but give her a used box or a bread tie and she goes to town. :lol:

 

What a fantastic thread! So many awesome ideas!! I don't know if I do anything particularly clever. Let's see.... oh when I travel with dress clothing instead of dry cleaner bags I simply cut a whole in the bottom of a garbage bag, and stick the hanger through the hole. The garbage bag serves the same purpose as a drycleaner bag. That doesn't really reuse anything - more like uses up garbage bags faster! Okay, so I need help in this creative department!