New Uses for Chalk

Reusing items is more frugal than just recycling them or throwing them away. Many times, we can find new uses for inexpensive things that we already have, making an expensive trip to the store unnecessary. Chalk is pretty inexpensive, and if you have kids then chances are that you have chalk, since it is a popular and cheap toy that spurs on the creativity. Even if you don’t have kids, consider picking up some chalk, which may be on sale at the end of summer, and using it for one of the following tasks. You can use chalk with some … Continue reading

New Uses for Shaving Cream

A while back, I got a great deal on shaving cream. I was able to buy 20 cans of it for 10 cents a piece, using sales and coupons. The only problem, of course, is that my husband uses an electric shaver most of the time. I reserved one can for my husband for his occasional blade shave, and then I gave five of the cans to my father, who does use shaving cream. I donated ten cans of the shaving cream to a shelter through our church, but that still left me with four cans of shaving cream. I … Continue reading

New Uses for Blanket Plastic Bags

Do you know those zippered or snapped plastic bags that come with blankets, comforters and sheet sets? They seem so useful and a shame to throw out, don’t they? They are made of sturdy plastic and they have that convenient zipper or snaps to close the bags and protect something, right? You keep the bags thinking that they might be useful to restore those blankets and sheets, but no matter how you fold them, the blankets, comforters or sheets just won’t fit again. Well, read on to find some ways you can give them new life, saving money in the … Continue reading

15 Creative Uses for Muffin Pans

Muffin pans can be had very cheaply at almost any yard sale or thrift store. There are so many creative and frugal uses for muffin pans. Here are just a few. Make soap using a silicone muffin pan as a mold Make a frugal breakfast Freeze chicken stock or broth in them Store screws, nails and bolts Use them to organize beads for crafting Store little girl hair clips in them. You can organize them all by color or type to make getting dressed in the morning so much easier. Use one for a rustic decoration. Just nail or screw … Continue reading

Frugal Things to Do with Coffee Grounds

Wait, don’t throw those used coffee grounds away. There are many things you can do with coffee grounds. Why waste something that can be put to work for you for free? Keep Bugs Away Coffee grounds can be used as a natural way to keep ants and slugs off of your garden plants. Mound up the grounds and form them into a ring around your plants. The bugs won’t cross the ring. Deodorize Dry the grounds first and then place a bowl of them in your refrigerator. The coffee grounds will absorb stray odors from food and keep everything fresh … Continue reading

Things to Do with Tennis Balls

Used tennis balls are like pennies. They were once valued but are usually discarded. Once tennis balls go flat then they can’t really be used for tennis anymore. They can, however, be used for many other things. So whether you have tennis balls of your own or want to rescue some free tennis balls and put them to good use, you should be able to benefit from the following ideas. You can reuse tennis balls: In the dryer to prevent washed pillows from becoming lumpy and to fluffy up towels, comforters and down coats. In your home to move heavy … Continue reading

What to Do with Vending Machine Bubbles

You know that you are really frugal when you can look at anything at all and find a way to reuse it. one such items that came up recently for me is the plastic vending machine bubble. These are the little plastic cases that hold rings, tattoos, erasers, cheap jewelry, bouncy balls and other little toys that can be had from a vending machine. Now, what am I doing talking about buying little overpriced things that cost 50 cents or more these days? Well, I am not actually talking about purchasing these bubble-filled toys, but actually just reusing the bubbles. … Continue reading

What to Do with Bread Tabs

A little bit ago, I shared some ideas for reusing odd things around the house that were featured in the Tightwad Gazette. One of those items was the humble little bread tag. You know what I mean? A bread tab is the rectangular piece of plastic that is used to secure commercial loaves of bread in their plastic bags. Bread tabs are plentiful and, of course, they are free with your bread purchase. We already know of two uses for the bread tab. The first is as a stitch counter when knitting or crocheting. The tab has that convenient little … Continue reading

Reuse from A to Z! (A-B)

You can reuse so many different and common objects that you might normally throw away. Here is a quick A to Z guide on how to reuse these items to save money and the environment. Along the way, I hope you’ll add your own ideas. A Aluminum foil: Flatten the foil and fold or roll it to use it again. You can wash aluminum foil if necessary. The only caution here is when it was used to wrap raw meat. B Baby Wipe Containers: There are a million uses for these. In my own home, I use them to hold … Continue reading

Frugal Things to Do with Citrus Peels

In my house, we have been going through oranges like crazy. The stores have them all on sale, especially naval oranges and clementine oranges. The kids absolutely love them. I have been picking them up at buy one get one free specials, and two boxes or bags only last the week. Lemons have also been on sale, and I have been incorporating them into meals and making them into vitamin-C packed lemonade. One down side of all of this citrus is that is is certainly generating a lot of peels. My garbage can sure smells nice, but I started wondering … Continue reading