Sometimes Odd But New Uses for Old Stuff

There is a certain addiction in our household. I can almost say it is a competition sometimes. We all enjoy discovering new uses for items that are used for something else entirely. The stranger the use the better, though we all agree it must be practical too. I have written articles about lots of the things we reuse often, however I plan to write some new ones too. In honor of the new articles that are coming, I thought I would recap my favorite reusable items. A Clever and Very Frugal Way to Use Torn Panty Hose I am completely … Continue reading

Uses for Return Address Labels

I enjoy supporting Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars. I’m never able to contribute a whole lot, but for my small offerings, they keep me well supplied with return address labels. I also receive them from The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation(those are gorgeous – they have roses all over them) and from various other charities. These, added to the roll I ordered when we moved, combine to make a huge pile of return address labels that I’ll never get fully used up – especially when I do most of my communicating online. But I’m not going to throw … Continue reading

5 Great New Uses for Bandannas

That’s bandanas or bandannas folks, not bananas. I suddenly have a ton of them. After cleaning out some old containers in the basement along with two dresser drawers I counted 32 of the little fabric squares. And I know we have more in our dress up box, in my drawer and the children have a few in their drawers. While I might not know how we acquired so many of them, I know some great things to do with them. Flags Bandannas make great flags. You can sew them together to create one large solid or colorful flag, or allow … Continue reading

New Uses for Straws

With all the cleaning and purging we are doing as we prepare the house to go on the market, we are coming across dozens of items that we seem to have a lot of. The other day I opened a kitchen cabinet and way in the back behind bottles of seasoning and other things, was six – yes you saw that correctly – six unopened packages of straws. Four of them have more than 200 straws in them. Why in the world do we have so many straws? I seriously have no clue, but I do know what I will … Continue reading

The Best and the Worst of the Halloween Candy

Have you been sneaking the kids Halloween candy? I know I have, especially after our church’s Trunk or Treat event got cancelled because of snow…yes snow, in October, in Pennsylvania. So here we are with a big bowl of candy and no way to hand it out (our semi-rural neighborhood, with its zero sidewalks and houses far apart get zero trick or treaters), meaning that there have been one or two (or five) Romans grabbing a piece or two here or there. We only buy the good stuff. I was curious to know which of the candy, the Kit Kats, … Continue reading

Five Cheap Art Materials You Never Expected To Use With Your Preschooler

My daughter is our resident craft expert. She is currently focused on creating conceptual sculptures. At the moment, her sculptures seem to revolve around the use of drinking straws and painter’s tape. I am not entirely sure what these sculptures mean, but I’m sure that it’s something far beyond my adult understanding. Now, it’s not like she doesn’t have a whole box of art supplies to choose from. In fact, she has several large boxes of art supplies. Preschoolers love to use unorthodox materials for their art, and it’s always interesting to see what my daughter chooses to create and … Continue reading

A Clever and Very Frugal Way to Use Torn Panty Hose

I am completely fascinated by new and useful ways to use items that have run their course, which you can probably tell by many of the articles that I write. When a friend recently showed me a new trick with some panty hose that had a tear in them, I was so excited to go home and try the same thing. So what was this clever, practical and very frugal thing she did? Cleaning out a hairbrush is simply not fun, but it is sanitary and should be done regularly. It is so hard to get all of the hair … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review for July 15th to July 22nd, 2007

Back to school has hit at our house already, as my three youngest have ventured back to school last week in our year-round school district. I still have two at home with me, but they are the oldest and are easily entertaining themselves. I get a lot more done with children gone, though I have been missing them terribly. I kept myself busy with articles and research. So what articles showed up in the Frugal Living Blog last week? Is there any better feeling than cleaning out a coat pocket or fishing through a jean pocket, and pulling out a … Continue reading