Reuse Review: Items from The Kitchen

Most of the time, the kitchen really seems to be the functional heart of the home. There is generally a lot of ongoing activity in a kitchen. This makes for plenty of opportunity to reuse items that otherwise might be thrown away. You can also repurpose a lot of kitchen items for other functions as needed. I think you will like the following articles. They focus on some creative ways to use everyday items you might find in the kitchen. Real Storage Solutions Using Egg Cartons Unless your are a homesteader, you probably have an almost endless supply of egg … Continue reading

New Uses for Old VHS Cases

We are slowly in the process of getting through our many VHS movies. Over the years, we’ve picked up quite a few of them from thrift stores and yard sales. Friends have given us their VHS tapes when they have upgraded to DVD because they knew that we would use them. We were one of the last hold outs in purchasing a DVD player. Some of the movies are starting to wear out and are so loved that we will have to attain the DVD versions. Others have been watched a few times but are not worthy of precious space … Continue reading

New Uses for Old Inflatable Toys

Now that summer is here and in full swing, you are probably raiding your garage, closets, attics, shred and wherever else you store your summer swim toys. You know the types of toys I am talking about? Those inflatable tubes, mats, beds, dolphins, snakes, water wings, beach balls, etc. And chances are, when you go to blow them back up, at least a few will be flat as a pancake and unable to be used. Maybe the toys were split at the seams near the end of last summer, got thrown into storage and forgotten about. or maybe they got … Continue reading

More New Uses for Old Soda Bottles

There are so many wonderful uses for empty soda bottles. You can save money by using the bottles that you already own instead of spending money buying something new. (Or if you don’t drink soda, ask for some empty bottles from a friend.) In yesterday’s article, New Uses for Old Soda Bottles, I shared some basic ideas on using the empty bottles to save on boots, heating pads and water. Now here are some more creative ideas and ways to use empty soda bottles and be frugal. Custom bag dispenser. You are saving your plastic grocery bags, aren’t you? Well, … Continue reading

New Uses for Old Soda Bottles

Do you buy soda? Instead of throwing the empty bottles out, put them to good use around your home. By now you know all of the three principals of frugal living: reduce, reuse and recycle. Oftentimes there are plenty of things you already own that can be used for things you might otherwise purchase. Take the humble 1-liter plastic soda bottle. There are so many things that can be done with it. And, when you are done with its new use, you can always recycle the bottle the traditional way, at a recycling center. Less waste means more savings for … Continue reading

New Uses for Wire Hangers

While cleaning out our master closet the other day I found….ack!!!! Oh the horror! I found several wire hangers. Now this wouldn’t normally be such a terrifying experience if it were for the fact that I thought I had just cleaned out all of the wire hangers. Somewhere perhaps I missed one behind the coats. And that one must have been pregnant. So, now I was left with wire hangers I didn’t know what to do with. I had already donated a large amount of them to the local thrift store, and they threatened banning me if I came back … Continue reading

New Uses for Clothespins

Well, this new house is finally starting to come together. Tom is back to work, and Andrew started at his new school, which so far, he absolutely loves. He comes home with a happy face after school. The weather has turned a bit colder this week, but I am looking forward to getting a clothes line hung in the back in some inconspicuous place, so I can hang our laundry. I have my clothes pins all ready to go. In fact, in my excitement, I probably have more clothespins than I will actually use. So, of course I was inspired … Continue reading

New Uses for Old Earrings

Do you have a bunch of old earrings that you never wear anymore? Earrings can be like single socks, one of the pair generally gets lost and then you can’t do anything with them. So you throw them in a drawer, and there they stay. Well, here are some frugal ways to take advantage of all of those unwanted earrings in some fun new ways. (And if you don’t have any unwanted earrings, check out your local thrift store or tag sale, where they can be had for pennies for a bagful.) One of the most fun ways to use … Continue reading

Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk Eggs

Here is a great frugal Easter gift that the kids will love. It is a great addition to any Easter basket, or as a gift to be used year round. You can make your own sidewalk chalk eggs with a few simple ingredients in practically no time at all. I love this gift idea because it is an Easter basket filler that doesn’t require a trip to the dentist. And it is very frugal because it costs much less than buying traditional Easter basket toys. The chalk eggs can be used any time at all, not just at Easter. My … Continue reading

Ideas for Using Leftover Easter Eggs

Don’t throw your money away by letting your Easter eggs go to waste! Being frugal means conserving what you have and reusing what you can. Here are some great ways to use up both the Easter eggs and the shells. Every year around Easter time, my kids get so excited at the idea of decorating Easter eggs. If it were up to them they would decorate at least three or four dozen eggs before they got tired. Normally I try to restrict them to about 12 to 18 eggs. After all, there are just so many hard boiled eggs I … Continue reading