Smart Reuse Ideas for Buttons

Chances are that you have a bunch of buttons laying around your home. If not, they are easy enough to find cheaply. Put them to good use with these smart reuse ideas. They help solve common problems and save money. Identify Family Towels Don’t waste money rewashing clean towels or going out and purchasing a different color for each family member. Instead identify an individual towel by sewing a button on the lower corner. Use a different color for each family member. This will also make each person responsible for his or her towel, so there should be no more … Continue reading

Easy Ways to Clean Your Kitchen Floor

Over the years, I’ve tried a number of things to keep our kitchen floor clean. For a while there, it seemed like the best results and convenience were had by the most expensive systems. Fortunately, there are ways around the expense. Try one of the following ideas. The Cheapest An old fashioned floor scrub will be the cheapest. It only requires a bucket (or just a sink), some soap and something to apply the soap, from a brush to an old towel. You have to get down on your hands and knees and scrub and then rinse the floors with … Continue reading

How to Reuse Flat Ware (Silverware)

If you have an abundance of flat ware, or have access to a thrift store, you can turn all of those pieces into usable items. You can get rid of your clutter while saving money on items that you might otherwise have to buy. A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing in a fancy store and noticed some trendy home decor. Nestled in among the staged room were wall hooks on rectangles of painted and distressed wood. The hooks were made out of bent forks and spoons. The price tag on each wall hook? $25. You can adapt this … Continue reading

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I’m a bit of a recycling nerd. I like to feel like I’m doing my part, I haven’t quite figured out how to reduce the amount of trash we generate so I’m trying to recycle and reuse as much of it as possible. Sometimes this simply means looking at things in a different way. There are many things we toss every day that can help us keep our homes a little tidier. The first one being paper towel and toilet paper tubes. How many of these does your family go through in a week? Start saving them, they have many … Continue reading

Reuse and Recycle: It’s Time to Declutter

There is a new hit series on cable’s A&E network that everyone is talking about. The show is called “Hoarders” and it features the lives of individuals, who suffer with obsessive-compulsive disorders, and have a hard time parting with their belongings. The result is that their homes look like mass confusion. They are more than just cluttered. In some homes you can’t even see the floor. I would guess that most of us don’t live this way. However I would also guess that many of us live with clutter. The green way of living is to reuse and recycle. I … Continue reading

Four Ways to Reuse a Shower Curtain

Shower curtains can be handy things, even the old ones. Before you throw away a shower curtain, consider repurposing it into one of the following four options. We came by our excess of shower curtains honestly. There were a few unopened shower curtains left behind in our house after the old owners moved out. We didn’t need them for the actual showers, so I had to think of other ways to put them to good use. You might have an old shower curtain that is left over from redecorating or replacing the curtain. You might also consider picking up a … Continue reading

Dental Floss to the Rescue

This inexpensive staple can really help you around the house. If you find yourself in need, take a look at the list below. Here are ten different uses for dental floss in your home. 1. When cookies are stuck on a baking sheet, use a piece of dental floss to release the, Just slide the floss under the cookies. You’ll loosen them without any breaks. 2. Use dental floss to hang picture frames, wind chimes and any other decorations or accents that need to be hung. Double the floss for heavy frames. 3. If you have a mesh bag or … Continue reading

Caretakers and the Flu

Who is the caretaker in your family when somebody gets sick? When I was growing up, taking care of sick kids was my mom’s job (although she did share the duties with both of my grandmothers on occasion). With the double flu whammy this winter, you may find your family needing a caretaker. It’s all too easy for the flu (or another illness) to hop from one member of a household to another! Here are some tips to help keep the flu in check if somebody in your family gets sick. First and foremost, try to keep the sick person … Continue reading

6 Ways to Reuse Cereal Box Liners

Do you think that some things could never be reused? There are so many uses for the ordinary stuff that comes in and out of our lives. One good example is that cereal box liner. Cereal box liners are the waxed bags that hold the cereal and keep it fresh in the box. In an earlier blog about reusing the cereal boxes themselves, I touched on how useful these liners can be. Now, I’ll share six ideas for reusing them. Why throw something away if it could save money? Which idea is your favorite? Do you have an idea that … Continue reading

The Fluoride Debate

Fluoride is good for your teeth, right? Right… most of the time. What is fluoride, anyway? Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in soil and in many sources of water. It is used to fight cavities topically (as toothpaste or mouth wash, for example) and systemically (in drinking water or lozenges, for example). Topical fluoride is very effective in protecting teeth from cavities by helping repair damaged areas. Systemic fluoride may provide protection because it is absorbed into the body itself. There are lots of big health organizations that believe in the positive impact of fluoride on children and … Continue reading