Don’t toss out those cereal bags. You paid enough for that cereal, so why not take advantage of the extra asset that is included with it–the plastic or waxed cereal bag that came with the cereal. Here are just some of the ways that you can reuse cereal bags. Please add yours in the comments section. Additional storage Those bags were made to keep cereal from going stale, so they are good with storage. Use them to store baked goods, sandwiches for school lunches, or even for broth. Cut the liners up and use them between food in the freezer … Continue reading →

Trolling Freecycle.org, I’ve come across my third posting this week for people who are looking to give away extra play sand. They probably overestimated the amount of sand that they would need. We did this the first time we filled a sandbox for our kids. There were two extra bags that just lingered in our backyard, until the weather finally got to them, eventually causing them to split. Sure, we could have returned them right away, but because they were so heavy, we never got around to it. If you find yourself in this situation, take that sand and make … Continue reading →

For years, the mantra shared by both practitioners of frugal living and those interested in keeping it green was: “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.” These three things not only can save money but can also conserve resources for the planet. You may have heard of a fourth term, “upcycling.” How is this different from the others and should you be doing it? Chances are that if you have been living frugally for some time you are already participating in upcycling. This fancy term describes taking ordinary materials, objects that you might have recycled anyway, and then transforming them into something more … Continue reading →

With all of the great produce coming into season now, I’ve been finding myself with extra berry baskets around the house. Rather than throw these away, I thought I would put them to good use. Berry baskets come in both cardboard and plastic mesh. Both have their uses. I’m partial to the cardboard ones myself for a couple of reasons; they usually absorb a little bit of moisture and they can be recycled. I find that the cardboard berry boxes come in handy when I reuse them for more produce. We just got about a pint and a half of … Continue reading →