photo by era phernalia vintage

Old dressers have many uses. Use one in the garage as a potting bench or to hold miscellaneous tools. Add one to a mudroom to hold winter gear. Or use an old dresser to hold games, craft supplies or books.

Have you recycled an old dresser? Tell me about your project.

The first tip is a great idea for using the drawers.

REUSE DRESSER DRAWERS: I was browsing through one of my groups, and the topic turned to repurposing things for organizational uses. One member shared that she had an old dresser that was headed for the garbage; however, a couple of the drawers were still OK. So she took two of them, put casters on them, and now uses them under her daughter’s bed for storing Barbie dolls and craft items. She painted and stenciled them, too. Think of how much space you can save by doing that. I know that, when you buy those actual under-the-bed wooden drawers, they’re a small fortune. — Theresa, Florida

FRUGAL FAMILY WAYS: Remember to check prices on a case of eggs, which can be stacked Friday night in fridge, saving a bunch, and they are right there, handy. Also, check to see if the pound margarines are good and reasonable. Then put 4 pounds margarine, 1/4 pound butter, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 cup water (all at room temperature) in a large bowl. Finishing the beating with a mixer is easy. Put whipped soft spread into small tubs, and stack in the refrigerator for easy use. To break your bulk meats down for the freezer, use saved cold-cereal inner bags. Mark right on them with big black permanent marker. They stack easily, too. When prepping the veggies for the dinner meal, keep your next night recipe handy there and prep enough for that meal and bag it. Makes the next night’s meal a snap to assemble. — Ginner, e-mail

REUSE CONTAINERS: When I purchase anything in a plastic container, once it’s empty, I fill the container with hot water to above the label(s) and let it sit for just a few seconds. Then I start peeling the label. If there is any residue, use Goo Gone or Orange Oil to clean it up and then wash it. I keep all my dry goods in these bottles, little and big, instead of canisters. I use every sort of container and every type. I keep my flour, sugar and the like in the very large sort that you might buy pretzels in or the medium ones that you can get candies and cookies in. The ideas are limitless. They fit well in the cupboards and even look nice on the counter. I have decorated some with fabric. I use them in my sewing room, my bathroom and my washroom, just to mention a few places. Awfully handy in the garden, too. — Jackie N., California

ICE-CUBE-TRAY USE: My friend freezes cookie-dough and bread-dough balls/cubes. She thaws, tosses them onto cookie sheets, and she does get odd shapes, but they’re instant. No need to buy the kind from the store in the tubes. — Libby, Canada

SALVAGED PILLOWS: I once washed a pair of bed pillows, and the batting in them separated in the middle, so I took out the sewing machine and sewed two channels of stitching down the middle, and between the stitching I cut the pillows in half and used them for decorative pillows. — Karen, Kansas

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