What do do to reuse, recycle, or stretch your budget?

[POOTERSMOMMY]

Curious how everyone reuses or recycles things. I think people will be doing this more and more with the way the economy is. Give us your tips

*Use old frayed bath towels and cut into washcloths and dish rags. Dish rags I cut a little smaller, so I can tell the difference in laundry. (I cut, then hem. May have to cut some loose threads the first couple times you launder.)
*I save containers from butter, sourcream, cottage cheese, ect. to use for leftovers. Great when sending stuff home with others, because you don't have to get ccontainer back
*Collect rainwater in a bucket - great for houseplants and hair.
* Collect a couple buckets of snow and melt for plants or hair. (God's water is always better for plants)
*I put body wash's (Scents I'm not crazy about all over me) in pump hand soap container
*I use cardboard egg cartons for seed trays. You can plant the whole thing (just like a peat pot)
*When apples get to point that they aren't great to eat raw. I peel, slice, soak in a little salt water (keeps from turning). Then package for pies or fried apples in the freezer. Whole apple also good when cored for baked apples
*MIL and SIL, and I trade magazines. When we are all done, we take to local nursing home
*Keep a few gal. & 1/2 gal. plastic milk jugs. I use for tea, juice, or koolaid jugs in frig. (No need to buy fancy pitchers)
*I once bought a Swifter dust mop. I now use old wash cloths or Tshirt scraps are cleaning rags for it. You can wet, or spray with dusting spray. Then throw in the wash.
*keep bread heels or stale (not moldy) bread in a bag in freezer. Always ready when I need bread crumbs
*I have found many trash items or things for pennies at yard sales to make great outdoor yard ornaments
*Keep scraps of fleece from projects. Long pcs. can become warm scarves, or you can sew smaller pcs. together for scarves. Then I take to the closest homeless shelter
*Tabs from pop cans - saved for R.McDonald House
*Pop cans saved for FIL. He recycles and puts $ back for trips
*Recycle all newspapers and cardboard
*save small yogurt containers w/lids for indiv. portions of jello or pudding
*our newspaper is delivered in plastic bags in bad weather. I save and give back to the carrier to reuse
*Use plastic grocery bags for trash bags
*Give all meat scraps or larger bones to the neighbors dogs for a treat. (They love me)
*Most peelings, egg shells, and coffee grounds go into garden for compost
*duct tape or hot glue tons of stuff that needs repaired
*scrap pcs. of wood make great yard decorator signs (w/a little artistic skills) or bird houses
*Old nylons cut into strips are used to tie up tomatoe plants (they stretch as plants grow)
*I keep the part of scented candles that are left in jars. Keep in a baggy till you get enough to fill another jar. Melt over dbl broiler, add wick, and you have a new candle
*I wash baggies and reuse foil
*I recently got rid of lots of dressy clothes that I used for work. I took the to a battered women's shelter
*I use scraps of material to make quilt tops, pillow tops, or lap blankets

Gosh I know there's more - but brain is fried. I like being a good steward of what I have and of the land. What do you guys do???
Cheryl

[AspiringToBeFrugal]

DH uses old bath towels for washing/drying the car

My mom and I save newspaper bags for my sister. She uses them when cleaning out her cat's litterbox.

Old t-shirts and socks w/ holes become cleaning cloths.

I've reused tea bags and gotten great cups of tea the second time around.

I also save margarine, cottage cheese, and sour cream containers because they are REALLY great for leftovers.

I use old maps for wrapping paper.

Paper grocery sacks are used for wrapping paper or to cover boxes for mailing.

I burn candles until the wick burns out. Then, if there's wax left at the bottom of the jar (enough to cover the bottom) I put the candle on a candle warmer to keep getting the fragrance. I do this until the fragrance is no longer obvious. A local lady makes her own candles and she will charge you only a few cents per ounce to refill any old candle jars with the fragrance of your choice. Makes buying a whole new candle in a jar kind of silly!

I use only half the recommended amount of body wash, laundry detergent, etc. A little of each of those things goes a long way.

I'll have to think some more about these things...I can't bring anymore to mind at this point!

Plastic shopping bags are used as trashcan liners/bags.

Recycle all old newspapers, shred and recycle junk mail

[POOTERSMOMMY]

Here are some others I thought of;
* Boil turkey carcus to make stock. Boines then go out in the yard for birds and critters to eat - I never find even 1 bone
*make 2 bottles from every one of shampoo and dish soap. Simply ad water. Still works great
*Comics for wrapping paper
*of course keep leftovers to make into something else
*keep the fronts from all cards I get to use for list making
*Use white vinegar in my white clothes washing
*Keep ham bones for beans - afterwards the dog next door gets it
*use those smaller plastic Coke bottles w/screw tops as water bottles. Take off the label. (Usually friends leave them when done)
*I try to use cloth bags at the stores - so as not to get too many plastic bags
*I always reuse plastic drink cups. I rewash till they are starting to crack

Take care of what you have and it will take care of you!!!!

[staceyy]

I print on both sides of computer paper

Fallen branches and twigs are burned in our fireplace

I rewash baggies, aluminum foil and cereal bags

I save and reuse plastic bags

I save and reuse shipping boxes and peanuts and large and padded envelopes

I'm about to start making newspaper logs for the fireplace and my own firestarters from dryer lint and melted wax

I save and reuse twist ties and rubber bands

I save and reuse plastic plates, cups and utensils

I use paper towels twice

I save and reuse shoe boxes to store shoes, cancelled checks and underwear

I save soap slivers and make them into attractive soap balls

I save the cotton that comes in vitamin and medicine bottles and use them to remove nail polish

I save newspaper and comics to wrap gifts

I gather and save leaves to compost as mulch around our trees

I save pickle juice and slice cucumbers to make new pickles

I refill 2 liter soda bottles with water and store as emergency water supply

[qtkitty]

I use left overs from the fridge to make soup ( yeah something my grandmother used to do when i was little.. the weeks left overs went in the pot with bollion and some herbs maybe some extra veggies if there weren't enough in there. )

When i buy whole chickens and cut them into parts i use the carcasses to either make soup ( soup from the stock made from the carcasses and the meat pulled off the bones after) or stock put the stock in the fridge over night preferably upside down in a water tight sealable container and then pour out the stock in the morning leaving behind the fat and then freeze in ice trays til frozen and store in gallon baggies.

2 liter soda bottles to make juice in ( although i finally did get a pitcher and getting a frozen juice to go in them is SOOO easier *lol* ) Not so bad for tea or koolaid. its rare that we make tea though and no Koolaid here.

I to keep containers .. and fit into the jeff foxworthy joke if you have a matching salad bowl set that says cool whip on the side ( course none of mine are cool whip )

I have kept old relish and pickle jar and have been cutting pickles and relish from a half gallon jug of whole pickles.

Holey in the crotch knit pants have went to Joe's Leather so i can use them to apply dye or other finishes.

I had an old long sleeve shirt that had gotten stained and i used the long sleeves making the shirt short sleeved to make a nice roo pouch in the front. My 3 week foster kitten ( ended up adopting and her later foster brother because he had neurelogical problems and the 2 of them were connected at the hip it seemed ) slept in there while i worked around the house went shopping ect til she was old enough to be out and running around.

My mom brought a huge black trash bag FULL of bubble wrap for me to use in our home businesses to ship with.

Use Newspapers to line the rabbits under cage pan.. he just pellets doesn't pee unless its in his litter box.

Use card board to block access to small areas like behind the washer and dryer from the ferrets.

I used to use veggie can cut off to cut out biscuts... i now have handy dandy biscut cutters which also come in different sizes so i could make hole donuts.. but they are 100% metal so i use them to make biscuit size eggs to put on the biscuits.

I plan when we make our garden this year to go to the bottom of the hill where our land lord dumps all the leaves and digging down into it to get some compost to enrich the ground. Then use Newspapers to cover the ground to keep unwanted plants from growing. Then covering the whole deal with mulched leaves so it shouldn't need to be weeded or watered to much because the organic insulation should keep the water from evaporating as fast. As well as bring more earthworms.

I give the paper towel and toliet paper rolls to the ferrets to play with. I cut the plastic edge and bottom off the oatmeal container and the ferrets and rabbit can fight over that play toy.

Remember when the milk jugs you had to pull off the circle peice of plastic and it was nice and solid .. i used to give those to the cat to play with .. i found her stash once its amazing how many milks you go through in a year *lol*

We use an old gallon jug to tote water to the flea market for Joe's coffee and to use to wash brushes out with. ( water there is GROSS)

I used to reuse dryer sheets.. i used to cut them into 1/2 or 1/3 and use them or reuse them more then once whole... but the ones cut i would tie around hangers to keep my clothes smelling fresh. Whole worked well to stuff in a clean old sock and put into drawers.

My grandmother used to wash and reuse the metal pans that chinese comes in.

She would ask for packets of sauce at the drive thru then keep them in a baggy in her fridge . Tartar Sauce was 2 tubes of mayo, one tube of Relish and a little malt vinegar. Cocktail Sauce 2-3 Ketchup and a horsey sauce to taste. Honey Mustard 2 mustards and a honey. Coleslaw Dressing 6 mayo, 2 Malt Vinegar, 2 sugar, 1-2pepper.

Her extra napkins from eating out came home and were used at the kitchen table.

When we bathed at my grandparents house when it was dry in the summer it was rotational baths cleanest to dirtiest. VERY little soap and only 2 inches of water in the tub to start with and enough to rinse your hair and you got to get up and rinse with the shower enough to turn around.. and the next person got enough hot water to warm it back up. Then my grandmother would bale out the water and lower it on a string for my grandfather to fill a 5 gallon bucket to tote to the garden to water plants with.

My mom would hardly use any washing liquid in her clothes and no fabric softener and bale out all the water she could from her washing machine so she could water her plants when it was dry in the summers.

Both my mom and grandmother would do the same with dishes. They would wash all the dishes in a little sink with a little water and washing liquid then they would rinse over a tub and use that water to water plants.

My mom also uses a mix of lint and dry dust wood from under the wood pile to start her fires. She uses sticks that she dried in the wood storage. And she uses wood she cut up from trees taken from her yard to add in more sunlight so the roof would stop algea growth and the siding would stop molding.

I reused old siding to make tomestones for our front yard for halloween when i was little *lol* Here Lies Fred an acorn hit him in the Head *lol*

I make my own lye soap ( also sell it but that is beyond the point) I use it to wash my hands, face, body, hair, teeth. I make Laundry Soap from it with borax and washing soda ( AKA Soda Ash). I have been known to make dish washing liquid from it as well and use some borax with it.

I use borax in my laundry with whites and also with ferret bedding or anything stinky.

Clean house with Vinegar and Baking Soda. Or tub with water and a drop of Grapefruit Seed Extract.

Clean the windows with newspaper ( black and white works best color works different for some reason)

Put cardboard in the couch to make it have a longer life and put a slip cover over it from $1/yrd fabric from walmart or a sheet.

I have had plastic outdoor tables as end tables... cover with a nice peice of fabric no one ever has to know.

Panty hose, plastic bags, twisty ties as ties for garden plants. Fallen Branches, broken yard tools, coat hangers as stakes.

If you put out crops early and a frost is going to hit.. gallon milk jugs with the bottoms cut out work great.. put them over the plants lids not on them or on them til all frosts are past. Then put them on an old clothes line wire and you have them for later.

[joyofsix]

Hmm, it seems like we just use all of everything.

~I mend and patch and darn clothes or other items.
~Littlest kids reuse bathwater.
~Rainwater and air conditioner water(in summer) for plants.
~If we have leftovers they are eaten in some form. We do NOT throw food away.
~Compost peels, etc.
~Keep and use any extra napkins, condiments etc on the rare occasion we buy something out to eat.
~I'm still using cloth dipers from my first dd almost 16years ago. I re-sew edges, then they become liners, then rags.
~Save tp rolls, bits and pieces, boxes for kid art projects.
~Used dishwashing liquid containers saved make for great water squirt fights in the summer or bath toys.
~Re-use dollar store bags for trash cans. Re-use newspaper plastic sleeve for cat and dog clean up
~Of course re-use baggies, foil etc if I couldn't use a gladware container in the first place.
~Newspapers saved for fires along with sticks and branches.
~Boil any bones for stock.
~Have had great success making pillows out of old pajamas, some nice enough for gifts for kids' friends.

Basically use everything to it's utmost. There are nine in our family and we put out less trash than our neighbors.

[ilovechocolate]

The waxy bags inside a cereal box are fantastic for wrapping meat to go in the freezer.

[qtkitty]

ilovechocolate~OMG my grandmother used to do that !!

[qtkitty]

my grandmother used to also make me new Pjs from Sweat tops and told Pjs. She would cut off the bottom of the sweat shirt and the top of the pj right under the arm pit and sew them together to make longer Pj's

[Jill B.]

A few nights ago I went through a bag of clothes to give to Goodwill and found one of DH's white, worn out dress shirts. I cut out 2 rectangles from the back of the shirt and will hem for hankies. He needs more. I also saved the buttons.

I use the newspaper bags to pack snacks in. I cut off the top half and tie with a bread tie. (if the bags are not dirty).

I reuse many things without thinking about it (mentioned by others here) but have to be more conscientious about it. I will definitely save cereal bags now!

[oddfox1]

Your ideas are great. Here are a few more (which you may already do). A gallon milk jug can be cut down with the handle and bottom part intact to hold the toilet brush or plunger. When it gets really gross you toss it. Make cloth napkins from 14" squares of scrap fabric and zig zag the edges twice. That pretty much prevents unraveling. An Amy Dacyzyn idea--cut old rubber gloves into "rubber bands". I also keep a large flat piece as a jar opener. Keeping in line with some of your ideas, we keep an old ice cream bucket full of rags to mop spills, dry off meats (like before dusting with flour), etc., anything that you'd use a paper towel for, then we just throw it into a bleached wash load. We take the liners for dry boxed cereal, crackers cut them into large squares and use them as washable microwave spatter guards. We drain bacon (when we have it ;-D ) on newspaper. Our gerbils (those who have gerbils know what I mean) made their own bedding from old toilet paper tubes and grey paper egg cartons. It looks like the expensive stuff from Petsmart. When our first born was little I'd cut out simple pants from ladies cotton poly slacks that cost 25 cents (when the kids stuff cost a couple of bucks at yard sales) and use old underpants elastic in the waist. A pattern can be traced from an existing pair onto newpaper and the pants cut from it, allowing extra for seam allowance. Quilts with an old worn blanket as the batting and a flat sheet as the backing. Someone gave us a piece of homemade soap. Rub it on stains before washing and it helps get them out.

There are more but gotta close for now. Everybody keep up the good work and keep posting. We all can use the imput.

[druidessemily]

Keep your pantyhose when they get runs in them. I've heard of people cutting the leg with a run off (leaving the thigh/waist band), and making a new pair from two parts. The part with a run can be used to store vegetables, christmas lights/ornaments, you can cut off the feet and put the ends of soaps in...

[TheRootedNomad]

I do a lot of the ones that have already been mentioned. Here are a few more that my sleepy brain can think of.

Butter/margerine wrappers are saced in the fridge to grease pans with

NOTHING cloth leaves this house without serving at least one additional purpose (tablecloths to canvas bags; t-shirt to rags; sheets to curtains or pillows; jeans to denim material for quilt project ect)

Jars are reused for gifting purposes or storage

Wood furniture is repaired and refinished. *****(side note - It is very hard to find solid wood furniture that is made as well as the older beat up furniture you can find. I grumble the whole time I'm sanding. Once the whole project is done though, sand stain, poly. I'm always excited. There's not a much better bargin out there as you can generally get a good piece of old furniture almost anywhere; trash, relatives, yardsales)

[Luv2BeFrugal]

These are wonderful tips!! I'm not nearly as resourceful as I could/should be. It's something I'm going to have to work on much more!!

[Athena31]

Wow lots of good ideas here!