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Save Money - Recycle Tips Anyone with kids attending her school can go whenever they need to, and pick out items they can use. I usually drop off the clothes she's outgrown, when I go to "shop". They have volunteers that wash, sort, and hang/fold the clothes...(I'm one) The money I have saved over the last 5 years has been worth every hour of time that I've donated...even more! It's been a lifesaver for this single mom! (bettdev) ______ I have a small aquarium, (10 gal.) that REALLY gets boring to look at. My 10 year old daughter has tossed out some really "kewl" toy figurines that I decided to use in the aquarium instead of buying those "cheesy" pink rocks and little diver men. Right now I can look at 3 teletubbies that are being chased by 2 dinosaurs! Too funny! Just be sure to wash and RINSE the items really well...that way you don't leave any residue that might harm your fish. (bettdev) ______ Recycle part of those disposable cameras! Before you take them for processing, take out the two batteries that are inside. They are hardly used for the camera. (Michael) ______ Don't throw out those almost all used up, or newly bought but dropped, and broken up powder compacts. I empty, or scrape out their contents into a plastic zip lock bag. When I've filled about a 1/2" to 3/4" evenly across the bottom of the bag I put the powder into a bowl and stir in a little bit of water at a time until it's a thick, but smooth paste. Then I take the couple of empty compacts that I remembered to save, and fill them with the "liquid" powder. Smooth and/or even out. Then lightly place several individual squares of tissue on top to absorb the surface water. Fold a paper towel to compact size and enclose in compact. (It should be thick enough so the compact will JUST stay closed). Repeat with another paper towel 24 hrs later. ~Viola~ (Wah La)... new powder compact. Given the price of cosmetics, this tip saves a bundle. (Pam) ______ Before you throw out rubber gloves, cut the wrist part into wide bands for really large size rubber bands. The finger parts can be used for small but wide rubber bands. (Store them in a plastic bag, or they'll dry out.) (Connie) ______ I like to purchase old coffee cups at thrift shops or garage sales, then use them to make homemade candles using coffee colored candle wax with cappuccino or cinnamon scent added in (follow manufacturer's directions for specific candle making supplies). They make great stocking stuffers! (Sylvia S) ______ It's a shame to throw away greeting cards. Recycle them by cutting fronts into shapes then punching holes along perimeter to make sewing cards for little ones. Use colored shoe laces or yarn (ends dipped in glue then dried) to lace through holes. (Michelle) ______ Keep all the twisty ties and bread clips from your groceries such as bread and buns. I keep mine in a small plastic container and always have one when I need it. (Susanna) ______ After installing wire shelves in my laundry room, I made "S" hooks from white wire hangers that were accumulating by snipping with wire cutters and shaping an "S", great for hanging dustpans, brushes, and small garden tools from the shelves. (Tish) ______ Don't throw out the "stub" of used up lipsticks. Dig the remainder out of the tube with a toothpick and put several colors together in a small paper cup. Melt (10 seconds at a time) in the microwave until you can stir them together and pour into a small container, like a clear film canister, snap top plastic pill box, salve jar, or the like. Apply with a lipstick brush. The colors will work, because they're all your colors, and you'll save about 30% on this cosmetic expense. (Karen H) ______ You can save money on your dryer sheets by using them more that once. This works best with the more expensive brands, such as Bounce. I can buy Bounce at $2.59 for 40 sheets, and if you use them twice, they cost about $.0323 a piece. The bargain brand, which doesn't smell as long and only last for one use, I can buy 20 for $.99 which equals out to $.0495 a piece. But, if you think about it you are actually saving money in the long run by using the sheets more than once whereas the 'bargain' sheets are usually good for one use only. Just smell the used dryer sheet, if there is any scent left, you can use it again. (Paula E) ______ Reuse those water bottles! You can wash them out and keep them in the refrigerator filled with any kind of drink. You may also fill them with water and freeze them, makes for slow melting, ice cold water on a hike. ______ Sometimes, we all know money is short. For wrapping birthday presents (especially for children) you can use the Sunday comics or left over Christmas paper. It is still decorative and as children, they really don't seem to care how it is wrapped. Also you can sometimes find great deals at fabric stores. This makes for a good gift wrap too. (Paula E.) ______ Don't buy those little pots of nail polish remover when you can make your own! Just take a foam hair roller... (the pink ones), cut it in half, and insert it into an empty film container. Fill with polish remover, and you're all set! (Bett D.) ______ Don't throw away already read magazines and books. Sell them to a bookstore that sells new/used books. With that money, you can buy little extras that are not in your budget. (Maria) ______ I take old prescription bottles, remove the labels and wash them out, then with the tall ones, I fill them with q-tips, the short ones with straight pins, sewing needles, buttons, safety pins, screws, nails, (anything small), the fat ones I use for cotton balls, hair ribbons, change for toll roads/phone calls. When I'm ready to take a trip I gather the bottles and put them in the bag. Saves time, worry and money. You'll have it when you need it and it won't get lost in the bottom of the bag. (Martha) ______ Don't throw away those small, mostly used crayon pieces. Extend the mileage out of them by melting in muffin pans in the oven and make "crayon cookies". Great for gifts too. (shell) ______ The best toys for kids are empty boxes or containers. It's their imagination that makes those objects fun. For example: giving the kid's your junk mail to play mailman with. ______ Empty thread rolls together with some rope makes a great "beading" toy. Big necklaces, etc. Can be made. ______ I save those thin plastic bags that my groceries get bagged in at the grocery store and use them as trash bags in my bathroom trash. To save time I put 2-3 bags inside one another and fold the sides over so that when the trash is full I lift the handles, tie them and lift it out and the next bag is there already. For some reason my 4 year old likes to do this, I'm not going to discourage the help!! (Kristie H. ) ______ I recently "inherited" a collection of partially used nail polish, most of which was gooey and the wrong color for my taste. First thing I did was to set them in a pan of boiling water, to thin them out. Next was the fun part.... I mixed them with some colors that I already had that were too dark. The results were WONDERFUL! I now have a collection of shades that I'll use, that otherwise would be in with my "garage sale" stuff! (bettdev) |
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