Great “What to do with an old Cereal Box?” Challenge: Radical recycling...

Former_MSE_Andrea
Former_MSE_Andrea Posts: 9,614
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edited 8 September 2009 at 6:46PM in I wanna buy it or do it
For a bit of fun this week, we’re replacing the usual Hunt with a challenge.

Quite simply what’s the best MoneySaving use you can get out of old cereal boxes?



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  • Noggin_the_Nog_2
    Noggin_the_Nog_2 Posts: 57 Forumite
    edited 14 September 2009 at 5:08PM
    There's a craft website that has a whole pageful of projects on making stuff (mostly for kids but not all) out of old cereal boxes, including a cereal box haunted house, laptop, woven spectacles case, hanging mobile - loads of different stuff.

    I particularly liked (for all ages) the idea of using cereal boxes as gift boxes - colourful, looks good and saves buying wrapping paper.
  • get a bigish cereal box and tear off the little bits on the top.

    stand the box on it's end and then get your kids together (adults too!!) and take turns picking it up with your teeth. your not allowed to use hands or put hands or bottom on floor. after everyones had 1 go tear about an inch off the top so the box gets smaller. the ones who fail have to wait for new box. it's great fun trust me.
    you'll think its easy but trust me not as easy as it looks.
  • Nile
    Nile Posts: 14,930
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    Get the scissors out and create your own cheap version of a magazine file, ideal for storing copies of magazines and papers.;)

    Click here to use as a guide

    Regards

    Nile
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the 'I wanna' and 'In my home' and Health & Beauty'' boards.If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing [email protected] views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.10 Dec 2007 - Led Zeppelin - I was there. :j :cool2: I wear my 50 (gold/red/white) blood donations pin badge with pride. Give blood, save a life.
  • m3jns_2
    m3jns_2 Posts: 29 Forumite
    I've used them in the past to make Gaskets to replace old ones when changing things like a thermostat on a car engine I even used one as a waterpump gasket once, and the gasket i made was still on the waterpump some seven year later with no problems.

    Also another tip :

    Make two doughnut type rings out of a cereal box, Ideal is draw around a saucer then something a little smaller like a cd, and cut out the ring and remove the middle to. Put both rings together, then start winding old bits of wool around the rings keep going round and round makeing the hole in the middle smaller, Then when you have wound enough wool on the rings, get some scissors and slowly cut around the outside edge. Get another piece of wool, and put this inbetween the two rings and tie tightly all the pieces of wool you wrapped around the rings. Once the wool has been tied around the middle between both rings, you can remove the rings. then roll the wool atound in your hands, and it makes a pom pom. Lovely to let the kids have a go, stops them feeling bored all the time.:T:A:T
  • aloiseb
    aloiseb Posts: 701
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    edited 14 September 2009 at 5:11PM
    I cut mine into different sized rectangles and use them for notes to the milkman, and shopping lists. If I'm going on holiday I make a big folding triptych style one so I can make several lists all in one place.....v v sad.

    My favourite ones are made from biscuit cartons not cereal cartons - the original pleasure of the biscuit lingers on when you see the picture of it on the back of your shopping list - never feel like that about cornflakes somehow.
  • Cut them up for postcards - for competition entries! Depends on how thick the card is though.
  • m3jns wrote: »
    I've used them in the past to make Gaskets to replace old ones when changing things like a thermostat on a car engine I even used one as a waterpump gasket once, and the gasket i made was still on the waterpump some seven year later with no problems.
    I've done something similar to replace a washer on an old outside tap.

    Boring as it is, though, the main thing we do with old cereal boxes is COMPOST them!
  • khawk
    khawk Posts: 11 Forumite
    We also make the pom poms, I sometimes make them into templates for card making or cut them down to be embroidery skein holders.
  • A good babysitting cereal box tip that has been past down to me is to cut the cereal box into small square pieces.

    Each square is worth 1hr of babysitting. With your group of friends who all need/willing to babysit distribute 10 each, so everyone has 10hrs of babysitting. If you need a babysitter for an evening, pay one of your friends with the cereal squares, the squares are passed around the group for years without ever having to part with money - just don't sneakily add more squares!

    Tried and tested trick with my family.
  • Hi - I use cereal boxes for sending the stuff I am selling on ebay. They are really light and sturdy, making them ideal for posting. A few people have left feedback saying what a good idea it was and that they would use them for the same reason.
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