What do you reuse?

georgia1

Did a search and couldn't find a thread on this so hope I'm not duplicating one.

What do you all reuse? I'm trying to save money and cut down on waste. I've read on here that people reuse the inside of cereal packets (washed out) for keeping sandwiches etc fresh in lunchboxes. I wonder if anyone has any other creative ideas? I definitely need to try harder because my list is quite small at the moment. I can only think of:

supermarket carrier bags as bin bags
jiffy bags (I stick a label over them and reuse)
I wash out plastic food bags
Wrapping paper, bows & ribbons

Does anyone have any more creative ideas? I think mine are probably a little obvious.

alyssa_liss

boxes for ebay, glass jars for storage, reuse birthday cards xmas card etc..., carrier bags, jiffy bags,
same as you really lol

Sequeena

I don't have any amazing ideas

Shopping bags get reused as shopping bags :rotfl:

Teabags are used for 3 cups not 1

I decant bubble bath into empty bottles and water them down a bit so that they go further. Same with washing up liquid, shampoo etc.

I've kept the quality street tin from Christmas. Was going to use it to put dog food in (I also have a celebrations tin that I use) but our sink leaked and burst my washing powder all over the floor so I've put that washing powder in the tin.

Any spray bottles are kept and used for solutions of vinegar and water or home made air fresheners.

There's probably more so I will have to come back to this thread

Rikki

I use the wax paper bags from cereal packets to store vegetables in, ie carrots etc

Caterina

Pasta packets if opened carefully and not torn make very good sandwich containers. Closed with elastic bands that postmen drop all over the pavements (first washed in soapy water).

Small elastic band that tie flowers, herbs bunches from the market etc...

Tissue paper from any package (clothes, shoes, dry cleaning etc...) for wrapping gifts for friends (esp. OS ones who appreciate the re-use and often re-reuse it themselves).

Pink.

Hi georgia,

This thread has lot of ideas that may help:

Double Duty

Pink

willa

Round Vitalite tubs were great for putting leftover food in for work lunches. They've changed the tub to rectangles now though and I don't think they're perhaps as strong!

bellaquidsin

Old flannelette sheets (if you don't use them, beg from an elderly relative) make good ironing board covers.

When the ironing board covers are too scorched in the middle, tear away the corners and hem to make dusters.

Toilet roll middles, to plant seeds that have long root systems, i.e. sweet peas. These can be planted straight into the ground.

Shirt buttons, ideal for sewing on to hand knitted baby cardigans.

Blank sided paper for shopping lists, keep these on the bull dog clip my DH used for the same purpose 20 year's ago.

All the leftover wool from knitting goes into crocheted blankets.

Margarine tubs for sowing seeds

Bella.

Butterfly_Brain

• Aluminium pie dishes - washed out for a drip tray under paint pots and handy if you can't find a dustpan just cut one in half
• Wax inners from cereal pkts for sandwich bags, making wax discs for jam making and use to seperate HM burgers when freezing and it is brilliant on stainless steel taps if you rub the waxed side over a smeary tap it brings it up like new and repels water for some time.
• Glass jars for pickles and jams etc
• Old tyres for the garden - I plant my potatoes and seeds inside and the rubber keeps the wind off them and as an added bonus warms the soil too
• Old Toothbrushes for cleaning
• Shoe boxes for storage
• Used Tea bags round roses - they love it
• Old tights - put over nozzle of a hoover can find small lost bits
• Odd socks for polishing
• Old bath sponges can be cut up and put in the bottom of a flower pot to keep plants from drying out - make sure that they are free from chemicals though
• Old Brillo pads - if you have a pair of blunt scisssors if you cut a brillo pad up about 8 times it will sharpen scissors
• Plastic lids can be used as coasters in a fridge to catch drips from jars
• Plastic Milk bottles - make a scoop, funnel string dispenser, fill with water and freeze and use to keep food cold, watering plants
• Plastic fruit punnets can be used as a makeshift colander, store soap pads and put over seedlings to protect them
• Egg cartons, use in the freezer for stock, baby food, egg yolks etc

Olliebeak

2 litre size fizzy drink bottles make cloches:

• individual ones made by cutting the base off
• longer ones made from the main part of the bottle slit open and opened out - should fit over those plant troughs
• the tops can be used as funnels

1kg margarine tubs make great containers for freezing soups/casserols etc.
500g margarine tubs will hold enough left-overs for a jacket potato topping for either a hungry adult for 2 children.

linz

I cut up xmas cards for next years gift tags

Re-use bread bags as packed lunch bags

Re-use the plastic containers from chinese/indian takeaways for portioning batch cooked food

Ribbons/wrapping paper for future presents

Re-use jam jars etc to store lentils/chick peas

Ice lolly sticks to label seeds/plants