Reusing and repurposing - frugal ideas and tips on how to reuse and repurpose virtually everything!

KajiKita

There’s so many good ideas here already! 😊

Not so much a reuse thing, more of a less waste thing:
I bought a fresh bag of chia seeds which I decant into a jar I have been reusing for some time - for some reason this creates masses of static and the chia seeds fly everywhere and stick to everything! When decanting on Saturday with my fresh bag I used my stainless steel jam funnel - worked perfectly and not a single seed wasted 😊

KK

KajiKita

Ooh, another I can’t really take credit for but benefit from - my friend passes on her New sciences magazine after both her and her husband have read it 😊

KK

KajiKita

One I am actively engaged in atm is stripping down cardboard boxes of labels, staples and tape and then using them to cover veggie beds before piling them up with HM compost  😊

KK

Makingabobor2

KajiKita said:

One I am actively engaged in atm is stripping down cardboard boxes of labels, staples and tape and then using them to cover veggie beds before piling them up with HM compost  😊

KK

Oh yes, that's another thing I have been doing, cardboard under compost. Egg boxes as well, asong as they are plain ones

QueenJess

Ooh - can I play?

I make a lot of notes at work and so make my own reusable notebook.  I used stiff cardboard from deliveries, brown paper I had in the cupboard to cover it (I've also used packing paper before), a couple of stickers for the front (otherwise I don't know which is the right way to open it) and then use a hole punch to make holes.  This was an A5 notebook, so I tore A4 pieces of paper in 2 (already printed on one side or one of the many bits of paper the kids bring home from school), hole punched them and then tied it all together with string leftover from parcels/gift bags etc.  When I've filled the notebook, I can take out the pages and refill.

The trays from mushrooms etc I keep and have reused many for the kids crayons/pencils/stickers/craft stuff etc.  I use others to house homegrown fruit in the fridge or even to pick in the garden.

We often buy sundried tomatoes and make sure all the oil in the jar leftover is reused for cooking.  I then keep the jars for homemade things like mincemeat at xmas.

Any paper bag I receive is reused for gifts if nice enough or if not, it gets used for when we go out and feed the ducks.  I reuse them until they disintegrate.

All gift wrapping is kept if possible.  If the gift wrap isn't large enough for anything useful, I reuse it to make my own xmas cards.  I also take the back off any xmas cards I receive and stick it onto a new bit of card to create a new card.  I always make birthday cards from what I can find around the house (and sometimes from what other people are giving away locally).

Old jeans I keep to use for patching my new jeans when I inevitably get holes in them.  I have heard you can cut up old socks to use them to remove nail varnish, but I've not tried that one yet.  I might use mine to dust my larger leaf houseplants.

Broken pots/plates etc can be used to provide drainage at the bottom of an outdoor plant pot.

I hate throwing things away so I try to reuse most things, if not I give them away and if I can't do that I recycle.  I'm always looking for ways to do more though, so I'm very interested in this thread!  I must try the loo roll for seedlings thing, although I think DH will have a fit if I fill up any more window sills

Nonnadiluca

Some great ideas, what an inventive lot we are!
Old net curtains: I have made loads of drawstring bags for fruit and veg shopping, they're lightweight and it's easy for the checkout person to see what's inside. I also use them to put small things in the washing machine and I have the small tools for my vacuum cleaner in one hanging in the cupboard.
I've made small ones to cover individual figs on the fig tree at the allotment, keeps the beasties off but lets the light in. Larger pieces are covering the cherries so I don't have to share too many with the birds.
The long trays for mushrooms are in my underwear drawer as drawer dividers.
Small glass spice jars are useful for storing small things like screws.

QueenJess

Nonnadiluca said:

Some great ideas, what an inventive lot we are!
Old net curtains: I have made loads of drawstring bags for fruit and veg shopping, they're lightweight and it's easy for the checkout person to see what's inside. I also use them to put small things in the washing machine and I have the small tools for my vacuum cleaner in one hanging in the cupboard.

What a great idea!  I will be stealing that one as I keep losing the parts to my vacuum in the cupboard.

goldfinches

Nonnadiluca said:

Some great ideas, what an inventive lot we are!
Old net curtains: I have made loads of drawstring bags for fruit and veg shopping, they're lightweight and it's easy for the checkout person to see what's inside. I also use them to put small things in the washing machine and I have the small tools for my vacuum cleaner in one hanging in the cupboard.
I've made small ones to cover individual figs on the fig tree at the allotment, keeps the beasties off but lets the light in. Larger pieces are covering the cherries so I don't have to share too many with the birds.
The long trays for mushrooms are in my underwear drawer as drawer dividers.
Small glass spice jars are useful for storing small things like screws.

Some good ideas for protecting ripening fruit here which I shall be using at my allotment, thanks.

Can anyone suggest some uses for these empty tins please? 


I've got loads and loads of empty ones which I can't bear to just chuck into the recycling and, although I do use them around the place for small things like beads and pins, don't know what else I could use them for.
Any suggestions welcome, thanks, goldfinches.

Nelliegrace

I save the good plastic bags from muesli, porridge and frozen vegetables to reuse. 
We get a lot of paper bags from the pharmacy.
Jam jars are useful for storing leftovers in the fridge, it is easy to see what is in them. 
I have an assortment of vintage cotton and linen table napkins in a box on the kitchen table. They are easy to soak and wash and have saved many food stains on clothes. 
The vintage linen tablecloths which will never be used are lovely as bath towels, and tray cloths are pretty hand towels. They are very absorbant.
I wash and save the rubber bands on the bunches of daffs, and the ones dropped by the postman. The covered elastic bands on the budget, spray carnations are useful on bags in the freezer. 

Nelliegrace

@goldfinches, you could wash and refill them. The larger jars are more economical, or you could use supermarket own brand petroleum jelly from the baby products aisle. Warm it by standing the pot in hot water and pour it in.
(Petroleum jelly is flammable, very useful to add a dab if the wood-shavings in the beekeepers’ smoker won’t light.)