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

kimwp

Cereal bag plastic makes good freezer separaters for homemade pancakes as it's sturdy 🥞 

I've been pondering if I could use it to freeze portions of food within a larger container so it's easy to pull a portion of eg soup or chilli out, but not sure if the pieces would be sturdy enough. Maybe something else to form the portions eg freeze in smaller containers, then use the cereal bag plastic to separate the portions in the larger container.

Moorviews

@Elisheba - great idea for a thread. I look forward to all the suggestions. 

@kimwp - I also use two sheets of cereal bag plastic to roll things out between, such as pastry and tortillas. 

Old towels/any towelling. Sew two matching large pieces together around 3 sides. Turn inside out, tuck in the raw edges and stitch the remaining side. To use, fold into four. By opening it and refolding you get a lot of clean surfaces to use before having to rinse the cloth, which saves time when cleaning. I also do this with old soft cotton vests and T shirts to make good dusters. I haven’t tried it yet but I am thinking of making an oblong mitt as that could work well. The sewing is easy and quick and increases the life of the cloths. Because they are old, the colours don’t run in the washing machine and I think they are better than anything I can buy. When worn out they get used as garage/car rags. 

Strips of cotton jersey from sewing scraps, or old clothes, make nice soft plant ties. 

Worn out fleeces can be cut into strips and plaited or bound together to make dog toys. Only to be played with under supervision obviously. Stuff a toy that has already been gutted with old socks. Then the dog can enjoy disembowelling it over and over again. 

Nice but worn out old knitted jumpers can be made into cushions, or cushion covers.

ladybird1106

I use old rags to soak up oil from pans , stops pipes getting clogged up with solidified oil etc
love 🐞

Katiehound

In the past I have used plastic biro 'cases' to make handles for skinny crochet hooks- makes them much easier to handle. Just slip the handle inside and maybe block with tissue or dab of glue to complete the fit.

My friend glues all their large terracotta pots when they crack, break, get  knocked over. I gave her some to use as crocks and they have been reconstructed!

The jury is out on this one due to the very dry weather. I have read that slugs & snails hate galvanised iron so I have repurposed an old coal bucket (drilled holes in base) and planted it up with 3 young hostas. Fingers crossed I won't need to use the vaseline trick.

Tugger toys & bones made from old tea shirts- must be stockinette not ribbed cotton- the rib doesn't stretch. The shorter lengths of tee shirt yarn can be knotted into a shaggy ball. All these were popular at dog club

I make doggy duvets & sell for charity. Old duvets, cut into 4, washed, hemmed. Removable covers made from donated duvet covers, dress material, pillowcases. . I have raised several £k this way over many years.
I have seen 1/2 single duvets ( a size I used to make) being used as playmats in a play pen or kept in the car for sprogs (not dogs!) to cuddle into on long journeys. This size is generally washable in most machines.

Fabric scraps- no use to man nor beast (and dead swimming costumes) go for rag weight to a charity shop

I'm sure there are more... still thinking!!

Katiehound

Washing soda is good for absorbing fat. Sprinkle over oil / fat, when absorbed scrape into the bin and then wash pan

YorksLass

Rubber gloves that are starting to split or perish can be re-utilised.  Cut across the fingers for rubber bands or stretchy plant ties.  Cut a circle from the back or palm and use as jar openers.

Cut up and cleaned cereal bags are ideal as separators for freezing portions of cooked and sliced meats (eg gammon, chicken).  Stack them in a large container and take out as you need - great for singletons who may only want to defrost a couple of slices for a meal.  

When I've finished descaling the kettle I pour the solution down the toilet and leave overnight before cleaning the bowl.

Sugar soap can be used as a general household cleaner - it works a treat on vinyl tiled kitchen floors as it cuts through any grease.

I'm currently using up oddments of fabric to make tote bags that will eventually go to our local Hospice once I've made a stash of them; they can sell them at their summer fayre or send them to their CS.  I keep one in my handbag and another in a coat pocket so I've always got a bag at hand.

Whilst I don't have any babies left to knit for, I use oddments of leftover knitting yarn to make baby clothes or pram blankets.  Even small amounts will make a hat or bootees.  Again, the CS benefits and I can still enjoy knitting.

This week I've mixed together some tester pots of paint and have used the resulting mixture (cream) to paint a coffee table top.  I've also decanted what's left of the paint I've used in the living room into a screw top jar as it takes up far less room than a paint tin.  I've labelled it with colour/room used in and it will come in handy for any touch-ups where the wall gets scuffed.

otb666

when i replaced my shower curtain I use the old one to lie on in the garden its waterproof and does not pick up all the bits and pieces blankets pick up. I once used a cushion in the garden and when i bought it back into the house in the morning the lounge was covered in ants. So the old shower curtain works a lot better.
Any cardboard gets used for lining tortoises cages. I use my bubble wrap to insulate my french and bay windows in the winter. Any cleaning solution with water I have used gets poured onto patio to keep it clean. 

CRANKY40

Great thread thank you. I also had a daft idea then almost didn't post but someone may have a better idea of how to implement this. Say I had an old sheet for instance...instead of having to read all the posts could there be a sort of list every now and then of the good ideas so that anyone wanting to repurpose but not having much time doesn't have to read through all of the posts? 

weenancyinAmerica

Sheets - I still remember fondly having an old sheet to make a tent in the backyard I could lie under in the summer and read. My mother used a couple of old sheets to make us Indian dresses with fringe for Halloween and school dress-up. We used them later playing in the backyard. Decorated them with our names translated and using Navajo designs. I was "Gracious Light Strong Mountain." Built ourselves a little village of tipis also made with old sheets. Also used boxes and sheets to make ourselves covered wagons. 

If you are making a small quilted wall hanging, you don't have to have a large piece of the sheet.
My aunt used to make bandages from sheets and roll them for some country in Africa - she also used to knit bandages all of the time.

Could use them to make up a sample dress to make sure you have the size right and if you want to vary the pattern. Thicker sheets can be used for collars, cuffs, short jackets.

Dust covers over things in sheds so they don't get quite as dirty. 

Bags for shoes for traveling, Christmas presents (depending on the print on the bags), covers for pillows in closet. 

PipneyJane

Brilliant idea for a thread!

@foxgloves how do you make plant food with comfrey?  Also, what is it like to grow?  Is it invasive, spreading, smelly, poisonous, well behaved, does it have pretty flowers, etc, etc?

My favourite re-use story is one from a summer BBQ a few years ago.  We had a stack of those clear liners from Yeo Valley 450g yoghurt pots in the kitchen.  (I’d saved them to use as starter pots in the veg garden.). Party guests started using them as disposable plastic, pint glasses; perfect size, unbreakable and they all went in the recycling afterwards.

I do try to stick to the mantra: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Don’t Waste.  

• We use post-consumer-recycled toilet paper and paper towel.  (It’s the own-brand stuff from either Sainsbugs or Tesc0.).  
• We only ever use recycled plastic bin liners and, even though we have a weekly collection, quite often don’t put that bag out every week because it’s not very full.  
• On the other hand, our bag of recycling always goes out.  Some weeks, we’ll have two. I try to crush aluminium cans, plastic bottles and cardboard items, so that they don’t take up so much space, thus reducing the number of journeys the recycling lorry has to make and its fuel consumption.
• DH and I always take a bottle of made-up squash with us, when we’re out and about.  Our regular drink bottles are re-used plastic bottles - usually Volvic - acquired from Meal Deals while on trips. 
• Where possible, I buy my veggies loose, not wrapped in plastic or in plastic bags.  I find they last longer, too, when they haven’t been sweating in a plastic wrapper.  (The first place mould will grow is where the veg was in contact with a sweat-spot.)
• My storage jars are all re-used Douwe Egbert coffee jars, the ones with the glass lids.  They’re pretty much air-tight.  I buy my spices in 500g bags and one jar will usually hold a whole bag and keep it fresh/flavourful for years.  They’re stored in the pantry cupboard, out of the light.  
• I also use these jars to store instant coffee - ownbrand Gold - and tea bags.  (Most instant coffee jars are not airtight and once the foil seal is broken, the coffee wil oxidise, with the flavour deteriorating.)

HTH

- Pip