Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tips and Quips


With Christmas quickly approaching, most everyone I know tries to find ways to save a bit of money and make that budget stretch a bit farther. I'm no exception. I love to make my budget stretch period!!

Here are a few ideas to reuse some things that might otherwise be thrown away.

~~When you get a Christmas card....or any other type of card for that matter..instead of throwing it away after you've enjoyed it for a while, cut the front off and either reuse it as a post card or cut it down to make a name tag for your gifts!!

~~If you send gifts out of town, then you know the importance of careful packing, save those grocery fliers and old newspapers. They are wonderful to keep those special treasures safe as they travel. Even better if you can shred those papers up!!

~~ Speaking of shredded paper....we shred our newspapers and such and then use them in our garden and compost pile. They just rot away in the ground while helping to hold the moisture in...and in our (usually) dry area, that is priceless!!!

~~We love blueberries...even my picky son!! Want to know how to give those blueberry bushes a boost and make them smile?? Save those used coffee grounds and leftover coffee. Just sprinkle around the bushes and watch them liven up!!...My roses love coffee as well...think it runs in our family??

~~Got an old towel that has a few holes in it?? Don't throw it away!! Even the most illiterate seamstress (and that would be me) can sew a somewhat straight line. Cut that towel apart and make wash cloths from it!!

~~Don't throw those soap slivers away either. After you've saved up 3 or 4, shred them up in a sauce pan. Add about 2 cups of water and heat until melted. Cool and pour into a liquid soap dispenser--saved of course from your previous liquid soap purchase. Now you have liquid hand soap and it didn't cost you an extra cent!!

5 comments:

Andrea said...

Sometimes I use cards I receive in my scrapbooks.

Blessings, andrea

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

Awesome ideas! I'm looking forward to implementing them.

Thanks for joining the Challenge! I'm praying for everyone! It fits well with the verse you have on your header.

Stacie

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

So that is how you make liquid soap. I'm going to have to try that! Thanks.

Nikki (Sarah) said...

you are so creative. these are great ideas.

Toni Stevenson said...

Learned something new today, thanks. I will reuse greeting cards now. There are several ways to reuse and recycle paper shreds, from using them in the compost pile, like you said, to using them for shipping instead of "peanuts" and you can use them in paper crafts for paper mache or even paper hair for your paper dolls. I recommend using a crosscut paper shredder as it cuts it down smallest and makes it perfect for paper crafts.