Day Thirty-Nine - Everyone Deserves A Second Chance

Stop Throwing Good Things Out After only One Use

This idea is very similar to my Reuse Ziploc Baggies except that it encompasses perfectly good items that you and I would otherwise throw away. I figure that even if I only reuse an item once, I am actually doubling its normal life use and, in most cases, I am avoiding the purchase of a new item to meet my need.

Here are some of the items I'm either reusing or repurposing:

• Plastic Bread Bags - These are great for packing picnic lunches in, storing homemade baked goods, rolling out pie dough on.
• Cereal Bags (the ones inside the boxes) - these are great "gloves" for when it's time to poop scoop behind the dog. Practically guaranteed not to poke a hole through!
• Toilet Paper Rolls - Lint holders, craft projects for the kids
• Oatmeal & Other Round Containers - Art Supply organizers, cookie storage, change holders, craft projects for the kids.
• Non-Recyclable Plastic Containers - Assuming they were used for food storage and NOT chemicals, I give them to the kids to use as bath toys or use them for organizing the their small toys (think Legos).
• Used Toothbrushes - Cleaning scrubbers (need a little more elbow grease now that I don't have scrubbing chemical bubbles and Clorox)

Do you have any items you repurpose in an interesting way? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Savings:

Again, by repurposing these items at least once before they are tossed, I am doubling the useful lifespan of each one. Also, I am avoiding the purchase of an alternate item to suit my need. Why anyone would actually pay money for doggie-poop bags is beyond me, and yet, they exist! Let's stop the madness, folks!

Difficulty Level 2 out of 5

It takes a while to get into the habit of really looking at each item instead of mindlessly tossing it in the trash. And, to make it worse for me, I have very little imagination. What I usually end up doing is putting something that I feel has "potential" in the virtually empty cupboard in the downstairs bath. Then, when I'm looking for something for a particular need, I check there to see if any of my used stuff will work. I'm surprised how many times I come up with a match!