What do you Repurpose?

Parent Cafe
41

<p>Others may do this, too…I learned this from my mom growing up:</p>

<p>Shoe boxes make great dividers in clothes drawers. They’re a good size for socks and undies and other small stuff that would otherwise get all mixed up.</p>

<p>In H’s sock drawer, I put one box in the middle. Then on the left side I put his gym socks, in the middle I put his work socks, and on the left are misc/heavy wool socks. </p>

<p>Of course you can put more than one shoe box in a drawer. </p>

<p>I like tidy looking drawers!</p>

42

<p>looking forward, yes, oil based paint rags terrify me. Into the trash they go, wrapped.</p>

43

<p>H likes the pretzels that Costco sells that come in those large plastic containers with the screw on lids. I re-use those for all sorts of things…dog food, cat food, flour, sugar, etc.</p>

44

<p>For years, I couldn’t part with the paperboard tube cylinder containers that Finish dishwasher tabs came in, so I had a huge pile in a downstairs closet. I cleaned the closet out and gave to our church preschool, which made drums with them. </p>

<p>Now if I can only find a good use for wine corks…I have been saving them for years.</p>

45

<p>“When one of my socks develops a hole, I continue to use it as a sock.”</p>

<p>^^^^ :smiley: Same here. I just did that yesterday.</p>

46

<p>OOO OOO. The wine corks make lovely decorative trivets or bulletin boards. Sort by darker or lighter color, glue on backing board… I’ve seen some beautiful ones!</p>

47

<p>The last hurricane that came through our area took a large oak tree down in our backyard. When DH cut it up with the chainsaw, we found the trunk was hollow.
So now I have a dozen all natural flower pots in my backyard.</p>

48

<p>We had 2 ash trees in our back yard die. When we had them taken out, H had the trunks sawn into dimensional lumber. I’ve had nearly 1000 board feet of ash lumber in my basement for 17 years. I wish he would return to his woodworking hobby.</p>

49

<p>I reuse a lot of things already mentioned.</p>

<p>Used two wood pallets to make signs for S & DIL’s wedding last summer. Mason jars were repurposed for vases at the wedding. </p>

<p>We use old hot chocolate/Tang containers (hard plastic) for sharps collection.</p>

<p>Plastic yogurt containers are also good for starting seeds.</p>

50

<p>I reuse plastic yogurt/sour cream/cottage cheese containers as Redneck Tupperware. :slight_smile:
Actually, I use them to send leftovers home with my married kids. No need to make them take The Tupperware Oath with that stuff.</p>

51

<p>Most of the yogurt I get comes with foil lids. I miss the plastic tops. We also use Chinese food, cottage cheese, etc. containers for sending leftovers home with kids/guests.</p>

<p>I use old cereal boxes and brown grocery bags for templates when I am sewing/making projects.</p>

<p>TJs brown bags also get used for recycling paper products.</p>

<p>WaPo bags are used for dog walks. ;)</p>

52

<p>My daughter had a field trip yesterday where they were supposed to take a sack lunch…in her regular lunch box there is some protection from squishing but none in a paper sack so I “made” a box inside with cardboard to protect her sandwich and chips.</p>

53

<p>I use empty water bottles to carry half and half to work.</p>

54

<p>I save most glass jars and find all kinds of uses for them; for mixing salad dressings, storing leftovers, painting, vases, etc. I hate plastic and usually it recycle right away, but I have a hard time parting with a small glass jar.>>>>>>>>>></p>

<p>I agree. Glass has become scarce and precious.</p>

55

<p>I take an empty Kleenex (okay, actually Puff’s…) box and put the plastic bags from the grocery store in them to store them so they don’t spread out all over. I can just pull one out when I need it. I keep a box with a few bags in each bathroom and one in the pantry so the rooms so I always have bags handy as fresh wastebasket liners.</p>

56

<p>intparent-- I am totally going to start doing that. We have a small drawer in the kitchen dedicated to grocery bags but I would love to have a stash in each of the bathrooms, too. Maybe the bathroom trash can would get emptied more often! (A girl can dream, right?)</p>

57

<p>@vabluebird, I love the smallest glass jars the best! They let me bring little bits of honey or salad dressing to work and since they have screw on caps I don’t have to worry about olive oil all over everything.</p>

58

<p>I mainly take reusable bags for groceries, but I occasionally request paper. I use them to make homemade microwave carmel corn.</p>

<p>I use empty toilet paper rolls to store detachable cords for kitchen appliances.</p>

<p>I use my redneck tupperware (margarine containers, plastic containers that you buy a pre-cleaned pineapple in at the grocery store, etc.) to give my kids leftovers, too.</p>

<p>I collected the little glass jars in which plain yoghurt comes in France and brought them home. I put chocolate mousse in them when I want a French themed dinner. Also use single serving Orangina bottles as bud vases for the table.</p>

<p>My mom was a big Nescafe drinker then it came it glass jars with red lids. I still have about a dozen of them that I use for cannisters for beans, rice, chocolate chips, etc. Also found a new brand of ice cream that comes in pint plastic containers with screw lids. They are handle for anything liquid.</p>

59

<p>Shaving cream lids for things like q-tips/tweezers inside my countertop makeup organizer. </p>

60

<p>^^ Tempe, I do the same thing!</p>