:::upcycling::: taking something that you would otherwise throw away, and finding a way to give it a second life by making it into something else.

We do what we can to make our money go further. At times, we try to make things ourselves, instead of buying it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Other times, we look for ways to use something before we get rid of it. It’s kind of fun to try and see what we can come up with. Not to mention the benefit of recycling and reducing waste. My youngest has gotten pretty good at finding a second life for things and she uses a lot of odds and ends for art projects.

Finding a second life for things, instead of throwing it out, is something I enjoy doing and find it very creatively rewarding. I enjoy finding simple uses as much as taking on larger projects. Sometimes the quick and easy projects are more enjoyable because you can see the results quickly.

:1: My husband used two thick wooden beams to make a balance beam for our kids in the back yard.
:2: A old tea cup saucer became a place for butterflies to drink by adding some small rocks and water.
:3: Some old picket fence panels got painted and placed around our pool pump.
:4: Crushed up cookies at the bottom of the bag get tossed on top of pudding or ice cream. (my kids love this!)
:5: Old washcloths and towels become cleaning rags
:6: Sunday comics to wrap the kids birthday gifts (they think this is cute!).
:7: A very large piece of cardboard became a mobile jigsaw puzzle holder while it’s being worked on.
:8: We save buttons, tassels, old earrings, greeting cards, etc to use for art & craft projects.
:9: An old plastic container became our buried time capsule.
:10: Four wheels from a table left behind by the previous home owner became the wheels for Buddie’s (our iguana) cage…even though she’s hardly ever in it. We only use it when people are over.
:11: My youngest just did this 5 minutes ago: She’s got a cold and is on the couch with a box of tissues. She just finished the box, so I gave her a new one and went to throw the old one out. She told me not to because she was going to use as a garbage pail and put the old tissues in it.
:12: When a folding table started to rot, we removed the folding legs and attacted them to a piece of wood to make a new table.

Another thing that my husband & I did when we first bought this house was start composting. We really didn’t do it very well, got discouraged and then with the adoption process underway, composting was the last thing on our mind. But, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought again lately. One of the things we’ll have to do first is make a bin. I don’t want to spend a lot right now because I’m not sure it’s going to work (especially with rainly season upon us) or that we’ll be able to keep up with it. We might actually start collecting grass clippings now and start in the fall when we can use the fallen leaves as a base.

These are some ideas I found online that we might want to incorporate when we do start one.

Old Fencing Take down the fence in sections. These sections can be used to make a great compost bin, ready-made with small space between the slats so your compost can breathe.
Dresser Drawers Take an old dresser / bureau. Knock out the bottom of each drawer. With a few 2×4′s you can attach the drawers together to make a small compost bin. Detach the top of the dresser and attach to the top of your bin with hinges at the back for easy accessibility.
Simple Compost The simplest compost bin container – 4 sticks of wood in the ground, Wire or plastic netting round the sticks, lined with cardboard.

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Some of you may remember the snowman dishes I posted about. I bought the whole set for five bucks at a flea market. We used them for the first time over Christmas week and I wanted to share some pictures.

This post is part of Thrifty Thursday and Tablescape Thursday.

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Here’s a few more homemade cleaners for you to try out. I haven’t tried them out yet so let us know how they are if you do!

Window Formula
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1 Tbls. cornstarch
1 gal. water
*used balled newspaper

Wall Formula
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup washing soda
1 gal. water

Hardwood Floor Formula
1 cup Ivory Flakes
1/2 cup bleach
1 gal. warm water

Upholstery Stains (old stains)
1/2 cup powdered laundry detergent
1/4 cup vinegar
warm water

Whiten Whites / Brighten Polyesters
2 cups electric dishwashing detergent
cold water
Soak overnight; was as usual

Commercial Spot Remover
2 parts water
1 part rubbing alcohol
Put into mist spray bottle; use for clothing

Frost Prevention
Rub inside window with rubbing alcohol; wipe with newspaper.

Fabric Softener
1 cup ammonia to washing cycle along with detergent.

Clogged Drains
1 cup salt
1 cup baking soda
1 cup boiling water
*Do not use with garbage disposal

Or try

3 cups boiled vinegar into drain.
Flush with water.
OK to use with garbage disposals.

Homemade Pre-Wash
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup liquid detergent
1/3 cup ammonia
Mix well and put in empty spray bottle.

Carpet Stain Formula
1/2 cup powdered laundry detergent
1/2 cup vinegar

Urine Spot Remover for Carpets
1. Blot up urine with paper towel.
2. Apply carpet stain formula (above); blot.
3. Pour on club soda; blot.
4. Mist/spray with vinegar.
5. Layer paper towels; place a heavy object on top to pull out moisture.

Mildew Prevention
1/2 cup salt into wash cycle to cut down possible mildew.

Baby Formula Remover
1/4 cup bleach
1 cup dishwashing detergent
1 gal. water
Soak overnight; wash as usual.

Spot Remover
1. Flush with club soda
2. Mix together 2 parts water and 1 part rubbing alcohol
3. Mist/spray spot with above and wipe off.

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Clothing and personal care expenses are necessary expenses but there are ways to save money.

Clothing

* Buy only because you need clothing and buy only those items that will fit into your present wardrobe. If you are choosing between two outfits, buy the one that goes best with what you already have.

* Buy good, usable clothing from thrift shops, garage sales, warehouse outlets, discount centers, and yard sales. Check any purchases first for stains or worn spots.

* Make purchases during sales time: clearance, end-of-month, or end-of-season.

* Buy versatile clothes that will expand your wardrobe, i.e., a sweater you can wear with two pairs of slacks you already have.

* Instead of buying new clothes, buy accessories that give a new look to the clothes already in your closet.

* Buy multi-season clothes such as an all-weather coat with a zip-in lining.

* Remodel or recycle an outfit you already own.

* Use cloth diapers and launder them yourself.

* If you know how to sew, consider saving by sewing your own clothes, but estimate costs carefully. You may be able to buy certain items on sale for less than you would spend on fabric and supplies.

* Share or trade sewing skills with family members or others in your community.

* Swap outgrown children’s and/or maternity clothes with neighbors or friends. Consider doing the same with shoes, ice skates, sports equipment, baby accessories, activity or school uniforms, etc.

Clothing Care

* Always consider care costs before purchase by checking the care label. Washing by machine costs less than dry cleaning.

* Keep clothes clean and in good repair. Remove stains promptly.

* Store clothes properly to protect from sun, moths, mildew, stretching, etc.

* Protect shoes and other leather items from water and salt stains.

* Buy minimum-care clothing: washable, dark colors. Dark clothes usually show wear less than light colors — especially coats, slacks, etc.

* Use self-dry-cleaning services and dry-clean your own clothes. Make sure all stains are removed before dry-cleaning. Self-dry-cleaning kits don’t usually work well on oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, etc.

* Share a dry-cleaning load with a friend if you don’t have enough for a full load.

Personal Care

* Use a mixture of baking soda and salt for brushing teeth.

* Buy personal care items from discount stores or wherever you find a personal care product on sale.

* Buy necessary items such as shampoo and toothpaste at reduced prices when stores offer “specials.” Stock up on specials but no more than you can reasonably use within the life of the product.

* Compare generic, store, and national prices — you may be paying for advertising.

* Give haircuts and permanents at home. Adopt a hair style you can manage yourself and which doesn’t need expensive care products and/or upkeep.

* Try inexpensive cosmetics. Similar ingredients are used in like cosmetic products. The difference in price is often due to promotion and advertising costs.

* Watch for coupons and rebates for personal care products.

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1. Swap, don’t buy (try eBay.com, craigslist.org, and freecycle.org)
2. Use concentrated soaps and cleaners since less packaging means less waste
3. If you see litter, pick it up
4. Spread the word
5. Invest in environmentally conscious mutual funds (find them at socialinvest.org)
6. Buy shade-grown coffee
7. Unload your trunk; the lighter the load, the less gas your car consumes
8. Seal up your house
9. Go toxin-free at home

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Here’s some great ideas to help you reduce the amount of waste you generate during the holiday season. By implementing some of these ideas, you can also reduce holiday costs.

Gift wrapping:
Trying to avoid the “gift wrap trap?” Here are some great ideas for gift wrapping alternatives.

• Scarves, handkerchiefs or bandannas.
• Old posters and maps.
• Pages from a child’s coloring book taped together (especially nice for relatives who would enjoy the artwork).
• Old sheet music.
• Newspapers (foreign newspapers are great).
• Last year’s holiday paper (press with warm iron if wrinkled).
• Wallpaper scraps.
• Home-sewn cloth bags.
• Fabric scraps.
• Pictures or advertisements from magazines and catalogs.
• Sunday comic pages.
• A present in a present (for example, a hat in a matching scarf, jewelry in a wooden box, cookies in a reusable tin or cookie jar, barbecue grill utensils or picnic supplies in a tablecloth, kitchen gifts in towels or all-purpose cloths).
• A plain box decorated with leftover glitter, paint, markers, etc.
• A cake pan, basket or a wooden box.
• Reusable decorative bags.
• A “Hollywood box:” individually wrap or decorate the top and bottom of a box with a separate lid. Encourage the recipient to reuse the box.
• Purchase wrapping paper made from recycled paper.

Tree ornaments/decorating:
Here are a few ideas for adding a special touch to holiday decorations.

* Baby’s shoe Memorabilia, such as a child’s first shoe or grandma’s hankie scented with perfume.
* An old full skirt as a tree skirt.
* Old jewelry (restring old necklaces, hang earrings or bracelets).
* Items collected on vacation.
* Small stuffed animals and toys.
* Cookie cutters.
* Miniature toy cars.
* Dressed-up doll as a tree-topper.
* Holiday card ornaments: cut up; glue felt fabric scraps on back; tie with yarn scraps.
* Edible cookie ornaments: use gingerbread or sugar cookie dough; poke a hole at the tip using a drinking straw; decorate and bake; thread a ribbon through hole; tie ribbon in a large loop and hang on bough of tree.
* Small pictures from old magazines or holiday cards: cut out; glue onto old plastic lid; decorate with beads, buttons or jewelry; punch a hole and hang with string or yarn.
* Popcorn and cranberry strings (can be eaten by animals after the holidays). Buttons
* Reusable glass icicles instead of disposable tinsel (keeps tree clean for mulching).
* Buttons knotted on a sturdy length of string.
* Spices from the kitchen instead of commercially prepared and packaged products or aerosols (for example, create pomander balls by placing whole cloves in oranges or lemons to create decorations that look and smell great).
* Gingerbread people and reindeer from leftover brown paper grocery bags (place on windows and walls for decoration.)
* Tin can luminary (punch holes into empty metal can; place candle inside.)

Read our inexpensive Valentine’s ideas!

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Check out this ebook from Budget 101. It’s a great resource for for tips and ideas on how to cut your grocery bill. There’s ideas on once a month cooking, growing herbs, menu planning and more.

Cut Your Grocery Budget

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Sometimes you want to give someone a small gift to express your appreciation or you simply don’t have extra money to buy an expensive gift but you want to give something. Here’s a few ideas for gifts that don’t cost a lot but will be appreciated by whoever the recipient is.

1. Make muffins. Line a tin (that you picked up in a yard sale, of course) with colorful tissue paper and fill it with yummy muffins.

2. Make a personalized homemade gift basket. Pick up baskets at yard sales and flea markets. Line them with pretty cloth napkins.

3. Offer a service. Print out a coupon for three car washes, a months worth of babysitting, landscaping or a foot massage.

4. Pack a picnic. Buy a red checkered table cloth (or any color) at a flea market, or use your own. Pack a large covered basket, or cooler with pasta salads, fruit, cheese, bread and crackers, leftovers and drinks.

5. Defrost one of your Once A Month Cooking Meals. Add two colorful cloth napkins and a loaf of bread.

6. If you bake, create your own cookie of the month. Print out a list in advance and make a half dozen cookies each month.

7. Frame a paint by number that you or your child created.

Also, be sure to check out these posts:
Free Printable Coupons
Free Money Saving Tips
Coupons & Freebies

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I’ve been reading quite a bit on compacting. It’s a combination of simplifying, recycling, reducing your footprint on the world and being aware of how you spend your money. From their site, “To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc., to reduce clutter and waste in our homes and to simplify our lives”.

While it’s not a new idea, the attention it’s been getting will surely make more people aware of the three R’s, reduce, reuse and recycle. As I read through some of the compacting blogs and sites, I saw that we already take a lot of the actions they suggest.

I regularly share unwanted books, puzzles, videos and toys with our local homeschool group and what doesn’t find a new home there goes to the library store. They resell them and use the money for library funding. We also just donated four large bags of things to the Humane Society. We buy pre-owned when possible. 90% of our books and DVD’s were bought used as are a lot of our gardening supplies (tools, pots, etc).

Here is their yahoo group if anybody would like more information.

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