Making do (2)

Old Clothes

Clothes-

At the end of the Summer/Winter season, I go through our closets to remove anything that is longer needed. I keep them in a container in the garage & right before the new season begins, I go through it again.This helps to look at the clothing in a different way, because at the time of going through the closets, all you want is to be rid of it. I use the following list to help me out.

1.Good-Donate
2.Bad- Remove what's still good & reuse.

• Take the buttons, hooks & eyes, collar stays, belts,etc.
• Cut the bottom of dresses for a skirt or make cloth napkins.
• Remove jackets old sleeves to make vest.
• Frayed Pants can be cut into shorts or capris.
• Cut into squares & donate to local quilters or thrift shops.

3.Ugly-Cut into rags.

• Flannel-Cut into squares & place into a resealable plastic bag with Olive oil or store bought lemon oil, enough to saturate rags.Shake dust outside and put back.
• Make dryer sheets. Spray with softener, air dry(blue dye could stain whites) and use, repeat.
• Cut & glue to the bottom of items to prevent scratching furniture. Save on buying felt bottoms.
• Silk- Use as rag rollers. They won't pull your hair and are soft to sleep in.
• Anything else, use as pillow stuffing,wax the car, wax the floor & toss,etc..

Cleaning rags

Cleaning-

I don't use store bought cleaning products when possible, they're costly & the aerosol affects my asthma. I also have young children and don't like the thought of using so many chemicals around them.There are germs in the kitchen that are dangerous,so I will use store bought Clorox wipes.The rest I make and keep in well labeled spray bottles or rags in a resealable plastic bag.

• Glass-Equal parts of vinegar & water in a spray bottle. Save newspapers to wipe clean. Save on buying paper towels.
• Furniture-Place 1 cup cheap Olive oil & couple drops of lemon juice in spray bottle or place half the solution in bag with rags.Swish around, allow to absorb and use.
• Scrub -Use baking soda to scrub sinks,tub,toilet,pots, & spots on glassware(not crystal may scratch).

For the rest of your cleaning of floors,walls and such, just use soap and water.
                              

Repurpose-My kids and I have made it a game to figure out what we can make out of certain items before we toss it. I never use anything that has had any type of meat product or is porous and cannot be cleaned properly.Even if they just contained a fruit or veggie, I will still wash thoroughly.

• The glass had a candle, cleaned it out, I now have a vase, terrarium, floating candle holder.
• Used facial cream jar can be filled with economy size lotion to save money. If you have several,use as a travel set.
• Soap pieces, I put into a knee-high and hang on outdoor water faucet so my kids can wash their hands after playing with chalk or such. I also use the pieces to mark my material when I sew. It's cheap & washes off.
• The old applesauce containers, I can use as jell-o molds, to hold kids paints or beach molds.

Rethink

Reuse

Repurpose

• These old containers held fruits, now they keep my kids desks organized and separate my sewing & craft items.
• I used the blue container after I cut a hole on the bottom & side for drainage, it holds my soap and shower sponge.
• The clear ones have lid that snaps shut easily, so they hold food items in picnic basket.

                                                                                                                               My hints for saving money & suggestions to rethink an item before it's tossed away may not be anything new. I just want to show what my family and I do to save a little money, to teach the kids about recycling, to be creative and teach them a little history about making do. It doesn't even come close to what they had to do without in the past, but if reminds us everyday about fortunate we are to have what we do. Then its a good start.