In this series, “Back to Basics”, I am covering the essentials of “going green” by focusing on the basic principles of green living. First in the series was Reduce and today we will cover Reuse, or as I like to call it, repurposing!

The very point of reusing items to take a once useful item and use it again to suit your new need – you’ll quickly see what I mean. It’s remarkably easy and extremely frugal. And if you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you know how much I love to save time AND money!

Before I go on, I must say that I have an obsessive love for Real Simple’s New Uses for Everyday Things column in their monthly magazine. I clip out these tidbits, scan them into my computer and then reuse the clips for packing paper in eBay sales and the like! That column has massively improved my creativity in repurposing the various items I come across into new useful items.

Newbie

1. Instant Tupperware. You know that glass spaghetti sauce jar you were about to throw away? Why not wash it and use it as instant Tupperware for that chicken soup you made for the sickie in your life? You already have it, it’s still perfectly good and if you’re giving it to your sick friend across town, you can tie a ribbon around it to make it more present like. Viola! Instant love.

2. Newspaper makes for a streak-free shine. That’s right – spray your mirrors and glass with a white vinegar and water mix, then wipe clean with regular black-and-white newspaper. I don’t know what it is – the ink or the paper’s consistency – but my glass is nice and shiny. Plus my Sunday paper is reused after reading!

3. Old t-shirts and pajamas make excellent bedding for dogs and cats. Take a large t-shirt, tie the sleeves and stuff with other old clothing or rags and toss in the kennel or crate. Not only does your smell stay and comfort them, but it’s soft and doesn’t cost you the exorbitant prices pet stores charge for pet bedding. And if the cloth gets ruined, it’s easily replaceable.

Amateur Environmentalist

1. Illuminate with repurposed lighting. Instead of purchasing costly candlesticks from Crate & Barrel, why not reuse some empty wine bottles for tapers or those mismatched martini glasses you inherited with some tea lights and sand? You’d be surprised what could be made into a lamp with a simple kit purchased at any hardware store – an old saxophone, a seasonal tin, or even an old inherited silver candlestick!

2. Rethink your packaging. This one I use all the time for eBay sales and gift containers. Old cereal boxes are great for shipping books or gifting a sweater or t-shirt. Instead of buying bubble wrap, I use the plastic bags that seals the cereal in the box as well as magazine clippings I’ve already scanned into my computer to save and the wrapping from popcorn packets. Old maps make great gift-wrapping for kids too!

3. Fancy indulgences can be practical. I am a candle nut and will occasionally splurge on a few expensive candles like White Barn New York’s Cinnamon & Clove Buds or even a spa essential like a good foot soak. The only way I can justify these purchases is that I later reuse the containers for toiletry items. Apothecary jars like the ones the candle and the foot soak come in often sell at more than what the candle and soak cost – so I get my pampering AND some fancy decor out of the deal!

Certified Tree-Hugger

1. Shop at thrift stores, Freecycle and Craigslist before hitting up the chain stores. When you’re looking for a new piece of furniture, be willing to go cheap and repurpose an old item. For example, when we moved last year my Mom had a microwave stand similar to this one that she no longer had room for. I was in desperate need of a good printer stand and cabinet for my home office supplies. A little paint and ta-da! I have a repurposed printer stand with cabinet and all it cost me was $10 for paint.

2. Think outside the cabinet. Old silverware makes fun coat and towel hooks, old plates can be painted and reused as chargers for candles or pieces of art, broken dishes can be used as bits in art projects or aerators at the bottom of the soil in your potted plants.

3. Before tossing, consider a giving the item second or third life. Have an old book that you’ll never read but love the way it looks? Make it into a secret stash for cash by cutting out the middle. How about that toothbrush caddy that is painted olive green from the ’70s? A bit of paint and you can use it as a small vase, using the toothbrush holes to perfectly line up the flowers. An old bookcase can easily become a storage cabinet, a locker with the addition of a few old cabinet fronts, a trophy display case and if deep enough, a dresser with the use of canvas boxes.

Essentially, the fun in reusing is to be creative and see what life you can give the items you already have. Waste not, want not my friends!

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Like the tips but have an even better one? Leave it in a comment!

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