Editor’s Note: This tip was originally submitted in response to one of our newsletter questions: What Do You Reuse To Save a Buck?

things we reuse to save a buck….

1. We reuse fabric softener sheets, 6-10 used one dries one load.

2. Boxes bath soap comes in….
turned inside out great for freshening trash cans and drawers.

3. Last few drops of dishsoap….
add water for a mild hand or fine hand washables soap.

4. Heels of bread, odds and ends of rolls etc…
we save to make croutons…dice and freeze. use when container is full.

5. All plastic bags from grocery stores, bread, tortilla’s etc….
used for small trash cans, cleaning litter box and tossing weeds.

6. Old glass jars from food….
Use for cooking grease disposal or use to house homemade salad dressing and sauces or refrigerator pickles.

7. Newspapers….
Clean windows, use to protect table when kids make art.

8. Rubber bands, envelopes, paper clips, papers written on only one side that come home from kids school….
We use the school memo’s that come home to write to do lists,chore lists and shopping lists. and we add the rubber bands and paper clips that come home on those same memo’s to our own supply. Envelopes we reuse too. We either carefully pull off the address stickers and add our own or we just cross theirs out and apply ours over theirs.

9. Cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, chip crumbs, cereal crumbs…..
get saved for meat loaf.

10. Old washrags,socks and towls….
get turned into cleaning rags.

11. Old ripped up quilts and blankets….
get saved just in case we move, they are great for wrapping breakables in…like art and mirrors.

12. Tupperware….
When its too old to house food anymore it either gets used to house kids toys and art supplies or its used to house hygiene supplies like soap, lotions, cotton balls etc.

13. Left over dill pickle juice…
once pickles gone, add sliced cucumbers to it, wait 24 hours and you now have refrigerator pickles reminiscent of clausans….or you can use the pickle juice as a meat marinade for pork chops or chicken.

For the marinade….in a large container with lid add the pickle juice,a 1/2 cup lemon juice or a glass of lemonade(I sub orange when I have to.) and 1 envelope of dried Lipton onion soup mix. Try to marinade in this sealed container for 12-16 hours. gives chicken a nice tangy flavor.

14. Body spray….
when your down to the last ounce of body spray…add water to it and use as a light room spray…shake before each use.

15. Water…
When my kids are done with their water I make them pour whatever is left on the lawn from the upstairs balcony. That way it doesn’t just go down the drain.

16. Used coffee grounds….
I use them to fertilize my plants, especially succulents.

17. Ziplock bags from pharmacy…
my medicine from the pharmacy comes in: I reuse as coupon bags, use as a car trash bag for used tissues and snack wrappers.

18. Last few ounces of spaghetti sauce….
you cannot get out of the jar…..Add water and shake really well, next day use to make vegetable or ministrone broth…just put it in a pot with left over veggies, beans, pasta and some leftover bouillon(all of which I freeze until I need them) and reheat… Great with the basil I grow on my table.

19. Empty plastic kitty litter containers….
with handles… Use the empty one to house the bags of kitty chips(aka poop) mark that container dirty,then the new one is left blank. When the old one “dirty” becomes full…its typically time to buy new kitty litter so the old new becomes the new “dirty” and the new new becomes the new clean.

20. Old greeting cards….
I have received with no sentimental value….Give to kids, they cut out the pictures and glue them to a card they folded from construction paper for fun or they turn them into tree decoration, just let them cut out picture, punch out hole and tie a cheap yarn or string in it.

21. Old mugs and glasses….
become great pen, pencil and paint brush storage.

22. Old boxes from costco…
The cat enjoys them for a few days, the kids turn them into doll houses, puppet show stages, cards, blocks and drums..

23. The big bag that toilet paper and paper towels comes in is reused to line our office/kitchen trash cans.

24. Books,
we pick books everyone likes (for example the twilight series/harry potter and classics) we take turns reading them one at a time. and when we’re positive we’re all done we donate them in great condition to good will or arc and receive a tax write off (we only claim maybe 10-25% of what we originally paid for them to be fair)

25. old arm in hammer baking soda…
that sat in the fridge or freezer. Instead of tossing it out I put it in my toilet bowl and use it to scrub it clean. Great way to get that last little bit of use out of it.

26. Old butter/cool whip tubs….
that are freezer safe… Great as one time use tupperwares to freeze leftovers in or to store pudding in. Also great as disposable bowls for cereal or sandwiches during car trips, emergencies and when mom is too sick to wash dishes. Sometimes I stack them up clean in a plastic bag and store for just that occasion :)

27. Free condiment, sweet n low packets….
This isn’t really reusing, but If I go to a restaurant and free condiments are offered I take or request them whether I need them or not, I then add to my tiny stash in the kitchen.like salsa, ketchup, mustard, oil, vinegar, pepper and sweet-N-Low. Often it’s only a few packets but makes the kitchen staples last longer. I don’t go crazy with it…Just what is offered in normal amounts.

28. Baskets…
When I get gifts from friends and family they often come in gift baskets, I save these and donate them to my kids school. Every year their school holds a fundraiser during the summer and often they take odds and ends of new donatable goods and put them together into gift bags and baskets…So in this way I am helping my kids school raise $.

29. Old used printer toner/ink cartridges….
I use them to get a discount on the new ones.

30.Old gift bags….
I get these from stores, avon and gifts I receive during holidays. I either reuse them as gift bags for my kids for birthdays and holidays or I use them as donation bags to put all the items I will donate to good will or arc so I don’t have to use one of my good trash bags.

31. Old but nice tissue paper….
from gifts and avon/stores. I reuse this to stuff gift bags I give to others.My kids make paper flowers with them and either straws, pipe cleaners or popsicle sticks or I give them to my kids school so they can use them to wrap the breakable masks, pots and other works of art the kiddos make, so they come home home in one piece in their book bags.

32. Plant cuttings…
When my plants have babies I use them as cuttings and extend my garden farther….this works great with succulents like chicks and hens and aloe veras.

33. Wood chips/planks for grilling…..
We buy wood chips/wood planks for our barbeque. We reuse the wood chips over and over till they burn to nothing and the wood planks become wood chips :)

34. Cheap shampoo or body wash….
When it fails to work, doesn’t smell quite right or is too harsh for my skin I used it to scrub my tub and sinks with.

35. Make up brushes….
When I am done with them my kids use them to make art or pretend to be detectives.

36. My kids used school supplies….
like folders, binders etc at the end of the year they come home… I reuse them as college supplies. I do online college through devry so NOBODY see’s my second hand school supplies.

37. Old cookie cutters….
either become christmas tree decorations or my kids use them as stencils.

38. Brown Paper bags…
My kids either…. use them to take sack lunches on field trips or we cut them down the sides and open them up and use them as art paper for kiddos.

39. Old electronics…
When the adults are done with their walkman’s, cell phones and computers they get passed down to kiddos….The cell phones are never hooked up and become play phones. The CD walkmans are great so kids can listen to music and since their used they can practice taking care of it on one that isn’t new…Old computers and printers are used for homework only with no internet access. This way our kids can type up home work,reports and print them up…The can also make their own banners, stationary, labels, envelopes, cards etc if they have the software for it and a color printer. They can go into print shop or art shop and draw and color to. They also use the built in spell check, dictionary, calculator and language programs. Plus we can get games or educational programs they can use. But again no internet access for fear for their safety.

40. Old crystal/glass table wear, linens…
Old clear cyrstal or white porcelean candy dishes, sugar bowls etc…become great ways for a teen girl to keep jewlery…cotton balls,makeup and treasures…Even if none of them match if you throw in a white crotched runner from grandma or your local thrift shop and it looks vintage sophisticate for a vanity…Which you can find or make from what you have or a thrift store or garage sale. Just get an old mirror in a frame and an old desk and chair…Sometime after garage sales the owners put them on the curb and give them to you just to get rid of them. Put the mirror on the wall behind the desk and you have a vanity. for extra effect paint it white or a pastel color of her choice like pink,lilac or blue.

41. Halloween candy….
Freeze or store for decorate the gingerbread house or the cakes. Use the chocolate to make cookies and brownies or melt for use in cocoa or icing.
Also you plain chocolate milk or dark to add some authentic spanish flair to mole, spaghetti sauce and chili.

42. Salsa juice….
Use the liquid sauce on the bottom of the salsa jar that is to runny for chips to mix with white rice….Now you have spanish rice. Sometimes I also add the salsa juice to soup,chili or scrambled eggs while their cooking for added flavor…