by Erin Kathleen

Created on: May 06, 2008   Last Updated: May 20, 2008

With all the buzz about Going Green', you may be trying to find a few ways you can help out the environment. At the same time, you might not want to spend the extra money on special light bulbs or organic foods. With high gas prices and rising food costs, that is completely understandable. However, don't give up hope just yet. You might just have a few tricks up your sleeve after all. You can call it recycling, you can call it repurposingeither way, you can call it smart. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Is the tread on your Jeep tires running thin? Time to replace them, right? Sure. But don't toss those old tires in the garbage. Instead, give them new life as a child's treasured swing by tying a rope around it and attaching it to a nice, sturdy tree. If you already have a swing or your children have grown too old for backyard fun, turn your used tire into something nice to look at by planting some flowers in it. Don't stop there. You can paint it whatever color you like and fill it with sand for the grandkids to play in, chop it into small pieces and toss them in your current flower bed as makeshift mulch, or use it underneath a swing set to keep muddy shoes at bay. The possibilities are endless.

Do you have a house full of children that love to eat cereal? I bet those kids would love to build their own clubhouse! Start saving those empty cereal boxes. Each time one empties, give your kids some craft supplies and have them decorate in whichever way they'd like. You can even collect empty cereal boxes from neighbors and friends. Gather up enough and you've got the necessary materials for building a castle, lemonade stand, or whatever fortress your children desire.

Everyone loves a good piece of art in their home. However, not everyone can afford something like that. Why not save some money while keeping a little junk out of a landfill somewhere? Use the pictures from an old calendar as art by sticking it in an old frame. Add a little paint and you've got a brand new piece of dcor for your home. Using this same concept, you can use up extra pieces of fabric, fake flowers, or scenic pictures from magazines. Try something 3-demensional by framing your art with a shoebox or tissue box. Paint makes everything better.

I don't know about you, but if I counted all of my groceries bags that I have stuffed in the cabinet under my kitchen sink, the numbers could quite possibly be in the thousands. Why not make good use of them? Put a few aside to reuse when you grocery shop. Use the rest as stuffing for a pillow or blanket. Use them to protect valuables that you have packed away. Use them as trash bags for your bathroom or as a means of insulating the back of your hallway closet (those closets can get cold, which raises your energy bill). You can even use them as gloves for those dirty jobs. Just stick your hand inside them and you can easily clean the toilet, mix up meatloaf, or pick up the scattered garbage in your yard that stray animals tore open.

Once you get going, you'll find that it isn't hard to come up with creative new ways to not only save the environment, but save yourself a few bucks as well. Little things can go a long way. Use old coffee jars as a place to save change, turn an empty diced tomato can into a place to drain your bacon grease, or use the hot water you just boiled those eggs in as a way to kill those pesky weeds growing up through the cracks in your walkway. Remember, saving the environment can save you money at the same time. With that idea in mind, it's a wonder the whole world hasn't Gone Green'!

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