by Katrina Norman

Created on: May 06, 2008   Last Updated: February 19, 2011

Dust off your “Super Hero” tights and get ready to save the day! Or at least save some old stuff from getting tossed into a land fill. Re-purposing household items can be fun, exciting, creative, and rewarding.

Here are 15 ways you can save money and the environment at the same time:

1. Turn old coffee cans, oatmeal containers, empty baby formula cans, or other cylinder containers into change banks.  Decorate them with scraps of left over wrapping paper, or leave them as is.  Just cut a slot in the lid and start saving that pocket change.

2. Soup cans make great pen or pencil holders.  Larger cans or jars can be jazzed up with a splash of paint, colored paper, ribbons and more to become wonderful vases.

3. Empty pill or medicine bottles can be used as travel sized change holders.  For those who go to the laundry mat, this is a fantastic way to store your quarters!

4. Reuse plastic bags from the store as bathroom garbage bags or as trash receptacles for your vehicle. (They also come in handy when you’re having a garage sale.

5. Newspaper can be used as gift wrapping, packaging breakables, or lining animal cages.  Shredding the black and white section also makes wonderful worm food for those who have a compost pile or garden.

6. Egg cartons are the perfect size and shape for starting your seedlings out early for gardening.  They are biodegradable, so you just plunk the entire section down into a whole rather than transplanting them.  Egg cartons can also be used as jewelry boxes.  Decorate the outside any way you want and store your earrings in individual compartments.

7. Convert worn out and broken laundry baskets or storage tubs into recycling bins.  (Mark the side clearly with duct tape and permanent marker so the garbage collector won’t take it.) This is a fantastic way to sort out the recycling.

8. Measuring cups with worn off writing can be used as bath or sand box toys for the kids.

9. Plastic gallon milk jugs can be cut and transformed into bird feeders, scoops for larger animal feed, and watering dishes for smaller animals.  Keep the jug intact, poke a few wholes near the top side away from the handle and you’ve just made yourself a nice watering can.

 10. Glass champagne or wine bottles are easily turned into candle holders & set a romantic ambiance.

 11. Take an empty quart of oil container & cut the bottom off, now you have a funnel for adding oil to your vehicle in the future.

 12. Old plastic wading pools can be turned into raised garden beds. Poke holes in the bottom, fill with dirt, and plant with your favorite flowers, herbs, or vegetables.

 13. Out dated, worn, or unwanted clothing & other fabric materials can be cut & sewn into other things such as: quilts, oven mitts, pot holders, or garage/shop rags.

 14. Old tires (depending on size) make wonderful tire swings or raised garden boxes.  Put an old tire around the base of your mailbox for added protection against snow plows or place one on either side of your dive-way entrance and fill with seasonal flowers for a fresh new look.

 15. Strip down your old dresser, sand it, slap a fresh coat of stain and polish (maybe even some new handles) and you've got yourself a nice, fresh, new looking piece of furniture to keep or sell.

 Repurposing household items is a great way help the environment.  Every little bit helps!

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