by Frances Simon

Created on: August 09, 2008

How to save money by recycling

When most people think of recycling they think of separating out the recyclables for the garbage pick-up. While this is a great start, reusing items instead of simply dismissing them as rubbish will save you far more money, as well as keeping them out of the land fill.

We are slowly losing the members of the generations that lived during the great depression, or lived in other times when supplies were limited. Recalling what I learned from my grandparents is a great place to start with saving money by recycling.

This probably sounds extremely odd to the youth of today, but aluminum foil was washed and reused until it had so many holes in it that it was no longer usable. Plastic bags were washed as well, as were plastic containers such as those used for cottage cheese. Milk jugs were cleaned and recycled as water jugs. Paper towels were saved for picnics, and towels were used for cleanup. Rather than buying special cleaning cloths, rags made of all types of cloth were saved for dusting, scrubbing the bathtub, etc.

A lesson can also be learned from third world countries where they have no choice but to reuse objects. A broken motorcycle chain can be used to repair something else. Scraps of food are fed to the pig to fatten it for tomorrow's meal.

The emotional need to be fashionably dressed has greatly increased the family budget for clothing. Try to buy classic clothing that will stand the test of time. Add a few accessories and purchase an occasional piece of clothing just for fun and you can be fashionable and show your own personality.

How many pairs of shoes with matching purses do you really need? This is a rhetorical question I don't really want to hear the answer. Black shoes go with almost anything, and by limiting yourself to basic shoe colors you will have a pair that goes with everything without having a separate pair for every outfit.

Teenagers love clothes and tire of them quickly. Trying to keep them it clothes that make them feel comfortable can be expensive. How about organizing a clothing trading party? Everyone brings the clothes they are tired of, and can negotiate trades with other people much like kids negotiate with Halloween candy trades.

While the idea of having a home filled with brand new furnishing is appealing, a home can easily be attractively furnished using other people's cast offs. Many people get rid of perfectly good furniture because they are moving out of state or to a smaller home. While you may think that family heirlooms don't fit into your decor these can be easily incorporated into your existing furniture, providing it with a flair that a matched set just can't equal.

Does something really need to be replaced? Recycling can be as simple as using your own cast offs. In this day of perfection, people tend to replace anything with a scratch or a small tear, and when the next one develops a scratch or a small tear they replace it again. Is this really something you can't live with? If you can't, is there someway to artistically conceal the flaw? Better yet, maybe you don't really need one at all.

While we live in a society that believes that more is always better, become an example of the opposite. Proudly proclaim that you are no longer caught up in the consumer spending cycle created by marketing companies. After all, the best and easiest way to save money is to never buy an item at all.

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