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My Grandparents were products of The Great Depression of the 1930's. As such, they learned quickly how to reuse something that appeared to have outlived its usefulness. Some people question whether or not we're heading for another depression. In any event learning to reuse household items that otherwise would be thrown a landfill is a good concept. Here are a few of my own making-use-of-something-when-y ou-think-it's-outlived-its-use fulness ideas.

Turn old mittens and gloves into puppets for the kids or donate them to your local library or elementary school.

Use that old shower curtain as a tarp for covering something outside. Use it as table protector when doing crafts.

Cut up your husband's old shirts and use them as dusting rags for the house or drying rags after giving your car a bath.

Paint quart-sized milk cartons let them dry and let the kids use them for bowling.

Tin cans of course make great organizers for everything from buttons and tacks to one penny nails and washers. Did you also know they also make great home-made musical instruments for toddlers?

Poke two holes in an empty coffee can, tie a string to it so they can hang if around there neck, give them a wooden spoon and let the parade begin.

Old suitcases are great for organizing and storing Barbie dolls, GI Joes, Polly Pockets and many other toys.

Empty cereal boxes can be used to store magazines and newspapers you may need for researching information. They're can also be used for making craft templates.

Here are some of my grandparent's favorites.

Spray paint empty beverage cans black. Stack them along your greenhouse window from side-to-side and top-to-bottom. You now have your very own solar panel to heat your greenhouse. The concept will work for other small rooms as well.

Breathe some new life back into those cookie tins. Fill them with home-made cookies and give them as gifts for all occasions.

Cut old shirts into small squares. Sew them together to make a quilt for a friend or a tablecloth for the picnic table.

Make birdfeeders out of empty milk jugs.

http://www.familyeducatio n.com/whatworks/item/front/1,2 551,1-10641-12347,00.html?deto ured=1

If you put your mind to it you can find a use for just about anything you're sure has no usefulness left in it. If you're not quite sure what to use something for, but have an inkling it could be useful in the future do as Grandma and Grandpa use to do; store it in the shed for later use instead of storing it in the landfill forever.

Learn more about this author, Cyndi Li.
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