Reuse, why not??

In honor of Earth Day this week, we wanted to post some ways we are taking action to help take care of our earth.

This post is about Reusing!

We have been getting creative in ways I never thought we could. We have been trying to not consume so much! And by that- we are trying to reuse some of our items we use alot. Not only does reusing items help our earth- it helps our pocket book!!

Here are some things we reuse in the Strickland home.

Jars- I reuse jelly/hot sauce jars as my tupperware. We also use the jars as vases, or to catch bugs, or to make homemade sauces or dressings.

Ink Cartridges- did you know that Walgreens have a special machine that will refill your ink cartridges? They will also check the functionality of the cartridge to ensure its woking properly. Not only is this earth friendly- it saves LOTS of money! Call your local Walgreens and find out how to refill your cartidges.

Ziplock bags- We rewash some of our ziplock bags to be used again. It just depends on what was inside it. I also try to reuse the sandwhich baggies in the kiddos lunch a few times. It really does help!!

Grocery Bags- We reuse our grocery sacks as trash liners, as lunch bags, or to hold items to carry.

Newspapers-paper-and magazines- During the winter, when we build fires- we use all kinds of paper around the house. Also, we use newspapers or ads as tablecloths while we paint or make a messy project.

FREECYCLE Have you ever heard "One mans trash is another mans treasure"? Well, we are apart of an online local group called Freecycle. When I have some shoes, or planters, or clothes, toys etc... that I dont want- I post it on freecycle and I promise- no more than 24 hours there will be a person in my town that wants or needs my items. What a great way to reuse our unwanted items. And we have actually gotten things from Freecycle that we needed or wanted. Really cool!!

Regifts and represents Im trying not to be embarassed by saying this, but if you have given us a gift that we dont neccessarily need or want- we are more than likely going to regift it (if its regiftable. We also save gift bags and wrapping paper and use it in the future. Its RARE that we buy gift bags..we are usually just passing some we have recieved along!!

Extras For school this week, we had the girls make LITTER BUGS. These are bugs they made out of items around the house. Get creative and use supplies like straws, bottles, bottle caps, lids to make fun things like bird feeders, crafts, and gifts.

Do you reuse anything not listed here? If so, please share!!!