Reusing

Around our house we reuse things...alot. I keep the containers for almost everything. They are helpful with crafts for the kids, school projects, well just about everything. The kids made clipper ships out of crackers boxes, paper, and bamboo skrewers last year. Or used the styrafoam trays meat comes in for making sumatrin masks. They also use old newspapers for paper mache and drop clothes.  You get the picture on how the kids reuse stuff.

Oh, Ash even won a first place ribbon from the 4H county and state fair for making a recycled item. She made a desk organizer out of recycled wood, cans, and paper the only thing that was brand new was the glue and JB weld she needed to attach it all.

Now I use things to help organize, freeze, plant..... In the bathroom I have sour cream containers organizing my hair things in the drawer, in the cabinet I have containers holding odds and ends, under the sink I have a soy sauce container holding vinegar for cleaning, a peanut butter container holding homemade scouting powder, an old toothbrush used to help clean, ice cream buckets to hold walmart bags for the trash can and to hold empty toilet paper rolls for seed starting and composting.

In the kitchen I have bottles, buckets and, jars for all kids of things. We are trying to let go of our plastic obsession for health reasons. But it comes in so handy so it has been hard. Above these are for, as you can read compost and chickens, I wrote on them for the kids since what goes in them is very specific. The old mayo jar holds washed eggs shells and the container under holds the shells after I run them through the food processor. I just pour a little in each container before it gets taken out. Momzoo gave me that wonderful idea. Before I just crushed them up with my hand and put them in one of the buckets.

Because we are slimming down our use of plastic our glass jar stash are being utilized alot more. Small jars are used for spices, bigger jars storing foods...homemade BBQ sauce, salsa etc. When I do need to buy an item that I don't make from scratch I consider the container it is in since we are moving more towards glass, then that is the option I try to buy. That way our canning jars can be utilized for freezing items and canning. But I do reuse some of our jar stash to can hot peppers they reseal wonderfully and it has worked for us with no problems.

Not everything is reused in our home but most things are and the items we can't reuse we recycle. We have big trash cans in the barn we fill up and them take to the recycle center every few months. newspapers are used for mulch in the garden. I put a thick layer down and top with hay, leaves, or wood chips. I will start a new bed that way especially if I want it in a place with grass, newspaper is the first layer then I pile on the rest.

Does anyone else reuse items and how do you reuse them?