Doing this will bring even more joy to the pleasure of creating beautiful things (and you will have gained back some space to do what yo...

Ideally you should recycle old ink & toner cartridges. According to research done in the USA, each re-manufactured cartridge keeps approximately 1,3 kilograms of metal and plastic out of landfills and saves about 1,8 litres of oil.

Buy rechargeable batteries. It takes 1000 regular batteries to equal the lifespan of one rechargeable battery.

On that note make recycling bins readily available in your home and teach your family the value of recycling. Have a large bin for glas...

I have to package a lot of items and it suddenly occurred to me recently that shredded paper would be really useful for this. There is always a small spot in the box that needs to be filled in order to protect the products and I am thrilled to know, that now all the paper I shred, can save me money on packaging. 

Equally as interesting, is the realisation that shredded paper can be used for hamster cages. Again, out of necessity (we had run out of chippings), it occurred to m...

Old tyres painted bright colors make perfect planters for strawberries or flowers.

Old brass headboards make unique garden trellises.

The old aquarium that the kids lost interest in but is still sitting in the garage. Haul it back into the house and use it to plant an indoor herb garden. Aquariums are also just the thing to use to force bulbs so that your winter days can be bright with color.

Attach an old cork to your keys before you go fishing or sailing: if they fall in...

Hands up anyone who has moved into a house and inherited glass light fittings from the 60s or 70s? Well, my hand just shot up! But, here is the perfect excuse to get rid of them and buy yourself some modern ones instead.

South Africans love to entertain outside and candles and hurricane lamps are so handy on such occasions. So why not take those old glass lampshades:

• Turn the lampshade upside down.
• Get an old CD and super glue it onto the lampshade as a base.
• Now place ...

Remember those days when toast was made and placed in-between racks to cool down? If you aren't using them anymore, they are just the right size for envelopes so why promote them to desk organiser - keeping bills and letters sorted.

Do you have an old carpet at home that you don't know what to do with? Well, I read recently that an OLD CARPET makes a PERFECT "weed mat" for  use on garden beds!

You lay it in and around your plants within the garden bed and it blocks any weeds from growing through but because it is porous, it still allows water through for your plants.

If you have decided to tidy up your space, resign yourself to the fact that you will have to turf many things out.

You may feel as if you're wasting so much money but if you focus on what you're trying to achieve AND organise a garage sale, you'll be able to recoup some money. So decide on a date, set the target, advertise in the local press and get it done. You'll feel enormously relieved you did.

Newspapers are everywhere and many people don't bother to recycle them. But years ago, my creative brother decided to use them to wrap Christmas presents and I think it was a brilliant idea.

(If you think it is a little boring, make it look colourful with bows and ribbons and homemade cards.)

If you have a flat pillow that you want to toss aside for a new model, why not recycle it into a cushion instead? Simply fold the pillow over, stitch it and use it to fill a smashing cushion cover (that you are going to make because you're so creative).

We all have them in our homes, be it for entertainment or for work, but when they get damaged, we generally just throw DVDs/CDs away. Yet, they could easily be used as coasters when you're entertaining. 

Don't stop there though, if you're the arty type, embellish it with fabric or beads. Go crazy to personalise your CD/DVD, making it the toast of the day!

Old jeans that you can't squeeze into anymore but really don't want to part with? Well, how about making a groovy shoe bag.

Cut 30cm off the bottom of one leg, sew up one end of this piece and hem the other so it can take a drawstring, thread a piece of cord around the top with a safety pin and pull tight. Voila, your shoes can now travel in your trendy jeans.

Last year my sister forewarned me that the older her boys got, the more projects they had at school. She suggested therefore, that I get an old box and fill it with toilet rolls, small yoghurt containers, polystyrene trays, plastic straws, spoons etc etc etc which could be used to build the assortment of projects.

I took her advice and true-to-her prediction, my child needed this and that to build a bridge for technology. I was so excited when I calmly directed ...

I cannot stand wearing pantyhose (and my commiserations to those that have to), so it is nice to finally put mine to good use.

A great place to use them is in the garden, which I did recently when I attached tree orchids to a stump in the garden. You can also use them to tie plants like tomatoes to stakes (keeping them straight and strong).

I have also been told pantyhose comes in handy to make potpourri 'sachets' but I must say, I haven't tried this one.

We all have to start taking responsibility for our environment and one way to do this is to re-use paper. Here are a few suggestions:

• Print on both sides of the paper and then shred and recycle what you can. Arrange for Mondi or similar company to fetch your used paper.
• If you have children, cut up paper and staple the pages together to make small notepads. Recycle these when they've been used (but remember to take out the staple).
• Give paper to schools in t...

These are great for under the shelf storage of nails and other hardware items, beads, buttons and more. Attach the top to the bottom of the undershelf and screw the clear jars on and off as you need them. Great for garages, craft and sewing rooms, or anywhere you need see-through storage.

I also remember these small jars being used once by my child's Montessori school to make lanterns. They attached a wire around the top, made a handle with wire as well and twisted it to secu...

If, like me, you enjoy dressing up your table or having a small flower next to your desk, you can achieve this without spending money.

I first saw this at my sister's house so all credit to her. She took an old, clear beer bottle, and after rinsing it, she used it to put a few flowers from the garden in. When I decided to do the same for my kitchen window sill, I spruced them up a little by tying some lovely coloured ribbon around them. So now I have I nice vase made from a b...

Donate old sheets and towels to a local animal shelter. These can be used to line the cages, clean up messes, dry off wet dogs, or provide warm bedding.

We get given a lot of those fancy beauty product samples but seldom do we actually use them. Recently, when talking to a client about how to save money, she told me that she LOVES beauty products and had quiet a collection so she decided to actually start using them. As a result, she has saved a lot of moola because she hasn't had to buy any beauty products for months! So, take advantage of all those freebies you're hoarding in your bathroom cabinet! (p.s. Thanks for the tip C...

We all have old CDs at home that have been scratched and rendered unusable so why not save it from the bin!

Click here to find out how you do it (could be a great art and craft activity with your kids).

We bought a shower curtain for our outside bathroom but had to cut it because it was too wide. BUT, we didn't cut it very straight, so it now seems way too small! Perhaps I could deal with the waste of money if I reused it as a drop cloth for painting - good plan?

I was looking up some ingenious ways to recycle! recently and found some interesting reinventions for flip-flops. The one I liked the most was using them to cushion the underpart of tables and chairs to prevent them from scratching wooden floors.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

Looking for a refreshing alternative to throwing away your toothpaste tubes? This easy do-it-yourself project upcycles your empty tubes into a simple toothbrush holder. Recycling materials like these are a great way to reuse without costing a mint.
Click here to find out how.