If you find a lot of old materials in your craft room that are in good condition but you know you won't use them, get rid of them. You don't have to throw them away - instead you could donate them to a charity that collects art supplies for children going to school for the first time. There are also community art programmes that might benefit from them.
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... Continue reading ...
Be responsible - think before you chuck!
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... Continue reading ...
Carpets in the beds
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.
Continue reading ...
Turn junk into cash
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.
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New life for jeans (and for shoes)
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.
Continue reading ...
Mulch with newspapers
Not only do worms and your garden composter love old newspaper, why not
also use it as 'weed suppressor' under mulch. AND remember you can use it to
clean windows..
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Odds & sods for school projects
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 ... Continue reading ...
Jars - to storage - to decor
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... Continue reading ...
From beer bottle to vase
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... Continue reading ...
Sheets & towels to animal shelters
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.
Continue reading ...
Beauty samples
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... Continue reading ...
Letter holder from CDs
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).
Continue reading ...
Get rid of unwanted paper straight away
Posted by Head Chiquita on Wednesday, June 8, 2011,
In :
General Tips
Paper
is present everywhere - be it newspapers that you receive daily, mail, flyers,
newsletters and notices. Leaving this unchecked can quickly add up to a lot of
paper.
You
should immediately upon reading it, decide if you're going to:
• toss it in the bin;
• keep it for future referral (only if you really need to);
• recycle (either by dropping off at a depot or throwing it
into a compost heap); or
• shred it (one of the best buys I ever made was buyin... Continue reading ...
Recycle christmas cards
If your used
Christmas cards have a clear design or pattern on them, you could cut that out,
laminate it, put a beautiful ribbon on the top and then use it as a Christmas
decoration.
Continue reading ...
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