Secondhand Products
There are so many ways to buy secondhand, whether it be from Craigslist, the newspaper, hand-me-down from family, or via garage sales. The idea is that you can buy clothes or household items and not only save money from having to buy new and full price, but again, it saves on energy from not having to make new products. It also helps reduce waste in landfills because the other person's "waste" isn't going to trash, but instead is becoming your "treasure." I love the idea of buying a used dresser, then refinishing or painting it to taste. I have a project coming up with a dresser.... soon!! I know you guys are all so excited!!! :)
Another really neat project I duplicated recently was sweater pillows, which is a great way to re-use old sweaters for a fun Wintery Project. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of my pillows, so here is a picture of the one designed at Brassy Apple. Also, if you are interested in the DIY Tutorial, click here. Reusable Products
I know there are so many new products out there that are not very good for the environment, such as the Kleenex Hand Towels. Are those really necessary? To me, they seem like such a waste of money. Using a hand towel for a few days and washing it much cheaper and more eco-friendly.
The idea of reusable products applied to many other goods in your house, therefore I have come up with my top re-usable products at home:
-Wash rags in the kitchen VS disposable sponges and paper towels
-Washable containers VS plastic bags for lunches
-Dryer balls for static cling in clothes VS bounce sheets
-Reusing plastic grocery bags for trash can liners VS buying trash can liners
-Microfiber cloth or socks to dust all furniture VS Pledge wipes
-Reusing old soap dispensers each and refilling VS buying new soaps for each time they run out
-The biggest impact to me: Using a water purifier or carbon filtration system at home (i.e. Brita) and refilling travel water bottles VS buying plastic water bottles
What are other products that you reuse or have obtained secondhand and made your own?
We use reusable shopping bags.
ReplyDeleteHi Cara! Glad to hear of your quest to go green, be frugal and do your part to save the planet! One of the frugal (el cheap-o !)things I do to cut costs is to hang my laundry on the clothesline - it saves electricity, helps lower my energy consumption and my laundry smells fantastic! I know it is not feasable for everyone but just a thought for your readers..try it even if you just hang bulky items over the porch rail (or over a clothes basket inside?)til almost dry then throw them in the dryer to finish drying! This method works great for bulky hoodies and also socks! Every little bit helps!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!! We do hang a lot, but I don't think about those things that take longer, like sweatshirts and blankets etc. I wonder if they still sell those drying racks like they did back in the 80s? I'm gonna have to look into that!
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