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Community Corner

Frugal Family: Recycle and Reuse

This week the Frugalista has suggestions for how to recycle and reuse around the home.

The Frugalista doesn’t throw things away – it’s all about the whole reuse, recycle and re-purpose idea. When you buy something don’t you like getting your money’s worth out of it…110%? Even items around the house that you don’t buy but accumulate can be used in new ways rather than be thrown away.

This week we’ll look at two very common household items that can be used and reused quite easily: plastic bags and newspapers.

I admit, I try to use my reusable shopping bags every week at the grocery store, but more times than not I forget the darn things. Alas, what does one do with their collection of plastic bags rather than toss them aside where they'll sit in a landfill for hundreds of years?

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1. Bring them back to the store and save money on your next shopping trip.

 will give you five cents off per bag used as long as it’s a reusable bag from them.

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 will give you a $1 Extra Care Bonus for every fourth visit which is basically twenty five cents a shopping trip. You have to use a green tag from them but as long as that tag (available for $1) is on your reusable tote, you save.

Whole Foods will give you five to ten cents (depending on the location) off for every reusable bag used during your shopping trip and it doesn’t matter what kind of reusable tote you use.

2. If you cut the bags into strips you can crochet a rug with them. I’ve seen it done and attempted it myself. The hard part is sitting there with a pile of bags as you cut them into strips, tie ends together and roll it all into a neat little ball but once done you can crochet a great indoor/outdoor mat that can be hosed off when dirty.

3. Of course using the bags as household trashbags is a simple idea. Use them in bedrooms, bathrooms and even the living room and come trash day simply collect them and take the trash out. They may not be scented like the ones you buy specifically for that purpose, but for free I think it's a fair tradeoff.

4. Keep a few plastic bags in the car in case of emergencies. I always have a roll of paper towels and some plastic bags in the trunk because with kids and dogs you never know what you’ll need to clean up. Better safe than sorry.

5. My Mom always put my feet into plastic bags before putting my snow boots on me. She swore that it kept my feet drier this way and helped my boots slide on a little more easily. I had these plastic ones that fit over my shoes and after testing the theory I found that she was right – they did help in getting the boots on and off.

6. I’ve read that if you’re in the middle of painting and need to take a break you can wrap the brushes in plastic bags to keep the paint from drying. I’ve never tried it but it sounds a lot easier than cleaning them completely before taking a lunch break.

And if you don’t get around to reusing them or have an exceedingly large number of them just bing them back to the store to be recycled. Wegman’s and Target both have containers where you can dispose of them in an eco-friendly way.

I don’t have a subscription to a newspaper, but every week I get a bag from the paperboy with a special weekend section. They’re trying to entice me to get a subscription and while I’m close to doing so just for the coupons, I’ve yet to make the jump. Once you read the news, get your coupons and laugh at the funny pages, what’s left?

1. Supposedly if you put newspapers into shoes they help them dry out and remove odors. I’m not sure how or why, but it’s easy enough to try.

2. I’ve read about making firelogs out of newspapers which is next on my to-do list. It’s really easy and apparently only requires a few washed out tuna cans and a pile of newspapers. You roll the paper up tights into ‘logs’ (removing the shiny ads) and then slide a tuna can (with both ends cut off) over to hold it together. Then completely saturate the log and leave it out in the sun to dry. These humid days would probably work quite well for that.

3. Use a few sheets of newspaper to control weeds in your gardens. They work great and naturally decompose. I’ve also read that carpets can be used in this manner. Open weave backed carpet, rather than plastic backed, is great because it lasts for a very long time, allows water to drain and supposedly doesn’t smell. I’m not too sure about that idea but if we put a path in the yard I may attempt this idea and then cover it with stones. It’ll keep the stones from sinking too. Personally though I use three sheets at a time to prep the garden and it works very well.

4. Use newspapers to wash windows. Some newspaper, white vinegar and water and you’ve got yourself some clean and streak-free windows. Yes, yet again – Mom was right about this one.

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