Frugal Recycling Can Also Save Money

"“A penny saved is a penny earned.”-- Benjamin Franklin

Lets talk frugal recycling. We all now live in a world where we have come to realise that we are harming our planet with our wasteful ways and at the same time our personal finances are being squeezed more and more.

The obvious answer is frugal recycling, recycle and reuse to save the planet and our pennies.

Many people however have certain reservations about recycling and reusing items, mainly:

• It's second hand
• It's dirty
• It's unattractive

But if you think about these reasons a different way, they are soon become completely invalid and even ridiculous. For instance:

picture by Casey West

Second hand - Is it broken? No! Does it not have a purpose? No! Does it not look exactly like a new one? No! So where's the problem.

I have found many second hand items at garage sales or charity and thrift shops over the years, many of which have received favourable comments from friends and neighbours all asking me where I got them.

I love the look on their faces when I tell them, as they all thought they either cost a fortune or came from a top department store. Just think everything you now own are now second hand to someone else, but is there anything wrong with your items?

Once you can get over the snobbery factor that society instils in us, you can enjoy a wealth of cheap, very usable and attractive second hand items around your frugal home.

Dirty - Everything that is dirty can be clean again. By simply washing everything you buy second hand in a good detergent will get rid of all dirty marks, odours and any possible bacteria. Guess what? It's just like new again.

Unattractive - Admittedly I have spent some time rummaging through racks of ugly clothes and boxes of hideous ornaments and pots and pans. But with a little digging I have come across some absolutely beautiful items, all it takes is a little time and a keen eye.

Even if you find something that looks a little worse for wear, it is often possible to give it a lick of paint, a polish or patch to make it as good as new again. It's amazing how many people will throw something away because it has a small scratch or dent, whereas all it needs to be made beautiful again is a little TLC.

Recycle Electrical Goods

One of my biggest bug bears is the amount of electrical equipment I see dumped on the side of the road or in the trash can. Most os it is probably in pergect working order but just isn't wanted any more. I decided recently that this was just not good enough, so I have hunted around and found a company that will actually pay for some of those unwanted gadgets. Gazelle are looking for:

Cell Phones,
Laptops,
Cameras,
MP3,
Camcorders,
GPS,
Gaming Consoles,
Satellite Radios,
Portable Hard Drives.

picture by Dick Uhne

Frugal recycling

Frugal recycling simply means using disposable everyday items in another way, rather than just throwing them away. Lets look at some ideas:

• Use water used for boiling vegetables once cooled on your indoor plants. It is full of nutrients.

• Save plastic takeaway containers for storing frozen items or for heating things up in the microwave.

• Use old clothes as rags, especially good for washing cars and external house windows.

• Baby food jars are excellent storage for spices and seeds as well all those small stationary items such as drawing pins.

• Old sheets and curtains make excellent materials for making your own patchwork quilt for the winter.

• Get into the habit of using both sides of your printer paper.

• Old CD's are great as drinks coasters. They can also be turned into groovy mirrors when stuck next to each other onto board.

picture by Whatsername

• Reuse vacuum bags. The only reason they tell you not to is to get you to buy more and boy are they expensive. Be frugal and spend a little time empting them out and reusing them.

• Use plastic packing peanuts as drainage at the bottom of your indoor flowerpots or outside container plants.

• Use the plastic bag inside your cereal carton to put your sandwiches in for your lunch.

• Fill old plastic drinks bottle with filtered tap water and store in your fridge as an alternative to bought bottled water.

• Cut down large plastic milk bottles to make drawer storage compartments for your smalls.

• Use plastic shopping bags for your waste bins.

• Use an old metal wheelbarrow as a planter or barbecue

• Turn outgrown jumpers into cardigans by cutting down the front and adding an attractive trim.

• Reuse washing up water on your garden.

• Tea and coffee grinds are good natural fertilizers for your garden.

These are just a few frugal recycling ideas; if you have some of your own why not submit them here.