Posted on: Thursday, March 7th, 2013

I am a freebie blogger and specialize in living a frugal lifestyle.  It all started as a matter of necessity in 1998 when I found myself supporting my family alone.  My oldest son was just diagnosed as autistic and I dropped out of college to spend more time caring for his needs. His erratic behaviors made keeping a sitter nearly impossible and, at the time and in the small town I lived in, helpful resources were limited.  I started my own business and had to start getting creative in making my dollars stretch.  One of the most useful things that I learned was to reuse items that I normally threw away.  Not only does it keep trash out of the landfill, but it helps stretch your monthly pennies.

Here are some great ways to reuse items and save money.

1. I used to be an avid scrapbooker and spent a ton of money on organization supplies until I realized that old egg trays are great for sorting beads and other small items.  The Styrofoam type ones make great paint trays.
2. Paper towel tubes are a cheap way to keep your wires tidy and out of the way.  It also doubles to keep pets and small children from chewing on them.  Rather than buying wire wraps, just run them through paper towel tubes.
3. Let your hair conditioner double for shave cream.  Conditioner softens the hair on your legs and is good for the skin as well.  By letting one product work double duty, you are saving a few bucks by eliminating one of them.
4. Don’t throw out stale bread.  Run it through a blender or food processor and make your own breadcrumbs.
5. Plastic grocery bags are the perfect size to line small bathroom garbage cans and to use for cleaning up pet waste.  Rather than buying garbage bags or pet disposal bags, reuse what you get for free.
6. Fill a mismatched tube sock with rice and tie off the end.  Microwave it for 30 seconds the next time you need a heating pad.
7. Used dryer sheets can be wet and used to scrub sinks with.  It works well on soap scum.
8. Save the plastic bags from cereal.  It’s a great substitute for waxed paper.
9. Reuse sour cream containers to store leftover food in. They are also handy for sending guests home with leftovers or taking food to work for lunch.  Why spend money on sealable containers when you are throwing away perfectly good ones?
10. Fill up an empty soda bottle with water and put it into the tank in your toilet to help cut down on your water bill.

Do you have any great tips to reuse household items and save money?  I’d love to hear them.

Alicia is a freebie and coupon blogger who loves the frugal lifestyle.  She feels it fits her style.  She has four children ranging in age from 12 to 21.  The youngest is the only girl.  In addition to figuring out cheap ways to entertain her large family, Alicia uses her time to add to her vegetarian recipe collection and game with her adoring husband on Xbox.  Keep up with her on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.