9 Easy Ways to Repurpose Items in Your Home

When you are living a frugal lifestyle, sometimes the best place to save money is inside your own home. You can clip coupons and bargain shop in an effort to save money. You can also find simple ways to repurpose items in your home to save money. I’ve pulled together a number of ways that do not require a lot of time but will help you stick to that frugal budget.

Save in the Kitchen

1. After you have boiled pasta for dinner and you’re cleaning up the pots and pans, use that water for your plants and flowers.

Plants can actually benefit from the starch in the water. So, not only are you saving money by not having to pour that water down the drain, you are actually taking great care of your garden. Water used for boiling eggs is also great for plants, especially tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.

2. Another great way to save money in the kitchen is to make your own broth.

You can make vegetable broth by simmering vegetable scraps that you have saved. Every time you chop veggies for dinner, save them in a freezer bag and freeze them until they are needed. Broccoli stalks, onion skins, asparagus ends, and cucumber peels all work great in a broth.

Meat flavored broths can be made using the bones from dinner. Roast a chicken or turkey and save the carcass for use as broth. These broths cost nothing and can save you a lot of money at the store. Check out my homemade chicken stock recipe to see just how simple it is.

3. Cereal bags make a great substitution for wax paper.

If you use wax paper for wrapping food in the freezer or when packaging items up for lunch, then you’ll want to save your bags.  Once that bag is empty of cereal, cut it open along the seams and wipe out all the cereal residue. Pieces of the bags can be used in the microwave to protect it from splatters, when freezing things like meat or bread products  and when putting baked goods in a container.  Perfect to use between pancakes when you freeze extras!

Save with Old Clothes

So many of our clothes are made cheaply these days. They just don’t seem to last as long as they use to. That means that socks get holes faster and shirts start to fall apart sooner than we’d like. Instead of tossing them in the trash, repurpose them to save yourself some money.

4. Use old socks in place of Swiffer cleaning pads

There are many uses for old socks that have either lost their mate or have holes in the toes. One sock alone could save you a great deal of money. Simply cut the toes off the and slide the sock on. (Thicker socks work best for this.) Throw them into the washer with your other rags when finished.

5. Old t-shirts cut into smaller rectangles are great for dusting and cleaning windows. 

Towels that are falling apart also work great for cleaning things that need to be scrubbed like floors, tubs, or even cars. Stick to t-shirts for dusting as towels can leave behind tiny fibers. Cut up sheets can work great on windows, too!

6. T-shirts will make great grocery bags or backpacks.

 A quick look at Pinterest will give you plenty of ideas on how to turn those shirts you will no longer need into something useful while also, saving you money.

7. Tights and pantyhose work great for storing onions

Pantyhose and tights that have a snag in them may seem like they are headed straight for the trash can. However, . Onions last longer when they are not in contact with each other or a surface. Use the tights to hold each onion separately by sliding the onion in and tying a knot before sliding in the next one. Then hang the entire group of onions in a cool, dry place like your pantry.

Save Around the House

8. Many different types of linens can be repurposed to save you money.

Bath towels that are starting to rip can be cut up into smaller pieces and used for baby wipes, washcloths, or even napkins. Flannel is a great alternative to paper towels. Cloth placemats make great coasters when cut up into smaller pieces. And table cloths can be cut down to become placemats or napkins.

9. If you have shower curtains that have seen better days, save them to be used as drop cloths.

They will keep liquids off the surface below much like they keep water out during a shower. And they will save you money during your next DIY project!

Saving money doesn’t mean doing without nice things or sacrificing your guilty pleasure. Sometimes, the best way to save money is to think outside the box. Before you throw anything away, consider what could become, you just might find a new way to save your family even more money.