Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things…

“When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history, it becomes more beautiful.” -Barbara Bloom

You know what one of my favorite things in my house is?

It’s a bunch of candleholders that I made from small jelly jars. All I did was wash them out and stick some tea lights in there. But you know what?

They’re the best candleholders I’ve ever had. They send clear, shimmery light on the walls, and I use them every single night instead of leaving the lights on. They’re special to me not only because they were free, but because I think of the woman who made the blackberry-raspberry jam the jars held every time I see them.

My jelly-jars-turned-candleholders have history, and good memories. And they’re far more interesting to me than any of the swanky, super glittery candleholders I could have bought at Target.

Here in America, we have a serious “throw it away and buy something new” problem. Instead of fixing something that’s broken, or finding a new use for it, into the trash it goes and a shiny, spanky new product takes its place.

But by doing this I think we’re robbing ourselves of the lessons the Japanese have learned a long time ago. And that lesson?

The lesson is that the items we use everyday become dear by our use and familiarity with them. Everything, from our brooms to water jugs to masking tape, can have another purpose if we’ll stop and think about it. And when we give that thing a new life, we give it a history.

I have to tell you that when my copy of Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things: 2,317 Ways to Save Money and Time finally came in, I was enraptured from the first page. It’s a book that teaches us how to give new life to the ordinary things we’ve got around the house.

This thing is the mega-dictionary for frugalistas everywhere, and these tips will not only help you save money, but get a longer life out of the things you’ve already got. They’ll save you time, and help give some of the ordinary things around your house some history when you reuse them as something else.

Fabulous.

So, what are some of my favorite tips from this book?

Let’s go:

• Treat Sore Muscles- Don’t spend money on an expensive “muscle-relaxing” beanbag (the kind you heat in the microwave). Make your own! Just pour a couple of handfuls of beans into an old shoe bag or sock and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Let cool for just a minute, and then drape it over your aching muscle.

• Tuna Can Egg Poacher- Use an empty tuna can for an egg poacher. Remove the top and bottom of a 6 oz. tuna can, and the paper label. Place the metal ring in a skillet of simmering water, and crack your egg into it. Perfect poached eggs in just a few minutes!

• Never Hit Your Finger With A Hammer Again- I loved this tip! If you hit your fingers when you’re trying to hammer in a nail, simply tear off a hand-sized chunk of cardboard and stick the nail through it. Then use the cardboard to steady the nail as you hammer it in. Genius!

• Hit the Carpet Stores for Carpet Tubes- Carpet stores have a plethera of very sturdy, very huge cardboard tubes (the carpet gets rolled around them). These are great for kids to build indoor log cabins. Ask the carpet store to cut them into thirds (they’re often 12 ft. long) and then notch the ends with a craft knife when you get them home. Your kids can easily build a house of these things, and they can also be easily painted.

• Keep Bathroom Mirrors Fog-Free- Want to see yourself in the mirror right after you get out of the shower? Then apply a small amount of car paste wax to the mirror, let dry, and buff it with a small cloth. No more fog!

• Cut Vacuum Time- Need to vacuum out a drawer filled with small things, but don’t want to take the time to empty it out? Simply cover your vacuum nozzle with cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band.

• Stop Scrubbing Your Cheese Grater- Tired of having to scrub your cheese grater in the sink after you grate cheese? Spray it lightly with cooking spray before you start grating and the cheese won’t stick.

• Shovel Snow Easier- Cooking spray also helps keeps your snow shovel free of stuck snow when you’re shoveling. Simply spray it lightly before you get started and the snow won’t stick! It also works for snow throwers; spray the inside of the discharge chute to prevent it from clogging.

• Open That Stuck Lid- Rubber gloves will help you easily open a stuck lid.

• Clean Silver Jewelry With Ketchup- Ketchup works great for polishing silver. Leave silver jewelry in a small bowl of ketchup for a few minutes. If your jewelry has crevices, use an old toothbrush to scrub it. Your jewelry will be good as new when it’s rinsed clean.

• Use Magazine Pages As Gift Wrap- This tip is eco-friendly and saves money. I love it!

• Keep Brown Sugar Soft- Tired of rock-hard brown sugar as soon as you open the bag? Pop a few marshmallows in there after you open it; they’ll keep the sugar moist for weeks.

• Keep Dough Off Your Rolling Pin- If you’re a bread baker or pie maker, then you know how hard it can be to keep dough off your rolling pin. Well, sticking your rolling pin through the leg of an old pair of pantyhose will keep even the wettest dough from sticking.

• Keep Frozen Bread From Getting Soggy- Boy Howdy I loved this tip, because I hate soggy, frozen bread. When you’re dethawing your frozen bread, simply place a paper towel in the bag. It will absorb the moisture and keep the bread just right!

Last Word…

These money-saving, eco friendly tips are only the tip of the iceberg of what’s in here. I’m completely impressed with this book, and I don’t know where Reader’s Digest found all this great information but the sheer quality and volume of information is amazing.

For me, these tips are like a way to cheat the system. For instance, it seems like these days companies make a product for everything. No matter what’s wrong, or what we need, we’ve got to “buy” something to address it. And our homes fill up with dozens of different products and sprays when only a few would suffice.

These tips, at least to me, take us back to a simpler time when we didn’t have to whip out our wallets for the latest garlic press or ultra-swivel-nozzle vacuum cleaner. There was no “KABOOM!” to clean the tub, or “SHAM-WOW” to mop up that huge spill.

People made do with what they had, and found multiple uses for their everyday things.

Simple. Frugal. Eco friendly.

Tagged as: Frugality/Saving Money