Can you resell items that you once bought used? Of course you can! If you bought it, chances are that someone somewhere will do the same. Sometimes I can even sell items for more than I paid, even after I’ve used them. Here are my sell it again tips. Buy Good Quality Items When you buy anything that is not immediately consumable, such as food or dental floss, buy good quality, especially when you buy used. Many times I would rather buy a good quality but used item instead of a cheaper quality brand new with tags item. This is … Continue reading →

Trolling Freecycle.org, I’ve come across my third posting this week for people who are looking to give away extra play sand. They probably overestimated the amount of sand that they would need. We did this the first time we filled a sandbox for our kids. There were two extra bags that just lingered in our backyard, until the weather finally got to them, eventually causing them to split. Sure, we could have returned them right away, but because they were so heavy, we never got around to it. If you find yourself in this situation, take that sand and make … Continue reading →

If you have an abundance of flat ware, or have access to a thrift store, you can turn all of those pieces into usable items. You can get rid of your clutter while saving money on items that you might otherwise have to buy. A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing in a fancy store and noticed some trendy home decor. Nestled in among the staged room were wall hooks on rectangles of painted and distressed wood. The hooks were made out of bent forks and spoons. The price tag on each wall hook? $25. You can adapt this … Continue reading →

Don’t toss out those cereal bags. You paid enough for that cereal, so why not take advantage of the extra asset that is included with it–the plastic or waxed cereal bag that came with the cereal. Here are just some of the ways that you can reuse cereal bags. Please add yours in the comments section. Additional storage Those bags were made to keep cereal from going stale, so they are good with storage. Use them to store baked goods, sandwiches for school lunches, or even for broth. Cut the liners up and use them between food in the freezer … Continue reading →

For years, the mantra shared by both practitioners of frugal living and those interested in keeping it green was: “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.” These three things not only can save money but can also conserve resources for the planet. You may have heard of a fourth term, “upcycling.” How is this different from the others and should you be doing it? Chances are that if you have been living frugally for some time you are already participating in upcycling. This fancy term describes taking ordinary materials, objects that you might have recycled anyway, and then transforming them into something more … Continue reading →

This morning I was making a large batch of egg muffin sandwiches. My husband asked for more things to take to work for breakfast and English muffins were on sale this week. Of course, I wound up with a couple of empty egg cartons when I was done, which got me thinking about how they can be reused to save money and the environment. All of these ideas will do both, save yourself or someone else money and prevent the egg cartons from winding up in the trash. Of course, they can be recycled, too, but wouldn’t it be nice … Continue reading →

With all of the great produce coming into season now, I’ve been finding myself with extra berry baskets around the house. Rather than throw these away, I thought I would put them to good use. Berry baskets come in both cardboard and plastic mesh. Both have their uses. I’m partial to the cardboard ones myself for a couple of reasons; they usually absorb a little bit of moisture and they can be recycled. I find that the cardboard berry boxes come in handy when I reuse them for more produce. We just got about a pint and a half of … Continue reading →

Sometimes it is the simple things that can save you money. When you can use a common household (not to mention cheap) item such as a toothpick to take the place of a more expensive tool, then you save money. You also save clutter from having all of those extra things around, but hey, this is the Frugal Blog, so you know we are all about saving money. Cake Decorating Tool Forget those fancy cake decorating stencils or imprint molds that allow you to decorate a cake with letters or fancy piping. Those tools basically put an imprint on the … Continue reading →

We can all use new ways to reuse things right? Sometimes inspiration will simply strike out of the blue, as you are on your way to the garbage can to throw something out. Other times you have to read about a new reuse idea first, before you realize that it can be done. Whichever way a reuse idea comes to you, I think it is important to pass it along. Not only will you save money when you reuse things, but you will also save the environment. Here are some of my latest reuse discoveries. One day last week when … Continue reading →