Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Ways To Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

I finally came up with an idea for the top ten with no help from Hubs. He suggested the 'Top 10 Reasons to Send Josiah to Russia'. Awful, right? What's really sad is that I briefly considered it, but then thought someone might take me seriously. lol. It must be late. So, without further ado:

Top Ten Ways To Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

10. Hand-Me-Downs: Don't sell your things on ebay in a moment of weakness! Keep everything for your next child! Not only will you save money, but I've learned it brings back so many memories every time Liam fits into one of Josiah's old outfits or plays with one of his toys.

9.. Use newspaper, spam mail, or any other paper for art projects! Josiah loves learning how to use his safety scissors and gluing items together so, I let him use old mail and newspapers. 

8. Use Cloth: Cloth diapers, cloth wipes, cloth towels/napkins, etc!

7.Turn old sweaters into something useful! We all have old sweaters that are stretched out or are out of date. Well, at least I know I have several boxed up. You can turn those into cloth diaper covers. Wool sweaters make especially great covers after lanolized!

6. Don't throw away plastic containers! Lunch meats and other items come in plastic containers that are perfectly safe to reuse! I've had some for years, including the plastic cups from restaurants like Olive Garden! A new discovery I've made is that detergent bottles make for great watering cans! I was going to buy one for our garden and then it dawned on me that I have several perfectly useful empty Dreft containers! Just don't throw them away! At least recycle if you can't find another use for them. :)

5. Mismatched Socks Galore? If you are anything like me, you are constantly losing socks somehow. I keep all of mine in a container and try to match them up every time I do a load of laundry, but there are still several that never meet their match. :( Not to despair! They make great hand/finger puppets!

4. Clothing creativity! See what else you can make from your old clothes.  You can cut up old clothing and blankets to make cloth wipes and towels. I actually plan to save everything from our children to eventually make quilts for them and/or their own children. :) It makes for a wonderful keepsake!
3. Plant a garden! Perennials are planted once and grow back every year! So, buy the seeds once and enjoy them for years to come! Several fruits, veggies, and herbs are perennials, too! We have a strawberry patch that grows each year pretty much on its own. It's actually started blooming a week ago and strawberries should be in the near future! In the summer, we have blackberries and blueberries! You don't have to be a garden pro to enjoy your garden, take it from me, the black-thumb.
2. Turn Old Games Into Art: Board games often lose parts over the years... or within a week's time if you have a toddler. Board games make great decorations for a game room or even your child's room. During art time with your child, glue the remaining pieces all around the board. I first saw this at a friend's house. His mom had taken several old games, glued pieces and then hung them all over the walls of their game room. It was a great easy way to decorate a room.
1. Donate! You can always donate items to Goodwill or The Salvation Army. Your junk is someone's treasure!