Striving for self-sufficiency: Not quite reality

One thing I have learned by being a homeowner on the property I chose is as hard as I strive for self-sufficiency, I cannot quite make it in suburbia. Oh, I have made modest gains in supplying my own food, decreasing the amount of lawn, using rain water and decreasing my use of potable water, but I only occasionally eat homegrown food. I still rely heavily on grocery stores for the main share of my food.

And while I compost my food and yard waste, some spoiled food still makes it into the garbage bin. Plus I need to import composted horse manure to supply most of my compost needs in the garden. I still buy most of my seeds, buy the seed starting medium but am able to reuse items around the house for seed-starting containers. While I use all the leaves I can on my property, I still need more leaves to chop and use for mulch. This is where neighbor's piles come in handy. Both imports mentioned here (leaves and compost) are gained through hard work and minimum distance traveled, but still need to be brought onsite to accomplish what I need done.

I have planted all the trees on my property and unfortunately, none of them will be for food use. However, they were planted to shade the house and reduce cooling costs in the summer. As we are undergoing record heat in May where it feels more like July, this is definitely something I desire. Too bad the payoff is in the future, not the present, but the four additional trees will add value when I sell my property. The fifth one is too far away for shade, but does add beauty as it flowers in the spring. Another item reused extensively are the rocks I discovered as I dug all the holes for the trees. While the rocks jarred my arms as my shovel hit them, I have been able to line the bottom of potted plants, hold down newspaper, cardboard and straw, mark the location for succession planting and edge a foundation bed with the limestone. I have a modest suburban rock pile, but it has served me well.

However, I keep as much as I can onsite, only occasionally exporting items (rose bush and raspberry shrub trimmings with plans to rectify the situation this year) and importing vast quantities. However, I am decreasing my reliance on the conventional system for my needs by outsourcing to curb shopping, growing my own food, generating my own fertilizer (compost), using gray water and rain water, reusing items rather than choosing disposable ones, shopping secondhand and being frugal. All these actions align with my personal values. So while I still commute daily to a job in my gas-guzzling car and rely on this form of transportation over most others, I strive to make all I do at home count and slowly increase my self-sufficiency even if I know I cannot supply all my needs onsite.

Learning something new: Candle making

I like learning new skills whether it be making something I never have before (e.g., my own bread), building something new (e.g., raised garden beds) or discovering something I can do myself (e.g., making laundry detergent). Two items on my to-do list include making candles and making soap.

For the candle making, I just recently took on a project. Interestingly, one of the blogs I follow had a post on crock pot candle making. This seems a simple enough procedure: chop pieces of wax, put in glass jar, heat in a crock pot and add wick; cool and use! And hey, I frequent a thrift store and found an old 70s-looked crock pot that would do perfectly.

Now, I was not creating candles from scratch. I still had a length of candle wick from earlier melt and pour experiments, as well as lots of leftover pillar candles that I did not burn completely. I also had a glass container from a previously burned candle, washed and dried. So I chopped up the leftover candle wax, put in the glass jar, placed it in the crock pot and let it heat per the post. What do you know? The wax melted and I could add the wick. Now I have reused candle wax in a glass jar for many more hours of burning with a scent I enjoy.

While I do not recommend collecting partially used candle wax for years as I have just to make some new candles, this is one way to extend the life of jar candles you have and reuse wax. It is a simple project and if you are like me and enjoy lighting candles every once in a while, it has immediate utility. And hey, reusing glass jars and having a few more candles on hand in case of emergency is a great thing. Plus, this project is mostly hands off aside from chopping up the wax and adding the wick. You can clean or do your bills or work on another project as the wax melts.

As for soap making, still on the to-do list.

Will you try making your own candles in a crock pot?

Trepidation about green living choices

When I moved from doing the simpler going-green actions like composting my food waste, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs and combining my errands to using cloth wipes in the bathroom and bringing my own hand towel to work, I felt a certain bit of trepidation. With the towel, I carry it from my cube to the bathroom and leave it by the sink as I use the toilet. It is not something I can hide. My initial concerns were "what were people going to say?" Honestly, no one has said anything to me. They may be thinking all they want but I have not been confronted with "why are you bringing your own towel?"

If that was not bad enough, I have sewn cloth wipes and reusable menstral pads. With the anonymity of the blog, I feel comfortable enough writing about these facts. However, I do not go around telling other people that I use cloth rather than paper in the bathroom. Line drying these items is a bit nerve wracking. I either hang up other larger pieces of laundry then the wipes or pads behind them, or I hang up the pads and wipes and quickly put larger items up to hide what I am placing on the line. Who knows what the neighbors and people driving by think.

When my family was over recently, I had a choice: do I put the cloth wipes under the sink so no one will see or just leave them out? Despite my concern, I left them out--and no one said anything to me. Either they did not know what they were or did not want to touch the subject at all. The bonus for using cloth wipes: I take months to go through a 12-pack of toilet paper.

It can be scary doing things outside what many people call "normal" but I like the feeling of self-sufficiency and the greener lifestyle. I made these items out of fabric and scraps I had onhand, I freed myself from having to buy disposable items, and I like that I am reducing my consumption and the amount of stuff headed for the landfill. I encourage you to stretch your greener and frugal wings and try something a bit radical. You may find you like it while helping your bottom line and living a bit easier on the planet.

Hidden treasures in plain sight

I am not new to scavenging on curbside but I have not done it in a while. Frankly, I am somewhat uncomfortable with it especially when doing it alone. If I know the people are not home, I am less self-conscious. However I know if the people wanted the items, they would have figured out what to so with them prior to placing them curbside for garbage day. In the end, I am rescuing usable things so they are not consigned to a landfill. My prize: several aluminum rods that with some trimming of the ends will make nice anchors for the sides of raised garden beds, an old wooden basket that would be great to grow potatoes so I do not have to dig into the ground for the harvest and a piece of fabric that has a use yet to be determined.

However, I am a novice compared to the authors of The Scavengers' Manifesto and the blog Scavenging. One of the entries I read highlighted their recent post on no-cost gardening. It was a fascinating read that made me admire the bloggers ingenuity. In fact, I started exploring the entire Scavenging blog. If gardening is not your interest, the two women have entries on bartering, where free stuff is being offered (e.g., food for teachers and free comic day), how a couple furnished and refinished their Victorian home with curbside treasures, and more.

I recommend visiting the blog and seeing how you can think differently when looking at someone else's trash.

The power of collective creativity for greener living

Earlier this week, my work day started poorly and did not improve. I was running later than I wanted leave for work and then when I stopped for gas and sat back in my car, my pants ripped in a fashion that was both catastrophic and unable to be disguised. Since I was on my way to work and only a few minutes from home, I called in my wardrobe malfunction and went home to change. My colleagues made me feel better as they shared their own stories but I was still left with a pair of pants that were unusable as pants but still had plenty of life in them. So what could I do with the fabric?

I had a couple ideas that included using it to sew doll clothing or create a rag rug. One of my colleagues suggested cutting the pants up for rags, but that is what I use worn out socks and underwear for. I have been accumulating denim from jeans that I plan to sew a rug using strips of denim. The twill pants could be used for this purpose as well. However, I decided to turn to the Web and see what I could find.

I discovered a cool Web site titled How can I recycle this? When I was looking at uses for ripped pants, I found this entry on torn trousers. Being curious, I explored the site and found a treasure trove of information offered by other people on how to reuse various items including burnt matches, old teddy bears, toothbrushes and empty paint cans. The search function helps you find what you are interested in. Furthermore, there is a link to a Web site that answers the question whether an item is compostable or not for your biodegradable edification.

I am always looking for ways to improve my green living. By finding suggestions for reusing items most people would throw away, I can decrease my footprint. Use the Recycle This Web site to help you figure out what to do with your worn out or seemingly unusable items.

Creative reuses for plastic bags

With all my talk about reducing my use of plastic bags, how do I cope with all of life's messes without a fresh influx of plastic bags? I have found creative ways to reuse plastic bags that are not provided by the grocery store. This may mean more creative thinking later as I try to reduce the total amount of plastic in my life, but for now, these strategies work for me.

I have not purchased plastic bags for my bathroom garbage can for years but still have some garbage liners from that final purchase. To conserve what I have, like most people, I take the plastic bag from my pharmacy and line the rubbish bin with it. With a scarce supply of both plastic and garbage bags, I have found alternatives. The plastic wrapper around my toilet paper now graces the inside of my bathroom garage can. In the basement, I use the plastic bag my softener salt comes in as the liner for that trash can.

The bags that my kitty litter and cocoa bean mulch come in are a nice thick plastic that I reuse to shovel free composted horse manure or free bark mulch into to bring home. The plastic bags that contain potato chips, line cereal boxes or hold bread products end up in the basement for one more use: ferrying cat poop from the basement to the toilet on the main floor. I reuse bags for hot dog and hamburger buns to hold my one pound loaves of homemade bread. Plastic liners from cracker boxes are used to crush crackers. The plastic bags my egg noodles come in are reused for weighing pasta or other items on my food scale. For unmentionable or stinky messes, any of these plastic bags would work well.

All of these items are plastic bags that most people would discard, but I try to get at least one more use out of them before sending them to the landfill. Do you have any creative uses?

Cat toy creativity

I have purchased many toys for my cats over the years: roly-poly balls with bells inside, fur-covered mice, catnip-stuffed items, faux-fur snakes, fish with ribbon tail fins and a tennis ball. However, the many years with my cats have yield some consistent favorites: a well-mangled fabric mouse stuffed with catnip, a partially mangled burlap mouse stuffed with fiber-fill and catnip, and for my older cat, her Pound Puppy. How do I know these are their favorites? I have a basket in which I place all the cat toys and the favorites are the ones consistently retrieved and used. (The Pound Puppy migrates from room-to-room in the house.)

Since I needed to pick up some Hairball Remedy for the cats at the pet store, I was exposed to all the potential cat toys an owner can purchase for her cats. I stared at the variety of items and knew my cats really liked catnip toys. I almost bought another one since that mangled mouse was several years old and looking to be perforated in the near future. Then I recalled I am trying to be more self-sufficient. I have catnip at home and lots of fabric scraps. I could sew my cats a new catnip-filled toy.

So rather than buying new, I patched the burlap mouse that had fiberfill exposed (not great for cat digestive systems) with some leftover denim. I had some worry the cats would now ignore the toy, but was happily proven wrong. Then I found a nearly full bag of catnip that had not been touched for some years, explored my stash of fabric and used my sewing machine to create a 2 inch by 2 inch square bag in which to dump the found catnip. One more row of stitching to keep the catnip from flying around and I tossed the new toy on the floor. Within seconds, my cats were licking and drooling all over the newest catnip toy. Success!

These two toys, repaired and new, cost me some time, fabric and thread. I kept what my cats had in good shape, added to their (addictive) entertainment and kept $5.59 plus tax in my pocket. With this achievement behind me, I plan on considering other ways to add to the cat's collection by using what I have on hand and some creativity rather than buying new. I could even grow my own catnip!

Saving money on a cat expense

While there are many things about cat ownership that I am less-than-pleased with, my cats do use the sisal scratching boards I provide them. I try to have at least two on the living room floor to minimize any territorial issues between my two cats. Since declawing means essentially removing the equivalent of the first knuckle on human hands, I refuse to subject my cats to such mutilation. In my experience, any damage to furniture is minimized with access to acceptable outlets (e.g., Sisal Scratcher) and by covering vulnerable furniture.

However, even cat scratchers, sisal or otherwise, become worn out. Since the scratching posts I use are sisal rope wrapped around a wooden board, I figured out a way to reuse them. I removed the frayed sisal rope and added it to my composter (sisal is a grass and therefore, biodegradeable). After studying the construction of the sisal scratching board, I purchased sisal rope from the hardware store and borrowed my mother's staple gun. I secured the ends of the rope with three staples and then tightly wound the sisal rope around the board. Reaching the end of the board, I secured the end with staples and cut off the excess rope. Although it took me some time and I ended up with lots of twisted rope (and tired hands), I managed to reuse the scratcher boards to create a new scratching surface for my cats.

Reluctant kitties can be lured with catnip, but my geriatric cats (nearly 13 and 15) recognize that the sisal rope boards on the floor are theirs to use as needed. My older cat has used the revived scratcher without any issues and I am proud of my handiwork. Again, I minimized my garbage footprint by keeping the boards out of a landfill. With a small outlay of cash ($5 for rope) and about 30 minutes of my time, I generated two scratching boards for my cats to use that should last another few years before making them again. Since each new sisal scratching board costs $12 a piece, I saved nearly $20 with this project. I wish I had figured this reuse project sooner!

Repurposing items for the garden

To keep with my theme of gardening, I have a few ideas for repurposing disposable items for the outdoors.

Plastic one-gallon jugs
Every month, I purchase at least two gallons of distilled water for my cats to drink. With my consumption of milk, this means I generate at least six gallons worth of plastic waste. I do put these containers in the recycling bin and save the milk caps for schools to redeem for money, but it would be better if I could reuse the items.

Last year, I saw a large bag sitting around newly planted trees at my workplace. When I did some research, I found the Treegator(R) is a drip irrigation system for watering trees. I did not want to pay $25 a piece for this item, but I really liked this idea for watering trees.

After thinking for a bit, I realized I had all these gallon containers that used to hold water--why not use them to water trees? To create my own drip irrigation system, I take the empty gallon jugs, put some small rocks in the bottom to keep them upright (especially when empty), poke 3-5 holes in the bottom with an ice pick, fill with water from the rain barrel, tie loosely around the tree with string (so they do not blow away when empty) and let them sit on the mulch. The water drips from the containers, provided the cap is not on too tightly, and the trees are watered. I use 1-4 containers around my trees, depending on size and fill them twice weekly to provide supplemental watering especially in dry conditions. The half-gallon containers might be nice for using in the garden next to tomatoes or cucumbers, plants that need more water to grow well.

Washing machine hoses or old watering hoses
I love my rain barrels, but when the water levels get low, the water pressure stinks. Since most rain barrels let the water drain by gravity, less water means lower pressure and more time spent waiting for the container to fill with water before use. I was trying to figure out a way to get around this waiting problem. If I could do something while I was waiting for my gallon jug to fill with water, I could be more productive. That is, pull weeds or put down additional mulch as the container fills with water or switch out for the next container as I use the full one. However, the spout for the rain barrel is more than 12 inches above the mouth of the gallon jug when placed on the ground.

As a new homeowner, I do not have lots of old bits and pieces of items laying around. However, a previous owner switched out the washing machine hoses when a new washing machine was installed, but left the old hoses in the basement. The spigot on my rain barrel is standard sized connection, which matches nicely with the old washing machine hoses. By cutting off one end of the hose and leaving ~18 inches of hose with the female end intact, I can screw the threaded end onto the rain barrel spigot and put the open hose end into my container. I can walk away as the container fills with water and no rain water on the ground. This idea also works with old garden hoses provided at least 18 inches of hose from the female end is intact.

Plastic containers and bags
This is not an uncommon idea: save the containers from a flat of flowers or four-pack of tomatoes and use them to start your own seeds. However, you may be like me and have no waterproof container to put these containers in to protect your furniture. In fact, I need a tray that is smaller than the dimensions of my plastic milk crates, which cover my plants so the cats cannot munch on the seedlings.

Both my cats are on a prescription diet, and the dry food comes in plastic bags. The bottoms form a rectanglar box shape and are Ziplocked closed on the top. I felt bad throwing these bags away as the plastic is quite sturdy, moreso than any bags from the grocery store. When I transplanted my pansy seedlings in larger, square containers, they did not fit well in the Pyrex dish I was using as a waterproof tray. In fact, I had five containers and could only fit two in the Pyrex dish. However, if I cut the bottom off my saved four-pound cat food bags, I found two seedling pots fit well (if a bit tightly) into the bag bottom. This protected the furniture and gave me more room to get the plants under the milk crate.

For the four-pack container of tomato seedlings, I found another tray to use: the plastic portion of the 500-pack of Q-tips. I just finished a box and while the cardboard was recyclable, the plastic was not. On a whim, I put the four-pack of tomatoes into the plastic lid and voila! Instant waterproof tray that fit the container perfectly! I repurposed an item and had more flexibility in situating the tomato seedlings as this tray was smaller than the Pyrex dish I had been using.

What creative reuse or repurposing ideas do you have?

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The cost of replacement windows--wood trim

In an earlier post, I discussed the various window treatments I have added to my replacement windows and those purchased in anticipation of replacement windows. Without due consideration, these costs can break many budgets as window coverings are as much about fashion as about functionality, with similar price tags. I chose the latter criterion and my purchases reflected that, but these items can add 10% to the cost of the new window.

However, there is more to window replacement than the coverings--there is also the wood trim and the wood of the window itself. Unless you select vinyl windows, wood or fiberglass windows with wood grain need to be stained. This means that either the color can be added at the factory, a cost in addition to construction of the replacement window, or you can choose to stain the wood or simulated wood grain yourself.

Since my mom is an expert on wood refinishing, I decided to do it myself after asking her what I needed to purchase and how I needed to treat the unfinished wood. The color of the wood trim in my house is quite dark, but I did not want the new windows and trim that color. Based on my mom's recommendation, I tried to get a color that used on the new wood, would get close to the color but be a few shades lighter. The drawback is even if I use the same wood type, color is unlikely to look identical to the wood already in the house.

So I hit the lumberyard in my city for the first time, found that 2" trim is no longer made (the size used in my house), and had 2.5" trim cut to the lengths I wanted, about 6" longer than the area the trim would go around. Since the people installing the windows would cut the trim on mitered corners, they needed extra length to cut those corners correctly. Exact measurements of the current trim would make the trim shorter than the window frame.

Including the cost of supplies (wood trim, wood to finish between windows, varnish, stain, steel wool, sandpaper, foam brushes), I spend another 4% on my replacement windows. This does not include the time it took to put two coats of stain on the bare wood to get the color darker but not too dark, putting one coat of varnish on, staining the windows once installed (damn those tiny corners!) and then applying two coats of varnish. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on this and if you can, recruit some help. It took me over two hours to apply a coat of stain or varnish just on the windows and another 30 minutes or so to get the varnish or stain off the glass each time. (My window is made of four individual units, two casement, two nonfunctional.) My stained windows look great but I was not completely prepared for the time it took to complete the task. Staining the trim is nothing compared to the time invested in the window with its nooks and crannies.

However, one of the windows slated for replacement this year will reuse trim that was removed from my front window. While I have eliminated the cost of the wood, I needed to purchase additional items to remove the old finish (e.g., stripper, stripping gloves, coarse steel wool). In the end, I think the cost is a wash, but I wanted to reuse wood instead of throwing it away. The old trim is several inches larger than the window opening to be trimmed, again, a good thing for cutting mitered corners.

While both stripping, staining and varnishing require a well-ventilated space, stripper can be especially pungent and you may want to perform this task in an area like a garage. For most of the staining and varnishing, two saw horses in my basement with an open window sufficed. A similar setup will likely be useful if you choose to stain your own trim.

As for staining windows in place, open at least one window in the room where the finishing occurs and have a drop cloth on the floor to catch any drips. Believe me, you will have stain or varnish drip on the floor. A rag and some mineral spirits will help, but not so much on wood, laminate or rug.

Budgeting for the cost of replacement windows means more than the purchase price of the windows and paying two or more men to install them. It means debating how much to take on yourself--do you put on stain and varnish or let the factory apply a finish, do you put up new window treatments and then do you buy or make them? These costs can be 15% or more on top of the window purchase price and should be added into the budget when considering replacement windows for your home.

Some unusual frugal tips

The following is a random collection of frugal tips I practice in my life. While my blog reading is hardly extensive, I have not seen these particular ones mentioned so I thought I would compile my unique set for your enjoyment (laughter and comments are welcome).

I have seen many people comment on what to do with bread heels. My mom likes to eat them for toast but with the exception of my Banana Cream Bread, I really do not. One option is to make croutons, but I prefer to let the heels dry out and then store them in an empty plastic bread bag. Next time a recipe calls for dry bread crumbs, I go to the dry bread in my bag, take out a few heels to add to a blender and make crumbs. No toasting and waiting, and no waste of bread I typically do not eat.

To keep my secondhand metal snow shovel in the best condition possible, I occasionally spray the bottom edge and scoop surface with WD-40. This helps keep the snow from sticking when shoveling and inhibits rust between seasons. If the shovel is plastic, rusting is less likely, but treat any metal areas with WD-40 at the end of winter to prevent rust.

Plastic dishes are not recommended for cat use. For example, cats with plastic dishes are more prone to acne on the chin. For both my cats, I have purchased glass or Corelle bowls brand new either on sale or from outlet stores. Now that I frequent thrift stores, I know there are plenty of used Corelle bowls in great shape. I have only replaced one set of bowls for my older cat (I dropped something heavy on them and broke the bowls) and my younger cat has the same green glass bowls since I adopted her (ten years).

I have stood up in several weddings and some have used artificial flower arrangements. However, once the ceremony is done, what to do with the flowers? If you have children, I suggest giving it to them to play dress up. For a single woman like me, having children over does not happen often. Instead, I display the artificial bouquets depending on the time of year. One is red and white (I display it in the spring and summer) and the other has orange, yellow and maroon flowers (I display it in the fall and winter). This way I have a seasonal decoration in a vase and use the bouquets.

There are high-drain battery-operated devices and there are low-drain devices. When I had a CD player, the AA batteries would wear out so the CD no longer spun, but there was still juice left in the battery. Therefore, I implemented a staggered AA battery usage. I would save the batteries that no longer run the CD player and when electronics remotes or my battery-operated clocks needed a boost, I placed the used batteries in these low-draw devices. Yes, I had to replace clock batteries more often than using a fresh one, but this way, I used the batteries until they were truly dead and saved a few dollars. Caveat: the used and new batteries had to be sorted and stored but I found this method worked for me for years.

Making reusable gift bags

About eleven years ago, I took a community class on quilting, decided I enjoyed it, signed up for a second class and went crazy buying cotton fabric to use for quilting. The quilting bug bit me hard for about two years before my interest waned. However, this still leaves me with lots of fabric (and planned quilting projects), but little completion in sight.

In fact, when I put together my unsuccessful garage sale, I put some fabric out for people to buy. No one bought it then. I posted pictures and noted the lengths of the fabric on craigslist--no nibbles there. So I had resigned myself to sending this fabric to a charity thrift store.

However, when I was figuring out what to wrap my niece's birthday gift of clothing and a notebook in, I realized I had no box, bag or wrapping paper to use. Plus, I really did not want to buy additional paper just to wrap her gift. Then a small light bulb went off in my brain.

When I had purchased my reusable grocery bags from Reusablebags.com, I noticed one of the items that could be purchased was reusable gift bags. Since it was Christmas time, I was thinking, "yeah, having gift bags that can be reused would be great!" All the gift paper in my family gets thrown out and that is a lot of paper! Paper gift bags do get reused, but there may not be one of the right size when needed.

I found directions for sewing reusable gift bags and recalled the fabric I was giving away. One fabric design was with colorful cats, perfect for a six-year-old child (or any children at heart). Therefore, I sewed up one bag, realized it was too small and created a larger one that was bigger than needed but worked for my purposes.

I was proud of not giving my niece paper to throw away, the bag was cute and it cost me nothing but my time to make! I have enough fabric remaining to make two to four additional gift bags and knowing that sewing these items are so simple, I will be hardpressed not to make more. However, I still have Christmas and other gift wrap in my house to use so my reusable cloth gift bags will only be used occasionally until I run out of my current gift wrap and ribbons.

Update about my green living improvements

Earlier, I posted specific steps I wanted to take or specific items I wanted buy to improve my sustainability as an individual. How have I done so far?

I have purchased brand new greeting cards for the slew of birthdays this month as well as various over the counter mediations for a variety of ailments. The former I could have purchased used but not the latter so I am doing okay with room for improvement.

One of my purchases ended up in a plastic bag so that was bad, but it was only one trip to one store and I neglected to bring additional reusable bags with me for the three stops I made. Again, I made most of my trips with reusable bags so one lapse is not a tragedy, but I know to prepare better next time.

I have made no progress on purchasing the cat poo composter so I will have to consider that soon. Other issues are more immediately important so this possible purchase has fallen by the wayside. I am reminded each time I use another plastic bag that I need to decide on this matter soon before I need to find more plastic bags.

On the plus side, I have purchased two sweaters, a long-sleeved knit top and a nightgown all at the thrift store. In addition, my niece will be receiving a gift of clothing also purchased secondhand. It kept me in my budget and allowed me to get three pieces for her to wear. I have been looking for denim jeans to purchase but none have appeared in my size. I also purchased a DVD secondhand even though it is more plastic. I rented the movie first, decided I enjoyed it and wanted a copy of my own.

Since I have been consuming more soda over the last several months (in parallel to my pizza consumption), I am considering making my own soda. Not only would this be more frugal but I would consume less plastic since I do not need to buy more plastic two liter bottles. This is a plan in the works but with all the snow my area keeps getting, I have not been motivated to visit the beer and wine shop that carries the supplies.

I am also looking at ways to use worn clothing and fabric scraps. I was stunned when I found a woman who crocheted her own rug out of secondhand denim. It is a great idea and prompted me to look at rag rugs and how to construct them. I found two books, Twenty Easy Machine-Made Rugs by Jackie Dodson and Rugs from Rags by John Hinchcliffe and Angela Jeffs, to help me figure out what techniques I can use to construct a rag rug. I found ideas in both that I may use for my home. Again, I can reuse materials I have to construct something useful.

As if these ideas are not enough, I had an epiphany at work after seeing a colleagues hand-knitted socks: I can make my own socks! I will preface the following statements with I cannot knit (attempted unsuccessfully) and I do not know how to crochet, but creating my own clothing and being more self-sufficient is part of what I want to do and who I want to be. I am planning on having a friend guide me through knitting and I borrowed a book from the library to instruct me in how to crochet. Both methods can be used to construct socks. Time is at a premium right now and my concentration is not on how to make new things, but the possibilities have my creativity cooking. I hope I can report one of my new ideas bears fruit in a few months.

Ideas for reusing paper and plastic items

There is an awful number of paper and plastic items that make its way in and out of my life. For example, I love milk so I go through 4-5 gallons a month. This means I have 4-5 empty plastic gallon jugs to recycle. There are also plastic bags, mail, paper bags and other items that can be recycled but do have some life in them. Here are a few ways I reuse items before they are consigned to the recycling or garbage bin.

Plastic bags: The easy choice for reusing these is as trash can liners. Even a few of the grocery stores have printed on their bags "Today, carrying groceries; tomorrow lining a trash can" or something similar. I use them to carry cat waste from the basement for flushing. They are reused to wrap items I would like to keep dry or for storing items that might spill or make a mess. Plastic bags can also be balled up and used as packing material. I know of people who cut them into strips and knit them into more sturdy reusable bags. My skill with a knitting needle is nonexistant, but I think making a bag out of bags is a great idea.

Paper bags: The paper grocery bags without handles are used on top of the plastic bag in my kitchen trash can. While I throw away less food than I used to, there are times when sloppy stuff is thrown away. The paper bag soaks up the liquid and helps reinforce the plastic bag and prevents breakage. I also use them to hold the items I will donate to charitable stores. The handled paper bags are great to reuse. I carry around Christmas gifts in them or use the smaller bags for gift bags or to carry my lunch (if I cannot find my reusable bag). A handled paper bag holds the plastic, glass and metal recycled items in the house and is used repeatedly until it is too tattered and dirty to function. Paper bags also hold paper to be recycled and can be placed on the curb without empyting the bag.

Empty plastic gallon containers: While I really only recycle the milk jugs, collecting the caps for the school my mom works for, I do keep and reuse the distilled water containers purchased for my cats. I have water left from my rainbarrel in a few of these plastic gallon jugs to water my plants. Since it is winter where I life, the rainbarrel is detached, but I saved some of the water for the wintertime plant watering. I also use these containers to mix up beverages, especially powdered milk. I use powdered milk in recipes that call for milk, saving me some money by not using my 1% drinking milk for cooking. I have also stored some tap water in the basement for emergency use. Milk jugs are not recommended for water storage so the distilled water containers are ideal.

Mail: An oldie but goodie: write on the back of envelopes. This really is worthwhile. I find envelopes a great size for making lists, to do or grocery. I have them scattered all over the house so I have no excuse not to write something down. Finding a pen might be more of an adventure. I also save some of the letter-size paper if blank on one side for printing. I am attracted to the colored paper but use white as well. I have taken to reusing the colored paper to print my monthly grocery list on and that makes it easy to find in my purse. Usually what I print I am not saving long term so reusing the paper and then recycling it works well.

Cardboard boxes: I like the ones at work that copier paper comes in. They have a nice lid and are great for stashing the endless amount of paper that filters into my life. I should file it but instead, it ends up in one of these boxes and stored. I also use brown cardboard in the garden as a weed-suppressing mulch. Really sturdy boxes I keep and use for moving more delicate items. I also keep paper packing material (and bubble wrap) for future reuse as well. However, I limit myself to just one box of each type of packing material or I would have a full basement. I also give excess to people who sell on eBay since they are always looking for free packing material.

These are strategies I use regularly to get at least one more use out of an item before it is consigned to a recycling bin. Some still end up in a landfill, but all are used again to minimize waste.

Successful Christmas gifts given and received

My most frugal gift this year was 24 skeins of four different colored yarn and some silver jewelry that I only cost me some time and wrapping paper. My friend loved it all (as I suspected she would) and an unexpected bonus--the jewelry inspired her!

I enjoy receiving sweet goodies from colleagues for the holidays, but I really like two of the gifts I have received. My very artistic friend gave me silver earrings with freshwater pearls. I love it because she made it herself with her own talent. My wonderful coworker gave me a frame she etched with a fun pattern. However, I really liked the whole presentation. She wrapped it in tissue paper (used) and placed it into a small gift bag (again used). The picture frame was free as our company gave it away, but she removed the company-specific logo and put her own design on it (reusing an item and making it new). This is what I like to experience--the creative and personal touch with items on hand.

I hope you receive some gifts you like and are both frugal and environmentally kind.