Items Homesteaders Should Never Throw Away! Would you like to become a homesteader? The idea of self-sufficiency and preservation may sound good to you. Homesteaders are creative and resourceful. They use what they have to provide for their families.
If you would like to live the homesteader lifestyle, there are a few items you should never throw away! Knowing what to do with these items means you can start recycling and repurposing them to avoid waste.
#1. Glass Jars and Bottles
When you have glass jars or bottles available, you should keep them. For example, you might purchase jam, spaghetti sauce, or other food items that come in glass jars. After you use the contents in the glass jars, rinse them out.
You may need to allow the jars to soak in hot water with dish soap for several hours to remove any residue. After cleaning them, save the jars. You can use them for many things, such as change jars, storage or small items, and even gifts.
If you repurpose a glass jar or bottle as a gift, you can fill it up with candy and paint its exterior with different colors. Not to mention they can be great as drinking glass, candle making and flower vases.
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#2. Wood Pallets
If you have wood pallets, avoid throwing them out. You can do so much with wood pallets that it would be wasteful to toss them in the trash. Not sure what to make with the wood pallets?
Think about specific things you might need around the home or even in your backyard garden. You can use the pallets to create an outdoor dining table, shoe organizer, or even a mini bar for the yard.
If you have chickens on your land, you can even use the pallets to create a chicken coop for the animals.
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#3. Newspaper
Do you get a daily newspaper? Even if you only get the paper on Sunday, save it after you read it. You can use the newspaper to wrap ceramic figurines, glass items, and fine china. The comics section of the newspaper works excellent as gift wrap when handing out presents to loved ones.
You might also want to put the newspaper through a paper shredder and use the shredded pieces as bedding for small animals. And I add it to garden boxes and compost.
Some people use old newspapers to line shelves or their cat litter boxes. If you want to keep the cat litter box as clean as possible, consider laying a sheet of newspaper down before adding the litter to the box.
If you plan on moving or are helping someone else move, you can use the newspaper as packing material to keep items safe.
#4. Old Toothbrushes
When you purchase a new toothbrush, your first instinct may be to toss the old one in the trash. However, you might want to think about saving it. You can use that old toothbrush for cleaning purposes.
It is great to use for cleaning sneakers, grout, and shower door frames. It works well to get into those tough spots that traditional cleaning brushes cannot fit into at times.
#5. Damaged and Worn Clothes
In the past, you may have tossed old clothes in the trash after noticing rips and other types of damage. However, you can repurpose old clothes and turn them into new pieces. You can create scarves, crop tops, belts, and other fashionable pieces.
If you know how to sew, the possibilities are endless when it comes to repurposing clothes. Besides creating new garments with your old clothes, you can also use them as rags instead of wasting paper towels.
#6. Plastic Shopping Bags
When you go shopping, it is customary to end up with multiple plastic shopping bags. You can save these bags and use them for many things. You might want to put the plastic shopping bags in your bathroom trash can to use as a trash can liner.
Besides using them for trash, you can reuse them at other stores, such as Aldi. If you shop at Aldi, you know that you typically need to pay for each shopping bag. You can avoid that additional expense by bringing some plastic bags with you to the store.
#7. Prescription Medication Containers
Do you receive prescription medication each month? If you do, you likely have plenty of medication bottles leftover. Remove the labels from these containers and use them for other things.
You can store cotton balls, push pins, staples, and other items inside these containers.
If you have a sticky residue left on the containers from peeling off the label, use vinegar to remove it. You can add a bit of vinegar to a damp paper towel and wipe the residue off with ease.
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#8. Meal Leftovers
Be sure to save any meal leftovers that you might have. You can eat your leftovers for lunch or dinner the next time. You might even be able to transform your leftovers into new, delicious meals.
For example, you can take mashed potatoes from the previous night and create crisp potato pancakes.
Get creative to spice things up and add flavor to the meal. If you have scraps leftover, you can use them for compost.
#9. Egg Cartons
Egg cartons are definitely items homesteaders should never throw away! First you store your hens eggs in them.
They can be great for sorting beads in your craft projects. Or they can be used as paint pallets as well.
They make wonderful seed starters for your garden plants. See – Frugal DIY Seed Starter Pots Free and Cheap
You can also use egg cartons to store small Christmas ornaments; keeping them safe and organized.
#10. Wine Corks
Are you a wine drinker? If you like it, you may open quite a few bottles each month. While you may typically toss the corks in the trash, consider saving them. You can use your wine corks for many things.
They can get turned into earring holders, labels for plants in the garden, and even decorative magnets. You can find different ways to get creative with the wine corks.
Other Items to Consider Keeping Instead of Tossing
- Old Pantyhose – hang your onions in them
- Bacon Grease – perfect for conditioning cast iron and cooking in
- Cardboard Boxes – great for lining new garden beds and boxes
Items Homesteaders Should Never Throw Away
If you want to become a homesteader, these are the items you should never throw away. Save these and other things because you can repurpose them and use them again. If you avoid throwing these items out, you can do a lot with them and save money simultaneously.
More on Reusing, Repurposing and Frugal Living
- How to Reuse Banana Peels
- 8 Fantastic Ways to Reuse Eggshells
- 40 Vintage Frugal Tips for Your Homestead
- Recycling Coffee on Your Homestead
Tell me in the comments what you like to save and repurpose!