This giveaway is now closed.
Photo from Flip & Tumble
One of the fun perks to the eco-savvy trend is all the great products out there now. And many times, their initial cost is worth the money-saving benefit they provide in the long run. Today, several of you will have a chance to win some!
Reusable bags are one of the easiest ways to go green – and let’s face it, they’re so much cuter than plastic grocery bags. Almost 1 trillion plastic bags are annually consumed worldwide, and they’re not biodegradable.
In the month I’ve had my reusable bags, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using them. When I whip one out from my purse in the checkout line, the most common response I get is, “Those are so cool!” I don’t think I’ll ever go back to using plastic.
Here are the brands I’ve enjoyed using, and who are rewarding a few Simple Mom readers with some of their bags.
Shop Wise Bags
• Perks – These durable oilcloth bags are shaped just like traditional grocery sacks, so they fold up nicely and stand up well. I’ve been using mine lately to cart around diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes for my kids in the car. And I love all their great patterns and colors.
• Giveaway – One reader will win a set of three high-quality Shop Wise bags!
Envirosax
• Perks – These bags are much bigger than they seem. They hold so much stuff, and they’re easy to fold up and secure with the velcro tabs. They’re pretty, too.
• Giveaway – One reader will win a set of five Envirosax bags!
B. Happybags
• Perks – These high-quality, durable canvas bags can hold a lot of stuff, and their wide openings mean I can toss big things along with no problem. Plus, they’re adorable.
• Giveaway – One reader will win four B. Happybags!
ACME Bags
• Perks – These are mesh bags, which are perfect for produce. They fold up tiny, so you can hold multiple in your purse no problem. I’m so impressed with how durable they are – for as lightweight as they are, they can really hold some heavy stuff.
• Giveaway – One reader will win three ACME mesh bags from ReusableBags.com!
RuMe
• Perks – I love how this micro bag folds up securely and easily, and its medium-sized shape holds things neatly. We use ours to tote books and crayons to and from the car.
• Giveaway – One reader will win a micro RuMe, a 13 ounce Earthlust bottle, and a Wrap-n-Mat from Mama Goes Green – all things I use and love!
Flip & Tumble
• Perks – These bags scrunch up nicely, and the colors are great, too. The 24-7 bags wads up into a ball, which means you’re carrying an instant toy for small children – and I love the felt shoulder pad, because normally bags and purses are always falling off my shoulder.
• Giveaway – One reader will win one 24-7 bag and two Loopt bags!
How to Win:
1. To be one of the six winners, leave a comment on this post and answer this question – What else do you reuse or repurpose around your home?
2. For a second entry, email me at simplemomblog (at) gmail (dot) com with the secret code in the email’s subject line (no need to write anything in the email’s body, as it won’t be read). To find the secret code, make sure you’ve subscribed to Simple Mom’s feed either via RSS or via email, and look in the footer of any post. I promise you – the code is there.
3. For a third entry, blog about this giveaway and make sure I know about it.
This giveaway ends on Saturday, November 22 at midnight CST.
I hope you win!
 Way to Go Green on http://simplemom.net){kind=link}
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I like all those bags… but, the brown and blue on is my favorite
We re-purposed an old window pane. It’s now a decorative picture frame with six openings.
Julie´s last blog post…Gettin’ Ready
We have just started re-using our grocery bags, but we also like to save the boxes from any packages we get in the mail to reuse for mailing our own packages. My husband will reuse peanut butter jars to hold various nuts and bolts and things he has lying around, and I am trying to get into the habit of reusing my freezer bags, though this has been a tough one for me for some reason. I also like to save fabric scraps from old clothing to have around for craft projects for the kids. I look forward to reading the other comments for some more re-use/repurpose tips!
We save some of our smaller cardboard boxes for teh cat to use as a scratching post. And I cut the bottoms off of cereal boxes and use them to organize bathroom drawers.
I’m one of those Ziploc washers. I take a lot of crap for it, too, but seriously, they’re meant to be reusable!
I just can’t shake the need for paper towels. I do, however, use them a few times before I chunk them. Same w/ Ziploc bags.
bee´s last blog post…Double
I reuse ziploc bags and/or other types of bags (grocery sacks for trash or diapers), twist-ties, cereal boxes (for the cardboard or cut in half sideways for office organizers or book holders), cardboard boxes, tin foil, any kind of plastic container with a lid (for leftovers), etc.
Becky Aguirre´s last blog post…Miguel
My biggest contribution to being “green”, other than using reuseable shopping bags, is that I never, ever use paper plates at my house.
CindyDianne´s last blog post…Ack! I need more stuff
We are cutting down on our plastic purchases, and using ‘greener’ cleaners instead of the store-bought ones. I collected an empty laundry detergent bottle from my friend and used it to hold my homemade mix. Now, I’m off to ‘mop’ the kitchen with the old Swiffer and some cotton washcloths.
Fox’s Momma´s last blog post…I need to win this!
Great giveaway! We reuse bulk bags (plastic bags for bulk items) constantly in the kitchen. I also slip a few into the diaper bag for those times I forget a wet bag. Envelopes become grocery lists.
When I was a kid we all took a gallon milk jug to school, cut off the top (leaving the handle), and used it for storing our writing implements, scissors, … all the little stuff that gets lost and makes a mess in desks. When we worked away from our desks, we could carry everything we needed with us.
I try to find ways to reuse and re-purpose as often as I can. One thing I do is save all glass and spaghetti sauce jars. After a good washing, they can be reused in many practical ways. One particular way is holding the meat drippings and used cooking oils that I can’t pour down the drain.
In our last move, I packed all our dishes and glasses in paper towels (because I did not want to have to wash EVERYTHING). After unpacking, I saved all the towels to be reused for everyday cleaning and such.
I reuse our old food (yogurt, etc.) containers, mostly as toys for my son. He’s 2 and he loves them!
We reuse SO many things for my kids art projects: yogurt containers, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls…
CC´s last blog post…Teaching Tuesday: The Voyage of the Mayflower
we reuse plastic bags around our house. and i’m a BIG fan of reusing/refashioning clothing and furniture. everything has so much more character and creativity when you think about how to reuse things for your own purposes.
I’m addicted to reusable bags — I’m giving them as Christmas gifts this year even!
I’ve started making my own cloth napkins and try to use those over paper napkins and paper towels whenever I can. Also, I cut my dryer sheets in half to get the most out of a box — you really only need that much to reduce the static and make the clothes smell nice 
Karen´s last blog post…sea glass
We reuse baby food jars for paints and rinse water, change jars and jam jars for small neighbor gifts. Any cardboard tubes or small plastic containers go into a free-for-all box where my kids can invent and build and craft to thier hearts delight. Old cookie sheets have been spray painted and hung for magnetic chore charts for the kiddos. And old metal serving trays have been hung as magnet boards where we display the latest candid shots.
Those bags look really nice…much nicer than the 99-cent variety sold by most retailers. We reuse clothes, kids shoes, etc….pretty much 90% of our wardrobes are previously used by someone else. 90% of our furniture is also previously used.
Oh, and I just posted about your contest!!!
What fun! I am still reusing ribbons and bows from my bridal shower gifts and my wedding gifts. p.s. I got married 15 YEARS AGO!
patti´s last blog post…The Frosting on Our Cake!
In our kitchen we have a dresser that has a beautiful shape and want to look at often. I use it to hold a little bit of everything. Media, CD’s, earphones – potatoes that would take up floor space and get kicked around- Photos ( honestly this drawer needs to be cleaned out and used for other things) – big platters that don’t fit in cabinets, candles and matches – diapers ( our downstairs holding spot that our son can get himself) – and some toys for him to play with while we are cooking and cleaning in the kitchen.
I also use two reusable bags ( one from MOPS and one from ACE ) for carrying our recycling to the the deposit bins in town.
We re-use the plastic bags bread comes in for sandwich bags. We’ve also started making homemade postcards out of cereal boxes. Just measure out a 4×6 rectangle, cut, write and send! It’s gotten me into writing actual mail again and it’s fun to send a kitschy original postcard out of a cereal box. When we wanted big building blocks for my daughter my hubby had the bright idea to take cereal, oatmeal, and other random cardboard boxes and cover them with heavy duty colored paper. I’m hoping to make some glass votive holders out of our baby food jars . . . there are so many fantastic ideas out there for repurposing but not enough time in the day to try them all! Thanks for the chance to win. I’ve been using cloth bags for a while and would LOVE some cute new ones.
We reuse Playdoh containers-after the Playdoh has dried out- for bathtime pouring cups and tea parties. Once cleaned, they also make great containers for on-the-go snacks like dry cereal or crackers.
Eryn´s last blog post…supermom’s phone and printer needs
I am reusing my to-go coffee cups as seed starters. I just cut two inches off the top, punch some holes in the bottom for drainage, and voila, instant two inch pots. Much easier to come by than milk cartons these days.
I reuse and repurpose all kinds of things – mainly clothes, paper scraps, jars, paper and plastic bags, plastic containers (hubs just took the container for the dishwasher to store nail boxes in), sheets (into curtains and slipcovers – or dress-up capes, whatever), you name it. I’m not sure that I’m earth-friendly. Really, I’m just cheap.
We try to re-use as much as we can: paper lunch bags, plastic cutlery, plastic baggies, take-out food containers. And our 4-year-old loves to find objects (empty tissue boxes, toilet paper tubes, etc.) to use for craft projects.
Love all the giveaway bags! Great idea.
We compost and recycle what we can…but my current reuse thing, while lame, is kind of fun. Our 1 year old loves pulling things out of boxes so we put her too-small socks, hats, and booties and some of her many washcloths into shoe boxes and kleenex boxes and leave them laying around for her to play with. She loves dumping them out and sifting through them, it’s easy to clean up, quiet, and clears out her drawers.
I repurpose tons of things…my current favorite is the plastic shaker from the Parmesan cheese…when empty, it makes a great bath toy for my three-year-old and ten-month-old, but it also makes a great shaker for rice, beans, buttons, what have you, and using them is a great way to teach little ones about pouring and filling things up without spilling.
(No, I am not letting the littlest one play with choking hazards unsupervised. I am with her at the table, and she is mesmerized by the sounds of things still.
Wow…425 comments so far. As you can tell, reusing and repurposing is a hot topic right now. And it’s about time…Americans have been way too comfortable with our throw-away society, and it has certainly taken its toll. It’s refreshing to know that so many thoughtful moms are out there making a difference! As for me, I have learned from my dad that there’s almost always another way to use something. Doesn’t mean I always do it…just that I know the possibility exists! I ended up with too many baby wipe containers…but I’ve used them in several new and helpful ways. I use them for art supplies, for sippy cup parts, for small game pieces and, most recently, as a “special box” of toys my kids can only use at certain times (while I’m making dinner, etc.). Hope someone gets some use out of this commnt.
Robin
I love these bags! I have a couple that I use but they are flimsy and almost worn out. I only use cloth napkins and scrap cloth for cleaning. compost, reuse any container we can, and collect rainwater for the garden. Great giveaway, thanks!
Great giveaways!
We re-use a lot of plastic containers (like yogurt or sour cream containers), we save paper bags and use them to gather our paper for recycling under the sink, and we use tupperware, drink bottles and cloth napkins in the kids snack bags for school and in our daily life. Oh… and we make our own coffee, tea and chai latte and take it to go in our travel mugs!
alexandra´s last blog post…a week in the life… days 3 and 4
My favorite reuse/repurpose is using old socks for dust cloths. When my sisters and I were little, we would put them like mitts on our hands and go all over the house wiping down our furniture. I still don’t understand why people pay big $ for expensive cleaning supplies and gadgets!
We lived in Europe for the past two years and loved using our shopping bags for everything, not just groceries. Sadly I only brought a few back with me and always feel like I am looking for one or two more at the store.
We reuse our TP and Paper towel rolls not just for crafts but the hamster likes them too.
Good ideas! I use the bottom half of a gallon milk jug in the shelfs, in the door of my refrigerator. No more little bottles of hot sauce falling on my toes! I keep old windex type bottles and make a vinegar/water mixture for all sorts of cleaning. I use cheap cleaning rags on my swiffer, for cleaning my wood floors (washable!). Have not made the jump to the shopping bags, but would love to start with these!
I just blogged about this giveaway! Love the giveaways…even if I don’t win, it’s interesting and fun!
Becky Aguirre´s last blog post…Miguel
what a great giveaway- i’ve already posted it on my blog!
kribss´s last blog post…a great giveaway!
I reuse Ziploc bags when possible and buy a lot of things secondhand. We also use a Britta pitcher for water instead of buying bottled water and I try to use cloths instead of paper towels. When my baby comes in February, we’re planning to use cloth diapers.
I LOVE these bags. Going green never looked so trendy! We reuse lots of paper products for coloring pages and crafts.
Jessica Swanson´s last blog post…The month ahead
Hello, We reuse newspaper for our birds cages! We no longer buy water in plastic bottles. I also wait as long as possible to run the dishwasher. I like to make sure not one other item can fit in there!!!!! Leaves are turned into compost. Please enter me in your delightful giveaway drawings. Many thanks…..Cindi
We also have our empty ink cartridges refilled or recycle them.
Oh, I’d love some new reusable bags. I have some that I bought from the local grocery stores, but I feel weird using those at other stores. But one nice thing is that my local Hy-Vee gives a $.05 discount for each reusable bag you bring in to use!
I gave my mom envirosax for christmas last year, and would love a set of my own!
What do I reuse? Plastic bags! We used them for trash bags, and I’ve crocheted a couple to make pot-scrubbers. It was a fun project.
Rachel´s last blog post…A simple project for a simple crafter
What a fabulous giveaway!! We use reusable bags for all our shopping – groceries, items from discount stores, even when I shop at our local stores (Christian book stores, scrapbook stores, etc.)
We also reuse almost everything in our house. Frosting can lids get sandwiched together and become holders for card games for little hands. Old spice jars get refilled with bulk spices bought at a local organic store. Washed out bottles are used to store bulk nuts, candies, etc.
We re-use tissue boxes to hold plastic bags, old pantyhose to tie up tomato stakes, and grocery plastic bags as garbage can liners. Love the bags you’re giving away. Thanks for hosting.
Yay! I’m so excited about this giveaway.
Wow, I like to repurpose anything I can. We save yogurt and baby wipe containers for storing craft supplies, my husband packs his lunch at the beginning of the week and uses the same baggies all week as long as they’re not gross, all sorts of food/ spice containers make fun kids toys or craft supplies when they’re empty, we use old socks and rags to dust and clean with…
cheryl´s last blog post…T’is The Season For TONS of Giveaways
I feel bad that I do use plastic grocery bags when I go shopping, but I do reuse them as many times as I can after that and when I have to many I just take them to the store where I buy my groceries, so that they can be recycled there. I also reuse ziploc bags as much as I can.
We reuse our old t-shirts, and make them into both dust rags, and wet cloths for around the kitchen. VERY useful with two kids under two. It’s really not too hard to make some tote bags, either, with a bunch of fabric scraps.
reuse back-side of brown paper bags for mailing…
I reuse gift bags as..well…gift bags. I don’t throw them out, but use them again. I don’t have to buy gift bags, that’s for sure. I can’t wait till my daughter is old enough to paint-I will love to use egg cartons as a paint holder! I LOVE all of these reusable bags-thanks so much!
Jill W´s last blog post…Check out these 3 Holiday Gift Guides!
Reuse happens here.
Most packaging is reused in the kitchen to store something else, and eventually make it to the art cupboard. Cracker boxes are the perfect size tunnel for our wooden train set.
Egg boxes are passed through to my grandma to refill from her chickens.
Empty plastic drink bottles are refilled with some water to make pins for bowling – change the level of water per skill level (and sometimes frozen for ice on camping trips).
We also have some ugly reusable green bags that are toted everywhere – something more attractive is required.
Wow! I have a few Flip and Tumbles and use them all the time – theyære great! However, because I use them all the time, sometimes they are in use when I need one, so some additions would be lovely
Mirthful´s last blog post…Playing around with templates
When I fry foods, I put newspaper under 1 layer of paper towels then put the fried items on top to drain. That way, I don’t use too many towels and a lot of the grease is absorbed.
I reuse plastic yogurt and sour cream containers. They’re great for freezing smaller portions of foods such as soup and broth. Or when the family comes over for dinner, I send leftovers home with them in those containers (since I don’t care about getting them back)!
I repurpose bed linens and towels from Goodwill as aprons and quilt squares. We reuse gift bags, and straws from drinks are repurposed as cat toys.
They look great. We have ugly green usuable bags.
Lots of things are reused here. Most packaging stores something else in the kitchen, before making its way to the art cupboard. Cracker boxes make the perfect tunnel for our wooden train set. Egg boxes go to my grandma for refilling from her chickens. Plastic bottles are frozen for ice on picnics and camping. Jars store buttons, nuts & bolts and an array of other micro household items.
Current Reuse project is my son turning some large cardboard boxes into a play area complete with his own (very abstract) art all over the walls — He is only 22 months old, but full of ideas of things to do with boxes of all shapes and sizes!
Abbey´s last blog post…Sunshine albums (part II)
I’ve gotten hooked on second hand and consignment shops – not only are they reusing old clothes, toys, etc, it usually saves me money too. I’ve also started using reusable shopping bags, but I could certainly use a few more!
Krissy´s last blog post…New videos
I blogged about it here: http://tinyurl.com/6mk6d8
thanks!
Jill W´s last blog post…Check out these 3 Holiday Gift Guides!
Well, all of those notes that the kids bring home from school…if they have a blank backside then I cut them into fourths and use it for scratch paper each day to make grocery lists and to-do lists. We reuse the back of poster boards for any projects needed at school. We also have put those $1 plastic tablecloths over science project boards and we reuse them each year (plus they look neater with a colored background). I like to reuse different containers or packaging, especially in crafting.
Shortnsweet´s last blog post…Cards, cards, cards
I wash and reuse the trays that meat comes in for craft projects. They are great for holding paint or small items.
What else do you reuse or repurpose around your home? I do all the regular stuff; recycle cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, newspaper and cardboard.
I made up some of my own cloth grocery bags using a plastic grocery sack as my templet. The bags are great and are strong but I have yet to use them at the grocery store. I like using the plastic grocery bags for my recycles and as garbage bags. I’m not sure how effective it would be for me to use my cloth bags for shopping and then have to buy small garbage sacks for recycling and for garbage. I guess I want to do right but don’t exactly know how to go about it.
Shelly´s last blog post…Free Scrap Quilt Pattern
Here in Bosnia NO ONE recycles which is a problem! And lots of things are just thrown away… But I have convinced my landlady to get a bin for food and the leftover bread (it is really cheap here without preservatives so you buy it fresh every day and the leftover is thrown away aaaargh) and we take it over to her mom’s place in the country once or twice a week where the pigs enjoy it!
Belinda´s last blog post…Plastic bags…
We reuse quite a bit, but one of my faves is reusing yogurt, margarine, etc. tubs as storage containers. A leftover helping or two of soup fits perfectly in my son’s empty yogurt container!
I have purchased some bags at my local store but they are no where near as cute as some of these! I would LOVE to have a couple of new ones!!! My son would love all of the various colors and designs!
I have mostly hardwood floors and refuse to pay for the swiffer dust cloths so instead I used old wash cloths over and over….they last a gazillion times longer and personally I think they work better!!! I have even been known to use old socks on my swiffer to clean various places!
I love all of those bags! I use reusable bags for all of my shopping and we reuse or recycle every possible thing in our home! The big one for me though is reusing our bath towels. As a kid, I would use a 2 new towels every day – talk about a waste of water and laundry detergent! As an adult, I realized that you are clean when you emerge from the shower so there is no need for a new towel every single day!
I’ve been looking for reusable bags that are cute, too. They’re hard to find where I live, but I love the look of these. The bigger the better.
We recycle everything we can, esp. plastic bottle and cereal boxes. They add up fast!
Elizabeth´s last blog post…Our Vacation In Pictures
Lovely bags, definitely an aesthetic improvement over my plain canvas bags. I reuse glass jars for cotton ball storage, yogurt making and button/notion storage. My husband recently asked me to make sure and save jars for him for fishing bait. Any plastic bags I do have get reused for garbage can liners. I love to go through stacks of old clothes and find ways to reuse them as well. I have been known to cut up old T-shirts into large squares to use as cloth napkins, I made my husband a denim quilt out of our old jeans, and I recently made my son a stuffed animal out of an old sweater.
What fun bags! I do recycle almost everything I can – and have finally gotten my husband and children to do the same. One thing I’ve been reusing for years is gift bag and tissue paper. I have a huge bag of gift bags in my basement just waiting for the occasion to use. I had so many at one point that I had to freecycle them.
Great bags!!!! Would love to win some…. Here is what I reuse/recycle. Recently I was yard saling (sp) and found a nice red and white spring gingham dress. I have been looking for some fabric to make a window (mis)treatment for my son’s bedroom. I am going to cut off the ample skirt of the dress, iron it and attach it to the window. I also recycle furniture. Just finished priming two dressers and several picture frames. One more…I recyle the large tubs that ice cream comes in and use them for my sugar and flours for baking.
I love those bags! The designs are fabulous! We re-use all of our grocery bags: either dog-poop or diaper duty for the plastic ones and usually wrapping paper or yard waste for the paper ones. I recycle as much packaging material as possible. It’s harder to get paper bags at our stores lately, so I have been hoarding them a little:).
Sarah´s last blog post…I’m it!
What fun bags! I recycle so much these days and have finally gotten my husband and children to do so also. One thing I’ve been reusing for years is gift bags and tissue paper. I have a huge bag of gift bags in the basement, just waiting to be used.
fat jeans´s last blog post…How do you hold yourself accountable?
All that brown packing paper you get in boxes? It makes great drawing paper for the kids. Even more fun is letting them decorate it and then using it as wrapping paper.
I use empty 2 liter pop bottles to store water in my food storage. I use empty vinegar bottles for grain scoops for my horses. I try to find uses for everything I can before I throw it out.
I absolutely love my reusable bags – I have some Baggus and they look similar to the flip and tumbles you have. I carry them in my purse constantly and they are great for the library and all sorts of tasks like that.
We also reuse kitchen containers that would normally be tossed, like spice containers for glitter or my own sugar sprinkles. I certainly reuse clothing from friends for my kids and vice versa, which gets more use for the clothes and also cuts our clothing budget significantly.
Fun – I could use more bags!
The biggest change we’ve made recently is eliminating as many paper products as possible. We haven’t bought paper towels or paper napkins on almost nine months. I make rags out of old clothes that are too worn to donate — my girls get the biggest kick out of the fact that they’re using their old jammies to wipe the table
I reuse our milk gallon containers in a ton of ways. I cut off the tops and that leaves the squared-off bottom to use for all sorts of gardening/utility needs.
I rinse them with bleachy water, then fill & freeze them to keep my chest freezer running at top efficiency and to have some clean emergency water.
I cut diagonally off the top, leaving the handle to go on hooks in the boys’ playroom for matchbox cars, lincoln logs and such. For that project I covered the cut edge with colorful electrical tape to make it a little less of a sharp edge.
miriam´s last blog post…Mama’s leetle friend.
This is a fun giveaway. We repurpose our plastic bags (from Target…when we forget to take in our reusable ones) for trash can liners!
Lisa Q´s last blog post…a souper day
I’ve greatly cut down on the number of plastic bags I bring into my house, requesting paper when possible and returning the bags to the stores, when possible and using the remaining as garbage can liners. These “green” bags would eliminate the need for plastic bags at all!
As for re-purposing/re-using, I’m always looking at packaging – how to use it in scrapbooking or mixed media so that it actually becomes a part of the end product, or I use it as a tool/surface protector, etc. For example, the sleeves that hold lightbulbs often have a corrugated interior – this can be used as a photo mat or cut into shapes, such as flower petals for use on a scrapbook page (as can brown corrugated cardboard once the outside paper layer is removed). I use shoeboxes as paint ‘tents’ for small spray jobs with Glimmer Mist. The recycled paper I use on the bottom of the shoebox as extra protection gets used on a project after it’s been sprayed a number of times. Large, fairly flat pieces of plastic packaging serve as drying pads for spray projects. Just look at the packaging you’re about to throw away and you may think of a number of ways it can be useful!
I like to reuse printer paper for the kids to doodle on. I just started to reuse clothes by using the fabric from an old table cloth to make dress up clothes for the kids! It is a great way to save on toys, fabric and declutter drawers.
Keilah´s last blog post…Six Weeks Until Christmas!!
I grew up in a re-puposin/re-using household. (My grandparents had 5 kids duting the Depression while trying to farm so grew up hearing stories of saplings being cut down to make a bassinet, shirts being re-made into diapers, etc.). My sandwiches were always wrapped in Saran Wrap that had been washed/re-used several times… likewise for lunch bags. We currently: use plastic shopping bags as garbage can liners; wash out & re-use Ziploc bags, plastic containers, and any glass jars (I had to limit myself to 2 boxes of baby food jars); use butter wrappers to grease baking pans & cover roasting chickens/turkeys; use cloth diapers & wipes; shop at thrift stores; save interesting packaging for crafts; cut the ends off of toothpaste tubes when the get to the end to get an extra couple of brushes (I guess that’s probably more frugal/miserly than re-using/re-purposing)… as little as possible gets thrown away from our house. Our third child was recently baptised wearing the gown that was created in the 1930s from my grandmother’s confirmation dress (which she wore in the 1910s) & which has been worn by almost 30 babies in our extended family over the past 70 years. Doesn’t get much better than that for re-purposing & re-using in my books!
Thanks for your writings, Simple Mom! Consistently great & useful reads.
I love these bags they are great, and it’s one thing I’ve been looking for to be more “green”. I re-use Chunky soup cans, the ones with the pop top lids. I take the bottom off using a non cutting can opener, like Tupperware sells. We eat the soup and wash the can really well. Once it’s dried I fill it with whatever items I want to give someone, and decorate the outside of the can with scrapbook paper and embellishments. I then glue the bottom of the can back on using a really strong adhesive and voila a unique gift that is fun too. They get to pull the tab and open the can to find their goodies.
Oh, I’d love to win any of these! So much cuter than what I use now.
We re-use tons of our recycleables for crafts – plastic bottles and glass jars, cardboard, etc. Then they finally make their way into the recycling bin.
Leigh´s last blog post…FO… Tuesday (?)
I reuse mason jars (when I buy spaghetti sauce, instead of making it from scratch), we try to remember to bring shopping bags when shopping, and I pack my daughter’s lunches/snacks in (reusable) bento boxes.
My current recycling obsession is chipboard from cereal boxes, cracker boxes, etc. With holiday gift giving looming, my boys and I have been recycling them into the base for mini scrapbooks, prettying them up with patterned papers and our favorite photos from the past year.
theresa´s last blog post…A(nother) Simple Mom Giveaway!
I make my husband’s old t-shirts into cleaning rags, remake tea towls from the thrift store into drawstring craft bags, cut up old catalogs and magazines to make paper chain garlands for the kids and so on and on. Almost everything can have a new life. The problem is reusing or recycling fast enough to keep the clutter at bay!
Heather´s last blog post…Advent Stocking Swap…
I try to buy my groceries and dry goods in large containers and then store them in smaller containers at home. I store the large bags of baking soda, sugar and flour etc in my pantry. We also use linens in place of paper products. I am human though and we are using paper plates now as we find our way through the first trimester with our 6th child!
I always repurpose the cardboard diaper boxes…I put all the clothes that my children out grow in them…label them…then donate them! They have handles, they are a great toting size, and the label makes it simple to figure out what’s inside.
I do most of my shoppiing at resale stores and give our out grown clothes to them so other people can get stuff for their familys. I love the bags. I really would like to win them for my girls. They both are real good recylers and they are teaching our grandchilder that is a way of life for all of us
At the moment- we repurpose quite a lot of baby stuff in our little group of friends. So much nicer than buying a bunch of stuff that the little ones use for such a short time.
Kari´s last blog post…his & hers.
Baby stuff get circulated through our group of friends…love it.
Kari´s last blog post…his & hers.
Love those bags! We reuse paper grocery bags to collect our recycling (and then the bags go right into the recycling bin with the rest of the recyclables). Plastic grocery bags go on walks with us/the dog…enough said. We use cereal/cracker boxes to make craft projects (and then recycle).
We reuse the free weekly newspaper and ads we get in the mail. I use them to clean windows and mirrors, line a bird cage, use under paint projects. I also reuse the plastic bags from the grocery store as trash bags. we like to use the paper bags to make homemade gift wrap.
I would love to win any of the bags above. Thank you for entering me in the contest.
What a terrific giveaway! We reuse clothes in this house in the hand-me-down form. God gave me four boys. When one boy outgrows, it goes to the next and so on. Buying consignment helps in the reusing as well. We also reuse sandwich bags, plastic storage bags, even aluminum foil. Taking the time to wash these things and reuse works for us.
We reuse lots of things — yogurt containers being my favorite multi-purpose thing for all things child related.
Melinda´s last blog post…Back by Popular Demand
We use baby washcloths as lunchbox napkins. And makeup bottles as miniature vases — for my 5yo, who collects tiny flowers anywhere and everywhere she goes.
I reuse the mesh bags that onions and some other produce comes in to hold herbs or large spices when making stocks or spiced cider. I also reuse egg cartons (the foam ones, not cardboard) to freeze small amounts of broth, cooking wine, pesto, tomato paste. You can keep the resulting broth pellets in the egg carton for storage, or pop them out and store in a ziploc bag. This is especially useful if you’re only cooking for one or two people.
Love the bags! I repurpose old towels into cleaning rags–they get cut up and put in the rag basket in the laundry room!
Kathy´s last blog post…festival
I use bags I’ve picked up for free here and there, so although they get the job done, they aren’t nearly as pretty as the ones you’ve shown in this post! When we do get the plastic bags I reuse them for dirty diapers or wet clothing.
I reuse all of our plastic bags and save any empty sour cream containers, etc. to reuse for leftovers or for holding just the right amount of paint for a small job. I would love to have a pretty re-usable grocery bag- mine are all from my mother-in-laws bank (they still work, just not very cute!)
Love the bags – I buy the ones the stores put out since I like using them so much – would be nice to win! I use them for toting things back and forth to work with, I also use them when everything doesnt fit in my diaper bag for my twins I load stuff up in there and carry it as well.
My greatest reuse started when the strap on a dress I have and loved broke. With no way of fixing it, I decided to cut the dress up and sew a dress for my daughter who is 1 years old. It came out so cute that when my husband and I have clothes we no longer wear, I reuse them for clothes and cloth diapers.
I’ve been taking the empty bottom half of a page of paper that has been used on both side and ripping it into note pad size paper. So that is a third use for a single sheet of paper. Usually there is some significant white space on one side.
Awesome bags! We reuse soap pumps and save some of our old t-shirts to use as rags around the house. Scraps of paper go in the craft drawer along with toilet paper rolls. Used spice bottles and kitchen containers are put in the kids’ kitchen play area as much as possible and peanut butter jars and wipes containers hold many of our multiple piece games and toys as well as crayons and markers. I’m excited to read through the comments now and get some suggestions from other readers!
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