one odd thing my dh's family does... no wrapping paper! you have a 'pile' of gifts and none are wrapped. it was odd the first couple of years but now i'm used to it.

also, i haven't read far enough to know if anyone has said this... use newspaper as wrapping paper.

shannon

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My youngest was born on January 2, 2006. I'm a member of babyfit and he was the first baby born this year on that site.

That said, I reuse the spagetti sauce jars that are the "mason" jars. The ones with the measurings marked on the side. They make great glasses for ice tea or a large glass of water. They are also great for putting in the grease from hamburger or bacon.

I also use grocery bags for the smaller trash cans and the scented ones for the diapers. I never heard about reusing swim diapers, but will try it the next time we go swimming, since I have 2 in diapers!

We have gotten out the finger paints and painted newspapers for gift wrapping. Using butter wrappers for greasing cake pans works well. I also reuse aluminum foil, if it's not in bad shape. We've gotten big buckets of snack mixes at Sam's and now use the buckets for bath toys.

Thanks for all the great ideas!!
Ginny

I save the bags the newspaper comes in for throwing away diapers while traveling. DH broke me of the habbit of saving napkins from takeout to use in the car (that was before kids!).

I bought the foaming hand soap and keep re-using the bottle. When it's empty, I put about 1/3 liquid soap in and fill the rest with water and shake. Works great and I'm saving tons on hand soap!

I too re-use shopping bags for garbage cans.

I have more gift bags in my stash than most stores! I cant think of the last time I bought one. I will keep the tissue paper if it's not ripped.

Our fridge has the water and ice dispenser. So between dh and the 2 boys I find little glasses of water all over the kitchen. I have a small watering can I keep on the cupboard and dump the water in there. I use it to water my indoor and outdoor plants. I also have buckets under our downspouts outside to catch rain water to use for plants.

I keep the return reply envelopes from junk mail. I take a marker and black out the print and use it for bank drop box deposits.

Those are the ones I can think of now.

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"It doesn't matter who you are, or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always." ~Oprah~

I do that, too, but I use them also for poopy diapers/pullups at home since we got rid of our diaper genie. They are the perfect size even for DD pullups. In fact, we only get the weekend paper, but my parents get the paper daily, so I have them saving them for me.

With all the baby showers I had when I was pregnant 3yrs ago, I had a ton of gift bags and tissue paper saved. I haven't had to buy either one since then.

I have also started writing the dates we open/start using different toiletries (ie..deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, etc.....) to get an idea of how long it takes us to use a bottle/tube, whatever. It gives me an idea of how much we would need for a year supply since some of them do have expiration dates. That way, I can cut back on stockpiling on some if I have an abundance or donate some that will expire before we can get a chance to use them.

I forgot one:
When I buy bar soap I open the end of each package before putting it in the linen closet. Supposedly it will dry it a bit and make it last longer. Doesn't affect the quality of the soap at all.

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"It doesn't matter who you are, or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always." ~Oprah~

[quote=Tricia209]I bought the foaming hand soap and keep re-using the bottle. When it's empty, I put about 1/3 liquid soap in and fill the rest with water and shake. Works great and I'm saving tons on hand soap!

I do this, too, and wanted to add that I buy the huge bottle of Costco's Kirkland brand dishwashing liquid / antibacterial handsoap - it's dual purpose, and I love that. I just refill the handsoap dispensers in the bathrooms and kitchen as needed. And I use it for laundry stains, or handwashing delicates, too. One bottle lasts a long time.

One other thing I started doing about a year ago is to try to accomplish all my housecleaning with non-toxic, from-the-kitchen ingredients (there are TONS of websites and books that contain 'recipes') . . . white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice concentrate (again, all Costco finds : ) are mainly what I use.

I do alot of these things as well!
I reuse foil if it's not in bad shape, I also wash and reuse ziploc bags ( not the ones w/raw meat)
I use shopping bags as trash bags in small trashcans and for poopy diapers
I save gift bags and wrapping paper
I also save containers from sour cream, margarine, ricotta cheese, etc.. to put leftovers in
I wash out bleach and milk jugs and fill w/water to have in case of emergency
I keep napkins from takeout and keep in glove compartment of car in case of a spill or when eating in veh while traveling
I cut dryer sheets in half
I dilute dawn detergent