I drink decaffeinated instant ice tea by the gallonful. And instant lemonade. So naturally I have about five dozen of the little plastic scoops that come with them. They are handy to have; particular if you store sugar and flour in big gallon-size containers. Come to think of it I store my sugar and brown sugar in old plastic pretzel containers (they have a screw lid and sold with roughly two pounds of pretzels.)
I also occasionally mix the lemonade and iced tea in a old 2 liter soda bottle. And then screw on a squirt cap from an old 24 ounce water bottle. I now have a full 2 liters of lemonade I can take with me to drink when I am outside in the summer when it has 80+ degrees.
The twist ties from the cleaners are the best ties around. I love them because they are striped, red and white. I ask my cleaner for some extra ones. She gave me a handful of them. They are on my desk in a little jar. I’m looking at them. Someday I will use them.
I’ve put those containers in the microwave and never had an issue with them. I really think they’re designed for that - so people can take them to work with the sandwich inside, and heat it up if they wish.
I knit, and sometimes make blankets from multiple strands of crochet thread. I save the thread that’s used to sew kitty litter bags closed, and add it to these projects. Why not? Most of the things I make are given to charity, and are washed in hot water and dried on high before they go out the door.
Disposable coffee cups are used, over and over. When the seam bleeds, the cup is no longer used for liquid but instead to cover the outside of a newer disposable cup. Eventually, they’re all used to scoop dog doo then burned or placed in trash.
AACKKK, I got so much damn crap from my family for the paper towel thing. So, I wipe a water spill or dry my hands, they’re clean, just wet. Lay them on the stove (not when it’s on please), and they dry in seconds. Use to scoop out that last bit of wet cat food that they will NOT eat, and toss it all in the trash before I wash up the dish.
My sisters took photos for Facebook. So happy to be justified.
I used to keep the plastic grocery bag supply in the house down by using one a day to carry my lunch to work. I tried a lunchbox and some of those padded bag tote thingies, but I always forgot to bring them home. I didn’t have to worry about that with the bags. Now that I’m retired, I use them for trash bags, since I just can’t see paying extra money for something destined for the dump.
Yup. I thought I was bad, but this thread has made me much worse.
My contribution to the parsimony:
Clingfilm, when it has been used to cover a bowl. Leave to handy - you’ll be using the bowl again.
Cable ties - these days about half of everything comes attached to cardboard with them. I wrestle them undone rather than cutting them - they have a thousand uses. And I use the cardboard as firelighter.
Phone sized plastic bags (for when I’m out on the bike).
They become lunch bag flatware. If we can bring them back home again, we do, but if they get tossed, I haven’t lost anything I care about. Also, after a large children’s party, they can be washed and reused for the next one. More about environmentalism than cost, in my case.
Oh, of course, but when they end up in my possession via takeout or some such, I reuse them until they break. Last year, a neighbor moved away and left me HER collection…
I love you. I save the string off the bags of ice Mr.Wrekker buys for his ice chest. He averages about 6 bags a week in the summertime. It’s alot. It’s great string. I use it gardening. It’s perfect for tying up tomatoes. I have a huge ball of it.
I will start getting the string off the kitty litter bags, I assure you.
ETA, ooh, I just remembered the large dog food bags we get for the hunting dogs. That’s gonna be a lot of string. Yay. A new hoarding supply.
Yep, and cool looking booze bottles with corks, especially some of those nifty rum bottles out there.
Large kitty litter buckets, like WildBlueYonder, some of the better longer twist ties, like Beckdawrek and my wife re-uses lunch meat plastic boxes to put her sandwiches in.
I just wanted to mention that my Dad used a linen (flax) handkerchief to wipe his glasses until he retired (and stopped wearing a suit). His mothers table cloth until it became too worn, then was cut up into table napkins until it became too thin, then was re-purposed as lint-free cloth for his glasses.
We take one of those big litter buckets, put a normal 13 gallon bag in it, and scoop until it gets heavy. The bag and the closeable bucket keeps the smell out.
I just wanted to mention that my Dad used a linen (flax) handkerchief to wipe his glasses until he retired (and stopped wearing a suit). His mothers table cloth until it became too worn, then was cut up into table napkins until it became too thin, then was re-purposed as lint-free cloth for his glasses.