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The Dollar Stretcher

Waste Less, Save More With These Clever Kitchen Reuses

Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read

Wednesday, March 18 | Volume 31, Number 27

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Over the decades, I have accumulated a lot of plastic containers and kitchen tools. Now that we know these plastic items are not safe for food, I find new purposes for them. For example, a couple of Tupperware ice cream containers now store microfiber cloths and shoe accessories neatly in a cupboard. Another meant for celery is now my medicine container, conveniently corralling all my medications in one place. Plastic spoons, spatulas and the like have become sand toys for children.
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Other plastics can also be repurposed. Pill bottles are great for small items like garden seeds and screws. The door shelves of my last refrigerator now corral bags of cheese and nuts in the new fridge.
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When I "must" use an old container, I line it with wax paper first, which protects the food and lets me remove it after freezing and slide it into a plastic bag safely.
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I label each container neatly with painter's or masking tape so that I can see what's in them at a glance.
Barbara

​Waste Less, Save More: Clever Kitchen Reuses​

Think twice before throwing things out in your kitchen. From bones and vegetable scraps to jars and packaging, these simple reuses may stretch your grocery budget and cut down on waste without extra effort.
I am amazed how a little 3 x 3 square of screen floating around the drain will capture so much hair. I have a walk-in shower, but I am pretty sure it would work with a tub drain as well. At first, I tried to secure it over the drain, but that became impractical. So now I just let it float around near the drain, let it dry overnight and clean off the hair before the next shower.
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Another excellent tip I learned was to brush your hair before you wash it to help remove loose hair.
Katie

A note from Andrea: During her teen years, my daughter always had problems with her shower drain clogging from her thick hair. I finally bought a cheap silicone hair catcher, and it helped considerably (and much cheaper than drain cleaner).

EVERGREEN SAVINGS FROM THE TDS ARCHIVES

​8 Simple Ways To Put More Money in Your Pocket​

Does finding extra cash feel as tough as hunting for hidden treasure? Try these simple ways to put more money in your pocket regularly.

Plastic wrap — cling wrap — often gets wasted as it tears apart or sticks together. A simple solution that I found is to keep it in the freezer. It pulls apart easily with no more wasted wrap.
Angie

EVERGREEN SAVINGS FROM THE TDS ARCHIVES

​10 Things You Shouldn’t Clean With Vinegar (That Could Cost You More Later)​

Vinegar works well for many cleaning jobs, but not all. These 10 common mistakes can damage surfaces and lead to expensive repairs if you’re not careful.

$10.00

785 Dollar Stretcher Reader Tips for Making a Tight Budget Go Further

This collection brings together 785 money-saving ideas shared by Dollar Stretcher readers who’ve used them to trim... Read more
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With restaurant prices so high, we can't afford to eat out as often on our date nights. But we've found that we can have just as much fun if we go for dessert instead of a full meal. We'll have a light meal at home and then go out on our date. Sometimes, we'll get two different desserts and share them!
Lianne

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The Dollar Stretcher website's content, products and services are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. The information should not be used as a substitute for professional financial advice. The Dollar Stretcher encourages you to make any financial decisions with your financial advisor, planner or other financial professional. The Dollar Stretcher is owned by Jackiranda Media, LLC.

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Andrea Norris-McKnight, Publisher & Money-Saving Strategist

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