Frugal Friday - Wear it Out

Today on Frugal Friday we'll explore the concept of wearing it out. We've become such a "throw away" people that it's time we look at how we can use things in alternative ways rather than simply tossing them.

First up is a large glass jar given to me by a friend, almost twenty years ago, who had too many of them. She bought peanut butter in these huge jars and then couldn't bear to throw them away, so she washed them and put them to other uses. She gave me three of them. I use this one as a cookie jar sitting on the built in side board of our dining room.  (The other two are used for storing brown rice, and bay leaves.)

Last of the Girl Scout Cookies

Wonderful Built-in Side Board and Cupboards

What do you use for cleaning or dusting cloths? In our house we use an assortment of old cloths, such as old dish cloths or wash cloths for scrubbing things; faded and worn cloth napkins for glass, windows and mirrors (perfect because they are lintless); cut up flannel nighties for dusting and polishing (so soft and absorbent); old, stained or worn dishtowels, hand towels or diapers for general cleaning and small mop ups; worn out bath towels for larger jobs like overflowing toilets (which happened this morning), car washing, drying off wet pets, and such.

Clockwise from center: Dust cloths, large towels, smalls towels & diapers, cloth napkins, wash cloths

I keep all these useful articles in these plastic drawers in my kitchen.

Only when the rag is finally worn out completely, do I toss it, guilt free, knowing that it has served us well for many years.

These two examples are just the tip of the iceberg. On future Frugal Fridays I'll share some other ways PFC Mom wears things out.