Brandy:

A bit of an opposite question...on my to do list for cleaning and organising is tossing out some old t-shirts. What cleaning projects do you find these work best for?

 

You can use them for dusting, especially if you use an oil on your furniture, then you can throw them out when they get too dirty.  

Yes, I am indeed now using oil on the wood in the RV. I wonder if the t-shirts would buff as well as the mitt I dug up.

 

Another couple of ideas.  Cloth napkins at the table.  Cut 15-18" squares from thrift store fabric and zig zag stitch the edges.  You just throw them into the wash with a regular load when they're dirty.  Quilts from scraps (even simple designs like 8" squares can be done by a beginner-I know, I'm not a great sewer) with an old blanket in the middle and a top sheet on the bottom, then tie them through with yarn.   After the boys were potty trained I loved using old cloth diapers for cleaning rags, even they shread up after a while, but were nice while they lasted.  We keep a plastic ice cream bucket full of rags by the washer for home use and another in the trunk of the car when we need to clean the windows or dry it off after a car washing.   After chores are done on Saturday (bathrooms, gerbil cage, dusting, bedroom cleaning), we just do a load of whites with bleach.  Another thing I really like to reuse are plastic gallon milk jugs.  Cut the entire spout area off, leaving the handle, and use them in the kid's rooms for legos and such or under the sink to hold cleaning supplies, or in the bathroom to hold the plunger or toilet brush. 

Hi Tracy,

For wrapping your sandwiches, I saw this mentioned in a magazine: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/wrapnmat-p-2.html 

It looks like these would work best for non-juicy/leaky sandwiches.  You might even be able to make your own, if you don't mind laundering them frequently.  (The item in the link is what I consider a luxury item in the name of frugality...)  The ones that I linked to can just be wiped down/rinsed and are good to go again.

I don't have kids yet, but I definitely remember the reason I hated my mom giving me reusable lunch things was because I hated lugging it all back home.  I insisted on brown paper bags because if I was really careful, I could reuse them for a couple of weeks and they'd still fold flat.  Guess that's why I like these 'sandwich mat' things.
 

I always wash & re-use Zip-Lock type bags, also aluminum foil if it's not too greasy.

Someone here mentioned quilting a bed cover.  If you have an existing duvet or even a thick blanket, you can easily & cheaply make a duvet cover.  You need 2 coordinating sheets of the size that the duvet/blanket is (eg, queen for queen).  Sew them together right sides together.  At the opening (which should be a short side), add Velcro or a competitor's brand all across the openign (you need to insert a top half of Velcro & a separate bottom half).  This is must easier than making a quilt, &, if you get the sheets in a thrift store, & have other uses in mind for the Velcro, it is cheap.

My biggest alternative to disposable stuff is feminine hygiene products. Instead of disposible pads or flushable tampons, I use cloth pads. I got mine from lunapads.com, but several companies sell them, and they probably wouldn't be too hard to make if you know how to sew.

I find them to be very comfortable, and it's not a big deal to wash them once a month. (I got enough so that I can get through an entire cycle.) I did it to save money, but it's nice to keep the pads out of the landfills, too.

Here is another question from me...what can be done with denim?

Can you tell I am cleaning cabinets out?

 

The sandwich wrappers look good- they would be an investment.  I like it you can wipe the pb and j off in between launderings.

As far as containers, I did purchase a spin and save at the As Seen on TV store at Mall of America- and it works well- I know when I am short on containers I need to send leftovers!  Also another thing I do is send hot food- spaghetti, curry, etc to lunch in coffee mugs with a piece of saran between the cup and the lid, to keep it from leaking out that little drinking spot.  I looked at thermoses (sp?  that is a crazy word!) and they were $15, I have several coffee mugs from being in the mortgage industry for a few years.   

Denim- I say pass it along if it won't fit anyone at your house- a good pair of worn-in jeans is a treasure.  I am still chubby from my last baby, Capri, born 12-29-06, and still starving because I'm nursing- I went and picked up two pair of jeans at the thrift store, and love the worn-in comfortable feeling!  I think I'll have to go pick up a few shorts, thought of Eurostretchers "use half" diet, but I am genuinely feeling hungry- I turned 43 today, so know my metabolism is slowing- was thinking we could start taking the double stroller and walking to the grocery store- although we could only buy a few things, the exercise would be great for us!

Tracy 

Tracy,

When the kids and my husband toss jeans, they are no longer fit to wear. My daughter will happily wear hers with holes and umm I remember the 80s so I can't complain too loudly on that, lol. For my husband and son when good jeans start to fade or fray then they are moved to the yard clothes pile. My husband is rough on his clothes at work and leaves them unusable in a short period of time.

The part that really bugs me is I bought my husband new jeans at the beginning of March and they need to be replaced already. Most of them have been ruined by bleach. So I have to buy all new ones..ARGH!