Author Topic: What do you save that other people throw away?  (Read 20799 times)

Mrs. PoP

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #50 on: October 07, 2014, 04:40:50 AM »
The cardboard cylinders that oatmeal comes in - they are perfect for keeping my pantry organized. 

TomTX

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #51 on: October 07, 2014, 05:28:17 AM »
Broccoli stems. 

Sliced thin and sauteed along with whatever other vegetables are in the recipe.

It would never occur to me to throw away broccoli stems. I just shave off the outer tough membrane and cook with the rest of the bunch.

I don't even shave off the outside. After cooking, it's fine. I do start cooking the stem chunks a few minutes before the crown pieces.

I also don't peel potatoes, carrots, parsnip, turnips, cucumber, etc. Worse than pointless - lots of nutrients and fiber in/on the skin. Why should I throw that away? Just wash it and cut it up.

MoneyCat

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #52 on: October 07, 2014, 05:40:50 AM »
I save my yogurt cups and reuse them as starter pots for seedlings for my garden.

mbl

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #53 on: October 07, 2014, 06:12:29 AM »
The cardboard cylinders that oatmeal comes in - they are perfect for keeping my pantry organized.

Sweet!

I'm sure lots of people save these things as this thread can attest to, just the various things that come to mind:

-Vegetable/fruit leftovers/egg shells  for composting
-All manner of cardboard to use to start fires in our wood burning stove
-Plastic bags from the inside of cereal boxes....great for storing sandwichs or bread items.
-Definitely tissue and wrapping papers and gift bags that we've been given.....try to avoid buying that crap at all costs.
-Plastic grocery bags are what I used for the various small garbage cans around our house as well as bagging used kitty litter and other detritus.
-Wood pallets to cut up and use for kindling.
-Lawn cuttings to use as mulch around plants and trees.
-Any glass jar that has a top that will fit regular size Ball jar caps and lids for canning(mayo jars when they were made of glass were perfect...now they are plastic:(  )
-apple drops before they turn to mush are used for my horse



2ndTimer

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #54 on: October 07, 2014, 08:34:58 AM »
bones from pork chop or pork steak

That way if boneless pork goes on sale like it does often, i can throw the bones in a crock pot and slow cook boneless pork and it is almost just as good as bone-in.

Was disappointed to find that you cooked the bone.  I thought maybe you had devised a way to grow a new pork roast the way people do with green onion and celery roots.

Gone Fishing

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #55 on: October 07, 2014, 08:47:50 AM »
bones from pork chop or pork steak

That way if boneless pork goes on sale like it does often, i can throw the bones in a crock pot and slow cook boneless pork and it is almost just as good as bone-in.

Was disappointed to find that you cooked the bone.  I thought maybe you had devised a way to grow a new pork roast the way people do with green onion and celery roots.

Kind of the long way around but I do grow new meat using leftover bones.  At our house the bones go in the woodstove, as burning the bones liberates the phosphorous and the calcium.  Once the bones are burned, the resulting ash, mixed with wood ash, is used to fertilize my pasture.  The grass grows, gets eaten by my stock and turned back into meat.   

riverrat

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #56 on: October 07, 2014, 10:04:39 AM »
"Pallet wood from broken pallets at work."

I am making this wall in the barn out of old skids. 

4alpacas

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #57 on: October 07, 2014, 10:23:11 AM »
Apparently a lot of things.  Yesterday I pulled out UHaul boxes from our apartment's recycling bin.  My DH had requested I stop by UHaul to buy a few boxes for our upcoming move.  He was impressed with my "dumpster diving" skills. 

I've also rescued an office chair, a night stand, and a patio table.  All of these items are still in use in my apartment.  I've also rescued countless other items from the trash, which I've donated to the Salvation Army.  For example, several children's bikes, 10 folding chairs (perfect condition), pint glasses. 

southern granny

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #58 on: October 08, 2014, 05:34:14 PM »
rubber bands from the newspaper - use to seal up food bags that aren't resealable.
Have a rain barrel for watering plants
water from boiling eggs to water the house plants
egg shells - crushed and spread over the tomato garden.
Plastic walmart bags - use as trash bags
any left over veggies - in the freezer until I have enough to make soup.
I recycle all cardboard, plastic, glass, and newspapers (although I have to pay for the recycle service)
socks with holes - if they are past darning. - we keep these for cleaning and polishing
I pick up any coins (even pennies) that I see on the ground.
After DH is ready to throw away the toothpaste tube, I can squeeze enough out to last at least a week.
That last little sliver of soap gets pressed onto the new bar.
gift bags that I receive are saved and used for future gifts.
red solo cups from barbeques and parties are washed and reused.

GuitarStv

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #59 on: October 09, 2014, 05:50:51 AM »
Our lime and mandarin tree also see their fair share of urine.

I once caught one of my house mates defecating at the base of the lime tree, I have tried to discourage this.

Try swatting him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper and then rubbing his nose in it while yelling "NO".

Nancy

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #60 on: November 03, 2014, 08:13:31 AM »
I find utility in a lot of stuff that other people throw away. Overall, I try to avoid buying disposables altogether (of course this is easier said than done since I enjoy boxed cereal and a certain pb in a glass jar over their bulk bin cousins).

I reuse:
Glass jars from my peanut butter to use as take out containers (bring them with me when I eat out) or food storage containters
All broken down clothes are converted into something new: patches for other clothes, pads, rags, etc.
All food scraps are composted.
Tea bags get used for more than one cup
Anything of value (books, clothes) that I'm not using, gets donated to someone else to use.


MillenialMustache

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #61 on: November 04, 2014, 01:39:44 PM »
Love stuff on the side of the road. Got bed frames the other day - perfect for a variety of my husband's crafts. Also got a great desk and my TV stand from the side of the road, and just a couple of weeks ago a stainless steel sink! Are these people crazy?! lol

Took very old (1970's) custom curtains out of my rental property. Turned the wood from the valance (sp?) into a bird house.

Got a nice wallet when I was 15. Used it for a little while, put it away. Just brought it out 12 years later and started using it again. My mom was shocked. lol

zinnie

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #62 on: November 04, 2014, 01:48:09 PM »
31% of the food I buy.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/27/283071610/u-s-lets-141-trillion-calories-of-food-go-to-waste-each-year

This, haha. If we have even a tiny bit of food waste it stresses me out! But we are generally really good about using up every last bit of everything.

Glass jars.
I alter my clothes when they go out of style (recently a lot of making boot cut pants straight leg)
Any and all bags I acquire (though I try not to acquire them!)
Plastic bags get washed/ reused. Though I mostly just use them for storing herbs and bread, and then just shake them out.

I mostly try not to buy stuff that will have to be thrown away eventually.

smilla

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #63 on: November 04, 2014, 02:46:27 PM »
After DH is ready to throw away the toothpaste tube, I can squeeze enough out to last at least a week.

And when squeezing is no longer enough I snip off the end of the tube and dip my toothbrush for another 4 or 5 days.  I also cut down tubes of hand cream to make sure I get every last trace.


2ndTimer

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #64 on: November 04, 2014, 04:17:01 PM »
Currently saving the lime rinds after I squeeze them.  Planning to candy them and fill them with coconut like the ones I had in Mexico.

shelivesthedream

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #65 on: November 04, 2014, 05:20:26 PM »
Breadcrumbs. We make our own bread and like it pretty crusty so always end up with lots of crumbs on the bread board. I sweep them into a bowl and add them to soup to thicken it.

VirginiaBob

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #66 on: November 04, 2014, 05:44:55 PM »
I know a guy who saves all his toenail clippings in a jar.  Pretty gross.  He also plays earwax darts - puts a q-tip in his ear, loads it up with wax, and throws it at the back of a bookcase and it sticks.  You want more?  He takes photographs of interesting craps he takes (pictures of the toilet full of shit) and hangs them on his office wall.   He is an old Japanese engineer who is now retired.

galliver

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #67 on: November 04, 2014, 06:45:44 PM »
We just  made our first "veggie non-waste stock" yesterday (along with a pork bone from a roast this weekend). Thanks MMM community for the recommendation!
I love glass jars.
I reuse ziploc bags sometimes--when it's easy (i.e. when they aren't dirty, and/or I don't mind drying it).
I can't believe some people throw out shopping bags (paper/plastic). Beyond me.
I don't save packing materials but I use grocery circulars or similar for padding. I do use flat rate boxes, but in my experience they come out cheaper than postage on a regular box. I don't send a lot of packages though.
Old towels become rags.

Oh, and I twist food bags and tie them in a slip knot. No twist ties or rubber bands. Which reminds me I save the wide rubber bands for opening jars.

Prepube

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #68 on: November 04, 2014, 06:52:48 PM »
I know a guy who saves all his toenail clippings in a jar.  Pretty gross.  He also plays earwax darts - puts a q-tip in his ear, loads it up with wax, and throws it at the back of a bookcase and it sticks.  You want more?  He takes photographs of interesting craps he takes (pictures of the toilet full of shit) and hangs them on his office wall.   He is an old Japanese engineer who is now retired.
why does it not surprise me you know someone like this?

I save dog hair that a friend spins into yarn and then makes sweaters out of it.  I wouldn't wear that nasty smelly stuff.


GardenFun

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #69 on: November 04, 2014, 07:26:01 PM »
- Furniture gets reupholstered vs. thrown away
- Money:  Shop my parent's/friends houses for items prior to purchasing at store.  Amazing what people will give you for free to get it out of their house.  :-)
- Plastic grocery bags get reused as indoor trash bags
- Paper grocery bags get reused at the grocery store (some stores even pay $0.05/bag)
- Pants DS destroys in the knee area get turned into shorts
- Bread heels are used for bread crumbs, croutons, hamburger binder/extender
- Leftover food:  learning to substitute ingredients easily decreases our grocery bill by 10%/month

RetiredAt63

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #70 on: November 05, 2014, 06:44:31 AM »
Not clear what you mean here?  What is the nasty smelly stuff?  Well washed dog hair, (especially when spun with wool, and from a breed that has the appropriate fur texture), makes a nice yarn.  It is called chiengora and is prized by spinners.

I was at a dog show years ago and saw a beautiful white lacy sweater - it was knit totally from Samoyed undercoat, and was gorgeous, soft as soft could be, and not smelly.

I save my dog's fur now, and it spins beautifully.

I save dog hair that a friend spins into yarn and then makes sweaters out of it.  I wouldn't wear that nasty smelly stuff.

southernhippie

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #71 on: November 05, 2014, 07:06:43 AM »
raggedy clothes (wife sews, so she always can use fabric for projects)
We use bones for stock as well
Never throw away anything that we can compost.  Its fertilizer for me garden

lax4life93

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #72 on: November 05, 2014, 09:00:44 AM »
Veg ends & Bones for stalk
Bacon grease for frying EVERYTHING haha.  so good.
Blown out socks and clothes are torn up/cut into rags for the garage.  You would't believe how much you save by not buying shop towels, especially after the wife produces boxes of t shirt scraps from a quilt project.
Extra nuts & bolts from automotive work are saved and sorted into boxes.  Saves your butt whenever you break or misplace a bolt, or doing custom work.
Old jeans are cut into patches for new jeans
lettuce hearts / green onion stems:  Both of these are planted to produce new plants rather than throwing away/eating.  then you have an infinite supply of both, you just have to wait a few weeks :)

skunkfunk

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #73 on: November 05, 2014, 09:21:56 AM »

We reuse cloth diapers instead of disposables


Wait, you are supposed to throw out disposables? A quick run under the hose and it's good to go as packing material, dinner plates, whatever you need really.

I joke, but I still throw out too much stuff. We go through 1-3 kitchen trash bags a week in my household.

riverffashion

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Re: What do you save that other people throw away?
« Reply #74 on: November 08, 2014, 04:47:41 AM »
*bags- though I no longer acquire, was using for garbage bin or to contain lunch Tupperware.
*plastic jars to put my skincare mixtures
*newspaper- great to clean glass & good for packing material for fragile items.
*items that belonged to my grandfather- luggage, toiletry case, dresser, chest that I still use today.
*clothes with holes- I mend those.
*food always gets eaten & never goes bad.