Try This Experiment: New Uses For Old Things

I looove this article I came across on msn.com today. It's 50 items you can reuse, and some of them are quite clever. Check out the article here. If you have any additional ideas, leave a comment and share!

Frugal Experiment: Laundry Detail

Thanks to Jill over at Fabu Daily for allowing me to guest post on frugal and green laundry tips. Go over and check out my post here!

A $5 Frugal Miracle

I have been thinking about something my husband and I bought almost two years ago for $5.00. It was just a cheap alarm clock.  We wanted to take it over seas with us when we went to China. Nothing fancy - just something easy to take along when traveling (we could have gotten an alarm clock in China for even cheaper... but we had no idea what was waiting on the other side of the world at this point).

Well, talk about a good investment!  We put two batteries in it two years ago and they have never died.  We have stuffed it in our traveling back packs to 4 different countries and about 10 cities. It has be smashed under pounds of luggage on trains, buses, planes, taxis, and tuk tuks (little carts powered by bicyclers). 

Oh - and there's more.  We dropped that clock on the hard floor SOOOO many times - I've lost count.  It would literally fall to pieces.  I put the batteries back in, clicked the battery door back into place, and snapped the plastic plate back over the digital numbers.  

And guess what?  It still worked. Every time.

We still use it to this day and don't plan on getting a new one any time soon. 

Do you have something you paid next to nothing for that just. keeps. going?

What to do with Stale Bread

If you have some stale bread sitting around, don't throw it out yet! OR, buy bread on the day old shelf at the store - it's usually nicely discounted. Try a couple of these things:

Make croutons. First, cut the bread into cubes. Spray with vegetable oil and then sprinkle with Italian or other seasonings. Be sure and package them in an airtight container.


-OR-

Sprinkle the bread with water or milk and wrap it in aluminum foil. Bake it at 350 degrees for about 7-9 minutes to soften it up. French or Italian bread should be baked for 3-5 minutes more, with the foil open for the last few minutes.


Enjoy!