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A little bit of anything and everything that's part of
creating, enjoying, and living a simpler life!
creating, enjoying, and living a simpler life!
 We have had an old wood banquet table for about 10 years. We use it outside every summer for all our parties and entertaining and believe me it has been through just about everything. We acquired it well-used (from someones garbage I believe) and just cleaned it up and use it year after year. At one point we even purchased laminate to cover the top with and that helped it to last a few more years. Unfortunately this year when we took it out we realized it was getting pretty ratty looking. The laminate had come loose from the wood and bubbled in a lot of places and the metal edges were actually pretty sharp. My nephew even ripped his favorite dragon ball z shirt on the corner at our annual Father's day barbeque and we felt really bad about that (We sewed the hole in the shirt and bought him a new one too!). We kind of knew the table would have to go eventually so we were prepared to one day have to throw it out. But I really didn't want to, and neither did my husband. A new banquet table would cost us around $90 and yes, that would be much easier, but in my opinion, and his, not the best option. We really try hard not to throw out a lot of garbage and we are both avid do-it-ourselfers (Is that even a word?). If we can find a better use for something or redo it then we keep it and do exactly that. So, naturally we decided to keep that old 8' banquet table and redo it. We kept the good parts and replaced the moldy, staple riddled, ruined laminate covered wooden top. And even better, we didn't even throw out that old top....we ripped off the bubbled laminate and repurposed it to be used on the saw horses as a work table! Now we use it for painting and other projects with no worries about ruining it. Bonus for us and less garbage for the dump! Total cost of redoing the table: $40 Total cost of not having to throw anything out: priceless! Watch the video below to see how we did it! And yes, it was a joint effort between my husband and myself! Pretty much everything we do is! See how easy it was? So next time, before you just throw something out, think about all the ways you can use it or redo it first and just maybe we can all work to save the world with one less piece of garbage at a time.... Check out more ideas on our Pinterest Repurposing and Recycling Boards! Thanks for visiting! Like what you see? Then please consider following us on social media for more interesting ideas that help in creating and living a simpler life for you and your loved ones! Sincerely,
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 What a quick and simple way to create a small raised bed garden anywhere! I have to be honest, this is not my idea. It is actually my daughters and I couldn't be more proud of her! She rents to live on Fire Island each summer so she has never been able to have her own garden. However, this year she came up with an ingenious idea: repurposing old dresser drawers into small raised garden beds! So simple! What did she do?
What makes this idea so awesome:
And of course the absolute best part of all this? My daughter will be eating organic home-grown vegetables and herbs all summer long :-) Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and/or Google Plus! Thanks for visiting :-) Sincerely,
 Don't just throw it out...repurpose it! Repurposing is way better than needlessly adding to landfills. Why not find another way to use something? Today's something for me is ethernet cable. You know, that wire that is used to transfer internet into your home and then between the router and various computers, printers, and such? What do you do with it when it's replaced with better stuff? Here's what I did...
Check out more repurposing ideas on our Pinterest Repurposing Board! Also check out our Repurposing Blog Post from 9/30/15! Thanks for visiting! Like what you see? Then please consider following us for more interesting ideas that help in creating and living a simpler life for you and your loved ones! Sincerely,
 They aren't just for your hands! These reusable warmers have a multitude of uses you may not have thought of! There is a FREE printable for iron on transfer paper at the bottom of the post:-) I recently purchased these really awesome 'hand' warmers on Amazon. What makes them awesome is that they can be reused over, and over again. Of course the minute I received them we had to activate one of them to see how hot it got. Guess what....it got HOT! Then of course we had to see how easy they were to 're-sest.' It was amazing... a hand-warmer that did not need to be thrown out after one use!
There are other offers available, however these are the most cost effective. Yes, they are more expensive, but you need to think about how many uses you will get out of them! The only downfall....they only stay warm for about an hour or so. Not a very long time compared to the disposable versions. However, depending upon what you will be using them for, they are perfect! A list of great uses:
All of these uses only require a short amount of heating time so these reusable warmers are perfect! Recharging them is so simple too! Just boil in a steamer basket (water over steamer basket though) for about 12 - 15 minutes. I found it easier to just boil for the full 15 minutes to make sure all the crystals are liquified. The first time I did it I didn't wait long enough and after they cooled I realized there were already crystals inside. You do not want this because they could crystallize at any time rather than when you need them.
Make them into a gift! I decided that these were so awesome I would turn them into a gift for the holidays. I already had these little canvas pouches I had purchased on clearance and the warmers fit in perfectly! All I needed was something to make the the canvas pouches a little more fun so I added an iron on transfer I made. I can't find the same pouches anywhere but you can either make your own or buy something similar. Oriental Trading sells a drawstring canvas pouch that might work: http://www.orientaltrading.com/drawstring-bags-with-bright-trim-a2-14_121-11-0.fltr?xsaleSku=48/4055  Available at Oriental Trading for $10.75 per dozen.
Click on the button below to download the pdf file. Note it is already backwards so there is no need to change it before printing!
Thanks for visiting :-) Sincerely,
 Stuff those grocery bags before you recycle them! They are not the only #4 plastic. There are many other #4's that can be recycled in the same store bin as the grocery bags! What should you be 'stuffing' in those plastic grocery bags before you recycle them in your local store bin? Here's a list of some of them: Make sure they are clean and dry before stuffing them in!
REMEMBER - CHECK THE BAGS TO SEE IF THEY CAN BE RECYCLED BEFORE YOU THROW THEM OUT! Find a location to recycle #4 plastics near you: Plastic Film Recycling NOTE: Best Buy and Rite Aid both have bins at the front of all their stores! Some places offer rewards for recycling: Check out Recycle Bank. SOURCES: http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/04/19/ed.mnn.recycle.plastic/ http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/recycling/stories/recyclebank-rewards-recyclers http://www.ziploc.com/en/sustainability-and-safety http://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org Thanks for visiting!
A zero waste home means throwing NOTHING away....is this even remotely possible? The answer is YES! By simply following these six simple steps, a zero waste household is closer to reality than you might think!  Six Simple Steps to a Zero Waste Household: This is the last in a series of SIX Recycling Posts.... 1. REFUSE Just say NO! This means that you SHOULD NOT accept anything onto your property or into your home that you know can not or will not be recycled, redistributed, repurposed, reused, etc. THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT CHOICE YOU CAN MAKE TOWARD HAVING A ZERO WASTE HOUSEHOLD! Here are some my personal favorite examples:
2. RECYCLE Know what you are able to recycle at your local facility or through your local waste pick-up and make sure you recycle it properly! Most communities recycle #1 and #2 plastics, aluminum cans, glass jars, newspapers and magazines. Don't forget about recycling the strange things your local community does not:
3. REDISTRIBUTE This means to sell or donate items that can still be useful to someone else! One mans junk is another mans treasure....I don't know who said that but it couldn't be more true! Items such as furniture, clothes, household items, cell phones, toys, and more can be easily sold or donated.
4. REPURPOSE If you can't do the first three, then maybe you can find a way to repurpose the product for something else. You may be surprised at all the creative ways that exist to repurpose the strangest items! Even some common every day items like tires! Click on the picture below for a slide show that shares some really awesome ideas!
5. REUSE Theres nothing better than buying or making products that can be reused over and over and over again. Stop bringing disposables into your home! They are a waste of money and they needlessly add to landfills. A few of the worst offenders (in my opinion):
6. REDUCE Not only does this mean reduce what you need and use overall, but it also means to reduce what garbage still remains in your home after steps 1-5 above. Here are a few that still remain....
? WHATS LEFT ? Hopefully nothing or a very small amount if you have done everything in the pyramid from the top down! Remember, be creative and find a way! Go to Google and see what other options there are for disposing of particular items before putting them in the garbage! Simply throwing stuff out, as easy as it is to do, should be the absolute last resort! Most importantly, remember to make it easy for yourself BY CHOOSING TO NOT LET IT ENTER YOUR HOME IN THE FIRST PLACE! FREE RECYCLING CHART: Click on the picture or the button below to download a FREE pdf file!  Visit our page Household Waste for additional information and check out our Pinterest Boards for more great ideas:
Thank you for visiting! Please like and follow us :-)
Want to be friendly to the Earth and contribute LESS to landfills? Then start buying products that can be used over and over again! And guess what....they can save money too!  Buying reusable products is a real bonus in our home. It minimizes what I need to buy each week at the grocery store while saving money at the same time. It minimizes the garbage that we are left with each week since we are not throwing disposable items out. That of course also minimizes how much recycling and repurposing we need to do each week as well. And of course the best part is knowing that we are doing our part for the Earth by not needlessly contributing to landfills that can take hundreds to millions of years to decompose. Even longer in sanitary landfills! And remember, even paper doesn't decompose in a sanitary landfill... REUSING IN THE KITCHEN
REUSABLE CLEANING
REUSABLE ON THE GO
REUSABLE MISCELLANEOUS
Other items that can be reused (affiliate links): Check out our past Recycling Posts: RECYCLING PART I - AT HOME BASICS - How to recycling glass, cans, paper etc. at home. RECYCLING PART II - ODDBALL ITEMS - Recycling strange things like wires, cd's, and more. RECYCLING PART III - SELLING & DONATING - Where to sell or donate instead of throwing out. RECYCLING PART IV - REPURPOSING - What else can it be used for? Only one RECYCLING POST LEFT! Stay tuned for: RECYCLING IV - ZERO WASTE HOME. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board "REUSABLE IDEAS" for more! Thank you for visiting. Please like and follow us!
Before you throw it out or recycle, can it be used for something else?  Repurpose - to give a new purpose or use to (as per Merriam-Webster). Why not use your garbage for something else rather than needlessly adding it to a landfill? There are so many ways to repurpose items I couldn't possibly include them all. However, I think I put together a pretty nice assortment of possibilities! Slide Show of Repurposing Possibilities Links to all items in the slide show can be found below. I apologize if you have any problems with the links due to circumstances beyond my control. Links can also be found on my Pinterest Board Repurposing. Repurposing from the Kitchen
Repurposing Out of the Closet
Repurposing Old or Damaged Furniture
Repurposing Old Toys
Repurposing Other Household Items
Repurposing Outdoor Items
Check out our Pinterest Repurposing Board for many more great ideas! Remember, think about what else you might be able to use it for before throwing it away! THIS IS POST NUMBER FOUR (IV) IN A SIX (VI) PART RECYCLING SERIES. COMING SOON: RECYCLING PART V: TRY REUSABLES INSTEAD! CHECK OUT THE PAST RECYCLING POSTS HERE:
Check our our Minimizing Household Waste page on our Website! Please like and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram!
 Don't just throw it out...sell it or donate it if you can! Have you thrown any of the following items in the garbage?
We discussed the basics in Recycling Part I - At Home Basics and in Recycling Part II - Oddball Items we talked about where to recycle household hazardous waste, plastics #4 and #5, e-waste, and other oddball items that did not fit into the basics category. We mentioned that if the item was in good working order to wait for todays post: Selling and Donating Items, because if it's good, why not sell it or donate it to someone who needs or wants it? Selling and Donating Items "One mans junk is another mans treasure." I don't know who originally said that, but it couldn't be more true! If your garbage can be useful to someone else, then please don't just throw it out! Either sell it for some extra money or donate it! It would be a shame to let good stuff take up space in a landfill...
Donating Your Stuff Theres a fine line between donating and recycling...sometimes they call it recycling when it is actually a donation. Bottom line: as long as it stays out of a landfill, who cares what it's called? Donating Basic Items: It' pretty common knowledge that you can donate toys, clothes, and many usable household items to several different charities such as: Most or all of them will even come and pick up directly from your home on a scheduled date. How convenient! Just click on one of the links for more information. Be sure to check the list of items they are willing and NOT willing to take. But what about some of the other stuff? Like old sneakers that aren't even worth donating! How about stuffed animals or old video game systems? Do you want to help children in bad situations? Well, take a look at the list below to see what sort of 'other stuff' can be donated. I think you might find some of them very surprising!
 What's left? For other items, especially large ones, that you think might be worth something to someone else (swing sets, trampolines, sheds, etc.) and even other things you just don't want to be bothered selling or mailing out, make an account and post them on FreeCycle. On this site you can find a group of people in your local area that recycle items by posting them and sharing them for FREE! The first person to respond get first dibs on scheduling a pick-up time and date. You just leave the item out on the agreed upon date and they come and get it! It's better than needlessly adding to a landfill. You can also find items you might want on there rather than buying brand new! Coming Soon - Recycling Part IV - Repurposing Your Garbage! Please remember to like and follow us on Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest!
When in doubt, don't just throw it out!  Have you ever thrown out any of the items in the picture above? Well, all of those items are either recyclable or residential hazardous waste. Yes, hazardous waste! Bottom line: none of them should be going in the regular garbage or into a landfill. Especially the hazardous waste which can leach out of the landfill and into the groundwater. I certainly don't want any of them in my drinking water! In my last post Recycling Part I - At Home Basics we discussed the basics of recycling aluminum and tin cans, plastics #1 and #2, glass jars and bottles, paper, and corrugated cardboard. Today we will talk about the other garbage, the oddball stuff that also includes hazardous waste. Getting Rid of Garbage Step by Step:
 Hazardous Waste Products Household hazardous waste (HHW) is any household product that contains corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients. These are items that should NEVER be put in the regular garbage. Town waste facilities provide a means for disposing of most hazardous waste, so you should be able to take all of these there. However there are few things that may be more difficult to recycle and for those I provide some alternatives.
*As stated earlier, local waste facilities usually manage the collection of the hazardous products mentioned above (as well as others). My facility requires proof of residency and that the products are placed in sealed plastic bags. All products must also be in the original labeled container. Whatever is necessary to properly dispose of the hazardous waste is worth it. These items should NEVER be in a landfill that could leach into the groundwater (and ALL landfills will eventually leach).  This is the label on my bin. Miscellaneous Recyclables These are items that usually must be recycled in a special way. I simply keep a bin - see the label I use above - in my house and just put these items into it as I go. When I know I am going to be at or near one of the locations I take the items with me to drop off! Simple! Best Buy Recycling Kiosks: The kiosks are right in the front of the store. I love this because it's a one-stop-drop! Simple!
NOTE: If it the item is in working order, wait for Recycling Part III - Selling & Donating!  E-Waste Recycling through Best Buy Recycling: Just click on the link, choose your state, and then choose the item you want to recycle. Most items are free to recycle, but there are some exceptions so it is best to check before you go. It's that easy! Here is a partial list of items they will take (they literally take hundreds of items):
They DO NOT take large or small kitchen appliances. Don't Want to Bring Your E-Waste to Best Buy? Then check out the EPA's Donation/Recycle E-Waste to find other locations near you! NOTE: If any products are in working order, wait for Recycling Part III - Selling or Donating!
Are You Part of An Organization? Terracycle collects large amounts of a particular type of waste and gives proceeds to a cause of your choice – example: all Garnier Fructis Beauty Products or squeezable Juice containers. You just arrange to collect it, then mail it to them. Just go the site, select your waste, collect, and send. Simple! Sources: http://www2.epa.gov/recycle http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8817.html http://www.earth911.com http://www.wm.com/enterprise/municipalities/residential-solutions/household-hazardous-waste.jsp Coming Soon: Recycling Part III - Selling and Donating! Please like us on Facebook and sign up for our mailing list!
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Hi there! I'm Kathie, the author behind Creating A Simpler Life blog. I'm excited to share our longterm projects (and planning) toward building our future retirement homestead in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. In the meantime I will be sharing all the other little things we do that are part of creating our simpler life!
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