Everyday things: Are you buying quality or quantity?

I recently stumbled across the April 2005 article “101 New Uses for Everyday Things” on the Real Simple Magazine website. The article is a bit folksy, but I like its underlying premise: Items you already own can serve multiple purposes and save you from having to buy even more stuff.

If you own olive oil, do you also need to own wood polish?

Knowing about the potential of what you already own can keep you from having to acquire even more things. What are some everyday things in your home that can serve double-duty? Let us hear your suggstions in the comments.

Posted by Erin on Jul 12, 2007 | Comments

10 comments posted

  1. Posted by Jacki Hollywood Brown - 07/12/2007

    The little silica packages that come in shoe boxes (that say: Do Not Eat) are great for absorbing moisture. You can add these packets to:
    clothes, shoes, suitcases, purses in storage
    toolboxes, cans of nails and screws (so they don’t get rusty).
    Pieces of chalk (like chalkboard chalk) work well too and it is inexpensive.

  2. Posted by Pierre Louren - 07/12/2007

    We use vinegar and water on our windows. We don’t bother buying a ton of disinfectants for our counters, either. Just keep a sponge around and wet it. You can disinfect every once in a while.

    Also, I don’t own a TV because I wouldn’t watch it. If I want to watch a movie, that is what my laptop is for.

  3. Posted by Melissa - 07/12/2007

    Baking soda- I use it to scrub all the sinks and tub and the toilet. I don’t buy Comet or Ajax or Bon Ami anymore.

  4. Posted by Debi - 07/12/2007

    Like Melissa, I also use baking soda. It’s cheap, nontoxic, and works well without scratching the surface.

  5. Posted by Anne (in Reno) - 07/12/2007

    Um, you don’t need to own wood polish but I wouldn’t use olive oil instead, it can go rancid.

  6. Posted by Andamom - 07/12/2007

    Interestingly, Real Simple does this monthly in their magazine — Some of it is obvious stuff — but a neat one they had was using a fork to fluff up the carpet when furniture is moved. I’m going to write up a list of useful stuff too on my blog in the near future — because if I can declutter by using one product or object for multiple purposes — fabulous!

  7. Posted by Anamika - 07/12/2007

    Baking Soda and Vinegar are two must have ingredients for most of the cleaning around the house. These are non-toxic and very GREEN.

  8. Posted by Gretchen Rubin - 07/12/2007

    The humble Zip Lock bag is the most useful thing in the house — the huge ones are better than plastic boxes, for things that aren’t very heavy, because they take up less space and let you squish stuff into odd corners.

  9. Posted by quench - 07/14/2007

    Um, my olive oil is more expensive than wood polish!

  10. Posted by Char - 07/27/2007

    Ditto!

Subscribe to this entry's comments

Comments are closed for this entry.