We’ve all heard it from elementary school: reuse, reduce, recycle. Since I was a kid, I’ve held reusing close to my heart. In elementary school, I would take old stuff or just trash and use it to make mini Barbie rooms and houses. As I look around my room now, it seems I’ve taken that principle and applied it here as well. There is an item that has been reused in almost every corner. I thought it would be fun for my article this week to lay them out for you to give some ideas for inspiration and also to normalize it (especially given we have climate change under control).
Reusing items for storage is very helpful, especially if the alternative is a plastic box that will wear out quickly or you are storing things that you do not access that often. An example would be a mac and cheese box. It’s a basic 4-pack mac and cheese box from Annie’s and now it has transformed into basically a storage container for some headbands, pain spray, and other small items I use while studying or at bedtime. On the other hand, I also have an empty pack of Almond Crush Pocky, which I use to store pens and markers that I don’t use all of the time, just so they are out of sight. At home, I used an old small snack box to make a temporary holding area for some medicines and stuff. Also, old containers are great for storing food items. My family reuses glass jars and coffee containers to store other things like oils and spices.
This one might be a bit more controversial but reusing items, especially glass, is a great way to hold small belongings or have as decor. There are these super delicious Indian Rose Ice Cream containers that come in fake clay pots, and these pots are very versatile. For example, I planted a succulent in one of them (sadly, it died due to my neglect while I traveled). I also collect mini-brand perfumes, so I have one with those just arranged nicely inside. I also reused these empty ~fancy~ glass yogurt containers to store stuff, one of them now containing colorful rocks I got from the Smithsonian years ago. Additionally, (super random) but I also collect glass containers because they just look really nice and also can be used to water plants.
I hope you will reconsider throwing away your next cardboard box or glass jar. Think of a purpose for it before it heads to recycling. We can save money while also trying to ~limit~ our already disastrous impact on our Earth.