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Smart Money Moves: Recycle Everyday Items to Boost Your Savings in 2025
As 2024 draws to a close, it’s essential to reassess your finances and discover new strategies for saving money in 2025. A practical approach is to start reusing or recycling everyday items from around your home. This not only helps you avoid spending on new purchases but also allows you to lower your monthly expenses.
Whether you’re committed to cutting costs or simply wish to challenge yourself, here are some top items to consider reusing or recycling in the New Year.
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Transform Your Bread Heels
Do you love eating bread but aren’t sure what to do with the heels? Consider turning them into croutons for your salads or soups. You only need a food dehydrator, which can also be useful for making jerky and drying fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Simply cube the leftover bread and dehydrate the pieces.
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Repurpose Glass Bottles
If you’re feeling creative, try transforming old glass bottles into art. Fill them with fairy lights to enhance your home’s atmosphere, or clean them thoroughly to use as containers for liquid soap.
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Utilize Egg Cartons
If you enjoy gardening and have egg cartons from your refrigerator, use them to plant small seeds for an indoor garden. Later on, you can transplant the sprouts outside. Don’t garden? Egg cartons can be repurposed for soundproofing your rooms.
Switch to Specialty Grocery Bags
Some grocery stores charge for plastic bags, making the switch to reusable bags a smart choice for frugal living. Diana Howard, a financial analyst at CouponBirds, notes, “Reusing grocery totes also saves money over time. The Natural Resources Defense Council states that American households use about 1,500 plastic shopping bags annually. At 5 cents each, that’s $75 a year.” While the savings may seem small, they accumulate over time.
Create Cleaning Rags from Old Towels
Don’t toss out worn hand or bath towels. Cut them into rags for cleaning, which can reduce your reliance on paper towels or expensive cleaning cloths.
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Reuse Tea Bags and Coffee Grounds
Before discarding used tea bags or coffee grounds, try to reuse them. Add extra coffee grounds for a stronger flavor, reminiscent of your first cup. Once you’re finished with them, consider composting for your garden.
Save Paper Towel Tubes
Rather than discarding empty paper towel tubes, find ways to reuse them. They can be fun arts and crafts materials or handy organizers for cables and cords.
Repurpose Old Blankets
If you have old blankets, consider cutting them into smaller pieces to create a quilt or make a comfortable pet bed.
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Make Use of Fruit Peels
Instead of discarding fruit peels, toss them in a pot of water and simmer on low heat. This will make your home smell wonderful over the course of a few hours.
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Smart Ways to Reuse Household Items for Savings
Tired of spending money on unnecessary items? You can save money and be environmentally friendly by reusing common household products instead of tossing them out. Here are some great ideas for reusing things you might have at home.
Breathe Easy with Infused Water
If you want to enhance your water’s flavor without buying expensive diffusers or candles, consider making infused water. Just place some fruit or vegetable peels in a glass container and refrigerate them for 12 to 24 hours. It’s a refreshing and healthy way to stay hydrated.
Mason Jars for Storage and Decor
Mason jars are versatile for canning, storing dry ingredients, or preserving your signature sauces. You can reuse them multiple times. If you’re feeling creative, try using them as decorative pieces by filling them with lights or festive decorations for your home.
Give Old Clothes a New Life
Instead of tossing old clothes or shoes, consider ways to repurpose or repair them. If they’re beyond repair, you can still find creative uses. “For example, cut old T-shirts into rags for painting or to make reusable cleaning cloths,” suggests Howard.
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Toothbrushes: A Second Chance
When toothbrushes wear out, don’t rush to throw them away. They can be quite handy for minor cleaning tasks, such as scrubbing grout and hard-to-reach areas in your home.
Transform Plastic Water Bottles
Have you ever purchased a glass or hard plastic water bottle, like Voss? Instead of discarding it, clean it thoroughly and reuse it. Alternatively, invest in a sturdy reusable bottle or thermos for everyday hydration.
Cloth Diapers Save Money
If you have a baby, switching to cloth diapers can significantly reduce waste and save on diaper costs. Just remember to wash them properly before each use.
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Extend the Life of Your Sponges
Instead of discarding sponges after a few uses, you can clean them by placing them in the dishwasher or boiling them in water. This simple step can help you save money over time.
Repurpose Old Electronics
Old electronics offer a wealth of possibilities for recycling, repurposing, or selling. “Phones and laptops are packed with reusable materials,” shares Stacy Savage, founder of Zero Waste Strategies LLC. “In Texas, certain laws require manufacturers to ‘take back’ their products for free, benefiting eco-conscious consumers.”
Dishwater: A Resource for Your Plants
If you wash dishes by hand, consider using leftover dishwater to water your plants. Just ensure it’s free from harmful substances that could damage them.
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Invest in Reusable Coffee Filters
If you’re a coffee or tea lover, using a reusable filter can save money over time while still allowing you to enjoy your favorite beverages at home.
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Reusable Storage Containers
If you’ve ever lent a dish to someone, you know how easy it is to lose your containers. To avoid this, invest in cheap, reusable containers for your meals. This way, you won’t have to keep buying new ones while waiting to see if your borrowed containers make it back to you.
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Smart Ways to Save: 30 Everyday Items You Can Reuse or Recycle
Turn Old Milk Cartons into Garden Watering Containers
Don’t throw away your old milk cartons. Clean them out and convert them into water containers for your garden.
Composting Food Waste for a Healthier Garden
Certain food waste, like egg shells, act as great composting agents.
“I compost all our food scraps and yard waste, even paper towels and napkins,” Savage said. “It cuts way down on our actual garbage levels. Then, I take that nutrient-rich ‘black gold’ soil and use it to feed my garden, houseplants, whatever. This is a super green solution that saves money on trash fees and store-bought fertilizer.”
Get More Life from Your Dryer Sheets
Another great household item to reuse is fabric softener sheets. You might be able to use them in a second load of laundry. Alternatively, place them at the bottom of your trashcan to reduce odors.
Get Creative with Old Newspapers
If you subscribe to the newspaper, don’t toss it out after reading. Use it for arts and crafts projects like papier mâché or wrap and protect fragile items during a move. It can also serve as a liner for your pet’s kennel to minimize messes.
Revitalize Your Old Furniture
Got furniture you don’t want anymore? Consider fixing it up instead.
“Upcycling furniture, such as repainting or reupholstering, can save money and add a personalized or modern touch to your home,” said Scott Lieberman, founder of Touchdown Money. Buying used furniture is a smart alternative as well; it can be more durable than new, mass-produced pieces.
Reuse Old Holiday Cards for Crafts
Another way to save money is to reuse old holiday cards you’ve received. Get creative by cutting out parts of the more generic ones and transforming them into a holiday-themed craft project.
Recycling Old Paperwork: A Smart Move
Recycling old paperwork helps save money and reduce environmental waste.
“I’m big on repurposing whatever I can, too. Old paperwork gets used as scratch paper or rough drafts instead of going straight to the recycling bin,” Savage explained.
However, remember to shred any confidential legal documents.
Bubble Wrap: More Useful Than You Think
You can repurpose old bubble wrap in several ways. In winter, tape it to windows or doors to keep your home warm and cut down on your electricity bill. It’s also handy for sending packages or wrapping fragile items.
Put Bacon Grease to Work
If you often cook with bacon, store the excess grease. It can be a flavorful substitute for oil or butter in future dishes like grilled cheese sandwiches or stir fries.
Homemade Chicken Stock from Chicken Bones
When buying chicken with bones, don’t discard the bones. Use them to make homemade chicken stock; it can significantly cut down on grocery expenses, especially if you frequently cook soups.
Repurpose Plastic Bags to Reduce Waste
“Here’s another big one — reusing plastic grocery bags as small waste bin liners or for cleaning out the kitty litter,” Savage advised. “It helps me avoid buying zip-top bags. I find ways to transform what I already have into what I need, reducing waste and saving a lot of cash.”
Laura Bogart contributed to the reporting for this article.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 30 Items To Reuse or Recycle More Often To Save Money in 2025
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
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