I just saw an article in our local paper about reusing common household
items. Most of the suggestions were a little silly, but I thought it was a
good attempt at encouraging people to give thought to what their "trash"
might be good for. My tip for the day is for cyclists to use their old,
flatted tubes. Instead of throwing mine away, I keep them in a bin in the
closet and use them for multiple tasks. We used two to tie the Christmas
tree to the top of our factory roof rack in December, and I used them a cut
up one as a rubber cushioned door stop in the laundry room. Any other cool
tips?


CHRIS

Chris wrote

I just saw an article in our local paper about reusing common
household items. Most of the suggestions were a little silly, but I
thought it was a good attempt at encouraging people to give thought
to what their "trash" might be good for. My tip for the day is for
cyclists to use their old, flatted tubes. Instead of throwing mine
away, I keep them in a bin in the closet and use them for multiple
tasks. We used two to tie the Christmas tree to the top of our
factory roof rack in December, and I used them a cut up one as a
rubber cushioned door stop in the laundry room. Any other cool tips?

Dont reuse toilet paper.

"Chris" wrote in message
nk.net...
I just saw an article in our local paper about reusing common household
items. Most of the suggestions were a little silly, but I thought it was a
good attempt at encouraging people to give thought to what their "trash"
might be good for. My tip for the day is for cyclists to use their old,
flatted tubes. Instead of throwing mine away, I keep them in a bin in the
closet and use them for multiple tasks. We used two to tie the Christmas
tree to the top of our factory roof rack in December, and I used them a cut
up one as a rubber cushioned door stop in the laundry room. Any other cool
tips?

Glass babyfood jars are perfect for keeping various sizes of hardware
such as screws, nuts, etc. They can be easily sorted and rearranged
for quick browsing when you need something. I've got hardware that
has been sitting around in jars for over 50 years, that I still am using.

When I get rid of old shoes and sneakers, I will save and reuse the
shoelaces, if they haven't already been broken and repaired and
are knot-free.

Don

I think that's a great idea. Looking forward to reading what people
have to say. My little tip, and its kind of silly, is to offer up dust
bunnies to the birds. I have a Dirt Dog, a robotic vacuum that runs
around my garage and picks up everything in its way, think heavy duty
Roomba! When I clean it out, I pick out the dust bunnies and put them
on an old tree stump in our yard. The wind usually blows them away, but
I know birds can use them to make their nests. I'm on John Audobon, but
I like knowing my dirt and dust fuzz is helping them. I've been doing
this for a year now and last spring, my son and I found an old nest with
some fuzz in it. We thought that was pretty cool! JuniorMint

Glass babyfood jars are perfect for keeping various sizes of hardware
such as screws, nuts, etc. They can be easily sorted and rearranged
for quick browsing when you need something. I've got hardware that
has been sitting around in jars for over 50 years, that I still am using.


Do they still sell baby food in glass jars? I haven't looked at baby food
lately, but the commerials all seem to be advertising peel off seal type
containers like yogurt.

My dad, years ago in the '70s had a work shop in his basement. He had a rack
that was specially made to hold baby food jars. The lids had to be on the
jars, and they slid into compartments that were just the right size. It made
it easy to sort and store different size bolts, nuts, screws etc. If I
remember correctly, it held probably 16-20 jars and was made out of red
sheet metal.

I have no idea if someone made it for him, or if it was an item available at
hard ware stores back then.

Melissa

"Melissa" wrote in message ...

Glass babyfood jars are perfect for keeping various sizes of hardware
such as screws, nuts, etc. They can be easily sorted and rearranged
for quick browsing when you need something. I've got hardware that
has been sitting around in jars for over 50 years, that I still am using.


Do they still sell baby food in glass jars? I haven't looked at baby food
lately, but the commerials all seem to be advertising peel off seal type
containers like yogurt.

I don't know, we haven't been looking to buy any for 20 years or so. :-)

My dad, years ago in the '70s had a work shop in his basement. He had a rack
that was specially made to hold baby food jars. The lids had to be on the
jars, and they slid into compartments that were just the right size. It made
it easy to sort and store different size bolts, nuts, screws etc. If I
remember correctly, it held probably 16-20 jars and was made out of red
sheet metal.

I have no idea if someone made it for him, or if it was an item available at
hard ware stores back then.

I use sheet metal shelving with 8 upside-down shelves, so the jars can't
fall off, as I slide them around. IIRC, it was intended to hold home
canning jars.

Don

Do they still sell baby food in glass jars? I haven't looked at baby
food
lately, but the commerials all seem to be advertising peel off seal type
containers like yogurt.

I don't know, we haven't been looking to buy any for 20 years or so. :-)

www.mcmaster.com

Search for "11735A7"

Personally, I use the items shown when you search for "storage bins" but I
have a high turnover rate with my small parts so dust is not really a
factor... If you need something sealed, jars are better.

Roam the site for millions of useful items - and no, I'm not working for
them...

Joe in Northern, NJ - V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg

On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:58:39 -0500, "Melissa"
wrote:


Glass babyfood jars are perfect for keeping various sizes of hardware
such as screws, nuts, etc. They can be easily sorted and rearranged
for quick browsing when you need something. I've got hardware that
has been sitting around in jars for over 50 years, that I still am using.


Do they still sell baby food in glass jars? I haven't looked at baby food
lately, but the commerials all seem to be advertising peel off seal type
containers like yogurt.

My dad, years ago in the '70s had a work shop in his basement. He had a rack
that was specially made to hold baby food jars. The lids had to be on the
jars, and they slid into compartments that were just the right size. It made
it easy to sort and store different size bolts, nuts, screws etc. If I
remember correctly, it held probably 16-20 jars and was made out of red
sheet metal.

One approach that I have seen is to take the lids from several babyfood
jars and attach them to the underside of an existing shelf (say, over a
workbench). A couple of small screws through the lid and into the
shelf will do. Then the jars (labels removed) can be filled with
miscellaneous hardware and twisted into the suspended lids. You can
easily see what's in the jars and unscrew the jar to access the
contents.

Dennis (evil)

wrote in message
oups.com...
On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:58:39 -0500, "Melissa"
wrote:


Glass babyfood jars are perfect for keeping various sizes of hardware
such as screws, nuts, etc. They can be easily sorted and rearranged
for quick browsing when you need something. I've got hardware that
has been sitting around in jars for over 50 years, that I still am
using.


Do they still sell baby food in glass jars? I haven't looked at baby food
lately, but the commerials all seem to be advertising peel off seal type
containers like yogurt.

My dad, years ago in the '70s had a work shop in his basement. He had a
rack
that was specially made to hold baby food jars. The lids had to be on the
jars, and they slid into compartments that were just the right size. It
made
it easy to sort and store different size bolts, nuts, screws etc. If I
remember correctly, it held probably 16-20 jars and was made out of red
sheet metal.

One approach that I have seen is to take the lids from several babyfood
jars and attach them to the underside of an existing shelf (say, over a
workbench). A couple of small screws through the lid and into the
shelf will do. Then the jars (labels removed) can be filled with
miscellaneous hardware and twisted into the suspended lids. You can
easily see what's in the jars and unscrew the jar to access the
contents.

This same concept comes up on here and/or alt.home.repair, a couple of times
a year. Some people swear by the idea, but I'll never do it, because glass
breaks. Cheap glass, like in a baby food jar, tends to send little slivers
all over the place, and since shops are never lit well enough, you never
find them all till later, when you are reaching for a dropped screw, and get
a glass shard under the fingernail instead. BTDT, don't care to do it again.
Now, those small clear plastic jars (PET?) are another matter, and I am
saving those for the long-distant day I get around to sorting my catchall
screw bucket. I'll probably do a spice-rack sort of thing to hold them, if I
manage to collect several dozen matching ones.

Along the same thought train- last box of wirenuts I bought was a screwtop
plastic jar, like used for edible nuts. What a great idea- those cardboard
boxes always got limp after about the 3rd job site, and spilled in the bin
in the truck (or worse, down the heater vents, since they seem to end up
parked on the dash a lot.) I saw wire staples and other misc. connectors in
similar containers.

I suppose they do that to cut down the rust on the long slow boat ride from
China..... :^(

aem sends...

I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

The other thing about recycling is that when you finally can actually
use something, you've forgotten where you stored it.

JuniorMint wrote:

I think that's a great idea. Looking forward to reading what people
have to say. My little tip, and its kind of silly, is to offer up dust
bunnies to the birds. I have a Dirt Dog, a robotic vacuum that runs
around my garage and picks up everything in its way, think heavy duty
Roomba! When I clean it out, I pick out the dust bunnies and put them
on an old tree stump in our yard. The wind usually blows them away, but
I know birds can use them to make their nests. I'm on John Audobon, but
I like knowing my dirt and dust fuzz is helping them. I've been doing
this for a year now and last spring, my son and I found an old nest with
some fuzz in it. We thought that was pretty cool! JuniorMint

I do that with dog hair. An ice storm a month ago broke the top half
off a tree in the front yard; the tree had a small birds' nest made
almost entirely of dog hair.

I try to reduce the consumption of vacuum bags by collecting dog hair
and tossing it outside every few days. The hair tends to collect at
the edges of walls and it's easy to gather.

Centers in the region recycle paperboard, corrugated cardboard, steel
cans, glass, and #1 and #2 plastic. There are tons of areas with
dumpsters for most kinds of paper, and they claim the recycling raises
funds for the schools or whatever is the entity. I sell the aluminum.
If something can be literally recycled, I do so, rarely making some
home use from the material, though I did make a funnel from a 2-liter
bottle.

The recycling center gives exceptions for the #1 and #2 plastic,
including motor oil, which is understandable as it might contain
contaminants. They also say not to include the containers from
microwaveable frozen dinners; anyone know what's wrong with those other
than food particles?

One item I always reuse is dog food bags. Because they're sturdy and
immune to water and to sharp objects, they're great for trash that's
sharp or wet. They're good for picking up outdoor litter. Most
plastic retail/grocery bags have several "afterlives", for example they
might be a lunch bag for a week before being turned in at the entrance
to stores that recycle them. I use brown paper bags for months to
collect other recyclable items, and the brown paper bags eventually end
up as trash bags for light/dry items.

Chris wrote:
I just saw an article in our local paper about reusing common household
items. Most of the suggestions were a little silly, but I thought it was a
good attempt at encouraging people to give thought to what their "trash"
might be good for. My tip for the day is for cyclists to use their old,
flatted tubes. Instead of throwing mine away, I keep them in a bin in the
closet and use them for multiple tasks. We used two to tie the Christmas
tree to the top of our factory roof rack in December, and I used them a cut
up one as a rubber cushioned door stop in the laundry room. Any other cool
tips?


CHRIS

Wev'e purchased a few platic tupperware-type containers for large food
items. But so much food comes in re-useable plastic containers that we
don't have to buy any small containers. We just wash and re-use the
ones that are original packaging. When they finally get messed up,
they go in the recycle bin.

I buy those big muffins at Sam's for morning break at work, and they
fit snugly into margarine tubs. More than once, someone at work has
asked me how long it took to find a tub/muffin matched set!

Plastic milk jugs become bird-seed scoops, temporary planters, paint
mixers, watering cans,.....

I have several boxes in my garage for metal recycling--aluminum,
aluminum cans, copper, lead (I pick up those lead tire weights that are
in the parking lots.) ferous metals. When it's worth it, I take the
load to a metal recycle center.

I have a 4-gallon bucket that I run the water into while I am waiting
for it to get hot. I dump this onto plants rather than run it down the
drain.

Locally, computer parts can be taken to any number of places for
college students to use, give to agencies, or recycle.

I've got lots of copper wire, but I'm looking for an efficient way to
strip the insulation.

On 31 Dec 2006 17:16:31 -0800, "James" wrote:

I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

Your points are all well taken, but instead of throwing the stuff in
the weekly garbage, offer it up on your local list on Freecycle.org,
and you'd be amazed at who'll take the stuff and make good use of it,
warming the cockles of your heart and keeping crap out of the
landfill. I'm a hard-core Freecycler now (I've freecycled sand and
camping fuel!).

On 1 Jan 2007 07:54:07 -0800, "Terry Lomax"
wrote:

One item I always reuse is dog food bags. Because they're sturdy and
immune to water and to sharp objects, they're great for trash that's
sharp or wet. They're good for picking up outdoor litter.

I use my cat food and dog food bags for collecting used clumps of cat
litter (I have two litter boxes to maintain); they're great at not
leaking urine and at containing the odor.

KLS wrote:
On 31 Dec 2006 17:16:31 -0800, "James" wrote:

I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk
that I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved
never got matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage
and just buy something if the need arises.

Your points are all well taken, but instead of throwing the stuff in
the weekly garbage, offer it up on your local list on Freecycle.org,

That isnt offering it up, its offering it down.

and you'd be amazed at who'll take the stuff and
make good use of it, warming the cockles of your heart

My heart doesnt have any cockles.

and keeping crap out of the landfill.

Pity about the other crap.

I'm a hard-core Freecycler now
(I've freecycled sand and camping fuel!).

Pffft. That aint anything like hard core.

In article ,
KLS wrote:

Your points are all well taken, but instead of throwing the stuff in
the weekly garbage, offer it up on your local list on Freecycle.org,
and you'd be amazed at who'll take the stuff and make good use of it,
warming the cockles of your heart and keeping crap out of the
landfill. I'm a hard-core Freecycler now (I've freecycled sand and
camping fuel!).

Thats what I initially thought but my experiences with freecycle have
totally soured me on it. I asked people to phone, not email. Many
emailed anyway. Then they wanted to come when it was convenient for
them and the h--- with my schedule. And then they expected me to
deliver. and when they came, they wouldn't just take the box of stuff,
but they had to spread it over my garage to pick out what they wanted
and left the rest.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red, Shasta & Casey (RIP), Red & Zero, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

KLS ) writes:
On 31 Dec 2006 17:16:31 -0800, "James" wrote:

I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

Your points are all well taken, but instead of throwing the stuff in
the weekly garbage, offer it up on your local list on Freecycle.org,
and you'd be amazed at who'll take the stuff and make good use of it,
warming the cockles of your heart and keeping crap out of the
landfill. I'm a hard-core Freecycler now (I've freecycled sand and
camping fuel!).

It amazes me at how impotent so many people feel.

"freecycle" doesn't do a thing for you. There was never a time when
you couldn't give things to neighbors, family or friends, or to the
Salvation Army or similar groups, or to local churches or community groups.
All those groups would turn around and sell the stuff to raise funds for
their projects, and find homes for the stuff.

Or, you could place a classified ad in the paper, or in more recent times
post to your local buy and sell newsgroup. Or put it on your front
lawn with a sign that says "free, take it".

But no, instead, people always want to talk about "freecycle" as if
some bozo invented the notion of giving away stuff a few years back.
They can't conceive of doing it without "freecycle".

Michael

On Tue, 2 Jan 2007 01:09:09 +0000 (UTC), (Rich
Greenberg) wrote:

In article ,
KLS wrote:

Your points are all well taken, but instead of throwing the stuff in
the weekly garbage, offer it up on your local list on Freecycle.org,
and you'd be amazed at who'll take the stuff and make good use of it,
warming the cockles of your heart and keeping crap out of the
landfill. I'm a hard-core Freecycler now (I've freecycled sand and
camping fuel!).

Thats what I initially thought but my experiences with freecycle have
totally soured me on it. I asked people to phone, not email. Many
emailed anyway. Then they wanted to come when it was convenient for
them and the h--- with my schedule. And then they expected me to
deliver. and when they came, they wouldn't just take the box of stuff,
but they had to spread it over my garage to pick out what they wanted
and left the rest.

I'm really sorry you experienced this: our group moderators kick
people off the list for this kind of behavior. I've been fortunate in
being able to just email selected people my address and tell them to
pick up the treasure(s) off my front porch on the day we both agree
to, and so far, no real problems. I don't meet these people, I just
leave stuff out for them. Nobody has ever left anything they promised
to pick up. Maybe email your group's moderators and ask them to be
more strict in removing recalcitrants?

KLS wrote:
On 31 Dec 2006 17:16:31 -0800, "James" wrote:

I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

Your points are all well taken, but instead of throwing the stuff in
the weekly garbage, offer it up on your local list on Freecycle.org,
and you'd be amazed at who'll take the stuff and make good use of it,
warming the cockles of your heart and keeping crap out of the
landfill. I'm a hard-core Freecycler now (I've freecycled sand and
camping fuel!).

Freecycle is very useful. Note that some groups exist off the
Freecycle.org network, i.e. where I live the group left Freecycle.org
but continues on.

I wonder how much of the stuff that is Freecycled out, ends up on
Craigslist.org.

James wrote:
I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

I just put up some storage sheds because the spousal unit insists on
buying and storing vast quantities of stuff like decorations, party
favors, wrapping paper, picture frames, etc. The sheds cost far more
than the stuff is worth, but trying to explain that it's better to just
buy as needed doesn't work.

In article ,
SMS wrote:

I just put up some storage sheds because the spousal unit insists on
buying and storing vast quantities of stuff like decorations, party
favors, wrapping paper, picture frames, etc. The sheds cost far more
than the stuff is worth, but trying to explain that it's better to just
buy as needed doesn't work.

Give it up. Its not worth the arguements.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red, Shasta & Casey (RIP), Red & Zero, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

(Rich Greenberg) writes:

In article ,
SMS wrote:

I just put up some storage sheds because the spousal unit insists on
buying and storing vast quantities of stuff like decorations, party
favors, wrapping paper, picture frames, etc. The sheds cost far more
than the stuff is worth, but trying to explain that it's better to just
buy as needed doesn't work.

Give it up. Its not worth the arguements.

This reminds me of the old wise married folk wisdom:

Do you wanna be right or do you wanna be married?

Steven and Rich sound like they're firmly in command of this lesson
well. :-)


Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

James wrote:
I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

The other thing about recycling is that when you finally can actually
use something, you've forgotten where you stored it.

That sounds like me this weekend; my mom had given me a big jar of
buttons that sat on a pantry shelf for years. My son decided he didn't
want "white" buttons on his black polo shirt so I went to get the
jar...and it was GONE! And darn if I can't remember whether I gave
them away, sold them or merely misplaced them (my daughter did have the
jar in her room before she moved, too). So I broke down and spent
..70¢ for 3 black buttons. But while I was at the craft store I also
scored on 3 boxes of 100 count red/white/blue lights for $2.00
each...Happy Fourth of July to me!

In article , Todd H. wrote:
(Rich Greenberg) writes:

In article ,
SMS wrote:

I just put up some storage sheds because the spousal unit insists on
buying and storing vast quantities of stuff like decorations, party
favors, wrapping paper, picture frames, etc. The sheds cost far more
than the stuff is worth, but trying to explain that it's better to just
buy as needed doesn't work.

Give it up. Its not worth the arguements.

This reminds me of the old wise married folk wisdom:

Do you wanna be right or do you wanna be married?

Steven and Rich sound like they're firmly in command of this lesson
well. :-)

And I am not even married.

Actually, I have the opposite problem from Steven. My GF is an antique
dealer and has the garage full of her stock. I am going to put up a
shed so I can get my car in the garage.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red, Shasta & Casey (RIP), Red & Zero, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

"James" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

But there are reasonable trade-offs that can be made.

Unless you only own the shirt on your back, everyone has allotted
some amount of space to storage. The trick is to optimize the
benefit/cost ratio of that space.

If the space is not costing you anything extra, if there are no
other competing uses for that space, and if using the space for
storage does not adversely affect aesthethics, then there is no
reason not to keep something that you could likely use again.

The other thing about recycling is that when you finally can actually
use something, you've forgotten where you stored it.


I stash things into those economy storage boxes from Staples. They
cost about $5 for 6 boxes with lids (13x13x16inch).
I number each box and record whatever I throw into it in a spreadsheet
either specifically or by category. The boxes are stackable, and
readily fit into a closet or along a wall in the cellar.

Again, you don't have to go nuts, but I've boxed clothes that
didn't fit, and then re-used them again when they did fit.

If I find I'm keeping too much stuff for the space I've allotted,
I'll purge some of it.

Don

Don K wrote:
"James" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm at a point where I recycle storage space by throwing out junk that
I should have thrown out years ago. All the things I saved never got
matched to anything I needed. Easier to toss out garbage and just buy
something if the need arises.

But there are reasonable trade-offs that can be made.

Unless you only own the shirt on your back, everyone has allotted
some amount of space to storage. The trick is to optimize the
benefit/cost ratio of that space.

If the space is not costing you anything extra, if there are no
other competing uses for that space, and if using the space for
storage does not adversely affect aesthethics, then there is no
reason not to keep something that you could likely use again.

The other thing about recycling is that when you finally can actually
use something, you've forgotten where you stored it.


I stash things into those economy storage boxes from Staples. They
cost about $5 for 6 boxes with lids (13x13x16inch).
I number each box and record whatever I throw into it in a spreadsheet
either specifically or by category. The boxes are stackable, and
readily fit into a closet or along a wall in the cellar.

Again, you don't have to go nuts, but I've boxed clothes that
didn't fit, and then re-used them again when they did fit.

If I find I'm keeping too much stuff for the space I've allotted,
I'll purge some of it.

Don

Since this is also included on the frugal newsgroup; let's save money
and use those copy paper boxes with the lids. Anytime I see those near
our printers at work I snag them and they're just the right size for
storage. Not sure if places like Kinkos or Officemax (the printing
area) have those available for customers or not; I know my mom used to
snag the ones they had when she worked for a school district, too.

ITA about it being a judgement call. There's no point of storing huge
quantities of packing peanuts if you never ship anything but it would
make sense to store stuff you can reasonably expect to use (again...a
judgement call).

"Seerialmom" wrote in message
ups.com...

Don K wrote:

I stash things into those economy storage boxes from Staples. They
cost about $5 for 6 boxes with lids (13x13x16inch).

Since this is also included on the frugal newsgroup; let's save money
and use those copy paper boxes with the lids. Anytime I see those near
our printers at work I snag them and they're just the right size for
storage. Not sure if places like Kinkos or Officemax (the printing
area) have those available for customers or not; I know my mom used to
snag the ones they had when she worked for a school district, too.

That's great as long as you can get as many boxes as you need that
are identical.

A collection of mixed-sized boxes wouldn't stack neatly and would
just add to clutter, IMO. I've been able to get the same-size
boxes whenever I needed them, from Staples over the past 20 years .

Don

Don K wrote:
"Seerialmom" wrote in message
ups.com...

Don K wrote:

I stash things into those economy storage boxes from Staples. They
cost about $5 for 6 boxes with lids (13x13x16inch).

Since this is also included on the frugal newsgroup; let's save money
and use those copy paper boxes with the lids. Anytime I see those near
our printers at work I snag them and they're just the right size for
storage. Not sure if places like Kinkos or Officemax (the printing
area) have those available for customers or not; I know my mom used to
snag the ones they had when she worked for a school district, too.

That's great as long as you can get as many boxes as you need that
are identical.

A collection of mixed-sized boxes wouldn't stack neatly and would
just add to clutter, IMO. I've been able to get the same-size
boxes whenever I needed them, from Staples over the past 20 years .

Don

That was the point of getting the copy paper boxes; they are the same
size (depending on whether it's standard or legal that is). And they
have these snug fitting tops. I agree, I don't like a mish-mash of
boxes.

"Michael Black" wrote in message
...
Or, you could place a classified ad in the paper, or in more recent times
post to your local buy and sell newsgroup. Or put it on your front
lawn with a sign that says "free, take it".

But no, instead, people always want to talk about "freecycle" as if
some bozo invented the notion of giving away stuff a few years back.
They can't conceive of doing it without "freecycle".


I used to live on a through road. The stuff I put out there with a 'free'
sign that disappeared never ceased to amaze us. Broken toilets, used
mattresses, busted mowers. Some OK stuff as well. It all went to someone,
and we never knew to whom.

Now we live at the end of a road. Better for the kids, but we need to be
more creative in losing stuff now.
Tomes

Michael Black wrote:

But no, instead, people always want to talk about "freecycle" as if
some bozo invented the notion of giving away stuff a few years back.
They can't conceive of doing it without "freecycle".

Freecycle makes it much more convenient since you often have stuff that
you a) can't put out on the street because it's so small that no one
would see it, b) has a limited appeal but may appeal to someone in a
freecycle community of thousands, or c) that Goodwill or Salvation Army
won't take. The flip side of Freecycle is that you can ask for things
that someone may have laying around unused, but that they never thought
to offer up. Following your logic, you could go through the neighborhood
knocking on doors asking if anyone had what you want.

Rich Greenberg wrote:
In article ,
SMS wrote:

I just put up some storage sheds because the spousal unit insists on
buying and storing vast quantities of stuff like decorations, party
favors, wrapping paper, picture frames, etc. The sheds cost far more
than the stuff is worth, but trying to explain that it's better to just
buy as needed doesn't work.

Give it up. Its not worth the arguements.

Yes, that's why I bought the sheds. Not to mention the plastic bins
which had to be see-through. Not to mention building shelves inside the
sheds, so the bins were just not all stacked up inside.

I figure that those 25¢ bows now have a burdened cost of about $1, and
the wrapping paper went from about 10¢ per square foot to a burdened
cost of about 40¢ per square foot. That doesn't include any value for
the labor of constructing the sheds.

On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 08:38:41 -0800, SMS
wrote:

Michael Black wrote:

But no, instead, people always want to talk about "freecycle" as if
some bozo invented the notion of giving away stuff a few years back.
They can't conceive of doing it without "freecycle".

Freecycle makes it much more convenient since you often have stuff that
you a) can't put out on the street because it's so small that no one
would see it, b) has a limited appeal but may appeal to someone in a
freecycle community of thousands, or c) that Goodwill or Salvation Army
won't take. The flip side of Freecycle is that you can ask for things
that someone may have laying around unused, but that they never thought
to offer up. Following your logic, you could go through the neighborhood
knocking on doors asking if anyone had what you want.

Exactly. I usually try to check around with my friends and colleagues
to see if they can use what I don't want anymore, but Freecycle is
wonderful in that truly interested people are reading the list and
will speak up for what they want/need.

In article . com,
wrote:
[ ... ]
I've got lots of copper wire, but I'm looking for an efficient way to
strip the insulation.

What type of wire? Telephone or other small gauge? Coax? Romex? Individual
conductors similar to THHN? Long pieces, short pieces?

If it's fairly long (10' or more) of individual conductors, you can stretch
them out, secure one end, and slice off a long strip of insulation with a
shop/utility knife. Start at the secured end facing towards it, hold the
wire with one hand so it's moderatly taunt, start the knife into the
insulation with the blade nearly flat, edge away from the secured end and
walk backwards with the blade riding on the copper. Once you slice off the
strip, the rest of the insulation will peel right off.

For Romex, slice a strip off the edge with the above technique, then do the
same with the insulated conductors from it.

If it's small gauge stuff, telephone or network cable, about the only way
that won't take forever is burning it off. No idea on how to deal with coax
without a lot of work.


Gary

--
Gary Heston http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

Astronomers have developed a definition of "planet" which excludes Pluto.
I'm developing a definition of "scientist" which excludes astronomers.

Gary Heston wrote:

snipped stuff about wire stripping

Well, that's a good idea. For the few pieces of longer stuff.
The collection has a wide variety. Short, long, thin, heavy.

I'm thinking, once things settle down a bit, go in the back yard with a
knife, wire stripper, pliers, and a margarita. Just sort of relax,
kinda like whittling.

'Course, if I wait for that time, it'll never get done. ;}

Rich Greenberg wrote:

Thats what I initially thought but my experiences with freecycle have
totally soured me on it. I asked people to phone, not email. Many
emailed anyway. Then they wanted to come when it was convenient for
them and the h--- with my schedule. And then they expected me to
deliver. and when they came, they wouldn't just take the box of stuff,
but they had to spread it over my garage to pick out what they wanted
and left the rest.

--
Rich Greenberg

Absolutely here too. I offered a room-sized gas heater and air
conditioner, both in perfect working order. The couple who came to get
them didn't bring them didn't bring anything or anyone to help load.
They didn't show up until way after dark. I have a heart condition and
weigh 100 pounds, and ended up doing half of the lifting because the
husband had a "bad back" and the wife couldn't stop yakking long enough
to lift a finger. My second experience was just as bad. I"m not
saying all freecycle recipients are idiots who are just looking for
"something for nothing", but the ones I dealt with were. Geez. Doesn't
common sense tell them that the "giver" isn't expected to load for
them? I've gone back to "curbside freecycle".
Sherry

Dont reuse toilet paper.


But if it wasn't meant to be reused, why does it come with two sides?

TMT


Rod Speed wrote:
Chris wrote

I just saw an article in our local paper about reusing common
household items. Most of the suggestions were a little silly, but I
thought it was a good attempt at encouraging people to give thought
to what their "trash" might be good for. My tip for the day is for
cyclists to use their old, flatted tubes. Instead of throwing mine
away, I keep them in a bin in the closet and use them for multiple
tasks. We used two to tie the Christmas tree to the top of our
factory roof rack in December, and I used them a cut up one as a
rubber cushioned door stop in the laundry room. Any other cool tips?

Dont reuse toilet paper.

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

Dont reuse toilet paper.

But if it wasn't meant to be reused, why does it come with two sides?

Because it costs more to make one sided paper, stupid.


Rod Speed wrote:
Chris wrote

I just saw an article in our local paper about reusing common
household items. Most of the suggestions were a little silly, but I
thought it was a good attempt at encouraging people to give thought
to what their "trash" might be good for. My tip for the day is for
cyclists to use their old, flatted tubes. Instead of throwing mine
away, I keep them in a bin in the closet and use them for multiple
tasks. We used two to tie the Christmas tree to the top of our
factory roof rack in December, and I used them a cut up one as a
rubber cushioned door stop in the laundry room. Any other cool
tips?

Dont reuse toilet paper.

Dont reuse toilet paper.

But if it wasn't meant to be reused, why does it come with two sides?

Because it costs more to make one sided paper, stupid.


Okay...now I understand. Well if you can't use the other side for
wiping one can always blow your nose in it.

TMT


Rod Speed wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

Dont reuse toilet paper.

But if it wasn't meant to be reused, why does it come with two sides?

Because it costs more to make one sided paper, stupid.


Rod Speed wrote:
Chris wrote

I just saw an article in our local paper about reusing common
household items. Most of the suggestions were a little silly, but I
thought it was a good attempt at encouraging people to give thought
to what their "trash" might be good for. My tip for the day is for
cyclists to use their old, flatted tubes. Instead of throwing mine
away, I keep them in a bin in the closet and use them for multiple
tasks. We used two to tie the Christmas tree to the top of our
factory roof rack in December, and I used them a cut up one as a
rubber cushioned door stop in the laundry room. Any other cool
tips?

Dont reuse toilet paper.