*Being Thrifty*
Using What You Have
By: Stallion
02 June 2003

I think it's nice to be able to buy things new sometimes, or even used, but at the same time I think it's nice to be able to work with what you have. What someone has given you that they don't want any more, what you have on hand at home, what you can pick up here and there etc. Following are some examples of some things that I have enjoyed being thrifty with.

    

  1. This hamper was my grandmothers! The top on it got so bad it had to be replaced so I took one of the old wooden desk tops (that was being thrown away at the school) and had my husband cut the shape out for me then I woodburned a sailing ship on it.

  2. Don't have doors on our bathroom cupboards, as you can see, so I stenciled some curtains (made out of an old sheet) with lighthouses. The scale you see in the picture was a cast off from someone. It was all rusty and missing the nice covering that goes on top that you stand on when you weigh yourself. I sanded it up, spray painted it then took fabric, that matches the bathroom curtains, cut it to shape, then ironed it onto the sticky side of clear contact paper then I glued it onto the scale.

  3. This box was pretty plain and rough looking when my husband saved it from going to the dump. Again, a paint job and some stenciling changed it's looks drastically. Over the years it has served in a number of ways. Storing material, storing papers and now storing toys for when Podunk is here.

  4. Have had these canisters for 25 years. They were given to us as a wedding gift. They use to have butterflies on them but I liked the plainer look. The design you see is simple, just wheat, and inside the wheat it says flour on one and sugar on the other. The bread box has been around alot longer than the canisters. Use to belong to my mom and dad. Just spray painted it to match the canisters.

It's pretty easy to 'Make Do' with what you have. I have some other things too that I'll be taking pictures of and putting into an article. What kind of things have you "created" out of what you have? Would be interesting to read about them.
Stallion


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