Shower curtain liners are fairly cheap. They can be washed and last quite a while before needing to be replaced. When ready to replace it, you can look into buying a cloth/fabric curtain that repels water and eliminate the need for a vinyl liner. You can reuse your old liner, too. Visit www.frugalvillage.com/2009/10/31/four-ways-to-reuse-an-old-shower-curtain/ for some ideas on how to reuse a liner. The first reader tip shares another idea.
Reuse shower curtain: I use an old shower liner for a "wheelbarrow" while weeding. Easier to hit the shower curtain, (bigger) than to try to toss weeds into a wheelbarrow. Then I just drag it to the compost pile. Easier to dump than a wheelbarrow too. — Franny, Washington
Wear more than once: The way that I keep up with what is clean and what is "used" is to use white hangers for the clean clothes and colored plastic hangers for the ones I've worn already. — Cindy B., Texas
Remove fruit stains: If you lay your shirt in the sink and slowly pour boiling hot water over the shirt, the stain will come out. But you need to do it before washing, otherwise you have a stain forever. I have done this many times with many kinds of fruit juice. Recently, I got some apple juice on a shirt and did not do this for a couple of days, and it still came out. — Donna L., Louisiana
A use for cornstarch: Mix cornstarch with water and use it to clean windows, mirrors, etc. It works amazingly and without the stink of vinegar or ammonia. — Andrea M., e-mail
No-waste bread: It seems that not many people (especially children) like the bread ends. To use these in my family, we simply turn the crust side inward and make a sandwich. This works best with PB&J or grilled cheese. I also use them to make bread crumbs, croutons and garlic bread. — B.F., Pennsylvania
Miscellaneous tips: I have a clear plastic shoe rack that has pockets that are perfect for odds and ends, so I hung it up on the inside of our coat closet door. Instead of a junk drawer I have a junk door! Except unlike most junk drawers, it stays organized. I keep all those things that most would trash, like twisty ties, rubber bands, safety pins, etc.
• I have a button jar. It's just a ceramic crock that sits on our hutch, but if any clothing come in the house with an extra button package attached to it, or extra beads, that's where they go (same as old worn out clothings buttons).
• I reuse plastic milk jugs to make iced tea. I've been known to save old mason jelly jars, and big mason jars to use for glasses. I even fill each person their own jar/with lid, of iced tea or ice water when we are leaving the house so no one just "has" to stop and get a drink at McDonald's!
• I save old squirt bottles to use in the shower. Baby oil is very hard to pour just a little bit. In an old dish detergent squirt bottle, it is far more controlled, which equals less waste! And you can get the oil on your back without help.
• I turned an old glazed ceramic flowerpot into a holder for bathroom cleaning brushes. In the near future, I will use two old tiki torches and make a curtain rod for our tropical bathroom redo. I turned an old candy dish into a caddy for kitchen brush, SOS pads, etc., too. — Polly, Pennsylvania
