The average American produces more than 1,700 pounds of garbage per year. Every day we throw out items like plastic bottles and old clothing we no longer wear without a second thought. But instead of adding more waste to landfills, you can reuse these items and give them a new purpose by upcycling them.
With a little effort and basic DIY skills, you can refresh scratched wooden furniture with a coat of paint or turn worn-out T-shirts into cozy quilts. Giving your belongings a second life will help you save money because you won’t have to replace things as often. Here are some tips on how to upcycle items throughout your home such as clothing and furniture.
Repurpose Old Clothing
If you have clothes in your closet that you no longer wear, you don’t have to throw them away and replace them with new items. It’s better for the environment and your wallet to find ways to repurpose old garments and continue using them.
My favorite way to breathe life into old clothing is to dye the fabric a different color. I had a bunch of white T-shirts that were starting to look dirty even after bleaching them. Instead of tossing them in the garbage, I decided to tie-dye them to try and hide the stains.
To my surprise, this craft project worked out well! Although the shirts don’t look brand new, dyeing them returned them to wearable condition. I’ll probably be able to get at least another year of use out of the shirts now. If they start to look worn out or develop holes, I plan to use them as pajama shirts or make a T-shirt quilt out of them using my sewing machine.
Dyeing garments isn’t the only way to repurpose them. If your jeans develop a hole, for example, you can patch them with a square of fabric or create other rips in the denim to make the hole look intentional. If you have button-down shirts or jackets you don’t like anymore, you can upcycle them by switching out the buttons or embroidering them to add extra flair.
Get creative and watch upcycling videos on YouTube to get some inspiration. The sky’s the limit when it comes to repurposing old garments!
Refinish Furniture
A few years ago I bought a white headboard for my bedroom. It wasn’t the wisest purchase considering how easily white fabric develops stains. Although I’ve managed to mostly avoid getting food stains on it, the headboard is starting to look dingy due to my oily hair rubbing up against it every night. Instead of getting rid of it and buying a new headboard, I’m going to try and reupholster it with a darker, more stain-resistant fabric to save money.
If you’ve never refinished furniture before, you probably shouldn’t jump right into upholstery. But luckily it doesn’t take much effort to transform a piece of furniture. You can refresh a coffee table from the thrift store by giving it a fresh coat of paint. It’s easy to upgrade a scratched wooden dresser by covering the drawer faces in cane webbing and adding new hardware. You can even upcycle an old coffee table into a modern bench.
YouTube is a great resource that can teach you how to refinish thrift store finds or furniture you already own to give it new life. That way it won’t end up in the landfill and you won’t have to spend money on brand new furniture.
Upcycle Old Kitchen Items
Instead of throwing out plastic bottles or chipped tea cups, you can upcycle old kitchen items into something new. Believe it or not, you can turn soda bottles you would’ve tossed in the recycling bin into beautiful hanging lanterns or flower pots. You can also transform wine bottles into a popular yard decoration called a bottle tree. Wine corks make great planters for baby succulents. You can also use old tea cups, coffee pots, and mason jars as pots for small plants and flowers.
You can even earn money from crafts you make from old kitchen items. Jewelry made of old metal silverware is very popular. If you figure out how to make attractive spoon rings and bracelets, you could sell them on Etsy or at craft fairs to turn a tidy profit.
How do you upcycle and repurpose old items you’re no longer using to save money? Let me know in the comments section below!
Read More
4 Ways I Save Money By Canning
5 Things I Won’t Do To Save Money on Rent
You Can Learn From These 8 Disadvantages of Saving Money in 2022
Come back to what you love! Dollardig.com is the most reliable cash-back site on the web. Just sign up, click, shop, and get full cashback!
Vicky Monroe is a freelance personal finance and lifestyle writer. When she’s not busy writing about her favorite money saving hacks or tinkering with her budget spreadsheets, she likes to travel, garden, and cook healthy vegetarian meals.
Comments