Sunday, March 10, 2013

Make it Do!

I like the old saying that goes, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!" I've read that it has it's origin from the Great Depression. I often find that I don't have to look far to meet my 'wants' by the items I already have on hand.

I've been out of bubbles for quite a few weeks. The grands enjoy them so. I picked up a bottle at the dollar store this week but then  decided to try and make some instead.

I had all the ingredients on hand. I can't remember where or when I purchased the glycerin.  Apparently I purchased it for a recipe a few years ago. Thankfully I hadn't thrown it out.




The bubbles turned out perfectly. They were larger than the store bought ones and we had the fun of making them ourselves. Here is the recipe I used:

1/4 cup liquid dishwashing detergent
3/4 cup cold water
5 drops of glycerin
(available in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

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I also found a use for an item that I normally throw away. We occasionally get a free newspaper thrown in our front yard and my employer (friend) saves her newspaper for me, too. I save the newspaper for my garden compost or place it under the kitty litter box. I've thought how I could use the plastic sleeve the paper comes in and I finally came up with an idea. 

I've been using plastic wrap to place on top of my planted seeds until they pop up their heads from the soil.  The plastic helps hold the moisture in the soil. I took the newspaper plastic sleeve and cut along the side and the bottom so I could open it. It became a nice size piece of plastic that I can now use as a mini greenhouse over my seeds in place of the store bought plastic. 

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I've been sprouting seeds in the garage this winter. This last batch of seeds were not sprouting.
 I think that the cold discouraged the seeds from sprouting so I thought a heated seed mat might do the trick. The mat's run close to $30 which is more than I wanted to pay. I found a copy cat version of the heated seed mat on Pinterest. I love Pinterest!

I looked around and found a plastic storage container along with Christmas tree lights. The lights were placed in the container. I didn't have any sand so dirt was used and it seemed to work just fine. The warmth from the heated dirt has helped my remaining seeds to sprout.

Here is a link to a DIY instruction for the seed mat:


I love using items I have on hand. It's one of the best ways to stretch the money we have coming into the home. Have you found new use for something you already have on hand?