10 ways to recycle boxes

1. Put awkward-sized gifts inside – makes for easier wrapping and looks beautiful.
2. Stand all your rolls of wrapping paper in a nice square box in an unused corner.
3. Cut the top and a portion off the sides to make your own magazine holders. You can also cover them with gift wrap to blend in with your colour schemes.
4. Use the bottom of cereal boxes as dividers in your underwear drawer.
5. Open and flatten out cereal boxes and let your kids use the reverse side to draw on or for projects.
6. Use tissue boxes to hold your spare plastic bags.
7. Use smaller boxes in your junk drawer or stationery drawer to keep small items like drawing pins, paperclips and staples neatly organised.
8. Use sturdy shoeboxes to hold CD’s or photo albums.
9. Cut the top off tissue boxes and use to stand your two-minute noodle packs upright.
10. Find two or three really sturdy shoeboxes from men’s shoes and use these as slide-out drawers on shelves. Use these to store stationery and gift-wrapping supplies.

Copyright Marcia Francois. Visit my website at www.takechargesolutions.org

What are your favourite ways to recycle boxes?

10 ways to use plastic bags

1. Instead of buying plastic bin liners for your rubbish bins, use a plastic bag.
2. Use plastic bags to hold vegetable peels or scraps of meat while cooking. Then throw them in the rubbish bin – your bin won’t have any dirty smells this way.
3. Wrap yoghurts or any food that can spill in a small plastic bag first before packing your lunch. This way, if it spills, it doesn’t mess up your other food.
4. Take a couple of plastic bags with you when travelling to separate your dirty laundry.
5. Wrap your shoes in a plastic bag so they don’t dirty your clothes in your gym bag or suitcase.
6. Keep shampoos and other liquid toiletries in a separate plastic bag inside of your toiletry bag.
7. Keep a plastic bag in your car to throw the rubbish on a daily basis and remove every weekend.
8. Use a plastic bag over your hand to pick up doggy poo. Then just turn inside out and throw in the bin.
9. Re-use plastic bags when you go shopping instead of buying new ones continually.
10. Use plastic bags to pop bread in the freezer before it goes stale.

Copyright Marcia Francois
Visit my website on www.takechargesolutions.org