Five Uses for Cereal Liner Bags: Save Money and Resources with This Free Alternative to Wax Paper and Plastic Bags

Our family used to throw away five or six empty cereal boxes each week, and with the boxes, the plastic liner bags inside. No more! I have found a way to reuse these, thereby "greening up" my kitchen, reusing resources, and saving money too!

Why, you ask? Cereal liner bags have many uses! Here are my top five favorites:

1. Rolling our pie crusts. No more wax paper to roll pie crusts on - I simply cut off the closed ends of a cereal liner bag, shake out the crumbs, open out the bag, and voila! A perfectly-sized, non-stick surface perfect for rolling out crusts or cookies dough. Use another bag on top of the crust or dough for less mess.

2. Crushing crackers. If you need crushed crackers, candy canes, or other items for a recipe, don't put them in a plastic bag - reuse a cereal liner bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the items inside. Your rolling pin won't even get dirty!

3. Lining food containers. At Christmas, we like to bake cookies and other goodies for our neighbors. I used to divide layers of these with wax paper, but now I've discovered that it's cheaper to use cereal bag liners. They can be cut into any size needed, and they are great at dividing layers of cookies and candies.

4. Sandwich containers. Okay, here I admit you may feel a bit embarassed if you are seen taking your sandwich to work in a cereal bag liner. However, it does work well - just put the sandwich in, roll down the top and staple it. If you can handle the raised eyebrows, go for it! You'll save the expense of ziplock bags, and the earth will thank you (and hey, maybe your coworkers will secretly admire you for it!).

5. Play mat for kids. When your kids want to play with playdough or other messy substances, put down an opened-out cereal liner bag first. This avoids the mess on the table. When your kids finish playing, you can gather up the mess in the liner bag and throw it all away.

As you can see, the possibilities are many for the lowly cereal liner bag. I've begun using them so often that now, every time we finish a bag of cereal, I take out the liner bag, dump out all the crumbs, and fold the bag to store it in a drawer. That way I always have one handy when I need it.

Reuse - it's the ultimate recycling!