Frugal Living Tips: Another Use for Newspaper

If you are like me not only do you get the Sunday Newspaper, but you get several local papers as well. While you love being up on the latest news, the stacks of papers lying around your house just seems like too much clutter to deal with. I love being thrifty and I love finding alternate uses for everyday items. Just throwing all of that paper out is a waste when there are so many other things you can do with it. I have ten simple tips to turn your Sunday Newspaper into everything from pinatas to window cleaners.

Get Crafty

One of my favorite activities as a child was making crafts with my parents. My mom used to help me make paper machete animals, in fact an owl I made in eighth grade is still sitting in the Saint Clements science room. We would blow up balloons, mix a simple paste of water and flour, and take the newspaper and rip it up into little one inch strips. next you take the strips one at a time and soak them in the water and flour mixture, and apply the wet strips to the balloon. Keep going until the balloon is just about completely covered. I always left a little space around the balloon knot. You want to make sure that you have enough strips covering the balloon so that when it dries and hardens it turns into a thick enough wall around the balloon. Let the paper machete sit for 24-48 hours, and then pop the balloon. Congratulations, you just need to stuff it with candy, paint it, hang it, and you have your very own pinata.

Wrapping Paper

When we were younger and had a birthday party to go to my mother would always wrap toys for the birthday boy or girl in the comic section. It saves that Ziggy comic from ending up in the trash next to a banana peel, and is a rather cute and colorful alternative to overpriced wrapping paper.

Block Weeds

Are you a fan of gardening but not a fan of those weeds that seem to come from nowhere? Once you are ready to plant the seedlings you started indoors earlier in the year, take shredded newspaper (do this by hand or use that shredder) around the plants, it makes a fabulous mulch, blocks the weeds and eventually compost back into the ground.

Kitty Litter

When my cat had her claws removed she had to use a special kitty litter called Yesterdays News. Why spend $8 a bag for newspaper when you have your own at home. Simply shred yesterdays newspaper with your shredder and put it in the litter box. I would recommend completely changing your litter box on a daily basis when using newspaper as litter, perfect if you get the newspaper every day.

Stinky Plastic Containers?

Did you leave that tomato in your plastic Tupperware container for a week to long? Get rid of that smell by crumbling up newspaper and placing it in the container. Close tightly with the lid and let set for 24 hours, toss that newspaper and your container should be fresher then a daisy!

Windows Anyone

Not only does window cleaner seem to attack the smudges like nobodies business, but if you wipe the windows, TV screen, or even computer screen dry with a crumpled up newspaper you will save on plastic towels and leave a protective coating on the glass that will stay smudge free longer.

Drafts

Roll up that newspaper and put it in front of the crack in the door, cheap, easy, and a great use for that paper you just finished reading.

Disposable Duster

I love rolling up the newspaper nice and tight. Once I have it rolled up Tightly take a rubber band (the one that came around the paper) and put it tightly in the middle of my rolled up paper. I then cut half of the paper from the top down to the rubber band, fan it out, and instant duster/cobweb eliminator!

The Old Standard

If none of the above interest you I strongly urge you to recycle that paper, and who knows some product that you are using next year might be made of that paper you recycled this morning.