So, my friend Erika sent me this video. It’s twenty-one minutes long, which in mommy land is time for me to get a shower (including shaving my legs), brush my teeth, do my kegels AND transverse abdominal exercises for my diastasis. Since I rarely do all of these things in the same day (yes I skip the shower A LOT), it seemed like a really good idea to pass on the video.

But I didn’t. Because Erika is not the type to send me a montage tribute to puppies, no matter how cute they are. She is a woman of substance. The last time we had dinner she had just returned from living in a war-torn section of the Middle East. Her more recent adventures? Bangkok and a strip club (no, it’s not how it sounds).

So I watched the video. If you have the time, you should to.

Isn’t that just amazing? Stuff is designed to wear out, break or become obsolete so that we, the consumers, will never run out of shopping errands.

To be perfectly honest, I could do with a few less shopping errands. I would also be more than happy to live without the guilt of what my $5 radio is costing some six-year old factory worker in South America. Like, their childhood.

In the hopes that someday soon (this year would be nice) we’ll have a new home to decorate I’ve been looking into ways to repurpose trash into treasure. I’ve found some great ideas, like this cupboard door Monica at Crafty Nest found at a salvage yard and turned into a serving tray.

I’ve also run across some small but really practical ideas, like:

• Egg cartons-perfect to start seedlings in (we actually give ours back to the farmer we buy from, but I might keep some in the spring)
• Kitchen waste and yard waste – compost bin or vermicomposting
• Worn out socks and t-shirts – rags for cleaning
• Envelopes from junk mail – scrap paper for grocery lists, keeping track of coupons, etc.
• Glass jars – replacement for tupperware

For some kitchen ideas that will inspire you, check out the photos at Re-Nest.

What do you repurpose at home? Share your ideas here!