The Big List: 49 Smart, Money-Saving Creative Reuse Ideas

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was The Kitchn's founding Design and Lifestyle Editor as well as Managing Editor of Re-Nest, Apartment Therapy’s late '00s green living site. She…read more
updated Mar 11, 2020
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Blue glass bottles with a yellow flower on a windowsill, text reads "The Big List of Smart Money Saving Creative Reuse Ideas."
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(Image credit: Alexis Buryk)

We get excited about stylish, functional, and innovative creative reuse ideas, from the myriad ways you can reuse a jar, to uses for chipped tea cups, antique bread bins, vintage card catalogs, bubble wrap, wallpaper scraps, even old gym floorboards. Here’s a big roundup of some of our favorites…

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(Image credit: Cambria Bold)

The Many Amazing Ways to Reuse a Jar:

• 10 Simple Uses for Spaghetti Jars
• Crafty Uses for Baby Food Jars
• Don’t Throw Out That Jar! New Uses for Old Jars
• In Praise of the Mason Jar
• How To: Make a Mason Jar Lantern
• Simple Green: Use Empty Food Jars for Your Bulk Items

Other Great Creative Reuse Ideas for Everyday Items:

• 10 Common Thrift Store Finds and Ways to Use Them for DIY Projects
• 20 Creative and Repurposed Kitchen Storage Ideas
• Salvaged Ladder Pot Rack
• How To Make Wine Crate Kitchen Cabinets
• Recycled Soda Bottles for Dish Soap, Oil and Vinegar
• 8 Bathroom Items To Repurpose Around the House
• 5 Things To Do With Bubble Wrap After You Move
• 10 Ways to Reuse Plastic Plant Pots
• 6 New Ways to Use a Cutlery Tray
• Use an Old Mailbox to Store Garden Tools
• 6 Ways to Reuse Bread Tags
• 7 New Ways to Use an Antique Bread Box
• 10 Ways to Repurpose Lightbulbs
• Rescue Stained Textiles with a Cool Graphic Pattern
• Creative Reuse: Flip Your Old Deck Boards
• DIY Idea: Blanket Upholstered Ottomans
• 7 Easy Ways to Reuse a Plank of Wood
• Steal This Idea: Paper Menus-Turned-Take-Away Bags
• Before & After: Mailbox Umbrella Stand
• How To: Make a Recycled Wine Bottle Torch
• 7 Ways to Repurpose an Ice Bucket
• 4 Ways To Reuse Wallpaper
• Look! Garage Door Headboard
• 5 Uses for a Collection of Liquor Glasses
• 5 Favorite Reuses for Wooden Crates
• Roundup: New Takes on Old Doors
• Look! A Pallet Plate Rack
• Look! Vintage Tea Cups Make Great Storage
• Clipboards for Hanging Artwork
• 10 Ways to Reuse a Card Catalog

Inspirational Creative Reuse:

• Ref-Use Turns Wood Scraps Into Furniture
• 15 Repurposed, Upcycled and DIY Storage Ideas
• Upcycling Thrift Store Dishes
• Cool Cabinets Built from Recycled Gym Flooring
• DIY Artwork: Frame an Everyday Object
• Vintage Airline Food Carts by Flight 001
• Recycled Carhood Tables
• Inspiration: The Dram Tumbler Lamp by Propellor
• Furniture Made of Old Airplanes and Fighter Jets
• Dumpsters Turned Swimming Pools!
• Creative Reuse: Toothpicks Turned Lampshade
• T.O.M.T: Refitting the Planet
• Wine Bottle Recycled Shelving from Zero-Waste Design

Re-edited from a post originally published 7.22.10 – JL

Filed in:
Life
reuse & recycle
wellness

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