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Did any of you ever used to watch the show MacGyver? It was about a man who would find himself in impossible situations, but would be able to escape because he’d use simple things around him to create whatever he needed. He’d create something from nothing. Can you imagine being able to do that? Just making what you need out of thin air. What if you could use your household items in multiple ways?
That kind of inspired today’s post. Well that and the fact that, at the beginning of this year a lot of staples were out of stock, so everyone had to get a little creative. With that in mind, I want to share a list of ordinary things we all have lying around the house that can be used for outside of the box things.
Lemon
You can really use every part of the lemon.
- If you need some zest you can get that from the lemon peel (make sure you wash it first).
- You can squeeze it to get fresh lemon juice.
- But here’s the thing, after my lemons have been zested and squeezed, I freeze them. Why? Because then, when my kitchen sink starts smelling a little off, I throw one of my frozen lemons in the drain and use my garbage disposal to grind the lemon. This leaves a fresh scent and helps remove whatever was stuck in my drain.
- If all of those things weren’t enough, you can also make citrus candles, right inside of your lemon peel. Craziness!
Green Onion
This is something I discovered a few months ago and I was completely blown away. If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw my stories so you already know about this trick. But basically, you can regrow green onions. After you use them, all you need to do is save the roots, and place them upright in water. They literally grow overnight, leaving you with a never ending supply of green onions. I mean eventually it’d be nice to transfer them into some soil, but at first, you don’t even have to. It’s crazy.
Plastic bag
- Sure you can use those bags to store food, but you know what else you can use them for? Cake Decorating. Crazy right? I’m going to do a whole post on this soon so you can see all of the different ways to do this. But look, I made this cupcake just from a plastic bag.
- Plastic bags can also make great on the go cold pack. Just wet a paper towel or washcloth, throw it in the freezer, and it’ll be waiting for you when you need it.
- Plastic bags are also great for marinating meats, I just dump the marinade in the bag, add some meat and then throw it in the freezer or refrigerator, depending on how soon I’m going to eat it.
- I also use plastic bags for page protectors. I have some magazines that are limited edition and newspaper clippings that are important to me. So I just throw them in the appropriately sized plastic bag and store them flat. I’ve done this for many moves and nothing has ever gotten damaged.
1M cake tip
- This tip isn’t just a cake decorating tool. No siree, it’s also a cherry pitter. It’s the perfect size to trap those little seeds.
- This tip is also great for cutting tiny circles if you’re working with fondant. Just flip it over and you’ve got an instant cookie cutter.
Candles
- Remember a few months ago when I showed you how leftover candle wax could be repurposed into wax melts? That’s just one of the many ways you can use candles.
- I usually get my candles from Bath and Body works, and they come in pretty cute containers. After I get all of the wax out of the containers to make my wax melts, I have this very stylish glass jar. You can use these as bathroom storage bins (q-tips, cotton balls I’m looking at you.)
- If you live in a place where you get a good deal of heat, you can also use candles as car fresheners. Just place them in your cupholder and leave them there. *DO NOT LIGHT THEM.* The heat will naturally melt the wax and release the most wonderful scents. Your car will always smell good!
I really want to hear about the items that you all repurpose. Please tell me all of your tricks! I just really get a kick out of using things in a different way than they are intended. It feels like I’m being a wild rule breaker …..without really breaking any rules. Ha!
Well that’s all for this week guys! Have a great week, and be kind!
Make life sweet and learn all you can.
