Use it UP January

[annsteere]

What random, or mini, resources do you have hanging around your house that can be put into actual use either to save money or eliminate clutter?

Three tiny plastic containers of tomato/juice were combined for our ham/lentil soup---cleaner freezer, a few cents less spent for groceries.

Two gift cards with very small balances got spent on groceries. Smaller bill, cleaner wallet.

Decorated napkins with less than 4 matching items are now stored on top of our everyday white ones. We'll use them up first.

Please share as you do similar things this January. Inspire us!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Interesting thread. Off the top of my head, I have quite a few sample packets of toiletries I'd like to use up. I also have some pumpkin and bananas in my freezer that need to be used, maybe I'll do some baking today (or talk DD into it).

 

[Doodlebug939]

I think this is a great idea. During January we tend to eat better after all of the sweets of the season. When and if we get a tax return this year we usually stock our shelves with can goods and detergent/household stuff so I like to use this month to use what we have in the cabinets and clear things out. It saves our bank account some cash and makes sure that we use everything we can and only buy fresh stuff.

I have a few crafting projects that have been on my formal dining room table. Each partially done and each havent been touched since before Halloween. So I am not allowing myself to buy any more craft stuff until these projects are done.

I love the using of giftcards. I have some that have like three dollars on them floating in my purse but I have to look at it as real money and use it.

 

[MAJPLO]

Using up the ketchup packets and soy sauce packets before opening up a new bottle or buying a new bottle.

 

[StephMK]

Good idea! I have some areas I need to organize better so I think I'll see what I can find in the house to fit the purpose instead of buying more stuff. I have some samples & makeup in two ziplocs but they don't fit in my cabinet nicely. I should be able to come up with some containers that will neatly store them.

Also, I was given some packets/mixes as gifts last summer - I need to use them up to get them off my shelves and make sure they are eaten before expiration.

I'll have to look around to see what is lying around that I can use up!

 

[Zhoen]

My kitchen is being demolished tomorrow, so I've been packing stuff away all afternoon... while cleaning the junk drawer out, I found a kajillion packets of soy sauce... so I cut them open and added them to the bottle in the pantry.

Also had about half of one of those big boxes of velveeta leftover from making chili-cheese dip my nephew likes... so I made a big batch of macaroni and cheese. DD5 is doing her best to "help out" by using up all the whipped cream... in her face...

 

[mrsklamc]

A while back I got a bunch of Venus razor blades off Tanga; they come in the neatest little plastic cases. I'd love it if someone could come up with a use for them; I just don't think I have anything that small that needs storing.

 

[danygirl]

could use some suggestions on how to use our leftover Christmas ham!

This is a bad month for us, both kids college tuition is due and then I have to pay for 4 AP tests for youngest, so I need to save my money. I was planning ot eat out of the pantry for the month but supplement with fresh fruit and dairy.

 

[lady9]

could use some suggestions on how to use our leftover Christmas ham!

.

Add your ham to homemade mac and cheese. I get so tired of leftovers. I try to use them in a completely different way than we originally ate them.

We purged drawers, closets, and the basement over break. I am taking back to school a ton of pencils with no erasers but still usable, markers and colored pencils that are no longer needed here. I also have lots of little "junk" from the long forgotten toy box that my students will love as prizes.

 

[mrsklamc]

My MIL uses this recipe for leftover ham. I think she doubles the bisquick/egg mix for a thicker 'pie.'

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...rger-pie/8c78aa78-c368-40fa-8a88-1654640c7525

 

[MariDisney]

could use some suggestions on how to use our leftover Christmas ham!

This is a bad month for us, both kids college tuition is due and then I have to pay for 4 AP tests for youngest, so I need to save my money. I was planning ot eat out of the pantry for the month but supplement with fresh fruit and dairy.

I just made a soup with the leftover ham, a bag of kidney beans and some rice. It made a ton.

 

[erincon23]

This is a bad month for us, both kids college tuition is due and then I have to pay for 4 AP tests for youngest, so I need to save my money. I was planning ot eat out of the pantry for the month but supplement with fresh fruit and dairy.

OT, how much are the AP tests? We'll have one this spring and one next year.

Interesting thread. Off the top of my head, I have quite a few sample packets of toiletries I'd like to use up. I also have some pumpkin and bananas in my freezer that need to be used, maybe I'll do some baking today (or talk DD into it).

Bananas freeze well? I always mean to make banana bread, then I forget. Or I end up with two and I need three.If I could freeze them, that would help.



I used old Christmas cards (the twosies and threesies I had left over from previous years) as gift card holders for nieces and nephews, rather than buy them.

And I've got a bunch of old towels that are going to the pet adoption center my DH does the accounting for. I need new ones, someone should use the old ones! (DH complained at Christmas about the shabbiness of the towels I was putting out that guests could see -- guess that means I have approval to buy new ones ).

 

[Zhoen]

Bananas freeze well? I always mean to make banana bread, then I forget. Or I end up with two and I need three.If I could freeze them, that would help.

Bananas freeze GREAT for banana bread. Peel them and store 2-3 in a ziploc (can start with one and add as you have extras) When you're ready to make banana bread, thaw and add to the recipe.

They'll look DISGUSTING, btw, there will be brown juice in the bag and the banana will be brown with dark brown veins and have lost all its consistency...
but that actually makes it easier, because they blend right in, no lumps!

 

[StephMK]

could use some suggestions on how to use our leftover Christmas ham!

This is a bad month for us, both kids college tuition is due and then I have to pay for 4 AP tests for youngest, so I need to save my money. I was planning ot eat out of the pantry for the month but supplement with fresh fruit and dairy.

I use a recipe that DH & DD love that is farfalle pasta, 1/2 block of cream chesse, parm cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes & milk. I throw some frozen peas in when I cook the pasta then add the spices, cheese & enough milk to give it a thick sauce consistency.

Otherwise, ham will freeze ok to use later too.

Thanks to this thread, I decided to see what I can use from around the house. I found a cute cardboard box that some cards came in and used it to store all the extra toothbrushes/paste I seem to have collected. My bath cabinet is much neater now.

I have the plastic case that an ipod touch came in. It's not recyclable so I hate to throw it out. Anyone want to suggest something small that could be stored in it?

 

[danygirl]

My MIL uses this recipe for leftover ham. I think she doubles the bisquick/egg mix for a thicker 'pie.'

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...rger-pie/8c78aa78-c368-40fa-8a88-1654640c7525

Thanks, this is just the kind of thing I was looking for!

 

[danygirl]

OT, how much are the AP tests? We'll have one this spring and one next year.



The fee for each AP Exam is $89. The school normally retains $8 of that fee as a rebate to help with administrative costs. from
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/exam/calendar/190165.html

Some school systems pay for the tests, in our school system some of the richer schools have the pta pay for them, but our school does not. They do cut us a break if your child is taking multiple tests, they cut the price by a few bucks. Our school administers the tests offsite, so they do use the $8 to pay for the rental. It is super inconvenient since they don't do bus service to the off site location. They use a Baptist Church down the street. I have no idea how they got clearance for that since we can't do graduation in churches because peopled complained.

Back to topic, one other thing I have been doing to use stuff up is to use the body wash DH does not like as handsoap in the bathroom. He doesn't mind that so much.

DH wants to play baseball this spring and go on a golf trip, so I told him he has to take his lunch to save the money, plus no eating out ....so we are going to use up a lot of stuff!

 

[annsteere]

Today I used sugar that had been colored red for cookie decorating as the sweetener for my Cheerios. That might turn out to be a good diet tip. I could really see the sugar and that made me use less.

 

[StephMK]

Today I used sugar that had been colored red for cookie decorating as the sweetener for my Cheerios. That might turn out to be a good diet tip. I could really see the sugar and that made me use less.

Ohh, that's an interesting thought!

I installed 2 switchplates today. I bought new ones awhile back and don't remember why they were never installed. They look much nicer than the old ones and now are no longer sitting in a box.

I have been busy getting rid of a bag of mint kisses - does that count?

 

[MAJPLO]

could use some suggestions on how to use our leftover Christmas ham!

This is a bad month for us, both kids college tuition is due and then I have to pay for 4 AP tests for youngest, so I need to save my money. I was planning ot eat out of the pantry for the month but supplement with fresh fruit and dairy.

How about a crustless quiche? 5 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk/half and half; bake at 325 in a glass pie plate for about an hour. You can put anything in it before you put the egg mixture in. Sauté onions or mushrooms or other ingredients first. I'd stay away from anything too juicey like zucchini. Put in some cheese too! Any kind. Yum

 

[carebee21]

I'm on a mission to use everything up in my pantry. We're moving in a little over 5 months and I want to use everything up. As such, I'm trying to incorporate at least one thing into each meal from something I already have in the pantry. I had a pot roast seasoning packet and some potatoes I needed to use anyways, so tonight, we're having a pot roast to get rid of the seasoning packet and potatoes. Tomorrow we're getting rid of a few things that have been sitting in the pantry. I had a chili seasoning packet, a couple cans of kidney beans and a cornbread mix, so I bought the rest of the stuff needed to make chili so those can be all used up.

It'll be interesting to see how long it takes me to get rid of everything in there. Once its gone, I plan on putting together a menu for the week and only replenishing with what is on the menu until we move, so I don't develop a stock pile of items that will go to waste.