Sometimes in this go go go lifestyle, we get too used to just throwing things away. But with the economy the way it is, and more and more people going green, we all should consider ways to make our old things new again.

1.Repaint- if you have a piece of wood furniture that no longer matches your décor, try giving it a new color. Visit your local hardware to buy a stripping agent, strip off the old paint, and get to painting. Be creative with stencils, which are very easy to use if you get the correct stencil paint.

2.Re-tee- if a favorite tee shirt isn’t working out for you anymore, try making it into something new. I would recommend a tee shirt pillow. This is a great idea for kids who have grown out of their favorite shirts. If your tee shirt isn’t a favorite, or is in bad condition try cutting it into squares and using the pieces as dust rags.

3.Reuphosleter- if your old chairs don’t match your décor anymore, try re-covering their seats. Many chair seats lift out and can be reupholstered, just pop out the staples, recover, and staple back with a staple gun. This also works for pillows, just make a pillowcase out of the material of your choice and pop in the old pillow.

4.Polish or Refinish- is your table, or another piece of wood furniture scratched? That is easily fixed with furniture polish. If scratches are too deep try stripping the piece and refinishing it.

5.Stain it- is your glass door or window boring? Making stained glass is easier than you think. Stain glass kits can be found at most craft stores and stencils make it even easier.

6. Clean- use a lemon peel and salt to clean stains off of dishes and mugs. Boil apple slices in greasy pots to remove blackened grease.

7. Remove Scratches and Scuffs- some of the biggest problems we have with our things are scratches and scuffs, but they can also be the easiest to fix. Use toothpaste to remove scratches from CD’s or a banana peel to remove scuffs from shoes. Try using a car buffer to remove scratches from your hardwood floors. Use jeweler’s rough and a soft buffing pad to remove scratches on glass, and then clean with water and ammonia.

8. Combine- take old candles that have been burned down and combine them. You can do this by heating them and then pouring them together. This can also be done with chips of soap by melting the chips and pouring them into a soap mold.

9. Reuse- scrub the labels off of jars and reuse them to store things or for crafts. Reuse things such as soap bottles by refilling them. Cut apart old Christmas cards to make gift tags. Use old dryer sheets to clean showers; they work well to remove soap scum.

10. Make a Mosaic- Use old glass bottles, vases, scratched CD’s, and est. to make a mosaic. Just smear your surface with grout and place your pieces. This can be done on tabletops, vases, and more.