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Brooke's Bargains: Repurposing Equals A Green Bargain

Written by Brooke WagnerDENVER (CBS4) - The first rule of bargain hunting is to keep your eyes open. That's why repurposing is so terrific! We all have something sitting around the house that can pull double duty -- free of charge!

In this entry, I'm picking just one of those items; the plastic newspaper sleeve. In most household, these get thrown out immediately, but you wouldn't believe all the ways you can re-use them. I keep them in my car or plastic bag holder in a cupboard, and I'm surprised how often I find myself going for that long, thin bag!

My favorite second use for the bags is to create a liner for my children's boots. I just put the bag over their sock and pant, then pull on the boots for an extra barrier from the snow or water. This is especially important for sledding sessions!

These also work great for dirty diapers and dog clean up duty.

They can cover an arm cast in the shower or bath, and I keep one in the car to cover my wet umbrella.

Did you know many paper delivery people have to buy their own supplies? You might try contacting yours to see if they'd like to have the bags back. That's recycling that benefits both sides!

There are so many ways to recycle. For instance, did you know you can take any brand of old sneakers to a Nike store, and the company will grind them up for playground surfaces?

Here are a few more ideas for repurposing:

http://www.helium.com/items/1031693-save-money-and-help-the-environment-how-to-repurpose-household-items

I'll keep my eyes peeled for other ways to repurpose household items. Please leave me your ideas in comments!

And, don't forget, Tuesday is National Pancake Day http://www.ihoppancakeday.com.
Get a free short stack at IHOP (donations to the Children's Miracle Network encouraged).

Also enjoy our CBS4 Deal of the Day!

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