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Normally when we think of reusing, repairing and refilling things, we imagine being very frugal. If you look around online, you'll see all sorts of ideas for how you can reuse everyday items, and a lot of them come from the websites where people are learning how to stretch a dollar further.
Some of the best places to get ideas for this are:
- The Reusing, Repairing, Recycling category over at the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op blog
- How Can I Recycle This? is an amazing blog with bright ideas on how to reuse things you would normally throw out
- Get Rich Slowly for excellent articles like how you can learn DIY Home Maintenance and tips for Buying Secondhand Clothes
Unfortunately, for some people all this frugality makes them worry that other people will think they're poor. Personally, I find it easier to do the right thing when I know my friends and family are also interested in clever ways to reduce our impact on the environment. We can all help each other think of good ideas, and share our resources.
As a community, we need to adjust our attitudes to waste. We should be helpfully sharing ideas with people about how they can repair broken things they love, and how to save money by buying in bulk, and so on. We could be giving disapproving looks when people throw out useful things - we'd do it if they chucked their litter on the ground, or lit up a cigarette in a hospital, so why not make eco-friendly practices the norm as well? And maybe we should be bragging a little bit when we come up with a particularly clever idea to reduce waste... What do you think?
