Thinking of throwing away much of your household and becoming a minimalist begs the question: what does one do with a f**kton of unwanted stuff? Of course, there's the 'trash' pile, and the 'donate' pile; for some there is also the 'sell' pile, but I am neither inclined nor interested in garage saling. I know you're impressed by how I made a garage sale seem like a sport.
Recently, a friend turned me onto the idea of upcycling. This is a fancy way of saying that you will take old, used items and turn them into new useful items - green is the word. Not quite recycling as you're not taking a bunch of soda bottles and turning them into some other plastic item, but you're taking maybe a curtain and turning it into a skirt. I hate to admit that for some reason this reminds me of the guys who used to stand outside of the bank in Queens and wait for people to put their 1/2 smoked cigarettes into the sand/ash tray before walking into the bank. Then those guys would smoke the rest ~ waste not want not. I've been giving some thought to this idea and realize that I'm not crafty enough, (read - not crafty at all) to upcycle anything. I gave some thought as to what I might have inadvertently upcycled over the years and this is what I came up with:
1. I've used socks and tee shirts to clean the bathroom.
2. I've turned cigars into, well better cigars.
3. I've turned used toilet paper rolls and tinfoil into an effective little bong.
4. I've turned gum into temporary glue.
5. I've turned a wine bottle into a candleholder.
6. I've used empty beer cans as ashtrays, ditto for beer bottles.
7. I've used empty cool whip containers as a cereal bowl.
8. I have created a nifty peel off nail polish by combining old nail polish and Elmer's glue.
9. I tried to create a unique outdoor planter by using an unused toilet bowl.
10. I have utilized unwanted waffles as a substitute for dog food.
11. I've turned pad thai into breakfast.
12. I've turned a lighter into a bottle opener.
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