Thrifty Thursday: Ways to reuse plastic bags

We are a die hard reusable bag family (okay, mostly me but since I do most of the shopping... that is what matters).  We have two bag holders hanging in the doorway near the kitchen that hold our plastic bags (one for big bags and one for normal sized ones).  My husband and I went to the store with our reusable bag and he said that he wanted to use a plastic bag because he needed something for his bathroom trash can :)  Strangely, I had to ask a friend for some of her plastic bags because we ran really low because we do LOVE to reuse our few plastic bags. 

How do you reuse your bags??  The first ten are the ways that we use our bags (plus a few more ways that I found good and funny)!!!  I would love any other ideas to get the most out of the plastic grocery bags.

1.  Trash can liners for the bathroom trash can- It is so much easier to get the trash out of the bathroom when there is a bag in and if there is anything messy, you don't have to clean the trash can.  There is also a special trash can that you can buy that hooks the bag to either side.

2. To return items to the store- Please tell me if I bought it in a reusable bag, why I feel it is better to return it in a plastic bag.  I really am not sure why that is but maybe it is just me being stuck in the past.

3. Recycle at the grocery store- Most stores have bins inside the entrance or exit to put your plastic bags.  If you can't find it, ask the customer service desk and I am sure that they can direct you to one.  We used to do this all the time before I found reusable bags but now I am super stingy with my bags since we don't have too many.

4. Garage Sales-  We had a garage sale and gave everyone that bought something a plastic bag to take home their loot.  There were a few people who didn't need bags or they brought their own but most people still needed something to carry home all their goodies.

5.  Wrap around paint brush- After you are done painting, it is great to seal up the paint brush or roller in a plastic bag so that is stays moist.  That way you can use the paint brush to do the second coat without cleaning in between.  Some people also have luck freezing the paint brushes in between but that has never worked for us :)  As my husband pointed out to me, it also makes it easier to take off the paint roller later because you have something to grip and not get paint all over your hands!

6.  Use for packing materials-  When we moved, we used to wrap everything in newspaper.  I hate the feeling of newspaper but also it means that you have to wash everything when you get to the new house.  The last time we moved (over 9 years ago now) I wrapped in plastic bags and then the items didn't have the gross film on the outside from the newspaper print.  If something needed extra padding, then I wrapped the already plastic bag wrapped item in the newspaper :)  I never would have thought about buying something like bubble wrap when we already had so many useful ingredients around.

7. Protective material- Also great for packing up breakables or decorations that are in storage. We use them for all our Christmas decorations before putting them away so they can be used every year.  We use them to wrap ornaments and decorations that go around the house.  The great thing is that it provides padding and dust protection at the same time!

8. Diaper Pail-  We used to have the fancy diaper pail that kept all the smells inside when my little guy was really little but since he is bigger and started going through less diapers, we used plastic bags and took them out to the trash more often.  Also, good to put in the diaper bag for diaper changes on the go.

9.  Wet or Dirty Clothes Bag-  We always pack an extra plastic bag to put in wet clothes and towels from the pool.  Anytime we travel, we keep an extra plastic bag in suitcase so that we can start putting the dirty clothes in the bag to keep them away from the clean clothes.  It helps to keep the wet and dirty clothes away from the stuff that might not have to get washed or might need to used later.  We now have two fabric bags that fold up that we also use for this purpose too to try to be more green.

10.  Lunch bag-  For many years, my husband used on plastic bag to bring his lunch to work (because he said what else would a man use).  Although better better than the old paper lunch bags, I finally got him to start taking a reusable lunch bag within the last year (because I found a manly one).  We went through many to transport his lunch to work everyday but often reusing the one for over a week until it got a hole.

11. Draft Blocker- Sew a fabric tube and stuff it with bags, then keep it next to exterior doors to stop drafts.  We have one from the store and if I knew this frugal tip, I might have tried to make one first!

12. Ice Proof Car- Tie bags around your rear view mirrors and windshield wipers for less scraping in the morning when you are getting ice and snow.  I don't know about this one because it seems just as likely that the bag will get stuck in the ice but I have seen it a lot in Northern VA (about as much as the people who pull out their wipers the night before a storm).

13. Toy Strainer- Poke small holes in one and hang it in the shower to drain kids' toys in between bath times so that you don't have to dry each toy off.  It helps dry and prevent mold.

14. Snowy weather gear- Keep your feet dry in bad weather by wearing bags on your feet between your socks and boots.  I know that my mom used to use this for my brother back when moon boots were cool because they leaked and often came off his feet.  I haven't seen a lot of adult wear this into the office on a snowy day but maybe they are changing in the car!

15. Summer weather gear- Tie them around your knees to protect pants when gardening so that you can kneel on the ground and not worry about getting wet and muddy.

16. Shoe covers-  If it is rainy or muddy, cover shoes to make a quick run out of the house to get the mail or grab something that isn't supposed to be getting wet.  Take off when you get back to the house and you leave all the weather outside.  Then you don't get your house dirty or your shoes.

17. Kids entertainment- Cut the handles off a bag so that you have a large circle. Then, poke some holes around its perimeter and tie a piece of string in each hole. Tie the string ends together and tie a large washer or other toy on the end to weight done the end. Throw in the air and you have a toy parachute to have fun with for hours.  Here are some step by step instructions in case you are as interested as I am in this new project!! Or if you don't have any string and are looking for a challenge to make it with a straw, try this one but don't do this one with the kids because it looks like it might be a little bit more of an adult craft.

18. Cast protection- Put plastic bag over casts to take showers so that they don't get wet.  The handles make a perfect handle to tie around the cast to make sure that it doesn't fall off.

19. Pet cleanup-  If you have a dog to follow on a walk and clean up, plastic bags are a must.  They are also super helpful to clean out kitty litter (of course, you may have to double bag to assure nothing gets out).

20. Watering can-  Don't have a watering can?  Fill a plastic bag with water and cut off the corner.  You can use it to pour directly on the plants and pick up the corner when you are done pouring.  The nice thing is that it weighs less than a watering can so you can fill with more water and it won't be as heavy.

21. Shape Keepers- Ball up bags and stuff them into purses to help them keep their shape in the off-season.  Also used for shoes!!

22. Curtain filler-  I don't know if the curtains are still in style but my aunt used to have all these balloon valances and in order to make them super puffy, she filled them with plastic bags because they were light weight and gave volume. Check out this blog for details.

23. Defrost protection- Defrost meat in a bag lined with paper towels to catch condensation and any leaking juices so that they don't get all over the fridge.  There is nothing worse then defrosting a steak and spending all of time you were supposed to be cooking, chasing bloody meat juices around the fridge to sanitize.

24.  Car trash can-  Stash a few in your truck to make sure that you always have a trash can for long car rides or during sicknesses to hold all those icky tissues.  There is nothing worse than cleaning up messy stuff in the car after getting home so making it easy in one grab to get inside.

25. Crochet items-  Cut plastic bags into strips and crochet into a rug or other crafts.  This is by far the strangest idea that I have heard but if you have the extra time or need, it seems like it might be interesting!  Want to check out a neat pattern for a purse?  It would be super neat to make a reusable bag for the grocery store out of plastic grocery bag right?

26.  Crafty Wreath-  Cut into strips and tie around a wire frame (can be made from coat hanger) to make a weather proof wreath for your front door.  If you use a lot of fun bright colors, you can decorate for different holidays based on the color combinations.  Check out this one or this one.  You can decorate with a bow or other seasonal decorations like ornaments or Easter eggs.

27. Scarecrow-  Use to stuff the scarecrow you made with you extra shirts from last weeks post!!!  Check out this neat post on how to make it from top to bottom or you can buy a ready made one to stuff.

Do you have any to add to my list to make it an even 30???  Let me know and I will add them :)