How Crafting Can Reduce Household Waste and Spending

Each year households spend hundreds of pounds on items that it turns out they have no use for. Magazine and newspaper subscriptions, boxes of cards and other pieces of stationary that are bought with the best intentions in the world, only to end up spending more time collecting dust and making the place look untidy than they spend being used.

We throw away or recycle so much each year that it would be frightening to see, and most of this comes from impulsive purchases that we see and go “I could use that for something”, when in actual fact we have no use for it whatsoever. Instead of purchasing these kind of items, in the majority of cases, we could make them from other materials found in the home and – again in the majority of cases – they can make a big difference, including decal paper (click here – http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/category/decal-paper – to see what this is) that can be used to decorate your crockery rather buying new or investing in flash or even paper napkins that eventually get thrown away.

It’s all about being more efficient and economical in how we live. For instance, millions of homeowners around the world have invested in energy-saving light bulbs that produce similar amounts of light to the traditional bulbs, without using as much power which has saved them money in the long haul.

If you can get into creating your own possessions and modifying tired items rather than buying new or throwing things you “might” use into the shopping basket, you’ll soon find that you can save plenty of money and reduce waste too – good for the pocket, and good for the environment.

Upcycling is another great way of reducing waste, and you don’t have to spend a penny in most cases. Rather than throwing away things like plastic bottles from soft drinks or washing up liquid, or old wellies you can turn them into innovative plant pots, for example. Sticking with the welly, fill it with soil and put in any bulbs or seeds. Then fix some hooks to the back or sides of the boot and hang it on your wall or fence and wait for plants to grow – no waste, and a new use for an old item that would otherwise take up space in the home or be thrown out.