Finding ways to update your home and wardrobe in the current climate can be very expensive. Also, as we all strive to find cheaper clothes and household items, we often buy products made in far off countries, meaning it can also be bad for our environment. If you also take into consideration, the amount we pay in taxes towards desposing of our unwanted items then, Recycling, Upscaling and Reloving not only can help us individually. But can also improve our local governments budget and our global environment.
Recycling
I'm not talking about making compost out vegetable peelings, nor about putting our plastic bottles in the right bin. Before throwing any working or useful item away, you have various options.
Try to sell it, making you some extra money and enabeling the purchaser to find a good value item. There are numerous ways you can acheive this. Putting classifieds in the paper, or on the net , in many cases these are free for private sellers. Listing it on an online auction site like ebay.
Try to swop it, arrange a swop meet in your local area. See if a friend wants it, maybe she has something you would like.
Give it away? Yes thats what I said. Join a local Freecycle group and offer your item for free. Look through the other items on offer, you might find something you can use. Just consider it long term swopping. But even if you don't find something, you won't have to pay to get it taken away. Plus you will be doing your bit for the planet.
Upcycling
Upcycling, sounds like the latest get fit fad, but it refers to taking an unwanted item or low cost item and converting it into something desirable. Upcycling is the new trendy term for the vintage term Make do and Mend. The most obvious and a long term traditional version of this "Making ends meet" is the patchwork quilt which has been around for a very long time.
