Materials Pt. 1

There are several cultures around the world and even several species of animals (I mention this because I just finished watching a fantastic episode of BBCs Life) that make it a point to use every single part of the prey they have hunted.  For this next idea for saving money, I recommend that you view every material thing in your life in this utilitarian way.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it with food because having that typical motherly “There are starving children in Africa…” guilt trip ingrained in your mind can lead to weight gain and ulcers caused by the stress that comes from that pointless guilt.

Now that I have successfully taken you on an absurd tangent, let’s get down to the details of this idea for saving money.  It will require a bit of ingenuity, a bit of planning, and a bit of organizational skills to truly take advantage of its potential.  To give you a sense of what I’m talking about, let’s look at something quite normal: the daily newspaper.  Having taken engineer courses in the past that stressed rapid prototyping, I have learned that everyday materials can be used in amazing ways that they were never meant to be used for.  Take the newspaper that you get in your front lawn every day.  It usually comes in a plastic bag to prevent the paper from getting wet in case it rains or the sprinklers come on or a dog comes along and decides to mark its territory.  Once you’re done with reading the newspaper, save it in a box or something (you don’t have to save every single paper and you should replace the oldest papers after a while if they aren’t used, but it’s good to keep a nice little stockpile of them).  Along with saving the paper, make sure you save that plastic bag, especially if you have a dog!

The plastic bags that newspapers come in serve as the perfect poop bags.  You can go to a pet store and buy a set of plastic poop bags, but that will cost you an arm and a leg, and they’re nothing special.  Newspapers, on the other side, are incredibly versatile.  You can use them as gift wrap paper if your friends have a good sense of humor.  They can also be used as packing paper instead of foam peanuts; they’re great for covering your floors when you decide to paint your walls; and they’re absolutely fantastic for cleaning windows.  Just grab some windex, the Sunday paper, and you’re golden.  Plus, when cleaning, you will always have something to entertain you when you get bored or need a break.

So look around you, take your every day material possessions, and try to come up with unorthodox uses for them.  It’s fun to think about, to improvise, and to save tons of money without even intending to.

Happy newspaper plastic bag poop scooping…and other things!