Waste Not... Want Not

That is the theme of my life!  So much so, that it's caused mild hoarding issues, but I am happy to say I am successfully dealing with those!  As a couple, my husband and I are very practical.  Sometimes we drive ourselves crazy with just how practical we are.  Our main thoughts when out and about are usually along these lines:  "Do we really need this?" or "Is it necessary to buy this or do this?" or "How long can we put this purchase off?"  or my absolute favorite, "I could easily make that myself!" 

This week, I crossed off a project on my "I can do that myself and for cheaper," list.  About a week ago, the girls and I were visiting a friend.  While they were playing outside, they found the sandbox, and fell in love with it.  I remember seeing those huge sandboxes at stores and thought, "Now really, my kids do not need anything that big.  I could make one myself."  And that's just what I did:

I bought a Rubbermaid container for $8 and a few bags of sand for $3.50 each.  (I ended up only needing one, so I saved the others for later.)  Compare that to the cheapest sandbox at $37 that holds 150 lbs of sand!  Really, my kids did not need that much sand.  It would all eventually end up in the yard anyway.  One thing I love about keeping the sandbox small is that I am still able to move it when I need to.  So wherever the shade is, that's where I'll put the box.  They also got a lot less sandy than they would if they were able to sit in it, which is good when diapers are still in use.  The lid should keep water and critters out, but even if they do happen to get in, I only have to replace one bag of sand versus a whole sandbox of it!  Not bad!  Best of all, my kids LOVED it.  I mean really loved it.  So much, that they played with it this morning for so long in the heat and humidity.  I eventually had to tear them away from it!  Awesome results from $11.50!

Another project is my basil plant "box."  I took another storage container that my grandma had given me, and repurposed it into an herb box.  I had my husband drill holes into the bottom for drainage.  He and my oldest daughter filled it with potting soil and planted my basil plants.  Within a day, the plants were flourishing!  What's awesome is since it's pretty much see through, I can tell right away if the dirt is moist or dry, and C can see the roots that ended up reaching down next to the side of the box. Great for a plant study!  And yes, we will be enjoying a lot of pesto this summer!

So, those are a few of my thrifty and repurposing projects lately.  The next one on my list is to work on sewing up some summer clothes for the girls.  I'll be trying to destash my fabric and clothes that need to be repurposed.  Anyone else out there have this habit?  Or am I just weird?
=)