Since we do what we’re told by our water company, we don’t pour meat fat from cooking down the sink – we scrape/pour it into an old plastic container instead. The gross pot full in the picture is a combination of lots of fat from lots of different meals for the last couple of months, ick.

When we started our collection, we thought we’d use it to make bird feeders this winter – the fat is solid at room temperature, let alone at the minus-something temperatures we’ve got at the moment, so we were going to fill it with nuts and seeds to make fat balls for the local wildlife. But then I read that you shouldn’t use reused meat fat to make fat balls – because it’s prone to smearing and can cause them problems when cleaning their feathers. Does anyone know if this is true?

If it is, shucks, there goes our reuse idea. Is there anything else we can do with it instead? Are any particular fats (eg, bacon fat) more reusable?

(Incidentally, the bird feeding stuff fits into something I wrote about on The Really Good Life yesterday – asking about alternatives to shop-bought bird feed for wild birds — do pop over and read it if you feed birds!)

Here’s some of my favourite comments left on the site over the last month in case you missed them first time around.

First up, props to everyone who left comments on our post about how to get into the habit of taking packed lunches – great answers from everyone: Bellen, Alice, Alexis, carol, Bobbie, Karmae, cmdweb, Marti and “Computer Recycling and Disposal”. I almost wish I left the house regularly enough to warrant taking lunch!

And Robert Campbell and Rainwater Recycler’s comments on our post about how to improve a greywater system were also very informative.

Karmae also left a great suggestion on the post about how to reuse or recycle the ends of receipt rolls – use them to expand clothes sewing patterns when the wearer changes sizes.

Summer suggested using the bottoms of plastic bottles to keep underwear drawers tidy and Petra left a comment explaining her spin on the using a bottle top to make a resealable plastic bag thing – use them on balloons. Or, she hypothesises, that it might be possible to make a “vacuum” seal bag for fabric storage.

Thoey uses the stubs of old pencils – ones with erasers on the end – to make mini stamps.

Mary Horesh added a sixth suggestion to my great reuses for polystyrene list – use it to fill empty space in your freezer as freezers are less efficient the emptier they are (you can also use plastic bottles filled with water for this purpose).

Alexis, who I’m currently living through vicariously for my spinning and weaving wants, has suggested using an old curtain to insulate a draughty loft hatch.

And finally Bellen gave us a reuse and a warning – metal sweet or biscuit tins make great drums for kids. Just very, very loud ones.

Thanks to everyone who has suggested things over the last month – lots of really inspiring ideas!

(Soup photo by ellikelli)

Perhaps it’s just the blogs I read but it seems like more people than ever are thinking of making gifts this Christmas.

There are lots of suggestions out there for making biscuits, cakes or jams, or knitting or crocheting something pretty — but if you’re after a truly frugal Christmas, all those ingredients & yarns add up: what about things which you can make by reusing/recycling/upcycling things from around the home?

Here are my favourite ideas for simple & frugal upcycled Christmas presents:

1. Hankies

Handkerchiefs are easy to make from any soft old cotton fabric – bedding or clothing for example. They’re simple but always useful – and help the recipient cut down on their disposable tissue usage too.

Don’t feel they have to be boring white – I made the ones in the picture out of an old pink gingham shirt – and consider monogramming/embroidering them to make them extra special.

(Use 100% cotton fabric where possible and 100% cotton yarn too so that they can handle being washed at a hot temperature if needs be.)
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We’ve covered sheets & valances and feathers & down – but not intact duvets themselves.

I was thinking about duvets last week – not just because I spent much of Thursday wrapped up in one and the rest of the week wishing I was wrapped up in one, but also because I saw this insulating blind tutorial. Admittedly, it’s for a quilted throw more than a duvet but a summer weight duvet would work in a similar way.

Duvets in good, clean condition can be given to charity shops/thrift shops or shelters/refuges to be reused as duvets.

Ones in less good condition can be turned into other bedding such as mattress protectors/under-blankets or pillow protectors.

Any ideas on how to recycling?

Amber sent us an email asking about reeds from musical instruments:

I’ve got TONS of old alto saxophone reeds lying around, and was wondering if anybody had an idea about how to reuse/recycle them?

I am incredibly unmusical but Wikipedia tells me reeds tend to be make from cane, although there are an increasing amount of synthetic ones in use.

The first idea that springs to mind is turning them into some sort of jewellery – a subtle nod to your musical skills. It might be possible to make them into a statement necklace or chunky bracelet – possibly a bit like this necklace or if you had a lot, this bracelet (they’re made out of shell but I was thinking about the shape more than anything). Or if you’ve just got a couple, dangling earrings?

Any other ideas on how they can be recycled?