Reusing things before throwing them away

Hope you guys can forgive me for missing a few days of the green tips...I seemed to need a bit of time away from the computer after a busy week with my Grandpa's memorial and some extra family time was just what the doctor ordered.  I'm feeling much better and I'm ready to get my craft on, so to speak, as well as get some green tips out to you :)  I hope you all had a great Easter (if you celebrate it) and some wonderful time with family too!

In my kitchen, and anywhere else I can, I like to reuse things as much as I can, even if it's just once or twice before I throw them away or recycle them.  Here's a couple examples of that:

The Butter Wrapper - I read somewhere (I don't remember where or I'd give credit - sorry!) that you should freeze your butter wrappers to reuse for a variety of different things.  They gave suggestions like using in place of waxed paper between hamburger patties, and using them to rub down a pan to prevent sticking, instead of using a cooking oil spray.  This is primarily what I reuse them for.  I love it!  I just fold the wrappers onto themselves and stick them in the freezer door.  It works great :)

Miscellaneous Glass Jars - I reuse glass jars from peanut butter and spaghetti sauce, etc. to store leftovers in the fridge.  The different sizes are nice for a variety of quantities and I feel good about reusing things, even in lieu of recycling.  Recycling is great, but it still uses more resources than reusing.

Think outside the box a little before you throw something away and see if you can't come up with another way to get a little extra life out of it.  I feel great when I can help the environment in some small way, but it's equally nice when that step can help my wallet too!