26 Ways Thrifty People Use Things Up To The Last Drop

I was making popsicles this week out of the juice from cans of peaches and pears that I used in making peach pear crisp when I began thinking about all the different ways my thrifty family uses things right down to the last drop.

26 Ways Thrifty People Use Things Up To The Last Drop

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1. Thrifty people use the fruit juice from canned fruit to make popsicles or flavor their sweet tea

Popsicle molds are inexpensive to buy, and you can quickly make your money back by putting them to work for this thrifty purpose.

2. Thrifty people use the last of the BBQ sauce from the bottle with a vinegar swish.

One great use for bbq sauce is this simple recipe for crockpot BBQ boneless chicken wings.

3. Thrifty people use up that last bit of hard natural peanut butter in the bottom of the jar.

I like mixing it with honey and dipping fruit in it.

4. Thrifty people know a perfect use for that last bit of coconut oil in the jar or measuring cup.

I use it as a moisturizer on particularly rough skin like feet or elbows.

5. Thrifty people know that sharp scissors can help them get out that last bit of product.

I use a pair of these scissors to slice through thick lotion bottles like those for suntan lotion to make it last one or two more applications.

6. Thrifty people are not afraid to get creative in the kitchen in order to use up leftovers.

Here are a few ideas for what to do with leftovers from holiday dinners.

7. Thrifty people are not upset when watermelon is mushy.

They use it to make slushies.

8. Thrifty people know that a set of these in the kitchen is essential for every thrifty ninja.

Thrifty people don’t have just one spatula; instead, they have a set that contains different sizes so they always have the right-sized tool for the job–whether it is getting the last of the peanut butter out of the jar or scrapping another muffin’s worth of batter out of the bowl.

9. Thrifty people follow a two-step practice for getting all the liquid detergent out of the bottle.

First, they turn the detergent bottle upside down with the lid on tight for a few hours and use what gathers in the cap for one more load.

After that, they put a capful of water in the detergent bottle and swish it around for a minute or so and then pour it into the washer.

This two-step practice ensures that not a drop of detergent is wasted.

10. Thrifty people practice a similar two-step method on their shampoo bottles.

Pretty much the same method for liquid detergent, but with a shampoo bottle and hair.

11. Thrifty people hire help to empty the toothpaste tube effectively

They buy special tools that help them get the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.

Thrifty People Also Have A Habit Of Getting One More Use Out Of Pretty Much Anything

12. Thrifty people cut up clothing with holes into rags so they don’t have to buy as many (or any) paper towels.

Clothing in good shape is resold or donated, but clothing with holes generally receives a second life as rags.

13. Thrifty people keep several of these around the house to hold paper that has only been used on one side.

Our home has a half a dozen of these clipboards around the house full of paper that still has one side with nothing written on it. We use this paper for grocery lists, to-do lists, chore lists, math homework, and much more. I rarely buy new paper in our home except for the printer so the children can print their papers for school.

14. Thrifty people put paper bags to creative use.

Our family uses paper bags inside out for wrapping gifts and for wrapping packages to mail.

15. Thrifty people use empty glass jars as drinking glasses, to store leftovers, or to store dry goods.

One fall, our family broke almost every drinking glass we owned. I replaced them with pickle jars. We buy a jar of pickles every other week, so it didn’t take long. This helped us hold out to the next yard sale season, where I was able to find a box full of glasses for ridiculously cheap (worked out to ten cents a glass).

16. Thrifty people cut buttons off of worn-out garments of clothing to use on crafts.

My friend made me a necklace using buttons and beads and I cherish it! Another cute craft for using up buttons are these headbands for little girls.

17. Thrifty people’s jeans with worn-out knees become this summer’s new shorts.

Cut-offs are so simple to make, why are you buying them? Use your worn out in the knee jeans, or perhaps those jeans you stopped wearing because you found the bottoms too wide for your liking.

18. Thrifty people make bread crumbs out of the bread crusts the kids won’t eat.

Gather bread crusts in a bag in the freezer until you have enough to make a batch of bread crumbs. If you don’t know how, Google it–it is so simple.

19. Thrifty people take outdated things or things they are bored with and make them new again.

I once found a necklace at a yard sale that I liked, but I found it uncomfortable to wear so I made a new necklace using the beads from it.

20. Thrifty people take clothing they own but no longer wear and make it into items they will use.

Check out my Pinterest boards full of makeover ideas

21. Thrifty people shop for spare parts on Amazon to fix an item instead of automatically throwing items away.

This post is full of items we have saved using parts off of Amazon. Since it was written, we have saved many more things by fixing them with pieces found on Amazon and fix it tutorials found on YouTube.

22. Thrifty people will see if they can get what they need using what they have by throwing a swap party with their thrifty friends.

Here is a list of ten different money-saving swap parties you can invite your thrifty friends to. From book swaps to costume swaps, if your pool of friends is large, there should be no need to buy many different types of items–you can swap them instead.

23. Thrifty people use boxes and packing material from their online orders to send their eBay items in.

I love selling our no longer needed items on eBay to help pay for fun things like vacations. To keep my cost of shipping supplies low, I reuse as many packing supplies as possible from items I receive in the mail.

24. Thrifty people use old shower curtain liners as drop cloths for painting projects.

I haven’t done this since we have a glass door on our shower, but I know it can be done.

25. Thrifty people never let an old frame go to waste.

Old photo frames around our house are filled with chicken wire so that photos can be clipped to them or hung up on the old playground to create a fun photo booth for a teenager’s birthday party.