1. Repurpose Old Clothing

When old cotton clothing you love wears out, don't throw it away — instead, cut it up and use the pieces as cleaning or dusting cloths. Synthetic fabric works well if you need material for your sewing or quilting projects. For instance, cut the graphics off old T-shirts you bought on vacations and turn them into a fun blanket you can toss over the back of a chair. Old jeans and thick shirts transform beautifully into tote bags or reusable shopping sacks, while soft sweaters work great as cozy throw pillow covers. Trim and stitch fancier fabrics from old dresses into elegant infinity scarves and matching headbands, and cut silk or satin material into squares, add some potpourri, tie it off with a ribbon and use as scented sachets in dresser drawers.

2. Get Creative With Containers

Old containers like vases, gift baskets and other home decor don't have to be cluttered — instead, use their interior space to stow items around your home for a fashionable yet highly functional accent. Remove dusty old artificial flowers from table displays, clean up the base and use them as handy home storage. Put smaller vases into service holding cleaning brushes by your kitchen sink, pens on your desktop or wrapped candies on your coffee table. Larger containers let you stylishly stash everything from cleaning products in your bathroom to remote controls and other nighttime essentials on your bedside table. Decorative baskets left over from Christmas gifts make a great choice for housing mail until you're ready to sort it or keep warm blankets by your favorite chair. Pop metal buckets by your door as a catchall for your keys and change so you always know where to find them.

3. Repurpose Cardboard Boxes

Since society has shifted its focus to online rather than physical shopping, you have more choices and an easier way to get things to your home, especially if you experience limited mobility. That shift in how we buy things has, unfortunately, created lots of cardboard waste. The good news is that those cardboard boxes you get from your favorite online retailers have multiple uses. Measure the insides of your drawers, then cut the cardboard into strips for perfectly sized organizers. Remove the tape from old boxes, flatten them out and glue them together in thick layers for an enticing DIY cat scratcher your feline friend can appreciate. Larger boxes paired with fabric from old clothing make an ideal base for creating customized cat and dog beds, while smaller ones work well as bedding for guinea pigs and rabbits. Get creative, cut the material into different shapes, paint with motifs you enjoy and use them as wall art.

4. Reimagine Old Greeting Cards

Memories of old friends and family members are hard to let go of, but their greeting cards can find a second life as fun craft projects. Cut scenes from card fronts and add ribbon to fashion sentimental bookmarks that remind you of holidays or birthdays past, and trim out special messages inside those cards to add to a photo album. Alternatively, trim out graphics to use as gift tags, string multiple cards together to create a themed holiday garland for your mantel or frame extra-special greeting cards for display on a tabletop or wall. You can cut the fronts of your favorite cards into circles or squares, laminate them, back them with cork or a magnetic sheet and put them to work as coasters or fridge magnets. You can also use old cards to make storage more fun by utilizing them as labels for a unique way to ID containers that hold belongings for certain seasons or holidays.

5. Don't Be Afraid to Let Go

Sometimes, there's simply no way to salvage and reuse old possessions, so don't be afraid to donate them, give them to a Thornton charity or even throw them away. Not everything you own has meaning — sometimes you may just feel like you can't let go due to other things going on in your life or guilt because you have "waste not, want not" sensibilities. The truth is, holding onto things that no longer serve you just adds clutter and complication to life, especially when you're going through strong emotions while downsizing for your move to Bethesda Gardens Thornton. You don't have to be afraid to let go — instead, embrace this new chapter of your life and appreciate how repurposing what you can keeps treasured memories and possessions within your grasp while freeing you of possessions that no longer have a purpose in your life.

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