Use what's on hand

We've talked before about the commercial idea that you need specific products for specific tasks, and explained why it's very rarely true in the everyday life of the average household. Using what's on hand is a great ethos to apply to your activities at work and home.

What does "use what's on hand" mean in a practical sense? It means:

• Use waste paper as a note pad.
  
• Use worn towels and sheets as dusting rags, liners for Fido's bed, etc.
• Use holey stockings or fabric offcuts to tie plants to stakes in your garden, or bundle items together in your kitchen or office.
• Use newspapers to line shelves and drawers, clean glass, wrap rubbish, protect stored items from dust and breakage, mulch your garden, sprout seeds, and so on.
• Use the back of a used envelope to write up your shopping list.
• Use unwanted CDs to keep birds off your veggies and fruit.
• Use leftovers as tomorrow's lunch or tomorrow night's dinner.
  
• Use empty toilet rolls to hold soil and sprouted seedlings (one per roll, fold one end over!).

This list could go on and on. What does "use what's on hand" mean to you?