This isn't a tip, but rather an interesting list of things to use. I was looking for some ideas to shape up my 3X5 office space.

New Uses For Everyday Items

I have a tip to add on to Grey's below--the next time you buy a rug pad and have to cut it to get it to fit under the rug, keep the scraps, because they work really well to help get tight lids off jars and such.

I even went so far as to lift up one of my rugs to use the rug pad to remove the lid off a stubborn spaghetti sauce jar, and it came right off!

This isn't as lovely a tip as Jen's, but...

I keep my cat's litter box in the downstairs bathroom. When he uses it, he tracks litter on the floor, and it's irritating for humans to use that bathroom.

I didn't want to pay for one of those special mats they sell at Petsmart that catch the litter, so I've just been sweeping it up and waiting for inspiration to hit.

Two days ago, the (low-energy, long-lasting) light bulb went on! I have some shelf liner, the kind that is sort of spongy and designed to look like puffy cheesecloth. You know the kind I mean? It is also used as a non-skid liner under rugs?

I put some of that under the opening of the litter box, and sure enough, the little holes trap the litter. Now, when I clean the box, I just shake out the "mat" and sweep up the litter.

Last spring, when I started my seeds for my garden, I envied my parents' greenhouse, because they can start their seeds extra-early without any chance of frost killing their seedlings.

Since I don't have a greenhouse (yet; it's on my list), I spent a week or so trying to figure out how I could create one of my own without too much trouble and effort.

And then I remembered the old aquarium that I had in the shed. And I realized that it would fit my seed starting pots just fine--and my 'make do' greenhouse was born.

Not only did it work, but it worked quite well. In fact, I'm planning to add another aquarium to the collection next year, so I won't run out of room. It was a wonderful idea, and cost me nothing, since I got the aquarium for free.

There is only one caveat: The aquarium you use cannot be watertight, because when you water your seedlings, you want the water to drain. So an old, unused aquarium would probably be best. I did line it with paper towels, just to soak up a bit of the overflow, and it worked just fine.