Thursday 24 March 2011

Daily Newspapers

Hello everyone. I am sorry I have been away for so long. I have been reading all your blogs and keeping up with your news.

I have a question for all you Frugalites out there - what do you do with all your old newspapers?
My eldest son has found a job that he enjoys and is making some good money. He is working for a company that sells subscriptions for our local/regional daily newspaper. He goes door to door round different towns every week and everyone he sees he gives them a free newspaper, as an incentive to take the subscription. This means that at the end of the day, depending on how successful he has been, he brings home what he has left, I could have up to 8 or 10 newspapers.
They sit around the lounge, kitchen and hall until I clear them away. Now I have 2 large shopping bags full. I know that I can put them to be recycled, or I can use some to start the fire in the winter, but I just wondered if anyone else has any bright ideas.

9 comments:

Brenda The Bregle Rebel Bag Lady said...

we dont get the paper, but get lots of junk mail. we have plans to make fire bricks, what we though we would do is get a short length say 14inches or so, of pvc down pipe, drill some holes near one end for drainage. rip up the paper, apparently ripping is better than cutting, soak it in a bucket for an hour or so, not too long otherwise it gets fermenty or buggy etc, then shove it in the pipe (standing on concrete or stone) and ram it down with something smaller in circumfrence, pushing the excess water out of the holes, then pop the "brick" out and dry in the sun, store for use in winter. like i said we havent made it yet.

two bones and a bagle said...

Sorry you got me stumped on that one - wait a mo think actually I have seen a foot stool made from very tightly rolled up newspapers. Go google or which ever search engine you may choose. lol.

Elizabethd said...

Use to wrap under strawberry plants to keep the slugs off. Shred and use, sparingly , in compost heap.
Donate to local waste recycling place!

Diane said...

Ive seen the firebricks made as brendie suggests and I think they are a good idea. You can use the odd bit of newspaper in card making (i stain mine with tea to "age" them, and if they are in French then all the better!!) but you would have enough with 1 paper to make hundreds of cards. I have used french newspapers for gift wrap - looks fab with red ribbon. Glad you are back - I was wondering where you had gone. x

lovelygrey said...

Hi welcome back - you've been missed!

I used to give them to a friend to line her guinea pig cage but now I've stopped buying them even at weekends and read on-line instead.
This wasn't a conscious thrifty mood, just that I wasn't having time to get through two papers a week. What I've found is that I now read weekday articles that interest me that I would have missed beforehand x

ML said...

My uncle was stationed in Japan right after WWII. Everyone was very frugal. They had a Japanese housekeeper and nanny. She would wet pages of the newspaper...wring out any excess, so it doesn't drip... Then, she would tear it up and spread it all over the carpet and leave it for awhile. Then, she would sweep it up with a broom.

I have done this many times over the last 55 years and it works wonders. For some reason, the ink on the paper acts like a magnet and pulls things from the carpet that the vacuum cleaner misses.
And, it brightens the carpet...also saves electricity.

Just thought I would share this with you in case you would like to try it.

I tried to post this on Frugal Queen's blog. But couldn't get it posted. I'm not very computer savy.

MaryLou/Texas

Wally B said...

They are good for weed barriers in the garden. Put them round your plants you want to keep and cover the offending ones with several layers. Then mulch on top.
C'est la Peche.

Manchester Lass, Now and Then said...

I was thinking of fire bricks as well:) xxx

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