“As we explore this new world with how we live with waste, how that impacts our everyday lives and what we can do to minimize our carbon footprint and make use of sustainability, we find this allows us different forms of creativity to bring new uses to everyday items.” – MG Meyering of Interiors by Design

STOCK UP ON PRE-LOVED CASSEROLE DISHES

One idea I like is buying up small and medium casserole dishes. We all have friends who are down with Covid, or a broken foot, or a new baby. Using these to recycle a meal out of your door into someone else’s keeps from buying new plastics that will just get tossed. Plus the receiver can keep or spread the love as they see fit.KEEP MEASUREMENT NOTES ON YOUR PHONE

Take measurements of those rooms, cabinets, and windows you are needing sinks for, flooring, etc. keep these in your purse, backpack or car console. When you’re at a building resale, you’ll have these measurements when you need them. Don’t make impulse purchases and think smarter, not harder about remodeling goals you want to see happen and don’t get in a hurry to make your find a reality. Remember the hunt is part of the fun. I’ve found some of the most unexpected finds when I wasn’t expecting to.

BE CREATIVE

I’ve taken chandeliers, spray painted them bright fun colors,  wired them up and hung them above my pool from a giant pecan tree. 
I gave a thrilling visual to my outdoor living. 

“Look for Made in the USA items. Odds are an item made in the USA will be from at least the ‘90s.”

“Start to learn different company’s tags. A tag’s design will change over the decades and can help indicate roughly when it was made.”

“Go all the time. Thrift stores like Habitat are always putting out new items and if you don’t go looking on a regular basis you may miss out on something good.”

“Persevere and be consistent. Leaving the thrift store empty-handed happens sometimes, but don’t take it to heart. Frequenting the thrift store is a wonderful way to guarantee that you’ll come across some great finds. You don’t have to stay long. It can be as simple as popping in on a lunch break or after work!”

“Think outside the box. The beauty about secondhand items is that you often don’t spend much on them, so it makes it less intimidating to DIY it and repurpose/restructure an item to suit your needs.”

“Don’t limit yourself to one section—be creative!
This is especially true in textiles and clothing. Sometimes items end up in the wrong spot. Other times you come across something so unique that it can be used for your next project!”