Every week, we bring new things into our homes in the form of groceries, clothing and home goods; in turn, much goes out to be disposed of. There is a choice that can be made in our everyday living to make a conscious decision to create less waste. Much can be learned from the wise women who lived during the Great Depression, many of whom had no choice but to make do and be creative with what they had.

During the Depression, it wasn’t unusual for women to have sewing and knitting skills; not many young people today have sewing machines available to them or a knitting teacher to give them the basic knowledge. A couple of hours in front of a sewing machine can be enough to build a foundation, which could morph, in time, to brilliant designs that would cost a pretty penny at a trendy boutique.

With that creativity in mind, a beginner could repurpose textiles that they already have in their homes. Instead of throwing out an adult-sized shirt that may no longer be in usable condition for parents to wear, child-sized clothing can be made from the unblemished part of the garment. A men’s dress shirt could easily be transformed into a child’s skirt or pants. The buttons and zippers on the old attire can be reused for new sewing projects. To go even further, when the child has either outgrown or adorned their repurposed clothing with never-to-come-out grape juice and grass stains, one could take that same clothing, rework it and make it into doll clothes. Three separate functions from one purchase is a great way to use less.

Another way to get more use out of well-worn kids clothing is to use one of those washing machine permanent color dyes to camouflage stains. A tie dye project is also a way for kids to get in on the reusing-repurposing action.

Here is an idea for both reducing the amount of packaging on groceries that come into the home and for creating a storage space for those groceries from repurposed items. The first step is to purchase staple foods like rice, flour and oats in bulk. There are companies online that sell bulk foodstuff at wholesale prices. The packaging on bulk orders is typically much less than when purchased in smaller increments; the only issue is storing the larger amount once it is in your home. The solution: repurposed one-gallon-sized pickle jars. It’s so simple. Once you have gotten your fill of crunchy dills, clean out the glass jar thoroughly and let it dry. Paint the non-food-touching side of the lid to match your décor, and there you go — an easy but beautiful way to showcase and store food.

For those who are fans of scrapbooking, this an idea that is both sentimental and a great way to reuse cards throughout the seasons. When creating a scrapbook dedicated to the first year of life for a new baby, the embellishments and stickers can be very expensive. A way to cut down on costs and paper waste is to save all the wonderful cards that new parents receive upon the arrival of their little one. The text and graphics on the cards as well as the hand-written messages can be cut out and layered on colored paper to give scrapbooking pages that added pop and personal touch.

These ideas are only a few among the vast possibilities for repurposing items throughout our homes. Summertime is a great time to do some of the projects that require an easily cleanable open space and ventilation because they can be done outdoors. See what you can do to repurpose and reuse this season.