Repurposing with Pinterest

Image by mazaletel

This post is written by contributing writer, Stacy from Stacy Makes Cents.

There is a phenomenon sweeping the nation… it’s a time sucker – and I love every minute that I spend on it. Pinterest. In case you haven’t heard, Pinterest is a website that is basically one big search engine. You type in what you’re looking for, and when you find it you’re able to “pin” the item to your own bulletin board. Then you can go back and look at all your ideas at one time. It’s genius. It’s free. It’s my friend. Amen.

For me, Pinterest is an exercise in my frugality. When I finally took the plunge and started using it, I quickly realized that it would help me use the things I already have.

Most people run out and buy something new when they “need” an item. If I have an item, I try to use it – and if I get tired of it, then I just change it. Pinterest has helped me in this area by leaps and bounds!

If you’re the type of person who would like to remodel or redecorate your home but you’re on a tight budget, Pinterest is the place for you. Pinterest will give you ideas for using the things that you already have… but show you how to make them new again.

Our new home

Recently, my husband and I purchased a foreclosed home with cash. We got a great deal! But… it needed a large amount of work. My husband has worked on all the major projects, while my job is to clean and decorate. And let me tell ya – decorating is NOT my strong suit.

I was worried about what to do until my friend, LeighAnn, told me that she got most of her great decorating ideas from Pinterest… and then I got started.

The house came with several items – foreclosures are sold “as is.” Before I would let Barry throw anything away, I would search on Pinterest to see if there was a way I could use it first. If not, then out it went… with most metal things being turned in for cash.

Using this Pinterest method, I’ve been able to save a ton of money by using things I already had – just repurposing them for a different use!

Let’s have some examples, shall we?

My awesome apple crate find!

In an outbuilding, my husband found this delightful vintage apple crate. I should insert here that I have a passion for all things vintage and antique – I hope to decorate most of the house this way.

The average person might have thrown this beauty out – it’s broken in part of the bottom and it was really dirty. I took the water hose to it and transformed it into a thing of beauty. Using Pinterest, I decided that I would use it as shelving, getting the fabulous idea from Design Sponge.

The closet doors in the master bedroom left something to be desired. They were a tad tacky in my opinion. Again, not wanting to spend too much money, I searched Pinterest. Using paint that I already had, and making my own stencil, I found this FABULOUS idea from Two Berti’s for how to make my closet doors look like barn doors. Genius! And free!

My repurposed dish drainer

I had considered throwing out my old dish drainer because I didn’t really like having it on the counter. Again, I consulted Pinterest to make sure I wasn’t getting rid of something priceless.

I’m so glad I didn’t get rid of it! With a little cleaning and paint, I was able to make this into a fabulous area for storage, using an idea from Cozy Little House. She uses her dish drainer as storage for file folders – I am using mine as a place to store coloring books for my three year old. Awesome!!

So, before you consider throwing something out – why not try to repurpose it first? You can save a bundle! Thank you, Pinterest.

What great ideas for repurposing have you found on Pinterest?

This post is shared with Tackle it Tuesday, Time-Warp Wife, Frugal Tip Tuesday, and Far Above Rubies.

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