7 Genius Uses for Old Newspapers That Will Save You Time and Money

Newspapers: you get one every single day of every single week of every single month of every single year. Woah… that’s a lot of newspapers!

The sad thing about that fact is that most of the time, newspapers end up getting thrown in the trash. This is not only not very good for the environment, it is also an utter waste because newspapers can come in handy around the house in a multitude of ways. They can also replace many of the fancy, expensive things we buy, saving you a lot of money. Here are 7 ways that you can put your old newspapers to use:

Shelf Lining

Used newspapers are great to use as shelf liners. Simply fold them in half and again around the corners if it’s necessary to make sure it fits in your shelf and you’re good to go. It helps prevent dust from accumulating in your things, and also is easily replaceable.

A Camping Essential

Crumpled up newspapers can help in starting bonfires, campfires, and also to get a charcoal grill going. You can also lay them on the ground under you sleeping bag to make sure it doesn’t get damp or dirty. It can be used as emergency tissue paper too. So, the next time you go camping, make sure to pack a couple old newspapers along with your supplies.

Craft Away!

Newspapers can really come in handy during a lot of craft projects. For one, you can lay them on any surface and place your supplies on them to make clean up easier. Plus, if you drop a little paint, it won’t have ruined your coffee table. They can also be used as a craft supply; you can use them for papier-mache, scrapbooking, gift wrapping, origami and to cut out pattern-templates.

Fruit Helper

Wrapping a newspaper around raw tomatoes will speedup the ripening process, giving you juicy, red tomatoes in no time! You can also use them to wrap around apples to keep them fresh and dry longer. Newspapers are also perfect for lining your fruit drawer; they will keep the rotten ones from making too much of a mess and also absorb any unpleasant odors.

Packing Peanut

Packing something breakable up to move somewhere? If you’ve got a bunch of old newspapers around, skip having to go to the store and buying packing peanuts. Simply scrunch a few newspapers up to whatever size you need and shove them into empty places so that fragile items stay in place and intact during transport and storage.

Cage Liner

Just like with the shelf, you can line the cage of your pet with some old newspapers. This will make your life a lot easier because all you have to do is discard the newspaper and replace it with a new one. No gross cleaning involved! You can also shred them up and use them as an inexpensive alternative to kitty litter.

Gardener’s Friend

If you’re into gardening, then newspapers can you help in so many ways! Wet newspapers can be used as compost material, and if you roll and tie them up, wet them, and leave them in a bug-infested area, you’ll have yourself an awesome insect remover. If the weather is cold and dry, you can lay newspapers over your plants to keep them protected. You can even use them as knee pads to keep your clothes from getting dirty while you’re busy gardening!