Use It Up Advice Thread

[fidgiegirl]

Hey, I can't find the old one, so starting a new thread. I liked it when we had a place we could come to ask for ideas on using stuff up, be it shampoo we bought but didn't like or any number of pantry/freezer items, or whatever! Go!

[fidgiegirl]

So I'll go first: I have some prune juice that needs used up soonish. I like it, but don't, ahem, need its effects right now so don't want to just drink it straight up. Ideas? Can I reduce it into a sauce? Use it in a cake? Help!

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Kelli, here are some desserts that use prune juice:

http://www.yummly.com/recipes/baking-with-prune-juice

[redfox]

Definitely reduce it for a sauce. Simmer it till it's thick like honey, & use it in as a glaze for pork. Experiment with small amounts of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. added to it. Yummm.

[fidgiegirl]

Thanks for the ideas! On to a solution, will let you know what I do.

[AmeliaJane]

I decided that one of my goals for the last two months of the year was to eat down the pantry, fridge and freezer. So far: four over-ripe bananas, the end of a bag of frozen cranberries, and the rest of the walnuts went into a double batch of banana bread to bring to the work potluck; frozen purple-hull peas, turkey kielbasa, and some wilting grape tomatoes went into a slow cooker soup; I FINALLY used up the last of a bag of frozen tilapia on fish tacos, and a lot of produce in the fresh salsa to go with it; a half-box of Rice Chex, the end of a bottle of corn syrup and the dregs of a jar of peanut butter in a snack mix; used up a scone mix, brownie mix and biscuit mix that had wandered in somehow; and I've just generally been clearing out bits and pieces of condiments and ingredients...the last three tablespoons in the jar kind of thing. One of my Thanksgiving weekend projects is going to be to go through the fridge and pull out all the half-full bottles and jars and find recipes to use them up.

Also, I watched two DVDs that had been sitting around way too long so they can go in the mail.

[Azure]

I just found out that the container store has teeny spatulas with really long handles to use to get the last out of make up bottles & lotions. It is $5. I WANT one! I hate throwing out lotion bottles that I know has more stuff in it where I can't get to it. I think I am going to order one for all 5 of my sisters & my mom to give as little gifts when we have our girls weekend next year. Then we can all use it up.

Who knew?

[Gardenarian]

Any ideas for using up the short ends of little golf pencils? We have about a thousand of them at the library. I'm thinking maybe donate them to the artists' warehouse (SCRAP)?
And old books no one wants? We send 100s to recycling - seems a shame.

[fidgiegirl]

Hey, the pencils could be cute here in lieu of the crayons:

http://showmemama.com/blog/2013/03/1...ect-tutorials/

I also did a search on Pinterest for "book pages DIY" and got a million ideas! It would be so super if you could let people have those books for free for their crafts - would your institution allow it?

[fidgiegirl]

Can you burn pencils? Like, in a campfire? Or is that toxic?

Don't know how I missed so many replies on this thread, man I love using stuff up!!!!!!!