Be Square & Underconsume! Frugal Friday!

[@berolinastrassmann]

I ❤ frugal tip! I recycle old TShirts, towels or dish cloths as rags to dry my brushes on, so I don't have to use kitchen paper towels or napkins. The cut up T-shirts can be washed and reused. I don't even sew the edges 😮. I am a rebel.😂

[@melsgalleria]

I second this, I actually had some t-shirt rags we had left from some project we were doing, and they make great brush rags for watercolor painting. I was doing quite a bit of watercolor and inktense paintings towards the end of the years, and I have been using the same rag no problems works great. Mine aren't sewn either lol. They would be great for any kind of painting, but I would suggest throwing them away if you are using oils. I used to use paper towels, but I went through so many of them because they became soaked pretty quickly. The folded up t-shirt rag is way more absorbent, and lasts much longer, plus can be washed. Though for personal use I kinda like the paint stains on it lol.

[@K_rye]

I do the same. I use those old shirts for almost all the cleaning in my craft room. Once, as an experiment, I took a nice quality undershirt that my son had outgrown. I used it to clean up ink and stamps. The shirt looked amazing after a couple of years.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Great tip! I do that too with old t shirts!

[@berolinastrassmann]

Glad I am not alone with this. Plus, recycling for textiles is so rare in many cities. I use water based media, so even if they are stained they work great. Oil requires too much faffing about to clean. I stick to watercolour and gouache and I am a happy gal...with lots of dirty T-shirt rags 😂@@melsgalleria

[@berolinastrassmann]

Yes, cotton fabric from undershirts and T-shirts are perfect for this. Glad to hear this is a widespread shared frugal practice. @K_rye @@K_rye

[@berolinastrassmann]

PS. 💡Your frugal Friday tips deserve a playlist ❤. I was just looking to see if I found more Friday Tips, as I watched them over the years. Frugal Friday Tips could also be a yearly compilation video, as they are short, useful and very watchable. (And another low effort way to bring earlier content into the new year! ) Thanks, as always, @thefrugalcrafter

[@antoniaking4719]

This is a great idea!!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Great idea!!

[@mjpete27]

@@thefrugalcrafter Hullo Lindsay, You have so much amazing content and I have been not the only person having trouble finding what I am looking for! I have made my own saved playlists of videos but it is not as well organized as others. I like it also re-purposes your videos, exposing them to new audiences too!

[@missyb.623]

I love your frugal Friday tips! You know you reuse and repurpose when the husband asks before throwing anything away 😂 OR he brings home awesome things from work destined for the dumpster! Even my adult daughter will bring me things that she deems useful but she doesn't need ❤ Sweet story, my daughter-in-law said my son asked her to save old t-shirts to make cleaning rags!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

It sounds like you have a great system!

[@zdzislawaprzyborska5653]

That is so true! Im lately taking a closer look at product packaging, and I'm amazed how often those are so much better designed in comparison to the containers meant to be sold just as it's own product!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I totally agree!

[@antoniaking4719]

Great tips Lindsay! We are a family of ,"but what can I use this for?" before it goes in the trash or recycle bin. A great theme to start 2025; reuse what you can and use what you've got! Happy New Year Lindsay!! ✨️

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Love that!

[@jns0913]

Lots of great info! One suggestion, it’s good idea to take the magnetic tape off of the credit cards, even if they are cut up. I was reusing mine for lots of things. According to my financial guy, each bit of the tape has multiple repeats of your banking & other personal information. I don’t know for sure, but I’m getting very cautious. 😏

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I'll be sure to share that tip!

[@jennifermaddock4382]

I shred mine, but that's great information.

[@fantasticmio]

I was casting about for probably a year trying to figure out how to store my needle felting wool. And then my partner, who does most of the cooking but has a tendency to over buy, got these large, clear, square plastic containers of things (nuts, garlic, onion flakes, etc). I snagged those as soon as they were empty (and applied baking soda and a lot of airing out for the potentially smelly ones) and now I have a way to separate out my colours! (And they stack really nicely on the shelf on their sides!)

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That is such a great idea!

[@jennifermaddock4382]

Yes and they make ideal drawer dividers.

[@Deeply-k3t]

I always save the square ones to freeze food in. (I know, this is not art but I am frugal. Does that count?) Anyway, round containers waste a lot of freezer space. They also waste a lot of shelf space. ❤❤

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Yes it does!

[@Artemis_dreams]

Awesome tips, enjoying art and crafting sure do make you walk a tightrope environmentally. So thanks for the tips.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Yes it does!

[@debterry1007]

So great to see you doing a Frugal Friday! Always appreciate the tips... Hugs! deb

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Thanks for watching!

[@blueviolets2022]

Good tips Lindsay. I grew up doing this in the 60s and 70s, til now, even. there's just too many cool ideas out there, thrown away. I use the rectangle plastic butter containers for popcorn bowls, saving food, etc. great ideas! Mason jars for paint water, plastic plates for palettes for acrylic, they work fantastic. Thank you for all your tips and tutorials, you're a wealth of information and helpfulness!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Happy to help!

[@flis625]

Yes, I use the margarine containers to store leftovers as they tend to hold just enough and I can put them in the freezer too.

[@cloverrabbit5622]

It's true! The square containers are much better...thanks Lindsay!

[@geriprior751]

I have always saved some jars and containers for kitchen storage, but when I started following you and pursuing my art hobbies, I started to look at all packaging for use for art. Amazing how plastic, containers, and cardboard can all be repurposed if not permanently, at least for another use! Thanks for the ti. Have a great weekend Lindsay!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That is a great way to think about it!

[@teque-awanderer1341]

I save the transparent and white lids from sour cream and yogurt containers to use as mixing pallets and glue pallets. I saved a square box to store them on their sides on my desk. Love these tips! Thank you!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That's such a great idea!

[@CP-rc9sw]

Yes! And-when getting containers to store stuff on shelves, get the squared ones with vertical sides so you can use allll the inches. :-)

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I’m a big fan of squared containers too!

[@deborahcorreale352]

I cut up my old lab coats, I cut out the two big lower pockets then I cut up the rest in about the same size and I put all the cut up squares in the pocket and I use that to dry my brush or take water off when painting and when needed just throw it in the washing machine and good to go Had to stuffed pockets for years now.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Nice!

[@veystone2580]

This was so funny to watch! Because my husband was next to me, and he heard you say to save the containers. Then he turned to me and said: "NOOOOOOO, PLEASE DON'T SAVE ANY MORE CONTAINERS!!!!" 😅😅😅😅 And it's because I save a lot of containers and boxes. 😅 Not in a hoarder kind of way, but I have more than enough! I have enough for myself and to share! 😅😅😅

[@melissaaldosari8024]

😂😂😂

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Haha!

[@cindyhunt6397]

Yeah for frugal Friday tips! Opens the mind to what can I use this for? I am appalled by the amount of packaging on products and have been making small changes. (Switched to laundry detergent sheets). Always get a thrill repurposing things. Thanks!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

The laundry sheets are great for most loads! Also good for kids in college!

[@melissaaldosari8024]

Fabulous Frugal Friday tips!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I’m glad you liked them!

[@olderendirt]

Great tip. I agree about square vs. round containers. I got a square one that had little frozen eclairs years ago and it's the perfect size for standard size napkins for decoupage. I've got so many plastic and glass containers and boxes. 😊 My husband isn't fond of them, but when he needs one I usually have something. Thanks for the tips!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I'm glad you liked the tip! I am the same way, I have lots of containers.

[@windydayz]

Love the frugal Friday tips!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I'm glad you like them!

[@pokey3010]

Excellent friday tip!! I am redoing my brushes after your tip about the tube, rubberband and pencils.. My studio is a closet lol so things get piled in there. Thank you for these awesome tips.. Happy New year

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pokey3010]

@@thefrugalcrafter 🤩

[@alanbirkner1958]

My friend gives me the plastic containers from Swiffer pads (I use rags). Those are nice bins to stack. Junk mail makes great work surfaces. Jar lids are great water containers. Tina, Al's wife

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That's a great idea about the Swiffer containers!

[@MrsBarnabas]

Reading the comments, here's one for paper kitchen towel (mentioned here in comments a few times), If it's a decent paper, and you've only used it for water-based mopping up (eg drying off a newly-wiped hob, mopping up drips from tea, coffee, water, dabbing your paint brush on it, soaking up splashed paint water, and other art-related uses), use it more than once!!! It's always worth paying a little extra for better quality kitchen towel / toilet paper, because we need less to do the job properly and as ^^^, kitchen paper can be re-used. Open it out and rinse - hot water and soap, or the washing up water will do the job if needed (not really necessary for most things), then just let it dry, just as you would your rag. You should be able to use it at least three times, whether in the kitchen or 'studio'. Note: even if it's stained with tea / coffee / paint, it's still re-usable, just as your rag is. Do the same with 'wet wipes' or baby wipes (obviously not if they've had poo on them, but fine otherwise, even if a bit messy from wiping baby food, etc). I learned this one way back in the early 1970's, when they were just becoming popular in the UK. They will take up to at least five re-uses, but don't put them in the washing machine, cos they won't last as long. 😊

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Good tip! I find viva paper towels are pretty durable.

[@louisapdjones]

Love it! I had a watercolor teacher who insisted we re-use plastic fruit/veg clamshell containers to organize our materials. She was also a fan of cheap TP rolls for travel towels. Brilliant.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I love that, what a great idea!

[@GraceAnnaShack1]

Great ideas about how to saving up household or grocery products to reuse packaging so very helpful ty so much Lindsay happy Friday 😊😊

[@jimflack9462]

Watching this, I was reminded of when my grandfather passed away and we were helping clear out his basement, he and my grandma had Quaker Oatmeal containers stacked like cordwood along one wall. We also found years and years worth of Reader's Digests tied up with baling twine (yes, they were farmers) in the attic. This was way back in the mid 60s. My colored pencils, paint brushes, pens and pencils are all kept in recycled glass jars. I keep the lids, just in case!! Lol!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I love that you reuse those jars!

[@rosali_ilovestamping]

I love this recycling tip!! So many supplies come with extensive (plastic) packaging, it's so good to have something ecofriendly as well! 🎉🎉🎉

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Absolutely!!

[@SusansColorfulExpressions]

I just cleaned out a recently used Sauerkraut jar to use as a water cup. It's nice and big, and wide, so it won't tip easily. I reuse as much as I can. My trash each week is fairly empty, as well as my recycle bin.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I love that!

[@flychk1229]

Love Frugal Friday Tips! You know what I struggle with letting go? Glass Jars. I have half a garage cabinet of them. It's like trying to let go of a really good box! 😂But...I use them over and over. Unique or pretty ones become vases, some are for kitchen use, like when I make homemade salad dressing, some might end up holding pencils or pens or brushes. Of course, I have two smallish, squat ones for water for painting (with a couple spares). My city quit recycling glass, so I do my best to find uses for them and then label what they were reused for so no craft jars in the kitchen, etc.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I definitely understand that struggle!

[@teresamazotti1315]

I am always recycling stuff into my art ❤❤

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Me too!

[@rhondita95]

I’ve saved gelato pint containers (I only have 2 or 3) for the exact same reason!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Nice!

[@marit4660]

I love these Frugal Friday tips! Those empty margarine tubs are a great (and cute) size. I use mine for gesso but wish they were square now (they're oval)! 😄

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Luckily the earth balence vegan margarine is my favorite brand!

[@gamigirlHeatherB]

Love the frugal tips! And I’ve always loved those scrapbooking on the go organizers…you packed that one beautifully!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Thanks so much!

[@bjustbee]

I've been reusing the plastic tray from like oreos or chips ahoy cookies to sort my pencils, and my junk drawer.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Great idea!

[@dawncraig8992]

A new discovery for me. The dunkin doughnuts coffee cannister - a large plastic orange canister with ridges on the sides. My new brush washing container.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I've never thought of that, but that's a great idea!

[@bennu547]

I reuse old hair masks containers for water when I’m using water colors. They’re meant to hold a thick conditioner so water will be absolutely fine with it. Plus I can close them when I need to because I’m clumsy. I also have this makeup brush soap that comes with a round silicone mat that’s intended to help get your brushes clean with the bumpy surface. It’s removable so I throw that in the bottom of my dirty water hair mask jug to clean my brushes. It’ll fall loose but it would stay put once there’s water inside because of course the added weight on top of it. Which is better that the silicone mat is slightly smaller than the base of the hair mask container. It just make it easier for me to take out and clean

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That is so clever!

[@InnerMagpie]

I bought a container on clearance at Hobby Lobby, that was slightly damaged. I repaired it by using gorilla tape on the inside to hold it together. It was a bigger container and my paint brushes flopped around and fell to the bottom. I used some cheap plastic crayola containers taped together inside. It holds my brushes up, now they don’t fall down.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Nice!

[@melsgalleria]

I almost have a problem with saving containers. I think I more saved containers than uses for them lol. Granted my husband always wants to save containers too. He likes to save everything glass we get.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Same here, glass jars = free storage!

[@chrisblevins5143]

Thank you Lindsay! I've always tried to buy things that can have multiple uses when the product is gone. And my cats are completely happy eating out of whipped cream tubs lol why buy the ziplock containers when you can reuse something else!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That’s a great idea!

[@bonnerdebbie]

Great ideas Lindsay, prefer square containers for storage.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Me too! I find them so much more efficient.

[@Grognardlass]

great idea! Thanks

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@Jessica-nf5zw]

Love this!

[@joniseith2227]

Great tip. Thank you!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Paintsplash4]

No frugal art day would be complete without including how great the cardboard ads are for making templates and stencils. Cut them out on your electronic die cutter, protect them by covering with a quick coat of gel medium or cheap acrylic paint you had lying around and you will start considering that annoying mailed cardboard a gift! ;-).

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I love that idea!

[@kraznia]

I don’t buy products in that shape container, but I do buy a lot of yogurt. So I save and reuse yogurt containers in my shop’s paint room. They stack with other similar deli containers so mixed brand donations all stack together. Those square one are cute though!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I'm glad you have a system that works for you!

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Lindsay, I love that you cannot help giving more than one tip! The tip for the square water tubs is great yet you give more tips within the video! I offer this additional tip of using "The Paint Puck" and it will fit in the square container much easier than the tapering round cup! Keeping brushes clean is key to giving more life to your brushes, so the longer they last, the better your investment! I gave my sister a good paint container with ridges on the bottom of the water reservoirs. She would not spend money on better brushes and I was able to make her "bargain brushes" last longer with the amazing Paint Puck! She bought 3 sets of brushes for my 1 set. By me just using the Paint Puck I got so much more mileage from the same brushes! I was trying to prove to her that buying quality over cheaper brushes does show in the end! Of course she said if I could make such quality paintings with bargain brushes she should be able to a s well! ::::sigh::::: sometimes people just do not want to listen nor learn. Thank you for your continuing efforts to educate us out here in the ether!

[@jennw6809]

Lindsay does use the paint pucks and their larger product too!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That’s a great tip!

[@Wilcoxmomma1103]

❤❤❤ thank you

[@thefrugalcrafter]

You're welcome!

[@robinpowell2712]

Appreciate the tip!🎉

[@thefrugalcrafter]

You're welcome!

[@annehebert6959]

Hey Lindsay. Happy New Year. I love this. I have just recently started teaching classes and I am finding that half the time I forget to bring something, or I have way too much of something else. I would really find it helpful if you could give us some tips on what we should/could bring for classes. Also what kind of tape do you bring for taping down projects or do you have pieces of paper already taped to boards before the class? Thanks - and more of these kinds of tips would be most helpful

[@thefrugalcrafter]

If you check out the linked video you will see what I bring and how I store it. I use dollar tree masking tape. I don't bring boards, I have students tape to the table.

[@creeksidehomeschoolers]

I have a question that has nothing to do with this video...lol! Just out of curiosity have you seen the new lightwish set of brushes that come in a cylinder tube and look very similar to the Artegria brushes? They are about $23 for the same number of brushes. I would love your opinion on them. Lightwish had a combo set of the 36 Mei Liang paints with their new 10 brush set for $39 dollars on Amazon. I'm teaching watercolor at our homeschool center and had two new students this semester so I thought sure their a good brand and look very similar to the Artegria set I bought the rest of the students. I just got them in today. They are very well packaged individually with plastic caps. From what I can tell they are the same only the sizes of a few of the rounds are very similar and on the smaller side, but the 0 comes to a much nicer liner style point, in fact all the rounds have a bit better of a point. Them seem to release water and pigment well. The dagger in different noticeable smaller and quiet honestly I like it more and find it more useful. I only wish the size 10 was more of a size 10 it's basically an 8 and the 8 a 6 and so on...the size 12 is great large size. So I think overall the new students would mostly be getting the same brushes maybe even an upgrade. This is just after 20 minutes of playing with them. Just thought you would be interested, not that I'm a brush guru or anything. Thanks for all your hard work...teaching is fun, and hard all at the same time and don't even get me started on all the tech stuff...I'm still in the phase of posting raw videos for my students who miss class...editing is over my head. You're amazing and I appreciate you and all your hard work!!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I haven't seen them! Lightwish brings out some really good stuff at making prices tho!

[@triciab8751]

I am a collector of containers (among other collections of stuff). I have to purge every so often and it makes me cringe when I do it. Lol

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I hear you!

[@OG-ux8sf]

I use The water I buy at the store as my colored pencil holders.

[@MrsBarnabas]

🤔Why do you buy water? Do you live in an area where the tap water isn't safe to drink even after boiling?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Great idea!

[@heathernolan902]

Mainers and Nova Scotians are cut from the same cloth 😆 Waste not, want not.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That is so true!

[@heatherhigbee5144]

Hi, Lyndsay :) Love your tips! So I know this probably isn’t the most appropriate place to ask but I’m not sure where the right place is so - have you ever taught a child’s class online? I would love to teach my granddaughter to draw simple things and how to watercolor, but I don’t feel like I know enough, and I’m afraid I would teach her bad habits. I think taking a class with her would be so much fun! If it’s not something you’ve done/wouldn’t do, do you have any recommendations? Thanks and happy new year!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I don't have any kids classes online but I have a Playlist of kids crafts kzbin.info/aero/PLNxvOHHWCjFhB2cOlR6xKhTH-r9-XYXEA&si=lDcBLY8DB0S25xMQ

[@heatherhigbee5144]

@@thefrugalcrafterthanks, Lindsay! We did the fish windsock yesterday and had a lot of fun 😊

[@cade6369]

I always try to be frugal, but I come from a family of hoarders AND environmentalists so I always have to temper my "I can reuse this piece of trash instead of sending it to the landfill!" with "not ticking off my roommate and making my house unlivable by having empty containers everywhere". It's a very fine line I have to walk as a broke and eco-conscious artist and as a recovering hoarder.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

The struggle is real!

[@annettefournier9655]

I save my individual cereal cups for the same😂🎉

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Nice!

[@MrsBarnabas]

🤔 Why do you buy individual cereal cups? Honestly, a genuine question, not a stroppy one - I've just asked the same question of someone who buys bottled water, but there may be a good reason for that, depending on where they live and water quality, but individual cereal cups? One of my bugbears here in France is that among other such things only available in small sizes here, I can't buy 500gm pots of yogurt, and so have to buy the little pots instead! They also have weird 'special offers', where if we buy eg 3 packs of buistuis for a 'reduced' price, they are held together in plastic wrap, and when checking the price of one, the saving's often only about 1 centime (1 cent, US, or a penny uk). It's crazy! All that unnecessary plastic!!!!

[@AafkeVultink]

I get the rectangular ones at Ikea. I use those for my most used stamps, they have them in squares to, won't even cost a dollar per container and I swear by those. But Im an Ikea Junkie and I should have a marketing influencer job there. Bc it is getting somewhat out of hand lol

[@thefrugalcrafter]

If we had ikea I'd be in big trouble!

[@wanderingstar5673]

🙂