Miscellaneous Forum

What a fascinating question you ask here Dave! I can't think of a thing to add, but as a person who tends to hold on to things broken or not I'm sure there have been somethings I continue to use. Oh, I do have one thing to mention, but don't know that it would qualify. A broken toilet. I now use it as a planter outside. Does that count?

The Husband has a few parts out of whack but still usable as intended.

LOL! Good one! Thanks for the first laugh of my day Kate.

I guess a husband with a few screws loose does fit the description! And a toilet being a planter is another perfect example. Another that I remembered was that my grandma broke a pair of scissors, so my grandpa fished it out of the trash and simply kept the one half as a letter opener.

LOL. Find new friends.

Ha! so my friends are a few sandwiches short of a picnic.. at least they keep me laughing

Maybe an escalator is not exactly equal to a staircase, but is still functions as one. And I've been on many stairs in all corners of the world where the spacing and heights of each step are less than ideal, but it does not stop people from either using them or building them. And maybe an electronic toothbrush head is smaller than average, but it still functions as one in a pinch and is better than none at all.

I've both climbed escalator steps when the things aren't working and brushed my teeth with the electric when the battery has been out. Would I eventually replace the toothbrush if broken? Yes, but it worked fine in a pinch! Better than a paste-on-a-finger job (done that too).

1. A mug with a broken handle as a receptacle for holding toothbrush and toothpaste. 2. Old towels used as mops to clean up the floors. 3. Old clothes cut into decent sizes to use in the kitchen or to clean up dust in the house. 4. Old iron nails prised out, hammered straight and reused.

Same as Anil with old clothes too manky to be sent to the charity (thrift) shop. Floorcloths, dusters, window-wipers, paint-rags, whatever... I used an old aluminium (??) boiler housing as a planter: it's lasted incredibly well (10 years and counting). Any amount of bits of wood, shelving etc re-used for sundry purposes in the garden and house, as and when required.

In my country there are two political parties good for nothing but we are using them since 40 years. Can you guys compare anything with that HUH !

O..and I use plastic carrier-bags (which I try to avoid as much as possible) as liners for waste-bins and baskets, and old toothbrushes for cleaning awkward corners and grouting.

I've used some of these in the past, but have added all the new suggestions to memory. I just remembered an old ski lodge that I stayed in had curtain rods made from the old ski poles and skis. The ski poles were the sliding rods and the skis were the front window treatment (or what ever that thing is called)

One can never have too many old towels and T-shirts! At my house they polish shoes and cars, absorb oil from the chainsaw, wipe out the oven, cushion breakables... I save little jars for this, that and the other thing too: bits of touch-up paint, buttons, leftover cinnamon and sugar from baking snickerdoodles, etc.

O yes...forgot all the jars! Excellent for cleaning paintbrushes too. And snickerdoodles are *what*, exactly?

Sadiq, that reminds me about our saying: If 'pro-' is good and 'con-' is bad, progress if forward, why do we call our government branch congress?

We use egg cartons to hold various things. My mom holds beads, buttons and things for her art projects. My dad & I use them to hold small parts for electronics and garage-type projects.

>And snickerdoodles are *what*, exactly? They are a cookie. You roll the dough in littles balls and then roll the balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before you bake them. I always have leftover sugar/cinn. mix that I store away and incorporate the next time. Or sprinkle it on buttered toast.

Thanks...I won't ask for the etymological derivation! :-))

@leics - snickerdoodles are delicious, is what they are. Kind of depends on what is broken, doesn't it? I wouldn't reuse a toaster for anything, at least not that I can think of. But turning old Macs into fishtanks, that kind of thing, that's creative thinking, seeing beyond what you're told something is. Asking for another toothbrush because the battery died? That's odd.

@Abbas Sahib= That's nothing! In my country, we have been using only one political party and still functioning! Like an ameoba, it keeps breaking and forming a new life!

Cut old pantyhose into strips to tie up tomato plants. Use old CDs and DVDs as hanging "things" to scare birds away from fruit trees. Old mugs and drinking glasses hold paint brushes (and lipsticks or eyeliners or pens and pencils)

I am trying to figure out if anyone can fix my ipod. The camera function is not working correctly. It comes up as a blank screen.

Have you asked on Tech? Someone might know something...

>I won't ask for the etymological derivation Good, cause I've no idea where it came from! They are very yummy though. My old jeans get hacked into cut-off shorts.

Had to google it...you know me & etymology! Seems likely it came from the German 'Schneckennudeln', apparently. I want some. Now.

Large plastic bottles cut down (minus tops) make excellent mini-greenhouses or individual cold frames. Been ages since I 've done that..just remembered! And the bottoms can be put into the soil and filled with beer as slug traps. A pleasant way to go..rather like drowning in a vat of malmsey. :-)

"The camera function is not working correctly. It comes up as a blank screen." Lee, remove your little finger from in front of the camera lens... OK, slap my hand...but actually that's not so far fetched...I use my camera function on my iPhone so seldom that the camera lens gets filthy and makes for cloudy, fuzzy photos... As for things that don't work any more, exhibit #1 is my memory...I can remember Latin declensions that I learned at the age of 14, but can't remember what I ate for dinner last night...all I know is that whatever I ate, it was while watching the Olympics ;-) Bill

What is the world coming to when people can't walk up some steps :) My rule of thumb is to keep things simple - my washing machine is 20 years old, my gas boiler 30 yeasr old and my cooker is 50 years old and all still going strong! My sister even goes so far as getting her electronic goods repaired, even if this costs twice as much as buying a new one. Very concientious, but you need deep pockets to do this!

Dishwasher broke down last week, got it repaired yesterday. A week full of washing pots and pans, something we have not done for over 20 years, what a bugger!!! :o)