Feeling the pinch

With tough economic times on the horizon, many people are looking for ways to stretch their budget. Don't Throw It Out: recycle, renew, and reuse to make things last, by Lori Baird and the editors of Yankee Magazine, will show you how to hang on to your things a little longer. It's not only economical, it's environmentally sensible. As a Yankee myself, I'm impressed with some of the tips in this book. You'll find out how to re-lace baseball gloves, extend the life of your brooms, and use candle stubs as pin cushions. Shoe bags - the type that hang off doors - are a cheap way to store craft supplies. Putty-type wallpaper cleanser will clean canvas shoes and coats. Old croquet stakes make great hose guides. The list goes on, and touches pretty much everything in and outside of your house and the hints come in three general varieties: fix it, make it last, reuse it as something else. Like all of these types of books, Don't Throw It Out has too many ideas to incorporate into your daily life (if you find yourself obsessing about implementing every suggestion in the book, you need to get a life). But even half a dozen hints gleaned from the pages can make a difference, and if you are looking for help on a specific topic, this is a great place to start.