• Minimalist wallet – pinch some folded cash and a credit card in the clip; even hang a house key from the silver handle.
• Picture “frames” – drive some nails into the wall, put binder clips on some favorite photos, then hang them from the nails.
• Toothpaste helper – keep your half-empty tube of toothpaste locked and loaded by rolling up and clipping the bottom.
• Cable corral – attach some clips to the edge of your desk to hold the ends of unused USB, power and audio cables.

4. Aluminum Foil

When Reynolds sold its first rolls of aluminum foil back in 1947, the company advertised it as the foil for “1,001 kitchen miracles.” Foil exhibits some unique properties of metal — moisture-proof, odor-proof, able to withstand extreme temperatures — and adds the uncanny ability to be molded into any imaginable shape. Foil is also washable, making it the material with 1,001 lives.

Next time you use a sheet of foil to cover a plate of leftovers, rinse it off afterwards, and save it for one of these unexpected household uses:

• Pot scrubber: Ball up some aluminum foil for an easy way to remove baked- on, caked-on grime from pots and pans. Also works on grease-caked grills.
• Silver polisher: Submerge tarnished silver in a glass pan of boiling water lined with aluminum foil; then add two teaspoons of salt. In minutes, a simple chemical reaction will dissolve the tarnish without damaging the silver.
• No-fuss funnel: Where’s a funnel when you need it? Form a cone out of a double layer of foil and you’re in business.
• Scissor sharpener: If your scissors get dull, simply cut through a sheet of aluminum foil.

3. Electronics

In the world of high-tech gadgets, it’s a short trip from “next best thing!” to a child’s plaything. Computers, TVs and cell phones fall out of fashion so fast that some folks have collections of old gadgets collecting dust in the basement. If you’re tempted to drag yesterday’s technology to the curb, check out these numbers about the benefits of recycling electronics:

Visit the EPA donation and recycling website to search for local retailers who accept old TVs, computers and cell phones. There are also charitable organizations like Cell Phones for Soldiers and Hope Phones that will take your old flip phone put it in the hands of someone who will really appreciate it. Another cool organization is Music and Memory, a group that gives old iPods and other MP3 players to dementia patients.

2. Wine Corks

Next time you pop open a nice full-bodied merlot or celebrate with a crisp bottle of Champagne, hold on to that cork. With some patience — or some serious drinking – you’ll collect enough corks to make dozens of cool DIY projects.

• A simple bulletin board or corkboard is the classic project. Glue a hundred or so corks in an eye-catching pattern on a backing board or within a colorful frame.
• For a cork bath mat, slice the corks in half lengthwise and hot glue the flat sides to a sheet of shelf paper.

Even if you only have a handful of corks, you can get creative.

• Make a floatable keychain by twisting a loop screw into a favorite cork. Carve a cool pattern into the end of a cork to make handy stamps.
• Or take thin slices of cork and glue them inside cabinet doors to make them slam-proof.

1. Squeeze Bottles

Step inside a fancy restaurant kitchen and alongside the expensive chef’s knives and $200 All-Clad pans are cheap plastic squeeze bottles. Chefs fill squeeze bottles with olive oil, custom sauces and spicy condiments to add a controlled dash of flavor or color to a dish. You can buy the same squeeze bottles for your home kitchen or save a couple of bucks and raid the recycling bin.

The next time you make pancakes, fill a big squeezable ketchup bottle with the batter and squirt out perfect portions without drips or spills. Fill old salad dressing bottles with your own vinaigrette or wash out the Sriracha bottle (really well) and fill it with homemade Magic Shell ice cream topping.

Recycled squeeze bottles are equally useful outside of the kitchen. Fill old honey bear bottles with paint for the kids’ art table or dispense hand soap from a former mustard bottle. It’ll keep your guests guessing!