Random Reuses: DIY Refrigerator Air Fresheners

I buy my baking soda in bulk. If you've read this blog for any extended period of time, this should come as no surprise. Baking soda can be used for so many things - cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, in the laundry, cooking, deodorizing. It's a frugalista's best friend. Okay, that might be taking it a little far, but, still, it's great stuff.

I got a book from PaperBack Swap not too long ago about 500 different uses for baking soda. It's a pretty good guide (though some of my experiments from it haven't worked well; some not at all) and I thought I'd share one of the things I've implemented from it.

You probably have a box of baking soda in your refrigerator right now. It works great at combating the inevitable odors and keep your food from tasting like fridge.  Like I said previously, I buy my baking soda in bulk, but I still would buy these special boxes of baking soda that are specifically made for keeping in the refrigerator.  They're not expensive at all - maybe a buck at the most.  But, it didn't make sense to keep buying these boxes when I get the bulk baking soda for a lot less.  Enter the random reuse for today.

Last week, while I was cleaning out the fridge, I noticed that the box of baking soda in my fridge was past the three-month date (I write the date when it should be changed on the box). I was going to put a note on my shopping list for to buy another box, but then I remembered the book's suggestion on how to make "baking soda sachets".  Some of you dear readers may think I'm dealing with minutiae here, but I think it's kind of fun to make do with what I have. Saving a buck here and there is how I get some of my kicks.  *cricket chirping*  I am a fun person, really I am.

*more cricket chirping*

Ahem...on to the random reuse...

So, I got one of my washed-out containers that had a lid and filled it with about a 3/4 cup of baking soda. Then I started stabbing the lid with a sharp knife. As you can see in the picture above, I may have gotten slightly carried away.  In any case, there it is: my ventilated container of baking soda to keep my fridge smelling fresh and food tasting like...well...how it's supposed to.  The baking soda I used was probably only a few cents worth, and I reused something that I would have otherwise thrown away.  So instead of spending that dollar on a box of baking soda, I'll spend it on something more enjoyable or put it toward something else in my grocery budget.  And there's the lesson in frugality: all the little things you do add up. It may be unnoticeable at first, but they do add up, I promise!