One of the things I was the most excited about at our new place was the already-in-place poles in our backyard for a clothesline. At our first trip to Home Depot, I grabbed some line and a pack of clothespins and BAM, I was in clothes-drying heaven.
Or so I thought. Not having anywhere to store the clothespins, I just stuck them in a gallon size zip bag and clipped it to the line. Done. Quick. Easy. Free.
Until we had a storm, followed by a 90+ degree day. Then my clothespins looked like this:
Ew. My pins were suddenly living in a swamp. Knowing I needed a better solution, I raided my craft supplies. Since I did already have everything I used, this little project ended up being free. But if you scavenged the remnants section of your local craft shop, it could easily be done for under $5!
About 45 minutes later, I had this:
Probably not my first choice in colors, but like I said, I used what I already had. It also probably didn't really need the piping, but I figured it would make it look a bit more finished!
The extra long rope handles I included added a second benefit: instead of grabbing a handful of pins and walking to the other end of the line, I can wear this bag while hanging laundry - all my pins are right there! Yay for little exciting moments. Wait, I'm the only one who gets excited about laundry?
Instead of keeping this bag outside to face the elements, I cleared off a little spot for it on our laundry shelf, which sits just above our washer and dryer. That way, I'll remember to grab it as I pull clothes out of the wash.
It's funny how a few minute and a few scraps of fabric made me even more excited to do hang laundry on the line than I was before. Maybe it's because it always reminds me of my great aunt. As a little kid, I always followed her around her back yard with the clothespin bag - I was her official pin-hander since I couldn't reach the line. Now I only wonder if my future generations will even know what a clothesline is...
What are your favorite $5 fixes? Do you have anything you love to do that you wonder if future generations will even recognize?
Labels: $5 Fix
