Use It or Lose It

January is a great month to use up things around the house. In the kitchen, try to use up the leftover holiday food before it goes bad. Making creative meals from the leftovers will save you money and free up space in the pantry and fridge. In the bathroom, make January the month to use up all the sample size products you accumulated throughout the previous year. The fancy lotion and perfume you received LAST Christmas and decided to save for "special" occasions? Go ahead and use it now before the scent is lost.

If you come across items you will not use, donate them to a suitable charity. Many food pantries and shelters need non-perishable food items this time of year. Unwanted toiletries are often welcome at retirement homes and women's shelters.

Other unwanted gifts can also be donated. In January, I usually have an annual "regifting" party - I invite my girlfriends over for an afternoon and we wrap up the unwanted gifts and have an exchange drawing. We all typically wind up with a gift we have more use for, rather than letting unwanted items languish as clutter in the back of our closets.