If you're trying to stretch the family dollar, we have some fun ideas for using things you probably have around this house in a different way than you originally intended.

1. Use Life Savers to hold birthday candles on the cake.  This means you don't make holes in the cake.  Plus it adds color. You have to use the original kind in the roll, not the big package kind because they hold better.
2. Use spaghetti as a long match.
3. Store plastic grocery bags in an old tissue box under the kitchen sink.
4. Use toothpicks to mark a roll of packing tape so you can find the end.
5. Temporarily fix broken spectacles with an earring.  It fits perfectly to hold them together until you can get the tiny screw replaced.
6. Use a tea strainer to dust baked goods with powdered sugar. Lightly tap to add the sweet stuff to tops of cakes and brownies.
7. Use shower curtain hooks to store your handbags in your closet. Place the hooks on the closet's clothes bar and hang purse handles from them.  This can declutter the mess on your closet floor and shelves!
8. Use a travel makeup case to cart kids' art supplies. Pack crayons, paints, and small notepads inside. If anything leaks, the mess stays in the zipped waterproof compartment.
9. Use clear hair elastics to make better flower arrangements. To keep all types of flowers in place in a wide-mouth vase, stretch a clear hair elastic around the stems, then let the flowers fall naturally.
10. Transport your favorite salad dressing in a travel bottle normally used to transport liquids through airport security.  This will keep your salad from getting soggy.
11. Wine corks can be thinly sliced to keep cabinet doors from banging so loud. Slice them into thin disks and then glue onto corners of cabinets to muzzle the closing noise.
12. Relieve aching muscles by freezing one part alcohol to 3 parts water in a resealable plastic bag overnight to create a soft, comfortable gel pack.