My son’s birthday was on Friday, and of course we had balloons. I use balloons a lot around my house in various ways, and until I was reminded this weekend, I almost forgot to share some of the creative and frugal things you can do with balloons. It is amazing the everyday things we take for granted, when we can use them all over again in a frugal way.
Usually when you buy a bag of balloons, you don’t blow them all up. Perfect for using them in other ways around the house.
Laundry Room
My favorite place to use leftover balloons is in my laundry room. You can blow up balloons into the desired size and allow items to dry around the balloon. For instance, a hat will keep its shape while drying if you place it on top of a balloon. I did this once with a purse too. I also use two water filled balloons (for the weight) to dry undergarments and help them keep their shape. Just place a balloon in both cups of a bra and allow to dry. It helps them to keep their shape as they dry.
In the Kitchen
We tried a new way to display our birthday balloons this year for my son. He is a really outdoorsy kid, loves nature. So we gathered some twigs, branches with some leaves, and a few wildflowers, blew up a small balloon with a tiny bit of air (out of mouth – not helium) to stretch the balloon and put some sand inside to weight the balloon down. We stuck our collection of items into the hole and then placed them on the table as part of our outdoorsy theme. It took a little practice and balance to get them to sit right, but they looked great. Cut flowers would look cute too! We also use balloons in the kitchen because we have skylights and I can never reach the spiderwebs and dust that gets up there. Take a helium filled balloon and put a washcloth on top. Allow the balloon to go up and hit the web or dust bunny. It should fall onto or get stuck to the cloth and there should be nothing left. We also fill small balloons of various shapes and sizes with water, tie the end and freeze them in the freezer. They make GREAT ice packs when someone gets an ouchie. You can also use them to keep a cooler of iced tea or lemonade cold when on a picnic or having a party. Wash the outside of balloons with soap and water, rinse well. Fill the balloons with water, tie them off and allow them to freeze. Make your iced tea, lemonade or party punch and place inside the cooler or punch bowl with some frozen balloons. Looks festive in a punch bowl and keeps drinks cooler on a picnic.
More creative uses for balloons coming this week in the frugal living blog!