Whether you’re looking to borrow a tool, mend your favorite coat, salvage materials, or purchase a green gift, Resourceful PDX has ideas and tips to get you started!

Buy Smart

With simple planning and creative thinking, there are many ways to buy smart and still get what you need. Planning ahead also helps you be more efficient, freeing up time to spend with family and friends, or enjoying new experiences. 

Start with a little planning before you head out to the store – for groceries, clothes or gifts. Make a list, then “shop” your cupboards and closets first, crossing off the items you already have on hand. At the store, stick to your list. 

Choose quality, durable products rather than disposable items. There are many alternatives available these days, from old-school ways (like Mason jar drinking glasses) to modern technology (such as stainless steel canteens), that allow you as a consumer to make the right choice for yourself and your family. 

Think outside the gift box. Who doesn’t love show tickets or getting a special spa service? Gifts of experiences (rather than stuff) offers loved ones a chance for a memorable outing, and removes the potential for pressure to find room for something they may not need.

Find more ideas and tips on how to buy smart.

Reuse

Upcycled or repurposed, second hand, salvage and vintage – all of these words essentially mean reuse, and doing so can save you money and space and avoid waste. 

Need clothes, storage solutions, back-to-school supplies or craft materials? Many of these items can easily be found at second-hand stores in Portland, or you may even have what you need on-hand. 

With a little creativity or help from a tailor, cobbler or handyperson, you may be able to turn your give-away pile into useable goods (and then donate what’s left). If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, ideas and tips from our blog, local shops and classes, or online can help you unleash your inner creativity.

Explore Portland’s many second-hand stores to find new-to-you clothing, furniture, electronics, household or craft items, salvage building materials and more. 

Borrow and Share

When we share more, we also consume less. And by doing so, we reduce our clutter and free up space. 

Sharing can be as simple as loaning a specialty baking pan to your neighbor, organizing a clothing swap with your friends, or even checking out books from the library rather than buying any of these items new. Portland is also full of organizations that facilitate sharing between neighbors – offering tools and equipment, space, clothes, toys and more.

Borrowing and sharing also helps build community by fostering connections with neighbors and friends, which makes Portland a better place for all of us. What does sharing mean to you? 

Fix and Maintain

There is a growing “repair movement” in Portland and across the U.S. that is empowering and educating people to look more closely at the goods they own or buy. Choosing items for durability and repairability (such as shoes that can have the soles replaced when they become worn) extends the life of your stuff, saving you money while reducing waste.

Maintenance and repair can be easy, too. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, how-to classes and online tutorials can help you improve your sewing, bike or home repair skills quickly. There are also community resources, such as Repair PDX, and local repair shops that can fix anything from clothing and shoes, to furniture, tools, electronics, appliances and more!

Find more ideas and tips on how to fix and maintain.

Are you updating your bathroom, making room for a bigger kitchen or getting your home ready for a new family member?

Whether you’re working with a contractor or doing it yourself, you can save materials and resources and incorporate your style into your project.

Give materials a second life by deconstructing rather than demolishing, and reusing or donating what’s left. If you’re doing it yourself, borrow what you need by utilizing community resources like tool libraries or rental businesses for occasional home projects. Find and incorporate items you love and want to repurpose - vintage and salvage materials provide a unique vibe to any space.

Find ideas to improve and maintain your home.

Are you preparing for a new baby? A returning college student? Or an elderly parent?

This time of transition naturally comes with a desire to make your home welcoming to your new family member. Portland offers many creative ways to get what you need without buying new. 

A new addition to the family may also mean a desire for more space. Swap and plays, as well as some community centers and cafes, have spaces for parents and caregivers to relax and connect, as well as play areas for kids, and can meet the need for that place to “get away” without doing costly home projects.

In addition, swap and plays provide opportunities to trade goods with other families, which can be really helpful as babies and kids grow out of items quickly. The many thrift and consignment stores in Portland are another easy way to get everything you need for a new baby or kids of all ages. 

Find ideas for growing your family without the extra “stuff” in our blog.

Moving may be stressful, but it is also a good time to stop and ask yourself if you need or want to keep everything you had in your old home. For items you don’t want to take with you, having a garage or yard sale if a great way to reuse your stuff. Combine efforts with neighbors to make planning easier. After the sale, donate your leftover household, craft or clothing items so others may benefit from items you no longer need.

After moving, allow yourself a little time to get settled into your new place, and you may find new uses for some of the things you already have rather than buying new right away.

Find ideas for moving resourcefully.

Whether it’s the start of a new school year, season, or project, it seems like kids always need something for school.

Each of these times creates an opportunity to rethink how you and your family prepare for school – from the day-to-day schedule and how you get to and from school, to the clothes, food and supplies they need every day.

Consider quality over quantity for school supplies and “waste-free lunches” (such as reusable snack bags and food containers), look for recycled content products with less packaging and think about repurposing what you already have over buying new items for class. 

Find ideas to outfit your kids for school while saving money, time and resources.