In the past, our parents and grandparents had access to raw materials that they used to make many of the things they needed. Many raw materials that were common then are expensive to buy and sometimes hard to find now. Today, though, we have new raw materials.

In this consumer oriented society, our raw material is newspaper. We have plastic bags, cardboard boxes, paper of all kinds, twist'em ties, plastic of all shapes and sizes... but mostly, we have newspaper. Even if you don't subscribe to your local paper, you can come across it without much trouble.

But when you're through with it, what do you do? Throw it away? Or maybe you recycle it or use it to wrap garbage. Did you ever use it in the bottom of your kitchen trash can to keep down odors? How about in the bottom of your refrigerator vegetable drawer to keep it dry and odor free?

Those are only a few things that newspaper can do for you. Here are more:

• Peel carrots and potatoes or scoop the seeds from squash onto a layer of newspaper on your counter, then fold over and dispose of the whole thing. Newspaper will compost right along with the vegetables.
• Make newspaper logs to burn along with your wood this winter. They don't burn well just by themselves, but they can stretch the wood you use.
• Wrap tomatoes that didn't have a chance to ripen in newspaper and store in a box in a cool, dry place. Newspaper emits the same gas that ripening tomatoes do and encourages green tomatoes to ripen naturally.
• Use crumpled newspaper to help start a fire in the BBQ grill. Crumple, then twist tightly and put them under the charcoal and light. No lighter fluid needed.
• If you're storing picnic coolers, put crumpled newspaper in them to keep them fresh and sweet for next year. Use it in thermos bottles and lunch bags when they're stored, too.
• Save a few pads of newspaper to put near the door for wet shoes and boots. When it gets soggy, then you can throw it away. No more rugs to wash!
• One of the most common uses for newspaper is a disposable mat for working on messy crafts or painting.
• Let the little ones finger paint on it. Use three or four thicknesses to keep the paint from soaking through.
• Make seed starting pots out of it.

That's just a few of the ways that this modern raw material can be used. Using what's available to us is how our grandparents lived and it's still a wise and frugal way to live today.