Hello, Friends and Neighbors. Thriftstore MacGyver here on Groovy Highway. You can call me T.S.  …’cause there’s really nothing I can do about it… Anyway, it’s just T.S. Ha ha ha ha.

First of all, there is a little MacGyver in all of us. Example: We all have used duct tape for at least a hundred and one things . . . except maybe taping up duct work.

Then there is this little gem: You ever watch the timer count down on the microwave oven and just as it reaches 1 second you shut it off just before the timer goes off? . . . . and then pretend in your mind that you saved the kitchen and possibly all of mankind from an explosion of magnitudes that would most surely be armageddon if not for your quick-thinking and cat-like reflexes. The quick-thinking ones with the cat-like reflexes that got the initial joke will get this too… T.S. for the rest of youse… Sit down, Fleamarket.

Like duct tape’s hundreds of uses, you can find other items that can be repurposed. Some are simple. Some are a little more complex and take a little more thinking. The more complex thinking, the more MacGyver-like you are.

A recent Thrift Store MacGyver idea came to me when working in my shop and doing construction around my house. I had recently purchased a used fold-up walker for an elderly person that I have been taking care of. After they no longer needed it, I found an excellent use for it. It makes an excellent trash bag holder for contractor bags when doing construction or to have in your shop or garage. (39 gallon bags seem to work best.) One nice thing is when not in use, you can fold it up, stash it in a corner or hang it on a wall. In fact, I bought another one at the Goodwill Store for $10. I put it in my garage.

The easiest way for me to convey my ideas in this short trip on Groovy Highway is to just list items and uses and let your imagination take over from there.

The dollar store has virtually thousands of things… Many can be repurposed.

HEAVY DUTY PVC SHOWER LINER- (White or clear) Use as picnic table cloth Much thicker. You can actually wipe it down, fold and re-use. Makes an excellent drop cloth, as well.

BABY WIPES- (If you can use these on a baby’s bottom, they should be safe to use on virtually anything.) Use to clean your face, wipe your pet’s eyes,  clean your cellphone, computer and electronics, remote controls, reading glasses, sunglasses, etc…

HAIRBRUSHES & COMBS- (Assorted sizes.) Excellent for use on pets. Good for cleaning shoes…. or put a piece of paper across a comb, blow into it. You have a makeshift kazoo… You’re makin’ music.

ELASTIC HAIRBANDS– (Assorted sizes.) Organize pens, shaving razors, etc. Route electric cords neatly and band together… especially at a computer workstation.

I have hundreds more of these, but I have just about run outta time on this episode. I will leave with you with one last Thrift Store MacGyver idea… This one a little more outside the box. Always a good way to think unless you’re a cat… Hee hee hee…

OLD SODA CAN- Cut can in half. Pinch edges. Slip over lightbulb on lamp. Fill reservoir with scented oil. Bulb gets hot. Room smells good. No need for oil burner and your savin’ on your electric bill….

Okay. That’s all folks. Until next month. Keep the rubber side down and stay groovy. Peace, Thrift Store MacGyver, sitting in for… the Random Prophet. Thoughts? Email me at groovyhighway@gmail.com

 – Random Prophet, HashtagWV #105. September 2018.