Acid-Washed Coffee Cozies and other Ways to Use Old Jeans

Some favorite pairs of jeans are worth mending?adding patches, changing hems?but some (like, ahem, that acid wash pair from 1987 that we know you have hiding at the back of your closet) are not. Put the second category to good (re)use with these 25 ideas from money-saving website Wisebread.com.

Try making potholders, shoulder bags, backpacks, picture frames, or gift boxes?all of which help you cut down on the consumerism of buying new. We especially love the idea of the coffee cozy, because if you can't remember to bring your own thermos to your local java shop, you can at least avoid the cardboard heat shields. And above all, remember: acid wash isn't coming back.