At last! Something to do with single socks

Consignment shops and thrift stores provide a second home for clothes and accessories that no longer fit or aren’t quite your style anymore. But what about those odd items in closets and dressers that seem destined for the garbage can? There’s even hope for worn-out shoes and used socks – even one sock. Lone socks: Fill it with catnip and knot the ends for a new kitty toy. Ball up socks or knot them together to make a dog happy. Make sock puppets and donate them to a nearby preschool.

Hotel minis and makeup freebies: You can give them to women’s centers and homeless shelters. Consider places that help young women get back into the job market after a setback by giving them gently used professional clothing. It takes unused beauty products, too.

Old athletic shoes: Your trusty tennies are worn, torn and falling apart. But they’re still good enough for Nike’s “reuse-a-shoe” program. Old athletic shoes of any brand are ground up and molded into tennis and basketball courts, tracks and playgrounds. Read more about it at www.nikereuseashoe.com.