When a school year ends, it could mean another pile of used and old notebooks. The same goes for journals, diaries, or other notebooks you have used up for writing down notes while studying or working. When you are on the last page of the notebook, perhaps you wonder what to do with it next.
You may have thought of throwing them away. But with every page filled with important notes or recollections of memories, you rather let them sit in the dust than toss them into the bin! However, you will probably end up with more clutter sooner than you think!
In this article, I have jotted down different and easy ways on what to do with old notebooks and every part of them. In doing so, you can declutter, preserve memories, and enhance your creativity!
What to Do With Old Notebooks: 18 Different Ways You Should Try
1. Reuse Empty Pages to Form a New Notebook
What else can you do with the empty pages of your old notebooks? Make a new notebook! You can gather the unused pages, then compile them into a new notebook for your school or work stuff.
If the notebook pages come in similar sizes, you can simply remove the spring or metal coil and sew them together using yarn or ribbon. For pages of different sizes, you can use a cutter or scissors to cut them into similar sizes.
2. Make Scratch Papers
One way to repurpose your old notebooks and their unused pages or scrap pages is to turn them into scratch papers. You can either pile them into a single paper pad or divide them into different scratch paper pads for particular subjects or note-taking. You can simply tuck them together using a stapler, a fastener, or a paper clamp.
3. Use It as a Diary
Why not use the remaining or unused pages as a diary? Not only can you minimize the clutter in your pile of old notebooks but also recollect memories in your daily life or record secrets and unforgettable events you don’t want to miss. And the best part is, you can just write them in your old Math or English notebook and keep your stories discreet!
4. Freedom Notebook
It is simply a notebook about everything under the sun! Whether it is a line of a song, a poem, a bunch of ideas for work or project, or anything that pops in your head and you have nowhere else to write them down, you can jot them all down in the free spaces of your old notebook.
5. Journal or Planner
When thinking of what to do with old used notebooks, something about cheap and resourceful yet useful flickers to your mind. With that said, you can turn the pages of your old notebooks into a journal or daily planner. No need to buy a new one!
6. Travel Memory Notebook
When you visit beautiful places and serene tourist sights or try delish food with a friend or loved one, wouldn’t it be nice to record every bit of your trip? A travel memory notebook would be the best way to write down these fascinating events and walk down memory lane! A few pages from your old notebook would come in very handy!
7. Shopping List
Whether it is a page from your old Math notebook or a piece from your used English notebook, you can use it to make a list for your grocery shopping!
8. Handwriting Practice Notebook
If you have a kid or are teaching a kid to practice handwriting, you can use the empty spaces from your old notebooks to improve his or her skills. You may also try it for yourself if you are a beginner in calligraphy or hand lettering and want to improve different styles and techniques.
9. Preserve the Important Notes
Since the pages of your notebooks and handwritten notes will eventually wear out or easily get damaged by different elements, it is better to preserve them before they do.
Nowadays, everything (from books, journals, and notebooks) can be digitized; you can do the same thing with your important notes from your old notebooks. What you can do is scan the pages or take pictures of them to print them or store them on your computer.
10. Practice Origami
If you have been fascinated by Origami and want to give this art a shot, you can use the old and used pages of your notebooks to practice it. It is cheap, convenient, and creative, too!
11. Frame the Best Parts
Do you have artwork pieces, favorite quotations, creative lettering art, or important pages of your old notebooks that you can’t just let go of? Well, you don’t have to. You can actually frame those pages and turn them into an art piece that can be part of your home!
12. Make Party Hats
You can spend less and declutter at the same time when you use your old notebooks to make party hats! Whether it is for a birthday party or any celebration that needs some fun headpiece, you can easily transform the used pages into crafty paper party hats!
13. Repurpose the Metal Coil of Your Old Notebook
Some notebooks come with metal coils or springs that you can repurpose for other items. Use pliers or long nose pliers to remove the coil from the old notebook and turn it into an ornamental hook, paper clip, or a string for jewelry. You may also reuse it to compile papers for a new notebook!
14. Turn the Cardboard Into a Painter’s Palette
If you are a painter or an aspiring artist, chances are you have used different paint palettes over time. For a much cheaper yet sturdy alternative, you can use the cardboard back pages of your old notebooks as your paint palette.
15. DIY Vintage Bookmarks
Isn’t it nice to keep some pieces from your old stuff, including your notebooks? If you are sentimental with your old notebooks and their handwritten notes, you can always take precious mementos and make DIY vintage bookmarks out of these pages!
16. Crumpled Paper Art
Who would have thought that crumpled paper can turn into a creative and beautiful form of art? If you are feeling artsy, you can do this, too! Some artists and hobbyists use the old and used pages of their notebooks for this artwork.
Just plainly crumple each page into a ball, paint the exterior with different watercolor paints, and gently unfold it. You can see a spectrum of colors that you can put together for unique artwork. Plus, you can try this as a fun activity for kids!
17. Practice Drawing and Coloring
When you have kids around who love to doodle, color, or make a mess of your home with their pencils, markers, or colors, you can hand them your old notebooks and let them practice drawing and coloring! You can declutter your stack of old notebooks and save your home from chaos, too!
18. Donate Them
If you think you have done everything and are still left with a huge pile of old notebooks, one best way is to donate them. You can reach out to different schools, recycling programs, or charitable foundations in your local neighborhood or city to know where you can donate them.
Wrapping Up
That’s it! So, do not throw your old and used notebooks just yet! As you have seen in this list of what to do with old notebooks, we have discovered so many ways to save your precious notes and declutter your awful piles of notebooks while being creative and resourceful. In fact, there are many other ways to upcycle old notebooks but the ones mentioned above are the best ideas you can try. Hope you enjoy them all!