What Do Coffee Grounds and Rental Property Have in Common?

coffee-and-rental-propertyPeople across the country brewed their morning coffee and then dumped the grounds, not realizing how useful these used coffee beans truly are. Coffee grounds can definitely be recycled and reused in a variety of ways. Consider the following:

· Compost: When mixed with soil, the grounds will release nutrients that increase the effectiveness of the soil, making it richer and more acidic. The soil becomes healthier and your plants become stronger and more nourished in the process. Any good gardener knows to add his coffee grounds to his compost to be rewarded with healthy, productive, fruit-bearing plants.

· Deodorizer: Every coffee-lover knows that the best-smelling aisle in the grocery store is the coffee aisle. Coffee has a very strong, yet aromatic, scent that can drive other less desirable smells away. An open container of coffee grounds in your fridge will destroy the nasty smells of onion, garlic, and food that might have gone bad. Coffee grounds don’t just cover bad smells, they absorb them. You might want to keep a bowl of coffee grounds in your teenage son’s room, too.

· Skin Exfoliate: In keeping with the idea of the deodorizing benefits of coffee grounds, it can also be used as a cheap and effective exfoliate for the thick skin on one’s heels and feet. Scrubbing your feet with used coffee grounds will remove tough, dead skin while improving the smell of stubborn foot odor.

· Repellant: The strong scent of coffee not only wakes you in the morning, it irritates insects and pests. Surrounding your home with used coffee grounds, particularly at well-known ant entrances, will ward off any future home invasions, as ants find the scent too strong and avoid it entirely. Additionally, if you surround your garden with coffee grounds, you’re not only helping the soil, you’re blocking some pests from entering to steal your fresh vegetables, particularly when mixed with orange peels.

Coffee grounds aren’t the only thing that is valuable beyond its typical use. A typical rental property is loaded with commodities which are valuable beyond the home itself. The copper piping, the concrete and lumber, even the nails in the walls are all valuable not only as part of the house, but separately. While the land itself isn’t going anywhere, the structures on the land can be “packaged commodities,” according to Jason Hartman. They are fluid and the prices of each individual housing component can fluctuate depending on the demand, offering potential for financial gain. (Photo Flickr | puuikibeach)

* Read more Holistic Survival articles

The Holistic Survival Team

Holistic-Survival-thumb31