Cereal: the staple of all college students' diets, without which we would be forced to learn how to cook-or at least boil water. But once you've munched your way through an army of cereal boxes, what do you do with all that cardboard? Throw it out? Of course not! You can make it into things like iPod cases, notebooks and wallets! Just follow my instructions and you'll be snap, crackle and poppin' all over campus-in style!The best way to construct an iPod case out of a cereal box, or any cardboard, is to imagine yourself making a smaller box with some holes cut out. Start by cutting out the front of the cereal box. Flip the cardboard panel over so that you can trace on the inside and be able to see your lines more clearly. Place your iPod on the panel and make an outline of the front and back and two skinny rectangles that match the sides and the bottom. You should end up with a template of the case's panels. Cut them all out. Next, cut out windows for the screen and wheel. Don't forget to cut out a slot in the bottom panel for the plug!

Now comes the tape: Flip over your pattern pieces so the insides are facing up. Using duct tape, create seams where the panels meet. Then, fold up the back panel and, depending on your agility and skill, finish the inside seams from within or use clear tape and make seams on the outside. Using clear packing tape, reinforce all the sides and seams, being careful not to cover any openings.

Once you have the basic shape, go crazy with details like tiny little straps, or if you want to make sure it won't fall out of your pocket or purse, try making a flap out of clear tape to cover the screen opening. Take a strip of clear tape about five inches long and fold it carefully onto itself, leaving roughly an inch of sticky tape exposed as a tail. Using the tail, attach the strip to the top of the back panel, reinforcing with more tape if needed. Make sure the flap is long enough so it extends and covers the screen but stops right above the wheel opening.

Scrounge up some Velcro and cut a tiny piece to place between the wheel and screen and on the end of the flap. Also, cut a little opening in the flap where it covers the headphone port. If you want to, trim the flap with skinny pieces of duct tape for aesthetic reasons. And you're done! Now nobody will steal your expensive iPod because they'll think you're just holding a piece of garbage. Highly stylized garbage, that is!

Maybe you don't have an iPod, but everyone needs a wallet. Save your bucks and make a nice billfold in which to house them. You can use the other side of the same cereal box. Cut out two of the identically sized rectangles, about seven inches long and two-and-a-half inches tall. Cover the inside faces with tape, using a strip to attach the two edges that are lying flush against each other. Fold the two pieces up with whichever side you want on the outside. You can cover the entire thing in tape or leave the images on the box exposed. If you choose the latter, laminate the front with clear tape, making sure to cover the bottom outside seam.

You now need to make a seam on the two side edges. Cut a piece of duct tape the same height as the wallet. Cover the side seams on the outside, too, so that no sticky side is exposed. Now you have a simple billfold which can be made more intricate with pockets for cards and such. So go buy yourself something nice with all the money you saved by turning trash into slightly improved, somewhat functional trash!