Don’t Throw Me Away
If you’re like me, you have a drawer or cupboard overflowing with extra jars, containers, and bottles. In my home, we live by the old-fashion philosophy of REUSE, RECYCLE and MAKE DO, so when it comes to throwing away perfectly good containers, I always think twice.
Go to that dreaded container cupboard …you know the one …the one that is bursting at the seams and ready to spill out when you open the door. Take a good look at what’s inside and challenge yourself to get creative, there are so many useful ways to use your collection.
Consider some of these possibilities:
- Ice Cream Buckets – I never throw this size container away, it so versatile and can be used for so many things! My favorite use is to hold all my cookie cutters. They are perfect for just about anything. Visit Craft Alternative to see how Mod Podge can even make an ice cream container look pretty.
- Old Canning Jars – They can be used for storing anything and not just in the kitchen. My favorite one is the old blue ones I find at yard sales. As soon as I come home from the grocery store I pour anything that comes in a box in an airtight glass jar. My dream is to have a collection like this one I found on Apartment Therapy!
- Baby Food Jars -My all-time favorite way to use baby food jars is to paint the lids with chalkboard paint. They are the perfect size to store dried herbs. The DIY Mommy has step-by-step instructions on how to recycle baby food jars.
- Cat Litter Buckets – These rank right up there with the ice-cream buckets, but I tend to use these more in the barn. They are great to store bird seed, lime or anything else that usually would come in a bag. My hubby was all over all seeing all the different ways he could use these buckets on makezine.com.
- Tin Cans –We don’t have many cans come into our home anymore since I home can just about everything, but when they do I love to dig out the contact paper and spray paint and make them beautiful! I love to bring flowers inside and found some great inspiration to decorate my cans at craftdayisthebest.com.
- Holiday Popcorn Tins – Each of my grandchildren have their own can. I painted the top of the lid with chalkboard paint and wrote their name on it. They all know that whatever is in that can no one else can play with. The contents are always a secret to everyone but the can owner. They love it! Don’t you just love how Crafting Rebellion Mod Podged their tins with paper napkins in the picture above?
- Plastic Containers – I am not a big fan of using plastic containers for food storage, but I do use old cottage cheese containers for many other things. I have covered the outside with contact paper and use them all over my house. On my desk, by my sewing table, and even on my washer to collect loose change. The possibilities are endless. Who would think a trashed yogurt container could make this lovely little thread hold in the picture above I found over at A Petite Cottage.
- Parmesan Cheese Containers – My all-time favorite use for these containers are to catch butterflies. I take the snap lid off so the holes are open and hand them to my grandkids. They are also great for anything that you might just need a “dusting” or a “sprinkling” of. I always have one under my sink filled with baking soda for quick cleanups or pet accidents on the carpet. My favorite carpet deodorizer recipe I found on iamthelady.com Mix 4 tablespoon of Baking Soda with 10 drops of orange essential oil and store in a clean used cheese container.
- Plastic Milk Jugs -When my freezer gets low I fill old milk jugs with water to fill empty holes. It helps to keep my freezer running efficiently. We also cut the bottom off and use them to cover tender plants in our garden. We found this idea a few years ago on WikiHow.
- Maple Syrup Jug – I just love old syrup jugs…they are so cute I never throw them away. I found a great use for them in my garden. We turn them into a thumb controlled watering jugs. I found this great idea at FunInTheMaking.net.
I hope you spend some time in your container cupboard and get creative with your collection. A true homesteader reuses, recycles and makes do!
Fantastic ideas! We also use tin cans for melting beeswax for candle making. Pinning this one!
My container collection has become an issue….it is stored in a big cardboard barrel Ralph got when he worked at the bakery in Virginia. We both have save it syndrome when it comes to containers!
Me too! I normally have to sort through them a couple times a year. For some reason I am always missing lids!
We use lids as catch coasters under plant pots. There is just so much you can do with containers:)
What a great idea! I hadn’t thought of that before. Thanks for sharing!!
I love these ideas as the perfect antidote to all the “10 things you should clear out right now” – “clutter free living” posts I keep reading. I do love a bit of waste not want not.
Oh goodness I’m trying to unload stuff in preparation for a simplistic lifestyle. I like the canning jars, they are come in handy for dried herbs here. I’m beginning to think I’m not much of a homesteader. LOL
We live a pretty simplistic lifestyle ourselves and I just love coming up with ways I can reuse something instead of buying new. You have a homesteader heart and that makes you a homesteader no matter what you think…it’s in your DNA! LOL
I am a keeper, but you have some great new ideas here. I especially love the maple syrup watering jug. How cute is that?! Thanks for sharing! Frugality is the best!
The jug works great. I keep it by my back door to water the plants on my porch. It beats dragging out the hose every time.
Great ideas, I love reusing things and this year I’m really trying to reduce my waste so this is great.
Those are some really great ideas. I think the kitty litter container inspired me the most. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for all these ideas! Also my husband thanks you, because I do have a bit of a stash. 🙂
Blessings,
Leslie
This was so good. Such great ideas and love your photo collage. Visiting from close by at Coffee and Conversation Link Up
Thanks Tracey…
We use so many ice cream buckets here!
I have friends who save them for us, because we just don’t go through as much ice cream as we do buckets.
We use them for feed storage, and for freezing treats for our horses. Nothing more exciting to them on a hot day than to find ice disks filled with fruit and veggies in their water trough.
I also just toss a couple buckets themselves in the trough. It’s a fun toy for them to play with and toss around.
🙂
A great idea! Thanks for sharing it. I will remember that in the heat of summer for my chickens as well!
So smart! (Although, I do believe there’s a limit to how many popcorn tins one household will ever use… but convincing my husband of that is another thing…)
Sometimes convincing my hubby about things like that is difficult as well! Good Luck. LOL
I have an old parmesan cheese container that I keep filled with flour. It’s perfect for sprinkling flour on the counter for pie crust, biscuits, etc. When we were still gardening (taking a summer off), milk jugs make great mini-greenhouses for starting seeds. (visiting from A Little R & R Wednesdays)
I have used milk jugs to start seed and you are right they work wonderful!
I don’t save much any more since I am trying to declutter as much as possible while living in a smaller house filled with 7 people. But these ideas are great! I’m going to have to rethink some things, especially the Parmesan cheese containers.
Your kids will find great uses for catching bugs with the Parmesan cheese containers. Hours of fun for them!
Good list! Thanks for sharing it at Motivation Monday on Mom Home Guide! This post was picked as a feature at this week’s Motivation Monday!
Thanks Lauren for the feature!
Oh, wow! Thanks for all the tips! I especially love the butterfly catching idea for parmesan containers! I’d like to feature this post tomorrow at Tuesdays with a Twist! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Thanks for the feature Marci! My grandkids love catching butterflies in those containers!
We just don’t think sometimes to reuse containers but there are some great tips here. I re-use coffee jars for things like rice etc but I love some of your ideas of decorating items for use around the house. #MotivationMonday
Tracy what great ideas.
I love saving mason jars as well! I like your idea about reusing popcorn tins for kids, great idea!
The popcorn tins were a real hit at our house. Every grand child knows they can hide whatever they want in their tin and no one else is allowed in it.
so very clever! i’ll pass these on. near you on coffee and con
Great list of things to keep to recycle into awesome useful items! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Brag About It! Pinned and tweeted to share 🙂 Have a wonderful rest of the week!
This is an awesome list! I would love for you to share this at the Friday Favorites link party going on now.
~Bonnie
http://www.oursecondhandhouse.com/2016/03/friday-favorites-week-317.html
Great ideas! I like to reuse things as much as possible. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday.
I love glass jars or containers. My favorite thing when coming home from grocery shopping is to empty anything possible into a jar. I use an old wine bottle to store grits. And the parmesan cheese lids screw on to a glass jar perfectly. Glass is always best. 🙂 I have also cut the top off of my salt container and it fits perfectly on a wide mouth jar with a ring around it.
We live in a float cabin on a lake and town is about half an hour away by boat. When we first came to live here we created a saying, “Save that nail.” We try to coordinate our trips to town to maximize our travel costs. Saving and reusing things make live a lot easier. – Margy
Great ideas!