Re-Purposing Containers Ideas

[Pokeberry Mary]

I thought it would be interesting to find out ways that folks re-use containers from store bought or other items. Maybe there are some we haven't all thought of yet?
Here's some of my favorite uncommon container re-purposings..

I have repurposed the containers from:

Rotisserie chicken plastic containers-- (wash well)

mini-green house for shrub cuttings
roast your own chicken and keep it in fridge for quick pickings


Plastic coffee containers--

store seeds in root cellar
freeze ahead sauce or soup to take to gatherings later
fill with dry beans etc..


Milk Jugs:

fill with homemade funnel for popcorn, dry beans...

[firegirl969]

I read that many on another forum store their rice and dry beans in 2 liter soda bottles.

I use butter-spread tubs for leftovers and onion dip.

We save cans and sell them for DD's college fund.

I use cardboard boxes to put around my flowers and blueberry's to keep the grass down. I then cover it with pinestraw.

[GoodDaughter]

Styrofoam drink cups for cuttings. I also use the clear plastic lidded containers for some seedlings.

I know it's not a food-type container, but those storage totes are good for all sorts of things. You can brood quite a few chicks in them and they are easy to clean. If one gets old you can turn it upside down, cut a little door and have a chicken or duck house. I once used one of the opaque ones for a sort of greenhouse for taller cuttings--it let in enough light but still held enough humidity for the cuttings. Old aquariums also work well for cuttings.

[Native87]

The stackable storage totes make a wonderful vermiculture (Worm Farm) bin. You can start with as little as one then add the second. Just continue building on them.

I am using 2 liter bottles this time to winter sow some seeds. I just cut around them about 5 inches from the bottom. I dont cut the top all the way off. Kind of like a hinge. Drill some drain holes add soil and seed then tape back over the cut. These are all new to me.

[AlchemyAcres]

I re-use wine bottles to make more wine!!! LOL


~Martin ;)

[Pokeberry Mary]

Well we're putting in grapes this year but I can't figure out how to make new wine in those cardboard boxes. :D

[firegirl969]

Egg cartons to start seedlings in

[Native87]

I re-use wine bottles to make more wine!!! LOL


~Martin ;)


Pokeberry Mary more wine..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well we're putting in grapes this year but I can't figure out how to make new wine in those cardboard boxes


LOL :)

[cubcadet]

It`s natural to find uses for food and other containers when you have to pay $3 a bag to dispose of trash. Anything that cannot be burned, recycled or get a deposit on either gets used over and over again or, has to go to the landfill.

I bring egg cartons back to the Perry`s as, I buy fresh eggses from them.

Those idiotic plastic, and impossibly thin supermarket bags, if they make it home without getting a hole in them, are saved, to line the trash bucket in the kitchen. They hold any dry kind of material that cannot be re-used or burned for disposal. They also are good for holding the compostible kitchen waste.

Any glass gets crushed in a 55 gal. barrel. When enough glass accumulates, I wheel it over to the place that I plan on widening the parking area in the front next to the road and gets dumped there. I dump the stones that come out of the gardens on top of that. Eventually, I`ll have a suitable parking area, then I`ll get some modified material to put on that to finish it off.
Any glass jars that look strong enough to can in, like mayo or sauce jars get saved. New lids are fairly easy to get- see link-

http://www.containerandpackaging.com/item.asp?item=L029A

Interesting looking jars and bottles I save because I have a glass cutter. They sometimes make good vases or, drinking glasses.

[GoodDaughter]

I've not done it but I've seen where people use plastic grocery sacks and crochet them together and make tote bags and rugs and stuff out of them. Tote bags I could imagine, but as a rug it seems like it would be awfully slippery on the floor.

[cubcadet]

Yeah, I`d think so. Also, how about holding up under pressure from walking on it. More trouble than it`s worth, I`d say.

[Pokeberry Mary]

I do get a little annoyed with the plastic grocery bags too! I used to take them to the library when I worked there. We gave them to patrons to put books in. But still.... you can really end up with more of them than are useful.

I've started to use cloth bags finally, and the sort that you can get at Sam's or Aldi's that are insulated--those are especially good for me because by the time I get home from a store in the summer you could cook an egg on top of the car.

I just keep a big bunch of those in my trunk and in the back of the jeep.

Most cashiers no longer mind a bit if you hand them your own bags. Bagging it yourself is also helpful in some stores. At Aldi and Sams they don't bag or provide bags and everything is either on pallets or in bulk so I bag them directly into my trunk from the cart.

I still do get some plastic bags and I line bathroom trash cans with them, and use a few for other things but for the most part I'm just tossing 'em now.

We have free trash collection--we drive it there and they collect it. :)

[firegirl969]

I take the plastic grocery bags to the senior citizen's center and use them for the seniors to carry things home in.

[GoodDaughter]

I bought the 'cloth' bags from a few grocery stores, the kind that have the store logo on them, but they started tearing at the seams or at the handles. I still have them in the back seat of my car but seldom use them anymore. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of them...

The plastic grocery bags can be used to put over pots of rooting cuttings or sprouting seeds to keep the humidity in.

I've been getting these big, barrell shaped plastic containers that probably hold about 2 gal. Have nice, tight fitting snap-on lids. They contain pretzels, cheeze balls, pork rinds, etc and when food outdates I have to defect it out and throw away the contents. I brought home a few empty containers, washed them and now have bird food and stuff stored in them.

[Builder Ken]

We have in the past used the plastic bags for putting the stinky diapers in kinda helps keep the stinch down when you walk by the trash can (outside).

I use the plastic coffee containers for feed buckets I keep some of my feed in old trash cans and I have a wooden bin that holds three different feeds there is a coffee can in each one.

This is kinda off the subject but when I change the oil in the cars I keep the old oil it's okay for using on nuts and bolts or whatever. It is also good for putting on weeds in a fence row and helps keep a wet brush pile burning.

Ken

[patience]

Glass jars of all sorts we reuse for storing dry beans, wine, canned jelly (with paraffin on top), and seeds.

Plastic ice cream buckets store nails, fence staples, fence post wire clips, screws, carburetor parts, used bearings, and any other parts that need to be kept clean. I use them for paint buckets, dispensing from a 5 gallon bucket.

5 gallon buckets store all the common prepper stuff--grains and such, but also get used for bolts, spare parts for equipment, canning jar rings, ashes from the wood stove for garden application in the Spring, leftover grass seed, partial bags of potting soil, and for toting around all manner of stuff.

I have an old metal kitchen cannister mounted on the drill press with leftover bacon grease in it to lube drills with. I cut a hole in the lid for a brush to apply it.

Used oil goes into a bucketful of sand where I poke my garden tools to clean and oil them before putting them away. I cut the tops off small plastic bottles to make funnels. We save vitamin bottles and the big plastic screw top bottles that snacks come in to store seeds. Tin cans get used to clean paint brushes. Poke the bottom full of holes with a nail for a garden duster (tap it with a stick to get the dust to come out).

I duct taped a tin can to a 3 foot piece of pvc pipe to hold seeds, and use the pipe to direct the seeds into the row for planting. Saves bending over or crawling on my old knees.

I cut a piece out of the side of a milk jug to replace the plastic wear strips on our electric dryer drum. It's quiet now. Lots of repair parts get made in my shop from old plastic bottles, jars, and lids.

[GoodDaughter]

Oh, my mother buys Oak Farms ice cream in 1 gal. plastic buckets and she saves them for me. I have pansies planted in one that I set down inside a shallow, wide clay pot. I wanted to be able to remove the plastic container and replant it and not have a whole clay pot full of soil. They make good laundry soap containers for homemade soap.

[jonvee]

We use plastic jars like mayo and PB to store nuts, bolts,nails, etc. Also can freeze soup and broth in them. 1 gallon ice cream tubs are used for feed buckets. Feed bags, if they aren't lined with plastic line garden paths for weed protection.

if it's reuseable we'll find a way to make it useful.

[NCLee]

Two appropriately sized cans will make a double boiler. Just be sure the cans used aren't coated in the inside. Coat hanger wire can be used for handles. Slightly crush the rim of the smaller can to form a pouring spout. I like these for melting candle wax, but they can be used for other situations where a double boiler is needed. When we could still get them, a 3 lb coffee can and a 1 lb can were a perfect combo for a double boiler.

Use a side opening can opener and take the bottom and top off of cans. Then, use tin snips to cut along the side seam. Flatten and you have pieces of metal that can be used for numerous small projects. The lids, as well. For example, I covered a small hole where a copper line went through the wall with one, attached with silicone sealer.

Again, with the side opener, cans can be resealed with their original lids. Use clear silicone caulk. Aquarium sealer may be OK. I haven't checked if it's food grade.

The bottom 2" of bleach bottles/jugs make good plant trays to go under pots.

Using a bottle cutter, all sorts of bottles can be turned into drinking glasses, vases, etc. A little emery cloth or fine sandpaper takes care of the edge, so it's safe for use. Bottle cutters are getting expensive (sigh), so shop around and keep an eye out for them at yard sales & flea markets. Google for lots more uses for cut bottles.

Any appropriately sized plastic bottle or jug can be turned into a tarp or canopy hold down. Got the idea from here. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=57054&cat=1,43326,51918&ap=1 Instead of using those, I drill a hole in the cap of any appropriate plastic bottle. Insert an eyebolt through the hole. Secure with a washer (that fits the cap/top) and a nut. S hooks, rope, bungie cords, etc. attach those bottles to the tarp. If used in the winter, fill with sand and caulk the hole in the cap to keep water out of the sand.

If you smoke or have guests that smoke, a tin can partly filled with sand makes a good "butt bucket".

Transfer left over paint to smaller containers. For waterbased paints, plastic peanut butter jars are OK. Solvent based paints, use glass containers. If you don't know for sure, use glass. Transferring paint from cans to smaller containers with less air space, will help prolong the useful life of the paint.

Plus, you can use the paint cans for other storage purposes. Clean well with the appropriate cleaner. Let solvents, when applicable, evaporate. Then, use for non-food storage. Water based paint cans are good for seeds (in packets, envelopes, or plastic bags).

Save the containers from new packs of recordable CD's and DVD's. Then use to store damaged and/or discarded ones. Turn those old CD's into crafts projects, tie in trees to scare wild life, make signal mirrors, etc.

Use any suitable container that you are about to discard to collect bottle caps. Tops from dish detergent, soda bottles, pickle jar tops, etc. You may be surprised at how often you can switch caps to change the use of another bottle or jar, simply by switching the cap/top.

Add a pour spout (I like the ones with the self-closing top) to wine bottles and beer bottles for oils that stay beside the stove. Transfer small amounts, based on your usage, from the original containers to these bottles. I like wine bottles for olive oil and beer bottles for canola oil. The colored glass helps protect the contents from the light. Plus they are so convenient for adding a splash of oil to a dish or a pan.

Just some re-use thoughts that come to mind this morning.
Lee

[jonvee]

I'm getting some really good ideas - keep um coming folks.

We also use milk jugs for cloches (sp?) in the garden. Just cut the bottom off, drill a few small holes in the cap and place over transplants to keep them warm when early spring nights area bit chilly.

[Mom5farmboys]

I save my plastic peanut butter and mayo jars. I use them to store opened bags of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, nuts, etc. In the kitchen. I also use the mayo jars for my cornstarch, powdered sugar, & yeast (which I keep in the freezer). I also use them to store cotton balls in the bathroom. They are also good for game pieces when the kids destroy the boxes.

I use the plastic ice cream pails (I have found square ones at Wal-mart) to store my sugar, oatmeal, rice, bisquick type baking mix, and cornmeal.

Wet Wipes boxes are good for storing lots of things and they are nice and square. They stack nicely on shelves and you can use a permanent marker to label them. I use them for flashcards, pencils, colored pencils, markers, pens. They are also good for game pieces. They also make nice small bins for things, if you use them without the lids.

Baby food now comes in a small square plastic container with a snap on lid. They are great for small parts, or beads, glitter, or craft supplies.

2 quart plastic juice bottles (my aunt is a caterer and when she gets them she saves them for me) are great for drinking water. My husband is a farmer and they are a nice size to carry along while doing chores, checking fence, or riding on the tractor, and the best part is if they fall off and get driven over, or lost you are out nothing.

I also love boxes. Every once in awhile I find a tall narrow box and I will bring it home with the intention of putting wrapping paper rolls in it (standing on end) then I can just put a plastic bag over the top to keep it dust free. Shoe boxes are great and the uses are endless. From keeping shoes in, to using them for organizing or sorting. They have a nice lid and can be labeled and stacked on a shelf. Craft supplies, pictures, or reciepts.

Aldi's have a box that thier orange gold beverage comes in (similiar to Sunny Delight I believe) the box is big enough to hold 6 1-gallon jugs of liquid, so it is pretty sturdy. I think it holds about 1 bushel. I use these in my laundry room on the floor to sort my laundry. A box holds approx 1 load of clothes. I have used them as a laundry basket in a pinch. I use them in the fall for apples and pears. I also use them for tomatoes (although I never fill them more than 1/2 full). The banana boxes at Aldis are also great for produce or hauling canning jars too.

I also love milk crates when I happen into them. I use them to as bins for the boys shoes (with 5 boys shoes seem to reproduce here on thier own) or right now I have them stacked up as makeshift shelving until the kitchen is finished. I use them as totes when hauling canning jars to or from the barn.

[GoodDaughter]

I have quite a few plastic soda crates. I mostly use mine to put potted plants in--pots of cuttings or larger pots when I want to move them. I like them because they are so solid and rigid and they won't flex like cheap plastic plant flats do and you end up dumping half a flat of plants on the ground. I have a few bigger plastic milk crates and they are good to sit on when weeding, etc. They are usually somewhere in the yard.

I put an old plastic tote in the trunk of my car and put all the usual trunk stuff inside it to keep it all from rolling around. Plus if I get something dirty I can put it in there.

I've been keeping the padded envelopes that my seeds come in and reusing them.

[Travis]

Wife is a Girl SCout leader and I have tons of cans all the same size that used to hold peanuts and candy and I use them for part holders in the garage like screws and nails. Also use peanut butter jars for larger hardware. Can also use them when tearing down a vehicle. Take tape and write on it and bag the parts/put in jar. Something like "tractor head" so you know all those bolts go to the head. Makes putting the machine back easier.

[NCLee]

Travis, I'd forgotten about putting labeled parts in peanut butter jars. And, in sandwich bags. Sure makes it easier to remember what goes where when putting things back together. LOL

Egg cartons and peanut butter jar lids are great for sorting small parts when putting something new together, too. Take that bag of hardware out of the box and sort the contents. Egg cartons are great for small stuff.

Speaking of egg cartons, the paper ones and dryer lint make good fire starters. Put dryer lint in the compartments, pour on a little melted wax. Cut off one or two "cubes" to help get a fire going quickly. Especially good for charcoal starter chimneys.

I keep a stack of the styrofoam ones in my shop for misc jobs. Sometimes the lid comes in handy, Sometimes the egg section. Just cut apart and use as needed.

Lee

[NotSoFast]

I recycle my spaghetti sauce jars (Classico) to reuse for canning. They sized halfway between a pint and a quart small mouth jar.

I also am using Neco evaporated whole milk cans for nuts and bolts, and other small parts storage, or for holding and disposing of bacon grease and other cooking fats that solidify when cool.

Peanut butter jars make good small containers for things not heated.

I save and reuse Amazon boxes for storage of larger items instead of tossing them.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I also reuse some jars for canning. The WM brand of salsa comes in a decent quart jar.

Nothing beats those cans that popcorn come in at Christmas time. We have many of those used for various purposes from bags of brn sugar and rice to batteries.

[patience]

We lucked into getting some heavy duty plastic tote trays from a factory. They are about 6" deep x 13 1/2" x 22" inside. !8 quart jars just fit nicely in them, so they get used for carrying around jars and canned food. We only got 14 of them, so I'm going to inquire about more. Love those things! No more decrepit boxes of jars! They fit nicely on our shelves, too. I think it would be worth checking the industrial auctions for stuff like this.

We did a lot of painting in the past few years and saved a bunch of 5 gallon plastic buckets from the latex paint. They have the nice rubber gasket seal. Not too hard to get the paint off with a wood scraper and a garden hose, in warmer weather! Those store grain mostly. but also brown sugar bags, and other stuff. Metal roof coating buckets got washed out with solvent and are trash cans for the shop, and store wood ashes for the garden. A 15 gallon metal oil drum catches the scrap metal in the shop for recycling. It looked funky fresh from the jnukyard, so I gave it coat of red paint.

I keep a couple buckets of cat litter in the shop for insulating cast iron parts after welding. I keep reusing the litter, so the bags wear out fast. Also have couple dishwashing soap squirt bottles out there with water in them to cool down hot parts, and put out small fires when welding farm equipment. A tuna can with the edge bent down is my shop ash tray for cigarettes. I keep a milk jug with drinking water in the welding shop, since they tend to get damaged by hot sparks a lot, and we have a steady supply of those jugs. Now, I'm watching the Goodwill store for one of those shakers they use for red pepper or parmesan in pizza joints. I want to dispense brazing flux with it like a salt shaker.

There's a plastic molding factory nearby, where I got (free!) rejected trays, about 3" deep and 12" x 16". They get used for all manner of shop part storage, and oil catch pans. Cutoff milk jugs catch oil when I change it in the lawn mower, then transport it to recycle in other milk jugs.

I think Jeff Foxworthy said, "You may be a redneck if you have a complete set of salad bowls that all say "Cool Whip" on the side." Yep, got that too. :p

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I think Jeff Foxworthy said, "You may be a redneck if you have a complete set of salad bowls that all say "Cool Whip" on the side." Yep, got that too. :p

We have those too. My husband says that Foxworthy would have a whole show from our family and friends.

[ktlove]

I duct taped a tin can to a 3 foot piece of pvc pipe to hold seeds, and use the pipe to direct the seeds into the row for planting. Saves bending over or crawling on my old knees.



Oh dear Patience, this is such a great idea!

[NCLee]

I recycle my spaghetti sauce jars (Classico) to reuse for canning. They sized halfway between a pint and a quart small mouth jar.

I save and reuse Amazon boxes for storage of larger items instead of tossing them.

I keep adding to my collection of canning jars with Classico sauce everytime I go to Sam's Club. Plus we like the sauce. Don't mind stocking up on it, simply because the container is glass. Sauce in those plastic jars just doesn't hold up. Turns dark on top far too quickly, IMHO.

I'm currently saving every large carton that I can get to use for solar cooker experiments this spring and summer. Have collected several designs that I want to try. If storage of cartons becomes a problem, go ahead and break them down. Add a shipping tape handheld dispenser and a couple of rolls of GOOD tape to your stash. Then, when you need a carton, just reassemble it and secure with tape. (I don't break down the ones with staples - these are used to store smaller cartons -like a set of stacking bowls. )

Lee

[Pokeberry Mary]

We have those too. My husband says that Foxworthy would have a whole show from our family and friends.

I Love his redneck jokes! I had a tear off page calendar of those once that I took to work, when I used to be at the library. Everyone enjoyed them--but I doubt they had any idea how far gone red neck I was. ;)

Sometimes too, when I come home to our place that is between all the local towns and counties and I'm not even sure which town it actually is in--I'll laugh and say "Sah-lute" in honor or Hee Haw. Population here?? dunno?? Which town is this anyhow?:rolleyes:

[Pokeberry Mary]

I keep adding to my collection of canning jars with Classico sauce everytime I go to Sam's Club. ...


Lee

Lee, Do you happen to know what the cost is for the Classico? Is it in a case or a 2 pack or ???

I used to get Ragu but its gone too high lately. I usually get Hunts when its on sale now or buy the Aldi sauce. Of course this year we'll be --God willing--making it all ourselves. :)

It occurs to me though that if I get a free canning jar in the deal--that might make the cost more in line with my budget.

Speaking of budget I noticed Food Lion actually has some reasonable prices in their weekly ad this week--I nearly fainted. Hope its a trend and not a fluke.

[Pokeberry Mary]

I had a nice old coffee can that had colors on it that looked good with the paint in my living room. I wiped it off with some mineral oil to try to ward off rust and set my poinsettia from Christmas in it. I like it so much I think when the poinsettia needs to be replaced I'll put a different plant in it.

Its a big coffee can from some Beaumont Coffee. I don't remember that coffee, must have been on sale. ;)

[NCLee]

Lee, Do you happen to know what the cost is for the Classico? Is it in a case or a 2 pack or ???

I used to get Ragu but its gone too high lately. I usually get Hunts when its on sale now or buy the Aldi sauce. Of course this year we'll be --God willing--making it all ourselves. :)

It occurs to me though that if I get a free canning jar in the deal--that might make the cost more in line with my budget.

Speaking of budget I noticed Food Lion actually has some reasonable prices in their weekly ad this week--I nearly fainted. Hope its a trend and not a fluke.

Mary, the Sam's Club price, was 7.37 for a 3 pack. Up from last time. That was 6 something. Jars are 32 oz (2 lbs) according to the label. So, I got 6 lbs of pasta sauce plus 3 canning jars. The lids are one piece and can be reused in situations where a one piece lid is more convenient than a 2 piece. I like them for dry goods in various sizes of canning jars that I don't vac seal. (or temporary storage in the refrigrator).

I saw some pretty good buys in FoodLions Flyer, too.
Libby's Sweet Peas @ .39 Limit 12.
Merita or Wonder Bread buy 1 get 1 free, limit 2 free
StarKist Chunk Light Tuna buy 1 get 1 no limit indicated
Saw several more good ones, but sadly they are for things we can't use.

Lee

[Pokeberry Mary]

No kidding they had some good deals. Amazing. Things have been sooooo high lately.
I just got a new brand of spaghetti sauce at Aldi--looks like a canning jar--can't wait to open it and find out.

and darn.. went to Sams and forgot to look at the spaghetti sauce! I was on a mission for frozen fish so forgot other stuff.

[12vman]

I use those plastic coffee containers to break down large bags of rabbit and cat food. I just fill them up and stack them. Works great for the rabbits. I can leave one at the cage so I don't have to carry one out everytime. Same with the cat food.

I also reuse the quality (Hefty) zip lock bags. Rinse and dry, depending what was in them. I've reused them several times..

[Gracie]

One of the office supply stores sells caramel popcorn with nuts, in a plastic see-through canister with a black screw on lid (approx. 12" tall x 4" wide). Have little kitchen counter space, so am going to put flour and sugar in them, and also spaghetti, and maybe noodles.
If you're limited on space, these would be an idea. FWIW, a delicious snack and a free sturdy canister, not too bad a combination. :0)

[patience]

12vman,
We reuse ziplock bags a lot, mostly those we use to freeze homebaked bread. Otherwise we would go through 6/week just for that. Also reuse bags that store cereal, or other dry items. We've had a plague of ants the past couple years, so we double package everything. Those reused bags keep Cream of Wheat, brown sugar and lots of other stuff ant-free.

Wife and daughter both have pet birds and buy seeds in square plastic jars of 4 to 5 pound capacity. I've used them to store many kinds of seeds, and other dry items. We save eggshells, rinse and dry them, then store them crushed up in these jars until I grind a batch of chicken feed--when the shells get ground in with the feed to save buying oyster shells. Being square, they stack nicely, are pretty durable, and they are clear, so I can see what I put in there. My memory ain't what it used to be. :o

[Pokeberry Mary]

Today I found out that 'Grandessa' spinach & cheese pasta sauce I got at Aldi comes in a jar that canning lids will fit on--which means the screw on lid the jar came with is also useful for non-canning purposes! The regular cheaper Aldi spaghetti sauce jars do not work for canning-you need the Grandessa signature jars.

So, 26oz. of good sauce, 1 re-useable screw top, 1 canning jar= $1.89; or .072/oz... this is very slightly less than buying the Classico at Sam's which according to NC Lee's price comes in at .076/oz.

Very cool! and its good sauce too!:)

[Pokeberry Mary]

12vman,
We reuse ziplock bags a lot, mostly those we use to freeze homebaked bread. Otherwise we would go through 6/week just for that. Also reuse bags that store cereal, or other dry items. We've had a plague of ants the past couple years, so we double package everything. Those reused bags keep Cream of Wheat, brown sugar and lots of other stuff ant-free.

Wife and daughter both have pet birds and buy seeds in square plastic jars of 4 to 5 pound capacity. I've used them to store many kinds of seeds, and other dry items. We save eggshells, rinse and dry them, then store them crushed up in these jars until I grind a batch of chicken feed--when the shells get ground in with the feed to save buying oyster shells. Being square, they stack nicely, are pretty durable, and they are clear, so I can see what I put in there. My memory ain't what it used to be. :o

We get the parrot mix at Sam's club for our two little parrots and I use those square plastic jars too. Some of them hold garden seeds in the root cellar and some hold spent cooking grease until I can get rid of it. I also have frozen soup and stock in them.:)

[cartershan]

Hello all! For anyone who might have a loved one that needs assistance with eating, as far as holding the utensil. You can make an adaptation to your spoon or fork with a cut off clorox or detergent bottle. You will have to cut off around the handle of either bottle and duct tape it onto the spoon/fork. This creates an opening that the hand can fit into for better grasp. It allows for a better grasp and control of the utensil and allows the person to be able to feed themselves more productively. People who have suffered from a stroke or ability challenged children can often gain better strength with grasp with an adaptation to their fork/spoon. You can slowly work away from the extra handle as they begin to recover or gain strength.
No one WANTS to be fed by someone else. this has worked. I have seen it. Once the person learns that,YES they can do it themselves, they will come off of the adaptation pretty quickly. It really does boost morale.
Hope someone will gain from this post. Happy Meals! Shannon

[macgeoghagen]

I re-use just about every container thats not beat up too badly.

metal shoe polish tins-tinder box

girl scout cookie box-chicken feeder

glass jars-hundreds of uses. never throw away a glass jar unless its broke.

aluminum cans-hobo stoves or disassemble. add up all the little short aluminum plates to use as shingles for birdhouses, chicken houses etc.

beer bottles with the screw cap -bore a hole in the cap, fill bottle with lamp oil, put a wick through the hole to make a lamp. as soon as i figure out glasswork im going to start trying to make lanterns our of the clear bottles. maybe one of those old coke bottles made of the thick glass will be more durable, but im not going to go out of my way to find one.

plastic milk crates-both furniture and storage.

spice jars-keep them for drill bits and such.

plastic oil bottles-cut the top off just above the label. you now have a funnel and a nail box. i leave the oil residue in there to inhibit rust.

[NCLee]

beer bottles with the screw cap -bore a hole in the cap, fill bottle with lamp oil, put a wick through the hole to make a lamp. as soon as i figure out glasswork im going to start trying to make lanterns our of the clear bottles. maybe one of those old coke bottles made of the thick glass will be more durable, but im not going to go out of my way to find one.

Doesn't take a lot to get started working with glass to adapt it. A bottle cutter and a ceramic drill bit, will get you started on a long list of projects.

For example, my Sis gave me a lamp that a co-worker had made from a wine bottle. A hole was drilled on the backside of a wine bottle. A small string of tiny white Christmas lights was threaded into the bottle through the hole. Cork stopper returned to the bottle. Cork was tied with rafta. Bottle has the label, BTW.

With a bottle cutter, all sorts of things can be made from glass bottles. Drinking glasses from the base and windchimes from the tops are one example.

And, a bottle cutter isn't the only way to cut a bottle. A string soaked with a flamable oil, tied around a bottle, then ignited will do the same thing, although not as accurately.

Haven't done it myself, but my Dad used to drop a bolt nut into a bottle. Then swirl the nut around the bottom of the bottle, until it broke off the bottom. Quick and easy way to make a funnel.

BTW, hang on to those old thick Coke bottles. They are difficult to cut and are becoming collectables, too. Worth more as collectables to pay for supplies for other glass projects. Save those glass soda bottles that don't have bar codes or "no deposit" written on them.

Jes 2 pennies this morn.
Lee

[nhlivefreeordie]

We both love Olive Garden dressing, and stop by often and pick up 5 bottles of dressing every other month. They are really fancy bottles, and it seemed a shame to throw them away.
I have been cleaning and storing them for a project that I hadn't thought of yet.
I think they will make excellent bottles to fill with Honey from our new bees to give as gifts to family at Christmas.

[NCLee]

That sounds like a good idea!

I haven't seen those particular bottles, but, too like to give gifts in "fancy" bottles.

One example is hot peppers or banana peppers in cider vinegar. Other flavored vingears are another option for those bottles. Tip: If bottled vinegar gift (that doesn't have to be canned) is in a bottle with a metal cap, cut a circle or square of plastic wrap to fit over the top of the bottle. Screw on the cap. The plastic wrap helps protect the lid from the acid. A circle or square of fabric placed over the cap and secured with a rubberband or ribbon hides the plastic wrap, if you want to dress it up a bit.

Lee

[nhlivefreeordie]

That sounds like a good idea!

I haven't seen those particular bottles, but, too like to give gifts in "fancy" bottles.



Lee

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/DSCN1022.jpg

[NCLee]

Those are NICE bottles!!!!

Thanks for sharing the pix.

Never would I discard one of those. Too many uses for them.

Another use would be for selling cut flowers at a farmer's market. The cap would be attached (two sided tape) to the back of the seller's business card, so the purchaser could re-use the bottle, too.

Lee

[aprilconnett]

Lee, I believe you are a genius. What part of NC do you live in?

[aprilconnett]

I save evry jar that comes through my hovel (I mean house). If the jar won't fit a canning lid, I just use it in place of "tupperware." I have also used the larger spaghetti sauce jars for Gifts in a Jar. I have one of the side open can-openers, but I use the cans and lids for craft projects. Juice or milk cartons NOT jugs, get re-used as soap molds.

[macgeoghagen]

Lee, I'm going to try re-purposing some of my bottles using some of your advice. I'll post my success if i have any.

[Vintagerose]

I save bottles, cans, spice and coffee containers, jars and bottles too.
The empty spice cans and jars are reused for my homegrown dehydrated herbs.

Here is an article about a man from my neck of the woods that was frugal and recycled before it was cool. Many people thought he was very odd. As I recall from many years ago, he had many bottles outside that were upright and when it would rain the wind after would make musical and eerie sounds. Some said the farm was haunted.

http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=17525

[MYellowRose]

I've been saving my empty pill bottles for about a year now, used to just toss them in the trash. I also wash and save almost all empty plastic or glass jars that food comes in. I'll start saving the egg cartons since I want to start a garden and will need things to start seeds in. I'll also start saving the styrofoam soda cups that DD brings home almost daily. I can also wash and save the large 54/64 oz. soda cups to put larger transplants into. These cups can be put one inside another for easier storage where they will take up less room. I've been saving empty TP rolls and have started putting dryer lint into them to later turn into fire starters.

Lots of hints here so I'll check back ever so often to see what's new.

[MYellowRose]

I kept a small round plastic cake container yesterday after dumping half of the cake it had contained. I'll figure out some use for it eventually. Egg carton couldn't be salvaged as it was too grungy, had spilled food on it. Since DD seldom washes dishes I can usually wash and save whatever without her asking about it.

[MYellowRose]

I just thought of something else I get that I can reuse and that's the boxes shelf-stable milk comes in. When empty I can cut them in half across the middle and use the to start seeds in. I've got some soup in similar boxes as well as chicken broth and the like. Tiny milk and orange juice boxes, the square kind, can have the top cut off and be used the same way.

[cubcadet]

Been going thru all these, haven`t seen this one- how about the snap open and shut clear plastic containers that chainsaw chains, d cell batteries, other things that are designed to hang on pegs in the store from the slotted hole? Good for starting seeds. Act like micro-greenhouses. eliminate watering, reuseable for years.

[Pokeberry Mary]

I've been saving my empty pill bottles for about a year now, used to just toss them in the trash. I also wash and save almost all empty plastic or glass jars that food comes in. I'll start saving the egg cartons since I want to start a garden and will need things to start seeds in. I'll also start saving the styrofoam soda cups that DD brings home almost daily. I can also wash and save the large 54/64 oz. soda cups to put larger transplants into. These cups can be put one inside another for easier storage where they will take up less room. I've been saving empty TP rolls and have started putting dryer lint into them to later turn into fire starters.

Lots of hints here so I'll check back ever so often to see what's new.

I save empty pill bottles too! Small world. I'm planning to store seeds collected from my garden in them.

[JulieBaby]

My mom used to pack Nestle's Quik in a pill bottle for me to take to school and mix with my white milk This was in the 1960s when schoolchildren were only offered plain milk in the school cafeteria. And when teachers didn't look askance when a child repeatedly brought pill containers to school.

[TEX]

My husband is the world's worst about throwing out things like yogurt and cottage cheese containers but we buy Argo Corn starch in those square boxes and go through quite a lot of those boxes. He keeps all of them. They are great because they are a nice yellow plastic box with a screw on lid. Right now I am using one to keep the roasted coffee beans in. I roast enough beans for about 3 days at a time and those containers work very well. I see many more of them in use in our future.

[LouKy]

I go through a lot of #10 cans so I've got those things everywhere. I've got one in the laundry to keep lint in, I use them as canisters to keep my beans, rice, etc in that I use daily (not for long term storage though since they have those snap on plastic lids). For Christmas this year I'm suing the cans as containers for my cookies and fudge I'm giving away. I think it'll be a fun thing for my kids to decorate the cans.

I also save pill bottles and spice jars to reuse for my homegrown dried herbs and spices.

I use the big plastic handled coffee cans for 72-hour food containers. The gals over at http://funwithfoodstorage.net/ have an instructional video showing how you can do it with a milk jug, but you have to cut it up, tape it all back together and all that. The coffee cans hold the same amount, the plastic is sturdier and you don't have to cut anything up. The coffee cans also make good scoops for dirt or pet food or to keep on the boat in case you need to bail. :meeting:

I use 5 gallon buckets for self-watering planters and storage, of course. I also use my cat litter buckets for storage.

Keep every glass jar and lid. You just never know when you'll need a glass jar. I feel so bad if I throw one away. LOL The smaller jars are good for candles. Just melt all your stubs down and pour into the jar with a new wick.

I think my favorite repurposed item is my biscuit cutter. It's a can that blueberries came in from one of those blueberry muffin mixes. My granny used one for her biscuit cutter and now I do too. Just poke some holes in the bottom so your biscuits pop out.

[macgeoghagen]

So far no success in modifying glass bottles. But i did figure out how to turn a baby food jar into a little torch. you make a hole or slot in the lid with a hammer and nail or a chisel thats just right for a wick to go through, fill with citronella or lamp oil, done.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

So far no success in modifying glass bottles. But i did figure out how to turn a baby food jar into a little torch. you make a hole or slot in the lid with a hammer and nail or a chisel thats just right for a wick to go through, fill with citronella or lamp oil, done.

kind of like a button lamp
That's really smart.

[MIKENSUE]

I get one gallon clear plastic relish jugs from our deli at work ,and make bird feeders out of them. I drill a hole in the top of the lid, and string a piece of nylon rope through it. I then take a flexible plastic picnic plate from wally world ( 4 for a dollar). and drill small drain holes around the outer edge of it. Then I center my gallon jar on it, hot glue it in place with a few dabs and drill three holes in it, through the plate and bottom of the jug, large enough to fit a half inch 8-32 machine screw through. I put a nut on it tighten it down and have a new bird feeder for about 40 cents! Oh, I almost forgot, I cut 4 triangular holes in the very bottom edge of the jug just above the plate for the seed to flow out onto the plate from.

[WVMan73]

Good idea Sue!!! I used to make bird feeders out of 2 litre bottles, but I bet yours would last a lot longer. Good job!

WVMan73

[patience]

We have been scrounging buckets of all sorts lately--drywall mud, hydraulic cement, motor oil, paint, roof coatings, and lots of other things come in useful buckets of various sizes. It is amazing how many buckets we can fill with garden produce while it is being washed, drained, and waiting to be canned. With a lot of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and beets coming on at the moment, everything is full.

Now, I'm looking for more boxes to carry around canning jars. We use the boxes the jars came in, cut off the plastic wrap on the top only, and wrap a couple rounds of duct tape around the box to hold the palstic on and make it more durable. They last several years that way. But we still need more for the jars we scrounged, so I watch at yard sales for plastic trays or shallow boxes.

A few years back, we lucked into some heavy duty plastic tote pans from a factory that will hold 15 quart jars each. I'd love to find more of those. :D

[MIKENSUE]

Wow, Patience what a good find! I do hope you find more, but I'm sure they are few and far between. I have found that if you can get the cherry boxes from the grocer, they will hold 12 quarts or about 15 pints nicely. you have a two part box, top and bottom so double the space. Even better is if you can get peach boxes. They are really heavy duty and hold 12 quarts comfortably. I am happy to say that we do not have to worry about box storage anymore as I built shelves in the basement out of salvaged 2x4's and pallet wood that was all free. What a Godsend!

Sue

[patience]

Sue,

Thanks for the tip! I'll go hunting for some of those boxes. :D Ought to be some at one of the bigger groceries around here.

I put in a whole mess of shelves in the basement, but I want the boxes for safety, to keep a jar from getting knocked off. Also, when we empty a jar, we wash it, put the used lid back on, to keep it clean, and then put it back in the box it came from upside down. That makes it easy for us to see what is empty in the boxes, and it keeps me from having to find more space to store the empty jars. Before we started doing it this way, we had empty jars everywhere.

Boxes make it a lot easier to tote empty jars upstairs to the summer kitchen when canning season comes around again--and to carry the refilled jars back to the shelves again. :)

[firegirl969]

We have been scrounging buckets of all sorts lately--drywall mud, hydraulic cement, motor oil, paint, roof coatings, and lots of other things come in useful buckets of various sizes. It is amazing how many buckets we can fill with garden produce while it is being washed, drained, and waiting to be canned. With a lot of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and beets coming on at the moment, everything is full.

Now, I'm looking for more boxes to carry around canning jars. We use the boxes the jars came in, cut off the plastic wrap on the top only, and wrap a couple rounds of duct tape around the box to hold the palstic on and make it more durable. They last several years that way. But we still need more for the jars we scrounged, so I watch at yard sales for plastic trays or shallow boxes.

A few years back, we lucked into some heavy duty plastic tote pans from a factory that will hold 15 quart jars each. I'd love to find more of those. :D

We keep our jars on shelves in the barn until we run out. Then DH scrounges for plastic milk crates. He sometimes gets them at the prison next to his animal shelter and from the landfill which is on the other side of the shelter. We can put 9 quarts in each one which makes them not too heavy to handle.

[canuck]

I reuse as much as I can....the small bags from the grocery store for veggies etc I take to the city to use for doggie waste bags...when those run out I've set up a pail with a lid so that I can put the dog waste in that separate from the other green pail...so I can use just one bag.

This year I used ice cream pails, dog biscuit containers, and any other plastic containers for starting seeds...

I've used milk cartons and coffee cans for bird feeders...coffee cans for paint brushes, pencils, etc.

This year I used an old storage tote to grow fingerlings...and used some old garbage pails for potatotes...just drilled holes in the bottom.

We cut up old towels, clothes to make rags for cleaning....old sheets to cover the dog beds so that they can be changed frequently.

[laf1110]

I use our old plastic coffee containers to hold my sons bath toys. I also used the top of a pop container as a funnel.

[NotSoFast]

I keep the boxes the canning jars come in and keep my empties in there upside down with just a ring on it. Since I resterilize my jars before using them I don't worry about them getting dusty during storage.

My favorites are peanut butter jars and #10 cans for storage of all kinds of stuff. And most of what I buy in the #10 cans come with a plastic lid for reuse so I don't have to scrounge or buy lids for them.

Another one is my cat litter pails. I use them for my reloading supplies, brass and bullets. Rinsed out, I also use them to store walnuts and pecans in the shell until I can shell them and vacuum seal them. They make good home made soap containers as well.

[KarenBC]

Pill bottles are great for storing small lightbulbs. The kind that fit in flashlights. My Grandpa even kept individual Xmas replacement bulbs in separate pill bottles.

I make scoops out of heavy plastic maple syrup bottles. Just hold them in the vice, and cut with a hack saw or hand saw on an angle.

Glass jars that can't be reused as canning jars I use in the workshop to hold nails, screws, electrical connectors, etc. Peanut butter plastic bottles work good for this too. I like to see what is inside the container without having to open it. This is also something my Grandpa did - and he never broke a jar, and I haven't either.

Have used a heavier plastic container to hold the end of a grease gun so it didn't make a mess...just screwed the plastic to the wall in the right place to catch the end (the grease gun is hung up)

Have also used a chunk of plastic pipe (mostly 1 inch), cut off about 10 inches long, the top opening I cut on an angle so the back is longer and makes a good surface to screw that to the wall - things like a long narrow wheel wrench will hang in it.

[Pokeberry Mary]

If I have a can that has an attractive label I give a spray with some shellac and re-use it to hold potted plants-- usually do something to keep water from getting in the can.

Tins can be painted! I spray with shellac first as a primer then use any color of spray paint to give a tin a new look. Sometimes I do artwork over the spray paint with acrylic paints or decoupage.
I like to use old tins but I don't always enjoy the old christmas designs they usually have on them.