1)  Holding leftovers - Let these become your storage containers for leftovers.  Be sure to grab a permanent marker and some tape or something to label them.  Otherwise, you might forget about your leftovers and think it’s yogurt.

2)  Take to a potluck - These are great for sending food home with others.  Be sure to take extras to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  You don’t have to worry about getting back your containers.

3)  Donate them - Take them to a soup kitchen or to your church.  Every few months, I clean out my disposable collection and take them to my church’s fellowship hall.  Our fellowship hall stays busy with baby showers, birthday parties, and other get togethers.  It doesn’t take long for them to disappear.

4)  Organizing - Sometimes you’ll find disposable containers being used in our garage for storing and organizing screws, paneling nails, and other household items.  The boxes and flimsy plastic containers that they’re sold in quickly break and can leave you with a mess.  The disposable containers provide an inexpensive storage solution.

5)  Storing a similar homemade item - Recently, I ran out of vanilla Starbucks syrup that I use to make my own caramel macchiatos.  I decided to become even more frugal by making my own syrup.  I’m so glad I didn’t throw away my syrup bottle as it is great for storing my homemade version.  I’ve also heard of people saving egg cartons for their friends who have chickens.

6)  Crafts - When I was teaching, I would use frosting containers for many things . I have covered them with felt and let the kids make piggy banks.  Frosting containers and peanut butter containers are great for storing glitter, ribbon, safety pins, and other craft supplies.  One of my favorite uses for the frosting containers is using them with young children for “painting” on glue.

7)  Plant starters - If you have some plant cuttings that you want to root, disposable containers will make quick and inexpensive pots for your plants.

How can you reuse disposable containers?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Here are two apple crates that we’re using as bookcases.  My hubby and I found these in a yard sale many years ago as we were traveling up the mountain to Virginia.  I think we paid $10 for both of them.  We have been using these for about six years and have really enjoyed them.

If you have any old dresser drawers, you could use them as potting boxes.  I saw this recently at a pumpkin patch and thought it was so cute.  If you use these on a railing (as shown here), don’t forget to attach them so that they don’t fall.

This old chair is a favorite in our home.  My husband found it a few years ago at a yard sale for about $5.  He cleaned it up and now Emma sits proudly on it in our dining room.  We really like the rustic look of the chair. 

These are a few ideas of how you can take some old junk and make it into a special treasure.  What ways have you repurposed your old things?

images (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

She just lays there on the dresser, soaking in the sun from the windows.  At least this is keeping the cat hair off of my bed!  Looks as though my cat is being thrifty too by finding new purposes for old items.   ;)

Post from: Thrifty Mommy