I use empty coffee cans for a variety of things and have saved a few dollars on items that these often replace especially storage or little trash cans.
I have decorated them up and used them as cookie tins for christmas by using cards from last year and some clear shipping tape. You can also do up pet treat cans with them, these go over well with pet owners, they can reuse them for treats over and over.
I have used them for storing nuts and bolts, screws and nails, any of those hardware items that rip the bags they come in.
I have used them as small trash cans in my guest bathroom, I use my can opener and cut out both ends on one of them, tape two together to get the depth needed, put a plastic shopping bag in it and wala, instant trash can.
I put one in the trunk of my car with emergency items, like bandaids, ointment, sunscreen, poison ivy and oak cream, calomine lotion, anything you may need while out and about.
There is a variety of ways to reuse the big old canisters, they seal well and will keep items dry.
Do you have a camper, put a roll of toilet paper, matches, spare batteries and other little things, like utensils in it for your camper, everything in one place.
Does anyone have anything they would like to add, do you have something that you reuse, that would keep something from being thrown away?
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Hey da, we always use mason jars, the larger ones to keep loose change in, then when it gets filled we'll go to the coin star machine and cash it in and put it in a savings account :)
Well this might sound silly but I did make pen stands and ash trays out of soft drink cans.
Not silly at all Laura, sounds like a good idea.
Hey debtstinker, mason jars are good piggy banks, they would fill up pretty quickly too with two of you dropping in your change. We have regular jars hanging from our ceiling rafters in the basement with little screws, washers and nuts in them. We nail the lid up and then screw the lid in. If you do this, use a washer on you screw so it don't pull through. We have been doing this for years.
Well I dont do anything on a regular basis but all my wrapping and gifting boxes come from previous scraps.
Some of the gift bags are beautiful. I have alot of them here that I reuse. Seems like a never ending supply sometimes. LOL. I am going to donate some of them to goodwill maybe they can make a few cents off them. I have some really cool boxes that christmas gifts have come in, I always just place them under the tree for decoration.
I wrapped them all already, because I am sooooooooo bad at keeping them away from her. She would get them all before christmas if I didn't, it isn't even her, it is me. I don't know why I do it. I got her a guitar, with amp, head set and mike, it has been so hard, because I am not wrapping it, I am gonna set it up by the tree, one of those you put together deals. So, If I am putting it together, I am putting it out with a bow on it. I won't give it to her until christmas though.
That is a great idea for book markers, that would be fun to do with the kid to. I know we sometimes cut them out and use them for name tags on gifts.
My granny used the empty medicine packs to make book marks. She said it wont be stained and wont worn out easily.
what kind of medicine pack, I am not getting the full picture here, are you talking about the card board?
Good, you have it all wrapped already? I guess if you have no control that would be the best thing to do is to wrap them, hee hee. If thats what it takes for you, then thats what you do. Think of it this way, you will have to just buy more if you give her these gifts now.
I am talking about the aluminum ones. They are sharp.
Oh, yes they would be sharp, the ones that lozengers come in is what comes to mind. I guess if it works, use it. I usually just dog ear the page that I am on, then fold it back when I am moving on.
Did she just crush them done and use them. I guess you grab what is available to book mark, no big deal as long as you don't lose your spot, lol.
Hey debtstinker, have you thought about decorating the mason jars and giving them as christmas presents or filling them with candy or something like that.
great idea dadummy, you can put the dry ingredients in them for different baked good mixes too, just make sure that you add the directions on how to finish it, LOL.
I think that would be a great project for you and your sister, don't forget about all of us here when you do your jars, especially if you do hot chocolate, LOL.
My daughter and I did this same thing just Christmas past. We were strapped really bad for cash and could not come up with money for gifts. In the past we use to give her $50 to do her own Christmas shopping for Grandma,s and pa's aunts and uncles. We found this way of making our own was not only fun but much more appreciated than those 2 dollar trinkets. We have been collecting different types of jars since last year to use this year and even using scrap paper from cards and gifts, fancy store bags and whatever else we can use to put the directions on.
Great list of items, I do many of the same. I use the old tin coffee cans for storing or gifting dog treats of stuffed animals. Clean them up, take an old christmas cards and adhere it to the outside and wala you are done.
I have found that my daughter likes to open the plastic ones and find her stuffed animals all jammed up in side them, just put the face up so when she opens it, the stuffed animal is looking at her.
awh goodnatured. that is so cute. i dont really buy the tin ones & for some reason I always had a problem with them getting wet somehow and rusting on me! I only drink folgers coffee & theirs comes in the plastic cans.
I've actually had my family save me a TON of those small similac baby formula cans for reusing. I'm going to spraypaint the outsides & adhere a pretty label to it. That is where all of the gifted christmas treats are going.. I'm actually saving MORE money by having a cookie exchange party. So, I will only have to make 1 kind of treat [less ingredients to buy, less to make = saved energy]. i'll knock gifts off my list AND have my holiday cookies crossed off the to-do list. :D
if there are any cans left over after all that, they will be reused for wrapping certain gifts for my present-guessers in my family [marcus & my sister!]. I have to trick them or they guess EVERYTHING they are getting. totally spoiling the surprise, of course. lol
great idea with the similac cans, you can do some things with baby food jars too. like make reindeer food, you just put sugar and some glitter in it and have the kids put it out in the snow. You can make these and give them to the kids early so they can put it out for the reindeer.