I’m a “keeper”, my husband is a “tosser”.  I have a hard time parting with certain things, and my husband can’t wait to put certain items curbside.  Good thing opposites attract.  Anyway, there are a few things I save that really do come in handy and save money.  Containers.  Yes, containers of all sorts.  Saving containers that previously housed household purchases can meet a variety of storage needs, can help save money, and can be good for the environment by recycling.

There are some really good containers out there that are great for storing items and organizing your home.  And the good news is that you don’t have to go out and spend a lot of money on storage containers to reap the benefits.   You actually can get them for free.  They are free with a food purchase.

Here’s what I am talking about.  You buy coffee right – So do I.   And, I save the coffee containers and use them to store different items.  My daughter likes to collect rocks and sea shells.  Every time we visit a beach, her collection grows.  She paints some of her rocks and gives them away as gifts (I’ll tell you about that in a future post.)  Anyway, I have found that coffee containers are just perfect for storing her rock and shell collection.

In the past, I have told you that I shop at Trader Joe’s and COSTCO.  Trader Joe’s sells a variety of their cookies in plastic tubs.  I also buy large containers of almonds, mixed nuts, and chocolate covered nuts from COSTCO.  I have even bought a container of cotton candy from Walmart that was a hit at a recent birthday party.  I save all those containers and use them mainly for storing crafts, crayons, markers, etc.  We even save the containers from the breath mints Altoids.  My daughter has used them as gift boxes for some of her gift creations, and one of her craft counselor’s from her GEMS girls’ club used them to create a cute game. (You’ll hear about that in a future post too.)

For Christmas I received a couple of gifts that contained Harry and David’s Moose Crunch (a family favorite).  I save those too. 

There is really a never ending supply of containers you can get for free with your normal household purchases.  And, there is a never ending list of uses for your containers.  I’ve told you about how we use them for crafts, but there are so many other ways to use these containers to organize your home.  For example, what about storing items like hair ties, barrettes, or other hair accessories; pens, pencils, and markers for your desk; cotton balls, Q-Tips, or bottles of nail polish for your bathroom; Barbie shoes and accessories, or the tiny little Polly Pocket pieces; spools of thread if you sew.  I could go on and on.  But just look around and be creative.  I am sure you will come up with your own ideas of how to use containers to organize your home.  Collect containers, save money, help the environment, organize your home, be happy!