Indispensable Uses for Disposable Things
Most of us have a mindset that newer is always better and that it takes a lot of money to create a functional organized household. This is simply not true. Below is a list of items I frequently use to help me organize the things in my home. And the best part is they’re free items you were going to throw away anyway.
- Altoids tins
I absolutely love the practicality and aesthetics of these tins. The hinges make them even more ideal because it means you won’t ever misplace the lid. I use my Curious George one for rubber bands, my muscle man one for bobby pins, and my record label one for small earrings. The possibilities are endless. They also make great containers for small items in your purse, such as change or band-aids. - Plastic food containers
Why would anyone buy leftover containers? Every time I empty a butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, Cool Whip, (you get the idea) container, I wash it and reuse it. They also make it easy to split up leftovers to take to work for lunch the next day. Keep a Sharpie close by to label what the contents and date are. - Ziploc bag boxes
The little opening in the tops make them perfect for storing any variety of items you want to get to quickly but still need to contain. I spray painted one and attached to the back of the cabinet door underneath the sink to store plastic grocery bags. I also use one for all the ear buds we have and my husband’s press badges. - Old blankets
Don’t ever throw away an old comforter or blanket. They can be used for outdoor picnics, emergency blankets in the car, for the kids to build forts in the playroom, and in outdoor animal pens for warmth. - Cardboard boxes
This one is a no-brainer! Everyone has reused a cardboard box for something at some point in time. If you use them for organizing, spray paint them all the same color first to give your space a more cohesive decorated look. Think outside the box, shoebox that is, to other sizes that also work well, such as cereal boxes. I currently have my jewelry organized in cut down cereal boxes in a shallow dresser drawer.
I hope these practical ideas make you look at the things you throw away in a different way. You may find that you don’t really need to buy a lot of expensive items to organize your home since you already have a myriad of perfectly good storage containers that you were just going to throw away!
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All very practical ideas that more people should adopt. However, I do want to caution others about using plastic to store food because of the dangers of chemicals in the plastic moving into the food which according to researchers is occurring. Reusing is just developing a different mindset!