Like many households, my kitchen cupboards are full-to-bursting with stuff. Boxes, cans, pots, lids, packets, utensils – you name it, I have it. It seems I've been able to toss out any kitchenware I received or purchased dating back to the time I had my first apartment! Since several moves since those glory days, I've diligently packed up all that stuff and hauled it to my next new home. While my thriftiness may have made my grandmother happy (some of my stuff even came down from her!), It's left me with a cluttered kitchen and an inefficient cooking environment.
I recently decided to change all that. At the encouragement of a friend, I became a Pampered Chief representative and splurged on a ton of new, high-quality equipment. My old stuff paled in comparison. While I felt strongly now was the time to get rid of the odds and ends, I could not bring myself to toss them all out to settle in the landfill. I got inspired to re-purpose many of my pieces, including those miscellaneous storage containers we all seem to have.
First off, I sorted the storage containers out to see which pieces actually had a mate (matching top or bottom). Those which did and were still in good condition, I placed in a box intended for Goodwill. The storage containers without lids were further sorted, and those which had an interesting size or shape became forms for my kids to use in their sandbox. Easy way to help them make castles, yes?
The smallest storage containers became catch-alls for my new office desk. Paperclips, rubber bands, thumbtacks and jump drives fit perfectly into four which I bound together with hot glue.
To me, these little steps were very important ways in which I stuck to my principles about reducing, reusing and recycling.