I’m a big fan of repurposing things. I’ve turned old glass bottles into soap dispensers, tiles into coasters, and old windows into a greenhouse box. But, my favorite repurposing technique is reusing containers and jars, often originally containing food, to store other things. However, it doesn’t always work out.
I especially hate throwing out glass jars. It seems such a waste, when they could be used for other things. After I use the contents of a jar, I wash it well and use it for something else. One day, after finishing a jar of dill pickles, I washed it and put it aside to use later. Not long afterwards, I picked up a big bag of dark chocolate Peanut M&Ms (yum!) at the grocery store. I brought them home and looked for something to keep my snack in. Remembering the pickle jar, I emptied the bag into it and put it high on a shelf (so no one stole my snack).
The next day, I went to get a few M&Ms. I opened the jar to a whiff of pickles. Hmmm. I tasted one. Yep, M&Ms infused with pickles. Not exactly what I was going for. And the longer the M&Ms were in the jar, the more they tasted like pickles. I still ate them because, c’mon, it’s still chocolate. And, on the bright side, no one wanted my snack.
So, lesson learned – put the pickle jar in the recycling bin!
Here are some other items I’ve repurposed (without the new contents smelling like the old contents):
A salsa jar repurposed as a container for yeast.
A jar previously containing a candle now used for miscellaneous office supplies.
A food can as a fork holder (this works great for parties).
Happy repurposing!
The Crazy Hat Box 
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