<p>I occasionally give my dogs Cesars dog food. The food comes in a little tray that is pretty study.</p>
<p>I hated throwing them away. So, I put them in the dishwasher (top rack, no heat dry) and they come out very clean. </p>
<p>I put about 8 (they nest very nicely) in the tool box for when I’m assembling or repairing something and I’ve got different nails, washers, screws, nuts, whatever to keep separate. They work very nicely for that!</p>
<p>I also put one in the glove compartment of my car for when I need to let my dogs have a drink from my water bottle.</p>
<p>I’m sure that crafters dealing with small items could use them, too.</p>
<p>Chinese take out plastic containers. Great for leftovers in refrig or freezer or sending leftovers home with my kids/relatives.</p>
<p>The little plastic pronged thingys in the pizza box. Wash them and then gently slightly push them in things like cake that needs to be covered with plastic wrap or foil - keeps the foil from messing up the frosting.</p>
<p>Plastic bags that the newspaper comes in - doggie do-do bags!!! </p>
<p>I am fanatic about using reusable bags at the grocery/food stores. DESPISE the plastic bags that they use. Took a little time for me to make a point of stopping at the trunk before I went into a store, but now my trunk has SEVERAL bags of all styles, sizes, etc.!!</p>
<p>use a sharpie marker and write a size on it and then put in on the hanger of clothes (the hook part) that you want to easily see the size. I do this for the boys suit coats and other items that I want to quickly see the size of the garment.</p>
<p>I got used to carrying my own shopping bag to the grocery store spending summers in countries where you have to pay for grocery bags. So I always bring at least one bag to the store with me. If I buy more than fits in one bag and end up with a paper bag, I’ll usually recycle it but I’ll sometimes use it, turned inside out, as brown paper for packages. It works excellently!</p>
<p>I tried out a tip to reuse an empty paper towel roll or toilet paper roll by cutting it up the side and then rolling it around the outside of gift wrapping paper rolls so that the wrapping paper doesn’t get unrolled and rumpled. It works great!</p>
<p>I must have a dozen of these but might have to wander the house to remember them. </p>
<p>The one that immediately comes to mind is you know how when you buy electronics they come with sterofoam/similar “corner” pieces to protect it? I use those on certain doors in my house (on the top corner) to keep the door from being closed. </p>
<p>/This invention created after my dog locked himself in the bathroom for the second time and wrecked havoc.</p>
<p>(in his frenzy he “pulled” out the drawer in such a way it wouldn’t retract effectively locking himself in and me out—he also broke the toliet lid–ARGH)</p>
<p>Paper towel rolls for seedlings that I grow. You can transplant them right into the ground and the rolls decompose.</p>
<p>The plastic ties from new product packaging for various uses.</p>
<p>Peanut butter jars for nuts bolts screws. Plastic, unbreakable and see through. You can mount the lid to the bottom of a shelf to keep things neat and in place.</p>
<p>Plastic containers from produce aisle ( like mushrooms) make nice disposable paint trays for small jobs.</p>
<p>I eat out at Noodles & Co more than I care to admit. I save the containers, wash them, and use them as tupperware. My mom will use them to send cookies at Christmas. </p>
<p>Grocery bags get saved as trashbags. We have cloth bags but never seem to have enough so we usually get 1-2 bags with each visit.</p>
<p>The place where I buy take outs use so much Styrofoam trays and containers. Short of not buying from them, I don’t know what to do with the Styrofoam. They can’t be recycled. Any idea?</p>
<p>We bought those small plastic drawers (1-2 inches tall drawers) and cut styrofoam egg trays to fit inside. Inside, nicely separated, we put necklaces.</p>
<p>I also use the kids old mismatched socks for dusting and cleaning, then I can just toss them afterwords.</p>
<p>If I have a crew sock that doesn’t have a mate or the toe has work thru, I cut off the “cuff” and use it as a “soda can cozy”…also works for water bottles.</p>
<p>Plastic ties: humiliating, but a few times I actually used them to tie a bit of my hair back. Amused my kids, but I was doing something and just wanted any solution. Til I realized I never took it out. We were in a restaurant. The end. Never did it again. </p>
<p>Another crazy thing: 6-pack containers, like for beer, are awesome for holding things in the fridge. This also amuses my kids. The refrigerator roll dough tube, some bottle of something that’s either too tall to fit on the door or keeps falling over on the shelf.</p>
<p>I save most glass jars and find all kinds of uses for them; for mixing salad dressings, storing leftovers, painting, vases, etc. I hate plastic and usually it recycle right away, but I have a hard time parting with a small glass jar.</p>
<p>DH takes his lunch (from home) to work every day. He doesn’t want to carry plastic containers or a lunch bag that he has to be sure to bring back home so he takes his lunch in a plastic grocery store bag.</p>
<p>Many of the spices in Target come in cute small glass containers with a screw on tops. When I empty one out, I wash it and use it for taking salad dressing to work in my lunch bag.</p>