If you're going through hell, keep going.
WINSTON CHURCHILL
Ever since Mr. Peasant's accident, our world has dramatically changed. Our home is a mess. My nerves are all over the place. My mind constantly struggles with what-ifs. My heart is filled with thankfulness, and my counter is covered with empty bottles. There is so much I can't change, but I can clear off the counter. So, I thought I'd take some pictures with my five year old flip phone of how I use throw away containers and share my favorite jars.
I try to spend as little as possible on containers. Containers to help with organizing is like exercise equipment. You can buy stuff, but it only works if you use it. Most of my jars and containers are recycled trash. It does require elbow grease to clean them up, but a quality jar is a great investment. You can keep a good glass jar for a lifetime.
WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A JAR:
1. Glass- Ideally, I like all my food storage containers to be glass.
2. Practical- Easy to clean jars that can have multiple uses.
3. Plastic lids- I like jars with plastic lids because you don't have to worry about rust. For dry storage, metal lids will do.
WHAT I AVOID:
1. Any jar that ever held a pickle. I'm looking at you, too, green olives. The smell never leaves the lid no matter how many times you wash it.
2. Jars without lids. Why bother unless it'll be a very pretty vase.
3. Ugly lids with writing or busy print. No thanks.
4. Hoarding. Keep asking yourself will I use this in the next 3 months. If the answer is no, throw it away. The good thing about trash recycling is there will always be more trash. Say NO.
MY TYPE OF BOTTLES:
Look at this bottle with the amber glass, a nice rare find!
Yep, all glass and have plain plastic lids. From left to right future purposes: Medicinal herb oil, spice mix, coffee canister to replace my plastic peanut butter jar, homemade vanilla extract bottle.
HOW I GET THE LABELS OFF JARS
1. Fill the sink with hot soapy water, place the jars gently in the sink and let them soak for 30 minutes. Be sure to rotate the jars so the entire label gets soaked. Take your finger nails and scratch the labels off. Peeling the labels off should be easy leaving the glue residue behind.
2. You will need oil, Any type of oil will work. I keep this sesame seed oil that went rancid under the sink specially for label removing. You also need baking soda, a small dish, and an old toothbrush. Make a paste with baking soda and oil.
3. Dip your toothbrush into the oil and baking soda paste. Now spread the paste onto the jars.
4. Place paste covered jars back into the sink and wait at least 30 minutes. Now take the toothbrush and scrub the jars until all the glue is gone. It is a pain, but it's worth it. If you have any stubborn areas repeat with the paste and let it sit. You can also add more baking soda into the paste to make it more abrasive to scrub off that gunk.
5. Now wash your jars with dish soap and dry. Beautiful, aren't they?
MY MOST FAVORITE JARS:
1. Plantation black strap molasses jar. This is my most favorite jar. It's great for storing your homemade hot sauces, elderberry syrup, or fire cider.
2. Annie's Dressing. Save one nice dressing bottle to store your homemade salad dressing in.
3. California Olive Ranch Olive Oil. These bottles are deep green and perfect for a vase or a solar night light.
4. Spice jars. Great to fill with bulk spices or making your own seasoning blends. I like to use them as simple vases for flowers.
5. Mason Jars. Yes. I know mason jars are all the rage. Mason jars are the gold standard, but they can be expensive. If I see a wide mouthed mason jar at the thrift store for cheap without any chips, I buy it. I also like the reusable plastic lids for mason jars. I bought mine at Walmart.
OTHER FREE CONTAINER IDEAS:
6. Jif all natural peanut butter containers. Here is a great option for a cheap canister set. I keep all my beans and grains in plastic peanut butter jars. I think it looks nice- plain brown lids, easy to fill, and easy to collect. They come in all different sizes, and the lids all match. That's a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch folks! God bless my husband.
6. Jif all natural peanut butter containers. Here is a great option for a cheap canister set. I keep all my beans and grains in plastic peanut butter jars. I think it looks nice- plain brown lids, easy to fill, and easy to collect. They come in all different sizes, and the lids all match. That's a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch folks! God bless my husband.
7. Shaker type containers. This genre of trash containers include certain spice bottles and Parmesan containers. When baking, I can flour the table easily by keeping flour in a spice shaker. I keep peanut butter powder, baking soda (under the sink for cleaning), and vegan parmesan in larger shakers.
8. Squeezable Type containers. I use a ketchup bottle for pine-sol or any other concentrate cleaner that I dilute and then easily squeeze into the toilet bowl or a mop bucket. Another type of squeezable container is a honey bottle which I use to hold my homemade dish soap.
Thanks for helping me get my mind off things. I'm always looking for new ways to use my trash. So, tell me what's your favorite throw away container? Thank you for praying for Mr. Peasant. And thank you for reading!
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