Reader Gift Tip
Dear Tawra, Mike and Jill:
First, I would like to thank you so much for the enormous amount of
info that I have been blessed to be shared by you. My family and I have
greatly benefited from your ideas. I have, also, shared your website
with my friends and families.
Also, I just received Jill's book, Penny Pinchin' Mama, in the mail
yesterday. I read the whole thing in one sitting. I plan on going back
and reading the book again for more ideas.
I wanted to share an idea i have with you and your readers.
First, I would like to say, I am one of these people who would love
to have a canister set on my kitchen counters, but for the last almost
30 years of living on my own, I just couldn't see spending money for
those jars. Then, one day last year, I was watching a craft show on tv and
the young lady had made what she called "paint can cookies", meaning,
she put her cookies ingredients (like they do in those jar mix gifts)
in a clean paint can (you can get those at any Home Depot or Lowe's, DO
NOT USE ANY OF THOSE CANS THAT HAVE HAD PAINT IN THEM!) and she
decorated the paint cans (she painted them) and added the recipe to the side
of the handle and then she added a bow. Well, I got all excited bc i
thought "what a need way to give the usual cookies and nummies I make to
my friends and family". I decided to look at what the prices are for
those paint cans. They aren't very expensive but if you are like me and
bake gifts for 20 different people, $1.50+ per can (depending on
size and where you buy them) does add up.
So, I was looking around my house and voila'!... Another idea came to
my mind. Why not use those large oatmeal canisters as canisters and/or
to give gifts in?
Then, I thought "well, I am not too happy with the shape of those
canisters (even tho they are perfect), so I just thought there has to be
another solution to this. And again, Voila'! it was there right in front
of my nose the whole time!
Those large Folgers/Maxwell House Coffee canisters are perfect for
using as canisters for your flour, sugar, tea and whatever else! And, if
you want, when the holiday's are upon us, you could use them to put
your baked gifts in too.
I think the Folger's canister is a tad larger than the Maxwell House
but I guess that wouldn't matter for giving the gifts in. And also, the
colors are perfect to add stickers to dress them up with (for the
blue: snowmen; for the red: santa, reindeer, gingerbread people and for
angels: either one would do), and don't forget the bows on top, if you want
to add them.
Everyone I know buys those huge coffee canisters all throughout the
year and when they are done, they throw them out. And when the holiday
season comes where they are buying those tin cans to put their gifts in,
well, they are just spending more money (in order to save money on
gift giving. This has been told to me lots of times).
How did I solve my problem of giving away my baked gifts to 20 of my
friends and families this year? Well, being the frugal person I try to
be and be a good example of this, I put my baked gifts in one of those
large ziplock bags that you can get a box for $1.00 (I think there are
8 or 10 bags per box and its the gallon sized bags by the registers; if
you go down the isle where the paper plates and garbage bags are at
those same boxes of ziplock bags are like $2) and on the outside of the
baggie, i added a card and a bow. I got more compliments on the ziplock
bag as a packaging bc when they recipient was done eating the nummies,
they could use the ziplock bag for something!
Sorry so long, but I just wanted to point out a few things.
I hope this will inspire some people that they can use their everyday
things again as packaging (for whatever the holiday is: birthdays,
mother's day, xmas, etc) and maybe get a new set of canisters too (and if
you want, you can change your color schemes of your kitchen at any time
and not spending lots of money to do so!).
Again, thanks for all you do you for me and my family. We greatly
appreciate it.
Rose Wilson
First, I would like to thank you so much for the enormous amount of
info that I have been blessed to be shared by you. My family and I have
greatly benefited from your ideas. I have, also, shared your website
with my friends and families.
Also, I just received Jill's book, Penny Pinchin' Mama, in the mail
yesterday. I read the whole thing in one sitting. I plan on going back
and reading the book again for more ideas.
I wanted to share an idea i have with you and your readers.
First, I would like to say, I am one of these people who would love
to have a canister set on my kitchen counters, but for the last almost
30 years of living on my own, I just couldn't see spending money for
those jars. Then, one day last year, I was watching a craft show on tv and
the young lady had made what she called "paint can cookies", meaning,
she put her cookies ingredients (like they do in those jar mix gifts)
in a clean paint can (you can get those at any Home Depot or Lowe's, DO
NOT USE ANY OF THOSE CANS THAT HAVE HAD PAINT IN THEM!) and she
decorated the paint cans (she painted them) and added the recipe to the side
of the handle and then she added a bow. Well, I got all excited bc i
thought "what a need way to give the usual cookies and nummies I make to
my friends and family". I decided to look at what the prices are for
those paint cans. They aren't very expensive but if you are like me and
bake gifts for 20 different people, $1.50+ per can (depending on
size and where you buy them) does add up.
So, I was looking around my house and voila'!... Another idea came to
my mind. Why not use those large oatmeal canisters as canisters and/or
to give gifts in?
Then, I thought "well, I am not too happy with the shape of those
canisters (even tho they are perfect), so I just thought there has to be
another solution to this. And again, Voila'! it was there right in front
of my nose the whole time!
Those large Folgers/Maxwell House Coffee canisters are perfect for
using as canisters for your flour, sugar, tea and whatever else! And, if
you want, when the holiday's are upon us, you could use them to put
your baked gifts in too.
I think the Folger's canister is a tad larger than the Maxwell House
but I guess that wouldn't matter for giving the gifts in. And also, the
colors are perfect to add stickers to dress them up with (for the
blue: snowmen; for the red: santa, reindeer, gingerbread people and for
angels: either one would do), and don't forget the bows on top, if you want
to add them.
Everyone I know buys those huge coffee canisters all throughout the
year and when they are done, they throw them out. And when the holiday
season comes where they are buying those tin cans to put their gifts in,
well, they are just spending more money (in order to save money on
gift giving. This has been told to me lots of times).
How did I solve my problem of giving away my baked gifts to 20 of my
friends and families this year? Well, being the frugal person I try to
be and be a good example of this, I put my baked gifts in one of those
large ziplock bags that you can get a box for $1.00 (I think there are
8 or 10 bags per box and its the gallon sized bags by the registers; if
you go down the isle where the paper plates and garbage bags are at
those same boxes of ziplock bags are like $2) and on the outside of the
baggie, i added a card and a bow. I got more compliments on the ziplock
bag as a packaging bc when they recipient was done eating the nummies,
they could use the ziplock bag for something!
Sorry so long, but I just wanted to point out a few things.
I hope this will inspire some people that they can use their everyday
things again as packaging (for whatever the holiday is: birthdays,
mother's day, xmas, etc) and maybe get a new set of canisters too (and if
you want, you can change your color schemes of your kitchen at any time
and not spending lots of money to do so!).
Again, thanks for all you do you for me and my family. We greatly
appreciate it.
Rose Wilson
posted by Tawra Jean at 12:53 PM
7 Comments:
I use those coffee cans to put my husband's used needles in. My husband must give himself 4 shots a day. All those needles add up fast. The 'sharps' containers sold at the drug store are expensive. So we use an empty coffee can. Once a month my son (a RN at a big hospital) takes the coffee can to work and disposes of it for us. This keeps the used needles out of a landfill etc.
Brillant idea! I need new canisters, and we drink a lot of coffee! Instead of filling up the landfill with my used cans, I am going to be re-using them around the house! Thanks for the great post, Rose! I appreciated your ideas!
another awesome idea for those coffee cans..
a friend told me he uses those cans for his nuts and bolts collections in his garage...
and another friend told me she uses her's for a sewing kit, putting all her spools of thread in there and also for her sewing needles...
my son uses his for a piggy bank...
It is illegal to put used needles in the garbage. NEVER do this. If using a coffee can or anything else that can be opened up again, PLEASE make sure it is well out of the reach of children. A rinsed clean empty milk jug makes a far better "sharps" container. It keeps them contained and it is way more difficult for curious fingers to fish one out. Please check with your medical practitioner for recommended disposal procedures.
Christy
I wanted to let Christy know that we do NOT put the used needles in the trash. We use an empty can just to hold the needles till my son who is an RN can dispose of them at the hospital where he works. I am sure he does it in a proper "legal" way. The coffee can is kept in our kitchen on top of the refrigerator. (way out of the reach of children in our home) I was not trying to convince some one to do something not legal, I was just sharing something we do; something that has worked fine for us for several years. I hope that explains the matter. Thanks for the concern.
you're welcome... i was very happy to share my ideas with all of the readers...
i have also learned alot from tawra, mike and jill...
and alot from the other posters too...
thanks everyone!!! :D :D :D
Rose
Like everyone else, I think the cofffee can idea is great. I bought a really nice set of canisters because they matched a bowl I have on my kitchen table. Well wouldn't you know that my hubby broke the top to one of the canisters and now we have to use a sheet of plastic wrap with a rubberband around it to cover the opening! Tres tacky!! lol!
There's no way I'll spend money for new canisters, so this coffee idea will come in handy!
Thanks
Carol
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