Wondering what to do with jars destined for the recycle bin?
We've got answers!
You can use Mason jars for these ideas, but we are really trying to find ways to reuse old sauce jars, or old pickle jars. Jars that were bought for what was once inside of them, not jars that were bought because they were jars. We used an old Ragu pasta sauce jar for the pictures above.
Without further ado, here's the list:
Drink holder.
Morning coffee, afternoon smoothie or even right out of the freezer as a chilled beer glass.
Coffee traveler.
Use this to safely take your coffee on the road with you. This is especially nice because you won't have to stress out about forgetting it or anything. It's just a jar, there's more out there!
Layer dry ingredients for baked goods.
Keep the jars for yourself as a "ready to go" mix, or add them to a gift basket or decorate the jar and give them as their own gifts! If you're using the mixture for yourself, the jar can also work well to mix the dry ingredients together when shaken.
Infuse things!
Make olive oil (be careful when using garlic - Google it), infuse vodka with gummy bears (yum!) or pickle things!
Lanterns.
Place tealight candles right inside, or decorate the jars. A can of frost spray paint makes for a nice effect.
Breakfast in a jar.
Check out our recipe here -----> overnight oats in a jar!
Store leftovers of any kind!
Soup works great here, just be careful getting it in the jar.
Store dry foods.
Like sugar, flour, granola, beans and just about anything else!
Keep assorted small items.
Keep all of your extra buttons from clothes, screws, nuts and bolts and other stuff that's easy to lose in their own jar!
Money jar!
Cut a slit in the tip to use it piggy bank style, or just use it as a money jar! Make the money in the jar for something fun like a dinner out or extra vacation money.
Use as a vase!
If you don't think your jar is nice looking enough, affix some fancy paper to it, or even some old fabric for a really nice look! The put some nice flowers in it an viola!
Make a fly trap.
Put some (a tablespoon or so) cooked or raw meat or wet pet food into the jar. Screw the lid on. Carefully jab 3-4 holes in the top with a screwdriver or needle nose pliers. Make sure the jagged end winds up on the inside of the can. Wait for the jar to fill up or the bait to get raunchy and empty it out! If you're grossed out by the last step, this may not be the best use for you.
Use it for a time capsule!
These are always fun, and when it's time to make one, you'll have a jar!
Store old AA batteries.
These should be recycled, but what do you do with them? Now you have the perfect place to store them! Keep your eye out for battery recycling events put on by your city or local office store and bring your jar to empty it and earn all kinds of good karma points from Mother Nature.
Store extra paint or wood stain.
Doesn't it always seem like there's just enough paint that you can't get rid of it? But that paint can is so big and cumbersome to store! Well, if you've got a couple of jars saved, transfer the paint into them and you'll have the perfect storage for extra paint or wood stain!
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