The 5 Best Containers To Save And Repurpose

“Boxtumes” and other last minute costume ideas, the perfect way to fuel up on Halloween, and more. October 30, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! While I always prefer to repurpose things than throw them away, not everything that comes into my house is equally useful in that regard. Certain containers are both more useful and more versatile than others, including the 5 I'll tell you about in Today’s Good Thing. Also in today’s newsletter, I’m sharing the recipe I make for dinner nearly every Halloween. It’s not quite chili, and it’s not quite soup, but it’s just the sort of warm, filling meal that will fuel you throughout the night (even if you'll just be walking to and from the front door!) Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING 5 Of The Best Containers To Save And Repurpose [Photos of a cheese shaker, a wipes box, yogurt containers, and a mint container.]( Discover what it is about these 5 containers that makes them my favorite ones to repurpose. 1. Parmesan Cheese Shakers. While the container itself is nice, it’s really the lid that earns these a place on my list. Parmesan cheese shakers are perfect for storing anything you shake or sprinkle, like cornstarch, powdered sugar, baking soda, etc. The larger opening on the lid is great for dispensing snacks too. 2. Baby Wipes Boxes. Baby wipes boxes are ideal for storing [reusable fabric softener sheets](. It keeps them tidy and helps seal in the scent so you don’t have to refresh them as often. The one drawback I’ve found is that the labels can be impossible to remove—something to keep in mind if you normally remove them. 3. Large Yogurt Containers. Whether they were originally filled with yogurt, sour cream, or cottage cheese, these plastic tubs are great to repurpose. I use them for gifting [homemade ice cream]( and other treats to friends and family, but I usually [remove the ink print]( first to make them look a bit nicer. 4. Ice Cream Pails. These plastic buckets are useful for storing collections of items like cookie cutters or small toys, and you can fill them with soapy water for cleaning jobs around the house. Back when my kids were much younger and much more vomit-prone, I kept one in my car as an emergency vomit receptacle, which proved very useful. 5. Gum And Mint Containers. There are so many great ways to use gum and mint containers. Gum containers are usually a bit bigger, so they can be used to store craft supplies, snacks, or even loose change. Smaller mint containers are handy for corralling paper clips or notoriously easy-to-lose bobby pins. [4 More Of The Best Containers To Repurpose ➜]( Related • [11 Highly Useful Items That Most People Throw Out]( • [This Is The Best Snack For Your Money, And Here’s Why]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Confused about streaming? This simple guide has everything you need to know about streaming video to your TV. [Read more ➜]( • If the leafy greens in your fridge look like their days are numbered, it’s time to check out these 8 ways to use up greens. [Read more ➜]( • As far as homemade lip balms go, it doesn’t get much easier than one you can make in your microwave. [Read more ➜]( COOKING Chili Soup: The Perfect Fuel For Halloween [A photo of a bowl of chili soup.]( It’s not quite a chili and not quite a soup, but it is a delicious way to fuel up for a night of Halloween fun. Chili soup is hard to describe, because it’s not really a chili and it’s not really a soup. It’s just a delicious and comforting concoction of beef, beans, and veggies that warms you up from the inside. It’s tasty, filling, and an ideal pre-trick-or-treating meal—regardless of which side of the door you'll be on! Here’s how to make it: Brown 1 pound of ground beef, drain it, and set it aside. In a large pot, sauté 1 diced onion and 1 diced green bell pepper in a couple tablespoons of oil until they're soft and translucent. To the pot, add a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed black beans, a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed kidney beans, a 15-ounce can of drained sweet corn, a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, and 1 3/4 cups of water. Add the cooked ground beef to the pot along with 1-2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper to taste, then stir until well combined. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about one hour, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the finished chili soup in bowls and serve warm. Don't forget to load it up with your favorite chili toppings too. (A piece of cornbread on the side wouldn't go amiss either!) [See The Full Recipe ➜]( UNUSUAL USES 3 More Reasons To Love Your Hot Glue Gun [Photos of uses for hot glue.]( It may not always be kind to your fingers, but your hot glue gun can be an excellent household helper. 1. Prevent Rugs From Sliding. Have a rug that just won’t stay put? Flip your rug over and apply a few lines of hot glue to each corner of the rug. Let the glue dry completely before flipping the rug back over, and the slight tackiness of the dry glue will provide some extra grip and prevent the rug from slipping around on you. 2. Keep Frames Level. Have a frame that keeps tipping to one side? A bit of hot glue can help it hang straight as an arrow. Just remove the frame from your wall, then apply hot glue to the back of the frame at the bottom corners. The added grip will keep the frame more snugly in place so it’s not as likely to tip. 3. Make An Earring Back. Lost the back of an earring? Grab your hot glue gun and make a makeshift earring back so you can wear them again. Apply a small dot of hot glue to a piece of parchment paper and let it dry. Then peel the glue dot away from the paper and push it onto your earring post to secure it. Easy! JILLEE'S PICK “Boxtumes” And Other Last Minute Costumes [Various photos of boxtumes (AKA costumes made out of boxes).]( Scrambling for a costume at the eleventh hour? Trust me, I’ve been there! But I’m here to help, because I’ve come across some great sources of costume inspiration on Instagram that can help you pull together a creative costume before tomorrow night. Amazon’s Instagram account has been sharing some great examples of “[boxtumes]( or costumes made from empty Amazon boxes. (Of course, you can and should use any cardboard box you happen to have on hand, should you decide to make one!) From unicorns to paper dolls to washing machines, tons of people have created amazing boxtumes using cardboard and other common materials. Search the #boxtumes hashtag on Instagram and get inspired to create a box-based costume of your own. If you’re fresh out of cardboard, fear not, because there’s one more source of costume inspiration worth checking out: last minute costumes. Search the #lastminutecostume hashtag to see costumes other people have thrown together to get your creative juices flowing. REMEMBER WHEN Good Riddance To Indoor Smoking Normally when I reminisce on days gone by, I like to focus on pleasant memories of those simpler times. But today I thought I'd recognize an aspect of life that has improved since back in the day, and in my mind, there are few improvements that have benefitted more people than restrictions on smoking indoors. When I think back to the way people could smoke pretty much anywhere and everywhere they wanted, I feel pretty appalled! There were ashtrays filled with sand and cigarette butts at the bank, the grocery store, and even doctor's offices. Of course, most people didn't really understand how harmful smoking can be until after the Surgeon General released his bombshell report ([Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General]( in 1964. But even so, it’s hard not to shudder while remembering the plumes of smoke and sticky residue that were ubiquitous in public places back in the day. Instead of reflecting and thinking "Good times," in this instance it’s more like, "Good riddance!" A FEW MORE THINGS... Controversial Candy: It’s National Candy Corn Day! Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that this famously waxy yellow, orange, and white confection is a staple among Halloween candies. (Did you know candy corn has been around [since the 1880s]( Apparently it was originally called “chicken feed.”) On This Day: In 1938, Orson Welles narrated an adaptation of H.G. Wells’s [The War of the Worlds]( on the radio anthology series The Mercury Theatre on the Air. [The broadcast allegedly caused a panic]( among listeners who didn’t realize it was science fiction, due to parts of it being delivered in the style of "breaking news." What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! My inbox is always open, so just hit "reply" and let me know what's on your mind. See you tomorrow! Sending you bright ideas and simple solutions to help you create a home and life you love. My mailing address is: One Good Thing by Jillee 841 S. Main St. Heber City, UT 84032 If you're not happy please reply to this email to tell me why, or you can [update your preferences]( or break my heart and unsubscribe [here](. View our privacy policy [here](.