I reuse soda bottles that have been cleaned and dried to store rice, oatmeal, cornmeal, and such.
By notwrong
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Neat idea! I guess there's more to them, than just using them for kids' crafts. :-)
This idea is really good. I do use mine for storage. They are bug free, moisture and water free, and keeps the foods free from dust that might get in your cupboards. Some people say they take up a lot of space, but if you store them on their sides and stack them up, it works fine. Also great for camping.
The large juice bottle for things like Hawaiian punch or fruit juiced have a larger pouring spout ( to get food inside a little easier), a handle, are square (stacks easy) and I cut and tape to the outside the label of whatever food I put inside.
Great idea! I was trying to figure out a way to store all my new sprouting seeds that arrived in plastic sacks. I can funnel them into the clean dry soda bottles & the small opening will make it easy to pour out what ever measured amount I want! I just hope that when I stack them on their sides they will fit back into the cupboard. I have minimal kitchen storage space.
I wish I had thought of this. We recently had 3 mice that got into our house and into the kitchen cupboards. Since mice urinate (as well as defecate) on everything, I had to throw out all food in cardboard containers; rice, pasta, etc. It was such a waste! I also like the suggestion for spaghetti, seems like it would be easy to take out 1 or 2 servings that way.
Please don't! Most cheap plastic containers contain the dangerous chemical "Phthalate", according to Dr. Douglas, @ realhealth healthiernews.com. He says it causes boys to have breasts and worse! He recommends instead to use glass, regardless! Even if you have done this, it's too risky to continue because of this alone, so stop and change over. Here's a copy from his latest newsletter re this problem:
" Conspiracy or no, there's still an all-out assault on the male population. Men are exposed to estrogen at every turn, from birth to the grave - and we're only just beginning to feel the effects. From low sperm counts, to increased testicular cancers, to increased numbers of homosexuals, men are fighting a losing battle.
I've already warned you about soy and BPA. Now, there's another chemical to avoid at all costs.
The latest research links phthalates, a common chemical found in plastics, to abnormal breasts in boys -- a "budding" problem today. (Heck, some of these feminized little lads should be fitted for training bras!)
When researchers compared 40 boys with abnormal breast growth to 21 boys without the condition, they found that the boys with boobs had between 2.8 and 25 times the levels of phthalates than those with normal flat chests.
Because phthalates soften plastics, they're in everything from shower curtains to plastic wrap to food containers. They're also used to stabilize scents -- which means you find them in fragrance-based products like perfume and shampoo.
So what should you do? For starters, the less plastic you use, the better. Whenever you can, stick to products that come in glass containers. And if you're eating food from the perimeter of your grocery store, you won't have to worry as much about the chemicals from the cans and jars.
If you stop purchasing products that contain phthalates, the manufacturers will take notice. BPA is a perfect example of that.
Even though the FDA has refused to regulate this cancer- causing, estrogen-mimicking toxin, more and more manufacturers are voluntarily doing away with it - not because they care about your health, but because they're focused on the bottom line.
But does it really matter why? For you, the end result is the same. -Wm. Campbell Douglass, II, MD. "
I'm tossing all I've collected that are pop bottles, and worse. I hope you will also. Convenient storage containers are not worth the risk of cancer, he says!
I think that with today's standards, that these bottles are safe to use. I've done it for years and my family that includes three sons, (all in their 40's now) are fine and never grew body parts they weren't suppose to. :)
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Keep your large 2-liter bottles for storing spaghetti. After you wash the bottles, stuff paper towels inside to help draw out the water. In a sunny window, it should take less than an hour.
Making sure the bottle is dry, put in your spaghetti. This takes time, but the result is worth it to me, because it will dispense a serving of spaghetti with just a shake of the wrist. It's easier for me than having to deal with spaghetti from a bag or plastic container. It seems to scatter all over the place.
By Tim from Science Hill, KY
I often use my two liter bottles to hold my balls of wool by cutting a hole in the side to place the wool in and stringing it through the top to use it prevents the wool from tangling.
(12/15/2009)
By marilyn
Seems like way too much work to dry the bottle just to put spaghetti in it. It's no problem for me to take out a portion of spaghetti from the box it comes it. (12/15/2009)
By OliveOyl
A two-liter bottles takes up a lot more space than a box of spaghetti, and far too much effort is involved as well. Not sure how this is 'frugal'. (12/15/2009)
By Janelle
I can't believe some are putting this idea down. This is an excellent idea. Not everyone buys spaghetti in a box. It drives me nuts, because the pasta I purchase is always in cellophane bags which split once you open them. Thanks very much for this idea. (12/24/2009)
By Lynn
