Ideas for Reusing Coffee-Mate Containers

In this house we LOVE coffee. I especially love sweet creamy coffee. I know, I know. It's not good for your waistline, but it's an essential part of my human transformation in the morning. My husband takes a giant thermos with him to work, and I'm a 2 cups a morning kind of gal. We buy the giant bottles of Coffee Mate and end up with lots of empty creamer bottles. Being the penny-pinching, cloth diapering, 'let's all do our part to save the world' kind of Mom I am... I couldn't bring myself to toss them. So I use them for almost anything I can find. They're perfect for storing those things you buy in bags like granola, rice, Quinoa, and small pastas. They're equally as good for storing refrigerated liquids like sauces and juices. I even take them in the car filled with Ice water to refill sippy cups and sports bottles when we're on the go, as well as filled the smaller bottles with cheerios for easy grab and go snacks. Their pour spout makes it very easy and mess free.

Twist off the cap and carefully remove the label by slipping a knife or scissors under the edge and cutting it away. Wash the container well with hot soapy water and let it dry thoroughly. Fill with the contents you want and you're done.

What should you store in your empty container? Here's some Ideas:

FOOD

• Cereals
• Rice
• Small Pasta
• Gold Fish crackers, oyster crackers
• Soup
• Homemade salad dressing
• Pasta sauces 
• Bulk buys like chocolate chips, quinoa, granola, nuts, making mixes, coffee beans or ground coffee
• Mix Gatorade,juice, or other drink mixes in it and store it
• Freeze water inside to make Ice blocks for coolers. You can drink the water once it melts.
• Make pancake mix in the bottle, then pour it onto the hot griddle. You made your own Shake and Pour Pancakes!!

Crafts and Misc. Items

• Buttons
• Beads
• Paint
• Tacks, Pins, Hooks
• Screws, Bolts, Nails
• Golfers can store their Tee's
• Let kids decorate them with stickers, paints and markers then use them as piggy banks.
• Line them up and use a Tennis ball for mini indoor bowling for kids
• fill them with a bit of rice or beans, tape the lid securely, and you have some homemade maracas for your little ones to shake off a rainy day with.  

These are just a few options off the top of my head, I'm sure there's hundreds more. What could you use them for? We'd love to know!

XO

Jess