Crazy Stuff You Save

Mylar coffee bags...and hay bail string. Its free and there is just no good natural version of string that you can really count on. Speaking of string, Shoe and boot laces. If I see boots on garbage day or find one on the side of the road, I stop and take the laces, if not for re use as laces then as quik ties. They hold a knot way better than paracord. I also have a lifetime supply of used military jump boots. They may even get willed to anyone they fit. Next would be blankets. I sort of obsessive about blankets. Ive lived without heat in winter so 10 layers of blankets is really helpful...plus you can make clothes with them, cover windows, improvise a roll to carry things or house the refugee friends that end up at your door.

Containers.
Glass jars, sour cream tubs, frozen yogurt tubs, coffee cans, 2l bottles, 5 gal buckets, rain barrels.

I guess you can see my ulterior motive here. We are going to get some great ideas for preps. Maybe even a couple you might not have thought of. The shoe laces never occurred to me. And the way people go on para cord is almost like the holy grail, the bee all and end all in tying material. I guess we learn something every day and I'm going to start keepqing and savibg binder twine and shoe laces.
I already save coffee cans for dry goods storage.
Keep the ideas coming!! Thanks

Don't know if this is considered crazy or not, but I pick up all the shampoos, soaps and lotion bottles at hotels I stay at. I normally use my stuff, but the way I see it, those bottles are included in the cost of the room, so I take them with me. I now have a couple of bathroom drawers full of those (I travel a lot...). Saves me from having to purchase big bottles for storage and are the perfect barter size.

I save empty cat food plastic container, because they hold shotshells & keeps them dry if Im duck hunting..no problem if it rains or is dropped in water, because if lid is on they keep contents dry. I also save the red plastic coffee containters with a sealed lid for same purpose, and to keep various brass & components in them.

The red plastic coffee containers are great for small extension cord storage/

Empty prescription bottles...
great for the small stuff in your BOB like matches, homemade firestarter, fishing line & lures, AA or AAA batteries...the list goes on!

I save a lot of jars, mind you I store things in jars . I am a little obsessive compulsive about fasteners and small hardware like washers , springs, L brackets , ... I save every one I find or can salvage and then I store them in organizers to rival the organization of any hardware store . Maybe saving them isn't so crazy, it makes sense to me .

dryer lint and toe jamb

dryer lint and toe jamb

shiny ribbons, tinfoil wrappers and cats. Wawhohaho. Cats are great for throwing at attackers....and being a bag lady is the ultimate greyman technique. 😉

Pill bottles. Prescription bottles for sewing kits, mini first aid packs, great way to keep salt and sugar packets safe from being ripped open and dry!
Tylenol bottles... I am the crazy lady with $13 in change at the laundromat. I put the amount I need to do laundry in the bottle (usually $13 for washing clothes/blankets and towels) and then I also keep a bottle with about $10 in the car and another with about $10 in my purse for parking, emergencies, treats for the kids.
The hot chocolate Kcups for seed starting. They are perfect little size and it is keeping them out of landfills 🙂
I keep lettuce plastic containers for gardening and growing lettuce and seed starting.
Jars. I love the classico jars because a traditional canning lid fits on them!
Twist ties.
Rubber bands.
Small 500mL or 710 mL bottles for water that I freeze in the freezer.
Large 2L+ pop bottles for water or dried rice, beans, sugar (for when a bag rips or breaks, I put the stuff in a clean bottle to keep bugs and critters from accepting the invite to snack), I also use them for water and to make mini greenhouses for seed starts.
Coffeemate containers for homemade laundry soap powder.
Pop cans for cashing in towards the farm fund. (It was the kids project that I am now doing the work for)
Any fast food packet like sugar, salt, pepper, ketchup, bbq sauce, napkins, forks, spoons, stir sticks... I make up packs in freezer bags for picnics, school lunches, to have on hand in the BOB's and then a few in the car.
Shoe boxes. Each one has a purpose, is labeled and stacked in the appropriate spot. (One has candles, one has lighters and matches, one has glow sticks and flashlights, one has batteries, one for buttons, one for fabric scraps, it goes on and on)
Glass milk bottles with resealable lids. I take them out to a friend every couple of months to get goat's milk for us to use.

I also save soaps and shampoo bottles from hotels and friends bring me theirs from trips and samples from the mail.
I will say yes to almost any sample by email, you never know when you may need it and if you aren't going to use it or don't like it, donate it to the food bank or a local church.

We rarely buy soft drinks in the 2L bottles so I've started saving the 1.5 L water bottles...they're perfect for storing dry foods in and stack well, like cord wood.
Elastics, the over sized bags that the multi packs of bread come in from Costco.
The plastic jars that my daughter's Fluff marshmallow cream come in, they're perfect for freezer jam.
The square, thick walled, plastic containers that Costco nuts, trail mixes etc. come in...those are perfect for storing packets of things in so the wee creatures that occasionally get in the fruit cellar can't get to the packets.
Cider jugs both large and small...they're perfect for making ice jugs for in for the cooler, to use as freezer insurance when your freezer is half full(and a source of clean water in a pinch)and they're more economical space wise for drinks in the fridge compared to traditional cylindrical juice jugs.
Various #10 cans/coffee cans/medium sized cans/small cans as building materials for rocket stoves.
Any jars that canner lids will fit on so I can vac pack bulk nuts, my dehydrated veg, etc..
The clear PETE jugs that our cat's crystal cat litter come in...good for emergency packs for the car, 72 hr food kits, first aide kits, storing fabric or yarn in...the screw on top of these have a handle.
The square buckets with carry handles that the other brand of cat litter we buy come in (5.4kgs of litter)...perfect for storing boxes of pudding/jello/baking soda etc in and for making grab and go food emergency buckets.
The big 32 oz Dan D Pak cashew clear plastic jugs with handled tops...these are very good for storing other dry things in...I buy the nuts when they're on sale at NoFrills.

I save condiment packs from restaurants, they seem to have no expiry dates and they are free