Using Old Margarine and Yogurt Containers

Yes, I've done that, still do that, probably always will do that. I like to save money wherever I can. I have to buy things such as butter/magarine, and various other food items, that come in these handy little bowl like containers w/lids, anyway; so I see no reason not to put these containers to good use once they are empty. I never have to worry about running out of them when they get old and worn out, as I am, of course, always buying more. I don't really lable them, I just have a certain place in the refrigerator where I put butter, a certain place where I put soda or other beverages, a certain place that is reserved for left overs, etc. We know what is what, when it comes to the containers, by where they are placed in our refrigerator. Not to say that marking them in some way is bad or wrong, just that probably lots of people have different ways or methods of identifying things. Basically, the same concept though.

Are you kidding, I still use them. They are great when my family is over for a holiday meal and of course with holiday meals, there's way too much leftovers, so I sent extra food home with my daughter. That way, I don't have to worry about getting dishes back from her.. As for how did I know what is what, I opened it and looked..:)

Hubby likes to reuse margarine containers for leftovers and I have found mystery food many times when grabbing for what I thought was a tub of margarine. We recently bought some of those inexpensive plastic containers that are okay in the microwave and everything and really like them. Don't know if they are glad or ziploc.

Yup, I sure remember using all kinds of empty containers for leftovers and to store food staples in. We used them for years, just recycling the worn out ones as needed. I don't know exactly when it happened, but we stopped using them. We now have old, worn out tupperware containers that I will recycle -one of these days-. lol I have alot of pyrex and corningware but they are so heavy when full of food that I tend to grab the tupperware first. I also have tons of the ziploc and glad disposible containers that I reuse alot. I also reuse ziploc bags if they are in good shape. Just wash and dry.

I sold tupperware out of highschool, for a time, while I still lived with my parents - so accumulated a fair amount of the products to use when first married. I still save the containers from coolwhip and yogurts and such and use them to pack my husband's lunch in and other odd things. I tend to forget them if they are left in the fridge. frosting tubs make good containers to keep odds and ends hardware pieces in. I save my mayo jars, pickle jars and other glass jars as I really like to use them to store leftovers in - this way I can see at a glance what is inside.

I actually gave up storing left overs very often, as my husband comes from a country where they do not store frozen food for so long (even left overs). However, I freeze meat and try to use medium size freezer plastic bags, if the bag is too big I turn it round twice in the middle and use the upper part for another portion. My mother spends ages making lovely little packets and then writes on them with permanent marker, but I have no time and never keep permanent markers in the house (with little babies you never know when they are going to write on the wall with it!). I use thin plastic bags and then put everything in a larger carrier bag and this way I store chicken in one bag, beef in another and so on. When I used to make tomato sauce I used glass jars to store it in the freezer, but I never bought jars just to store food, I just made sure I would buy food from the supermarket with the most useful type of jar to be recycled in the kitchen.

I still save them and use them and probably always will. They are handy to have for lots of stuff. Leftovers, sending stuff home with other people, cereal bowls, the list is endless. When the get tired out, they go in the trash. If you have something in there that has become a "mystery" in the trash it goes, no problem. I have a stack of the glad ware bowls too, they are great for everything too.

I still use margarine containers at times...They come in handy ya know and they're cheap so why not put them to good use...I use those types of containers for storage of other things as well same with Coffee jars etc...

I always have used the empty containers but I wrote what is in them . My mom did the same. I think alot of women do.

Not only is it cheaper it's also enviromentally friendly. By reusing the containers you reduce waste. If I have time I use masking tape to write what the container contains, otherwise it's a little bit of an adventure to open a container and see what's in it. If you can't identify it, you shouldn't eat it!

I still do that. I have been married for 8 years now and I have learned that even when you make more money you still need more so we save everywhere we can. We reuse the containers until they fall apart. The nice thing is that when you lose something in the back of the fridge and find it later you dont feel bad about tossing the container in the trash.

I do the very same thing. I still do it after all of these years! I also have the Glad plastic containers as well. They work pretty well too. I have never distinguished them by putting a mark on them but I should start doing that because I do end up opening the wrong one sometimes.

I save all my containers like that. I reuse them for everything from food storage to saving buttons and puzzle pieces in them. My kids use them to store craft items in too. We just write on the top what is in them with a marker.

My mother had a kitchen full of these kinds of bowls. As for mixing them up with the real thing, sometimes you could tell the older containers from the new ones, but most often, you just had to lift the lid and check. I save some, but most yogurt cups don't have lids, so I give them to my son to play with and I also use them for paint cups. It's great because I can toss them when I am done.

I don't have much storage space so I usually recycle those margarine and yogurt containers but I save all the juice and jam glass jars. I store sugar, flour, beans, lentils and any other dry supplies in them. I also let go of the pickle jars. It seems no matter how often I wash them there is always a pickle smell left.

I usually use the old yogurt containers for craft work or to keep pencils for my son. I sometimes use it to store leftovers and I mark them with a marker then or else keep them on a different shelf (well, that works for me because I'm the only one who uses the fridge and I knw what's where). I try to reuse all the plastic containers I can. We buy pickles in glass containers and so I have glass containers too. I don't buy any glass containers..I usually reuse the ones I have. My husband used to tease me about collecting all the plastic and glass containers till he saw my mother's kitchen cupboard..lol

I like to reuse any kind of container that I can. I have young children that often damage containers by overheating them in the microwave and I'm scared to allow them to use glass containers in case one might drop the container. I also like to reuse containers because of sending food home with people and not getting my containers back. Its cheaper this way as well.

Hello dear suspenseful friend. It is nice to know that you reuse those recycleable plastic bottles. I think that this is a good habit though. Because many people just throw it away they the stuff in the bottle is used up. Well, my wife also reuse the plastic oil containers for some other processed peanut oil until it does not look nice and then we get it sold to the garbage collector for some extra money. We have a basement for storing recycleable stuff in the store-room on the first floor. Thanks for your discussion.

I did the same thing. Only I didn't use an X. I used masking tape. Not only that. They were good for cereal bowls in a pinch. Yes, once upon a time I was that broke.

I save only the transparent things, like the plastic containers that potato salad from the deli counter comes in, or popping corn jars. Then I can see what's inside them.