The Frugal Free Gal

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tips, Freebies, and More!

  • 31 Uses for Coffee Cans, Baby Formula Cans, or Other Containers

    My husband and I drink a lot of coffee and we always end up with empty coffee containers.

    We also use formula now with my almost four month old and we end up with empty formula cans.

    I am not a fan of throwing these away, so I went on to my Facebook group and asked my fans what they did with empty coffee cans or other containers. I was amazed at the response, so I wanted to share them here.

    10+ Ways to Reuse Jars

    Their responses were great, and I think you’ll think so, too! I hope you are able to use some of the ideas below to turn your empty cans and containers into a brilliant and amazing idea that you’ll want to share with others.

    Check out my most recent addition on my other website, Mom. Wife. Busy Life:

    Coffee Container Bird Feeder/House

    Check out What to Do With Empty Formula Cans if you have empty formula cans laying around! 

    The fall season is here! Do you have empty and clean milk jugs you are saving? Turn them into Milk Jug Ghosts, Milk Jug Pumpkins, or a Milk Jug Snowman! You can also make this cute Tide Pod Container Ghost Craft!

    31 Uses for Coffee Cans, Baby Formula Cans, or Other Containers

    (***Warning: Some containers may have sharp edges. I do not recommend using any cans that could be dangerous. Also, do not pour hot grease in plastic containers. Make sure grease has cooled down before adding it to any container.)

    1. My hubby uses coffee cans out in the garage to store nails, screws, etc.  -Delois
    2. To organize the tools in the garage, cut holes in the bottom of the coffee cans to make a week long watering system for your plants, organize crafts (buttons, string, thread) -Trish
    3. Pencil holders, kitchen tools, garage gadgets, make candles in, stored on their side for fabric, yarn or electronics (cords), Legos, small toys, trash collection in the car -Darcy
    4. I use the plastic Folger coffee cans to throw vegetable scraps, onion peels, coffee grounds etc in. Once a day I empty it onto the compost pile in the back yard. We also use them to start seedlings for the garden. -Leeann
    5. Pens, coins, makeup, small gift containers -Lucy
    6. I’m container gardening this year and plan to use my coffee cans for peppers. -Robyn
    7. Teacher appreciation gifts! -Leslee
    8. Lay them on their sides, cover with mac tac, cover with fabric, decoupage and glue together to make a pyramid…ta da… great looking storage! -Vanessa
    9. I have my kids re-use them for crafts as often as I can, but they can only go so far. So far we made road trip bins with the tall cans of formula. (Example: Filled w/a few action figures, matchbox cars, non perishable snacks, a hand held game of some sort, maybe some pictures etc.) Just enough to fit in the can and take on long trips full of stuff that’s still a novelty. I also had them put wrapping paper on some and decorate them and make piggy banks or jewelry boxes for their grandmas, etc. -Chandelle
    10. I finally found a use for the empty Ovaltine containers, my husband brews beer so he keeps different colored caps in each one.  I saw something for using Pringles containers and Oatmeal containers to give cookies or baked items during the holidays. Wrap with scrapbook paper or wrapping paper, use ribbon, etc. We don’t use coffee cans anymore but I hated throwing those out when we did. Those might work good for giving baked goods during the holidays wrapped in scrapbook paper or wrapping paper. -Tasha
    11. My hubby uses them to sort parts in the garage. -Candice
    12. I am covering some with cute paper and using them as utensil holders and putting balloon weights in them to use as centerpieces at a up coming party. Or have the kiddos decorate them and make banks out of them! -Livy
    13. Make mini first aid kits. -Heather
    14. Kids toys. -Danielle
    15. We have used coffee cans to transport dry dog food camping. Any cans you can slap some cute paper on can become a pencil holder. Or noise maker for kids if you have a lid and put some rice in it. -Nik
    16. I get the plastic coffee cans and recycle them. If metal, I use them for grease. -Rita
    17. I use ours for my makeup in the bathroom. -Jennifer
    18. We glue or tape a decorated piece of construction paper, fill them up with goodies (depending on the holiday) and give them out as presents. People love they can re-use it afterwards for office supplies, etc. And they have a keepsake of my children’s handwriting/drawing skills as they progress. -Jennafer
    19. Paint the cans and attach sturdy wire to make a handle, even curl the wire to make it more decorative and use it for valentines or Easter for holding candy. Use them for birthday parties to hold their treasures like a goody bag or for a candy toss–get the kids to decorated it with pieces of cloth, paint etc. The craft possibilities are endless. -Rachelle
    20. We use coffee cans to put used cooking oil in. -Shelli
    21. I put holes in the bottom of the Folgers buckets and use them for planters. If you “rough up” the outside, you can spray paint them and make them look nice. -Jennifer
    22. Paint them and put hair bows/rubber bands. they could also be used to hold the remotes. -Tammy
    23. In my storage dry room I have rows of coffee cans filled with different beans, rice, and noodles. I use them in the garden for my young tomato and pepper plants to keep earwigs and cutworms away–as the tomato or pepper grows, I add more soil. This gives it a stronger root system and nothing is touching the ground to get spoiled. I also save them for camping. -Dianna
    24. I use formula cans as my vase and I make a bouquet of baby stuff for baby showers. They look really cute! -Angie
    25. I use them for old cooking oil. -Kelly
    26. You could donate them to a preschool or save for VBS! -Janet
    27. Spray paint or decorate them with construction paper, wall paper, etc. -Angela
    28. Check with your children’s ministry leader at your church.  They might be able to use them for VBS. -Lesa
    29. My parents use coffee cans for fat oils and freeze it. -Alison
    30. I use the formula tub for chalk outside so it stays dry when it rains. -Margaret
    31. I use formula containers for small toys or to keep toy sets together. -Jennifer

    So, before you throw away those empty containers, think of a way in which you can reuse or recycle them!

    If you’d like to add your own idea, please leave a comment in this post!

    Thank you to the fans that contributed ideas for this post.

  • What to Do With Empty Formula Cans

    Wait! Don’t toss your empty formula cans! Turn them into something brilliant. Learn what to do with empty formula cans!

    Do you have empty formula cans laying around? Before you toss those empty baby formula cans, consider turning them into one of the great ideas below! I’m a huge fan of reusing items that are in perfectly good shape.

    At my house, I am always saving empty containers, from coffee cans, laundry pod containers, cleaning containers, and more! There are a variety of ways we use empty containers in my home.

    31 Uses for Coffee Cans, Baby Formula Cans, or Other Containers

    We use most for storage purposes, but some times we save them as a fun way for my kids to get crafty and turn them into anything they can think of!

    If you are looking for ways to use empty formula cans after you use them, instead of tossing them, try these creative ways to use your empty cans.

    We know that baby formula can be pricey, so why not get your money’s worth and save money on storage by turning your formula cans into something brilliant and amazing!

    What to do With Empty Formula Cans

    Mommyish has a list of 10 Uses for Empty Formula Cans including storing puzzle pieces, using as a desk organizer, bathroom essentials holder, teacher appreciation gifts, plants, toy car garage, and more.

    One Crazy House has 15 Brilliant Things to Do With Old Formula Canisters including creating a DIY piggy bank (perfect for all of my frugal fans here), storage containers decorated with twine, to use as a headband organizer, for storing Legos, creating a mail center, making a drum set, using as food storage containers, plus more!

    Stay at Home Mum shares 15 Nifty Uses for Upcycling Baby Formula Tins, including a craft using the tins for kids stationary storage, a plastic bag dispenser, kitchen utensil storage, Christmas table decoration and more!

    Oklahoma City Mom has a list of 9 Awesome Ways to Repurpose Formula Cans that include making holiday decorations, baby shower gifts, cookie tins, dog treat containers, planters and more!

    Are you tired of seeing cords laying around your home? A List Maker’s Life shares how she uses formula cans to keep cord cutter under control. I know this is something that I could use in my home!

    Permanently Primary shares how she spray paints formula cans and makes craft organizers! I have so many different craft supplies and know this organizational method would be a huge help for me to keep my supplies organized.

    It’s a Mother Thing shares how she uses an empty formula can to create a Summer Fun Activities Idea Jar.

    Knit Knot Nat spray paints formula cans to create beautiful succulent pots!

    The Purple Martin shares a tutorial for how she creates a vase using brown paper and sticks to display in her home!

    Savings Lifestyle gives us a tutorial for how to make a toy storage container with an empty formula can.

    Adventures with Scout shows us how you can turn these containers into houses for toy characters like Strawberry Shortcake!

    A Thrifty Bunny made an adorable bunny for Easter using an empty can.

    Halloween is coming up! Turn your formula cans into Halloween luminaries! Merriment Design tells you how to create these adorable crafts.

    Learn how to make a Snowman Gift Treat Box this winter season from Organized 31!

    Thrifty Fun shares how to make a snow man using two empty formula cans.

    Do you reuse your empty formula cans? Share your tips and ideas below!

  • Get Organized With Over the Door Shoe Organizers

    Note: This post was written in 2011. I have since changed up how I used organizers, but these are still great tips if you want to use these types of organizers in your home!

    I understand this method is not for everyone. Do what works for you!

    Now that we have moved into a new house with very little storage space, I’m considering adding a few of these back!

    Entryway Organizers Under $100

    Over the Door Shoe Organizers

    I’m not a big fan of clutter.

    I don’t like how clutter makes me feel! Clutter can make me feel anxious, leaving a nagging feeling of things I still need to clean or organize around my home.

    I like for everything to have a place in my home! When my house is organized, I feel better and I’m more focused on the important things around me.

    For the last few months, clutter has been collecting around my house. After I had children, it got worse! Toys, art supplies, you name it– it was collecting so fast that something had to be done.

    I am limited on closet and drawer space in my home so I needed to get creative on ways to make more space in my home for all of the items that “needed a home.”

    Slowly, I have added over the door shoe organizers on the insides of just about every closet door in my home. I believe in the “out of sight, out of mind.”

    You don’t ever see any of my clutter until you open up the door. I like to “hide” things for my own peace of mind!

    In 2011, I owned 10 over the door door shoe organizers!

    These over the door shoe organizers range in prices from about $10-$20 a piece and can be found at your retailer and online at Amazon.

    I prefer the clear plastic organizers, but style and color is completely up to you. The plastic organizers allow you to easily see what’s in each pocket!

    See why I love my over the door shoe organizers and how it helps me to stay a bit more organized!

    Buy Now! Shop over the door shoe organizers at Amazon!

    Over the Door Shoe Organizers – How I Use Them

    Art Supplies

    over the door shoe organizers

    Over the door shoe organizers are perfect for art supplies (paint, paint brushes, markers, pens, tape, glitter, googly eyes, stamps, etc).

    With kids, the art supplies tend to collect fast. Instead of shoving it all in a drawer or having it take up room, use the over the door shoe organizers to organize your art supplies.

    My daughter is old enough now that she can reach the bottom pockets.

    I keep crayons, marker, dry-erase markers and more at the bottom so that she can use them when she needs them without my help.

    I keep the paint supplies at the top to avoid any paint disasters!

    Pantry Organization

    over the door shoe organizers

    These organizers are perfect for the pantry. We like to place our snacks and items like granola bars in the pockets at the bottom. This gives us more space in our pantry.  

    We don’t have a medicine cabinet so we keep medicine in the top pockets, out of reach from children.

    Business Supplies

    They are perfect for business supplies and would be perfect for your small business supplies if you have one.

    I kept my brochures, thank you cards, and other important business supplies in the pockets.

    Tools and Household Items

    Over the door shoe organizers are great for odds and ends (tools, remotes, batteries, flashlights, small items that I don’t know what to do with, etc.)

    I do not like junk drawers. I can’t ever find anything in them when I need it, so this serves as a place for all of the little items that need a home.

    The set of tools you see is actually my set of tools (my husband keeps his in the garage) so these tools are always handy for me when I need them.

    Baby Supplies

    Over the door shoe organizers are perfect in the baby’s room.

    I stored these items below before my baby was born. I keep small blankets, diaper rash cream, socks, small toys, hats, diapers, wipes and more inside the pockets.

    Laundry Supplies

    Over the door shoe organizers are perfect in the laundry closet.

    This may be a bit strange to you, but I am limited on space to fold laundry so I use the top of the washer and dryer for folding.

    This organizer is next to me when folding so I fold up our socks, the children’s socks, undergarments, wash cloths, and throw them in there until I am ready to put them away–yes, sometimes I’m lazy.

    It also holds the Shout, etc. This gives me more room and space to fold the larger items without the smaller ones being in the way!

    Organizing Shoes!

    Over the door shoe organizers are perfect, well, for shoes! Instead of having my shoes lay all over the floor, this helps them stay organized and helped free up space in my closet to store other items.

    Over the door shoe organizers are perfect in kids rooms. I keep one in my daughter’s closet for her shoes.

    Small Toys, Etc.

    Over the door shoe organizers are perfect for storing small toys for small toys, dress up shoes, hats, sunglasses, figurines, McDonald’s toys in the kids rooms.

    As you can see, I love my over the door shoes organizers. I feel that by having these, I have freed up a lot of space in my home, and I can also find things so much easier when I can see them instead of everything being thrown into a drawer or closet.

    You can even put these in your garage if you’d like for tools, etc. There are so many ways to use over the door shoe organizers!

    How do you use over the door shoe organizers? 

  • Why I Love My Over The Door Shoe Organizers Part 2 (New Photos!)

    Some of you may have read my article on “Why I Love My Over the Door Shoe Organizers and How I Use Them in my Home.

    UPDATE: I am NOW a proud owner of THREE more over the door shoe organizers! This time, I purchased the clear ones and I am in love with them. I love how much space I save by placing smaller items in these. My pantry has more space now (along with my medicine shelf which now is totally empty and ready for baby bottles at the end of the year!) I still love my mesh over the door shoe hangers, but I have decided to switch a few out with the totally clear ones so that I can see through them better. I placed a clear one in place of the one in my daughter’s room for her small toys, a clear one in the pantry, and soon, I will replace the mesh one in the art closet with a clear one. All mesh ones will continue to be placed on doors around my house and used for other things. I moved the one from my daughter’s room into the new nursery for small baby items like her knit hats, little socks, shoes, hand warmers, diaper rash cream and more!

    Hopefully before the end of the month or so I will give you a new tour of my over the door shoe organizers. I plan to put one in the garage too for items like batteries, tools, and other small objects. I do prefer the clear plastic over the mesh/canvas hangers. You can find them for around $10 at Lowe’s, Walmart, or Target if not cheaper! They create lots of extra space in your home for little odds and ends!

    I keep all of the medicines at the top so that they are out of reach of children. Snacks are all towards the bottom.

    Note: My friend at Mommy Likes Deals is the one that inspired me on the idea of using over the door shoe organizers in the pantry.

  • Why I LOVE Over the Door Shoe Organizers: How I Use Them in My Home

    I am a clutter phobe. I do not like things thrown around here and there and everywhere. I like to have everything in a specific place, so that I know exactly where to find it. I am also not a fan of little toys and knick knacks that have “no real home” in my home. These are things that my daughter likes to play with: bouncy balls, McDonald’s toys, sunglasses, play phones, Disney figurines, and more. These also include art supplies and items that you may find in a junk drawer. Every now and then, I admit to not keeping everything in its place–but give me some time one day to set aside just for organizing and you can be sure I will try my best to tackle the “junk” and make sure that the majority of these items have a home.

    I also try my best to give my home more “storage” than it has right now. We are limited on space in some areas so I do my best to maximize that space and find “hidden ways” to create more space for items.

    Recently, I purchased a few over the door hanging shoe organizers for my home. You can find them in different styles. I prefer the ones that are clear or mesh–so that you can see through each pocket. I also have a canvas one. The prices are decent, depending on which style you get (and where you get them). I purchased mine at Target and Walmart.

    I own four of them currently but have even considered purchasing more for just about every door in our house! I say that because they are just simply wonderful: you can do so many things with them including organizing spices and medicine. I would like to hang one in my garage also on the side door to place stray tools, gardening gloves, seed packets and other odds and ends.

    See how I use over the door shoe organizers in my own home!

    Three of these over the door shoe organizers are in my daughter’s room. I bet you can guess why! There are toys galore in her room and it is frustrating to find a place for all of the small ones. I could throw them all in a bin somewhere, but that takes up more space and she doesn’t like to dig around for them.

    One of the organizers is for small toys. I try to keep the items low so that my daughter can reach them. She uses her step stool to reach items that are higher. You can see on the other door that I have a metal hanger for bags and other hanging items.

    The second organizer is for shoes. This organizer is on the other side of the door from the organizer with the small toys! So, I have two over the door shoe organizers on one door!

    The third organizer is on the other closet door (on the inside also) for hats, gloves, and other odds and ends. This one is mostly empty right now with a few items at the bottom. I am pretty sure it won’t take long to find items to place in there! You can also see that I have another hanging organizer in her closet to the right for her clothes for school for each day of the week (LOVE that organizer also!):

    Before I take you out of my daughter’s room and to the art closet, I’d like to show you other ways in which to save space. I have two storage bins that roll out from under her bed that include her dress up clothes, feather boas, aprons, hats, play shoes, jewelry, etc. This is just one other way of trying to find “extra storage” for all of the toys that she currently owns! I also made her two ribbon hangers for her wall for her hair bows.

    Back to the shoe organizers! I also have a shoe organizer in our art/storage closet near our living room. I LOVE this one–it gives me more room in the closet for other items while the art supplies are hanging on the door (paints, glitter, markers, glue, tape, and more). I place the items that I don’t want my daughter to reach towards the top.

    Again, I currently own four over the door shoe organizers and I wouldn’t be surprised if I head out and purchase more for other rooms in my house. If you are considering finding ways to keep small items in your home organized a little easier, this is a GREAT way to do it.

    Do you currently use over the door shoe organizers? Tell us about how you use them in your home!