# Products with useful packaging **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183 "2018-08-24T12:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/21 "2018-08-24T15:07:04Z")
Sliced lunchmeat, which we go through a lot of at our house, comes in plastic tubs with lids that we reuse for storing leftovers. Also my wife likes to save and reuse the little plastic containers with the red lids that KFC sides come in. I guess in our house anyway these have replaced the 35 mm film canisters mentioned upthread. Great for paper clips, random nails, screws, picture-hanging hardware, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/22 "2018-08-24T15:08:33Z")
I love those day by day pill containers. You can get them at the dollar store. Useful for beads and buttons and other things. Pill bottles are neat, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/23 "2018-08-24T15:26:59Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > If you know someone with diabetes, get them to save their empty test strip containers. A little smaller but almost the same size and more waterproof. Sounds like a great idea but **JoeyP** seems to be hoarding them all. He ate my Doritos too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/24 "2018-08-24T16:08:34Z")
The plastic tubes of mini M&Ms at the grocery store checkouts are the perfect size for keeping quarters for tolls, arcades, and laundromats. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/25 "2018-08-24T16:10:27Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > I miss 35 mm film canisters. They were a lightweight waterproof container perfect for matches, bandages, ear plugs, random screws in the garage, etc. [Here you go](https://www.amazon.com/Film-Canisters-Pack-Of-60/dp/B00JHPENMA). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/26 "2018-08-24T16:11:04Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I love those day by day pill containers. You can get them at the dollar store. Useful for beads and buttons and other things. > Pill bottles are neat, too. I have a giant one of those at work. If I pull something out of it people give me the “jesus, you take a lot of pills” look and/or comment. Then I show it to them, they’re not daily meds. It’s just a nice container for them. One of spots is filled with Tylenol, another has Tums in it etc. It’s a lot easier than keeping half a dozen pill bottles in my desk. Also, it stopped people from stealing all my Tylenol since they’re not going to go into that and even if they did, they don’t know what anything is. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/27 "2018-08-24T16:16:52Z")
My last pair of Tevas came in a sturdy pull-out shoe box that works well as a bookshelf drawer for electronic chachkes. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/28 "2018-08-24T16:28:50Z")
Does baby food still come in those little glass bottles? Every garage I saw as a kid used them for screws, nails, etc. I’ve used those little plastic trays that frozen meals come in for project part storage. Not long term, but just to keep things at hand. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/29 "2018-08-24T16:30:22Z")
Another use for film canisters: perfect substitute for a shot glass when camping or partying in the parking lot before concerts. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/30 "2018-08-24T16:37:28Z")
[Baby wipes containers](http://sbly-web-prod.shareably.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/14205652/creative_ways_to_reuse_empty_baby_wipe_containers_19.jpg) are very popular for re-use. They’re sturdy plastic with a hinged lid that closes over a pop-through top. You can either use it for other pop-through top needs (twine, plastic bags, even some DIY baby toys) or take off the pop-through top and use it as a sturdy box with a hinged lid. [Here’s an article](https://www.rd.com/home/improvement/baby-wipe-container-uses/) from Reader’s Digest, even, with tips! And, not for nothing, anyone who has kids under 10 or even is slightly friendly with someone who has kids under 10 will have at least one [diaper box](https://www.simplecoupondeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/diapers.png) in their house. They’re sturdy, manageable (as in, if you fill them with books you can still lift them), often have handles, and one kid will go through _so many_. I don’t have kids but I have nieces under 10 so I’ve got a bunch of those boxes around the house. They’re also very noticeable - I walked past a friend’s garage yesterday and noticed one in there, and she doesn’t have kids either. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/31 "2018-08-24T16:51:59Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Sliced lunchmeat, which we go through a lot of at our house, comes in plastic tubs with lids that we reuse for storing leftovers. We save those, and the takeout containers from our local Thai and Chinese restaurants. The soup containers particularly are heavy gauge plastic and hold about a quart. They nest well, and do well in the dishwasher. We also tend to hang on to glass jars- they come in handy if we make a homemade sauce of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![epolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/32 "2018-08-24T17:04:34Z")
Paging MangeTout > **[Travelling Spice Kit - Atomic Shrimp](http://atomicshrimp.com/post/2012/09/07/Travelling-Spice-Kit)** > > When I go camping, or when I cook foraged food in the field, I've often wished for a little pinch of some kind of spice or condiment, only to have forgotten to bring it. So I set Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/33 "2018-08-24T17:38:32Z")
I keep emergency medical supplies in an Altoids tin in my purse or pack: 1 day of critical Rx, ibuprofen, Benadryl, 30 SPF sport sunblock, packet, disinfectant wipe, antibiotic ointment packet, 2 bandages, slip of paper with critical medical info. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/34 "2018-08-24T17:38:43Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Back in the day, I’d guess a cigar box was the classic example after a cookie tin. As a kid, I stored my Matchbox cars in one of those big Christmas popcorn tins. Coffee cans and jelly jars that could be reused as drinking glasses are other examples. My parents buy whole cashews in a plastic jar containing 2.5lb from [Costco](https://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature-Whole-Fancy-Cashews%2C-2.5-lbs..product.100334751.html) and I see that my mother has reused many of those jars. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/35 "2018-08-24T17:46:09Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > The plastic tubes of mini M&Ms at the grocery store checkouts are the perfect size for keeping quarters for tolls, arcades, and laundromats. Really? I save quarters for my son to use at the laundromat, so I should definitely go get some M&Ms. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/36 "2018-08-24T18:01:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There’s one kind of glass Nutella jar (the wide-topped 200g one) that makes an excellent tumbler. If that’s the one I think it is, it was originally marketed as one, here at least. I have a few catering size mayo buckets, perfect for doing fishtank water changes. I got them from my old local bakery, which also gave me a huge olive jar, which is pretty much the right size for 1kg pasta minus one portion. I also use toilet roll centres in my bee smoker, stuff several inside one and they burn quite a while; I used to save them all for pet mice, which love hiding in them then chewing them up. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/37 "2018-08-24T18:02:56Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Marine aquarium salt also comes in a bucket. We keep dog food in an old aquarium salt bucket - it’s got a gasket, so it’s air-tight and the food stays fresher than in the bag. Plus the dogs can’t tear into the bucket. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/38 "2018-08-24T18:13:00Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Marine aquarium salt also comes in a bucket. Ice cream too. We use them in the kitchen, e.g. for washing vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/39 "2018-08-24T18:36:12Z")
I have a pail from 2.5 kg Vegemite that I’ve washed (after eating all of the salty brown goodness, of course!) that I’m using as a change bucket. I have several glass spice jars, jam jars, and even a couple of small caviar jars. They’re great for keeping spices in. One of the caviar jars is perfect for keeping three or four nutmegs in. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/40 "2018-08-24T18:37:40Z")
Does Sucrets still come in a tin? Do women still use bobby pins? When I was a kid both my mother and my sister used old Sucrets tins to store their bobby pins. I never knew until much later in life what a Sucret even was, I don’t remember seeing any new or partly used tins anywhere in the house. Just the old ones stuffed with bobby pins. Some sugar free mints come in tins, but I don’t know if they’re the right size. Re: the use of the M&M tubes for quarters, they are an excellent fit, but I ended up using a larger sugar-free gum container (either Eclipse or Ice Breakers, I don’t remember). It’s a lot bigger, I hide it in the center console and I can reach in and grab quarters without looking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183.md?page=3)