Reusing containers  

I forgot about the scoops w/ milk jugs. My hubby usually cuts one up to use it to spread salt on the driveway in winter.

Sounds like your mom really loved her cats.

I"m glad your system works out for yourself. I wish I could get my kids to keep their crayons in their pencil boxes shoot or anything the way I'd like it kept. That's why when the teachers say why don't your kids have all the colors of the rainbow in their crayons or markers is because I refuse to replace what they don't take care of.

I keep all their crayons and markers and stuff in my room. I get them out when they need them, and when done they go right back into my room. I've had enough of them coloring up my walls to learn never to trust them with crayons or anything.

If my kids know they are in our room they are looking for stuff. They are constantly looking for candy as well. We've tried a hook & eye lock, child proof door knobs, and even a one sided door knob (where there's a lock on the inside and on the outside you have to use something like a butter knife to unlock it) they figured that out on the first day hubby put that on. I told him if we had the money we should get a fancy no key coded dead bolt for our room or find a locking cabinet of some kind. Sad when you have to do such things.

My kids are good about staying out of my room, thankfully. Nothing else in the house is off limits to them... not my choosing, theirs! My biggest problem has always been the kitchen. The older 3 have a bad habit of sneaking food. That drives me batty! Certain things are purchased for a particular reason.. school snacks, snacks for the babies, just for me or hubby. But when the kids sneak food they don't discriminate, so before Monday even comes they've eaten all their school snacks, I go to get a snack for the youngest and it's gone.. hubby expects a full case of soda but one is missing. The kids don't ask if they can have something.. they just take it. Soda is off limits to them, too much sugar, it's a treat once in awhile, so it's not okay that they take it. School snacks are for school, they know that. What made matters worse was because they were stealing it, they'd hide the wrappers in their room, and our last house ended up getting mice!!

I've tried every trick in the book to make them stop this. I've rearranged meal times, I've deprived them of taking a snack to school after they ate them all without permission, I've even put locks on the cupboards and fridge... which the kids eventually broke! I made a point to say yes every time they did ask for something, so they'd know they could ask instead of sneak it. But they still snuck the food, and even once or twice took something out of the garbage can!!

It's been going on for about 8 years or so... since my oldest was like 5. He's almost 13 now and still does it, and the twins do it too. I'm to the point now where I've given up and just pretend to ignore when something is missing. When the school snacks are gone, they're gone and I don't buy more until Friday. Other things that I'm more intent on them not getting into will go into my room, like any candy they get, or special snacks for myself or the little ones.

That sux. Sounds like things here except I'm giving up on various snacks with the containers or wrappers not being thrown away. I buy yogurt when one of the stores has them on sale 10 for $3, I"ll usually buy 20 and between all 3 kids they are gone in a day or two! Makes me think I should ask the grocery store if I can reserve a case or two of a few flavors since they go thru them so fast *LMAO* I do hide DD1's snack for school on the top shelf behind the bisquick otherwise that would be gone too. I only buy one bottle of juice a week & they wolf it down the same day usually. That's why we have plenty of milk and water for them to consume. I hide the soda in the basement wich is off limits to them. Their behavior gets nasty especially over soda the fits they will throw to get it makes it not worth my wild to even let them know there's any in the house. But since I don't drink coffee and on the nights I work I usually stay up a few hours after that but of course the kids are up with the chickens and if I want to stay awake past dinner time I need a cola. I usually have to hide the one I'm even drinking out of. Usually in the kitchen cabinet under a oversized plastic cup. I do have a child lock on the pantry but my 7yo can get into it. I don't have too much of anything of interest to them other than ramen noodle (wich they'll eat uncooked ) a couple boxes of cereal, & spaghetti-o's. I've just been stocking up on things like potatoes (they like baked potatoes for lunch), hard boiled eggs and baby carrots for munching on.

I keep a lot of crackers in the house. I don't like to cook at lunch time, so they have sandwiches, fruit, and crackers for most lunches. But the crackers are always the first thing they go for when they want to snack on something, because it's quick and easy. Even the youngest will find a way to get his hands on them and deplete them in a single day... usually by dumping half the box on the floor!

My hubby usually eats most of the crackers that's one of his favorite snacks. I usually warm up left overs or hot dogs or chicken nuggets or make sandwiches for lunch. Yeah I hate that dumping of food all over the floor. My kids I think waste more drinks than anything they leave their cups on the floor instead of on the end tables or in the kitchen... so they get kicked all over the floor GRRRR! So I only put an inch of whatever in their cups. Sux but it's less waste of money I don't have!

I've heard of many people using baby food jars for screws & craft projects, not the bottles. That's a new take on it I suppose but if it works more power to him.

That has to be a nice surprise to get a treat of snickerdoodles in the mail! Do you then just ship them in a box w/ stuffing of sorts or do you use the priority mail boxes they provide @ the post office. I'd love to mail things like that BUT our family is in AZ & stuff that gets mailed to & mailed out ends up melted cause it's sooo hot.

After I made the snickerdoodles were nicely stored in the cool whip containers, and after adding a slice of bread for packing and moisture, I then shipped them in the priority mail boxes at the local post office down the street. that's why it is so easy for me, because the post office is so close!

My Grandparents did too and in particular my Grandmother. I remember her saving yogurt containers to drink coffee out of! When I was in grade school they used the foam meat trays and lots of egg cartons for art projects and sadly she was still saving them even when I was grown!
However your Nana sounds more like my Aunt.... she saves everything! You should see her purse it's spilling out from wrapped straws and wrapped plastic spoons... shoot her house will suck to go thru when they die that's for sure. As I've mentioned we go thru a lot of sugar to her w/ hubby's coffee especially well she gave me a washed out milk jug filled w/sugar... they saved the sugar packets and instead of adding it to the sugar container in the house they put it in a milk jug.

Glad I"m not the only one who does that with the drink containers. I agree about having disposeable containers persay for them to take their lunches in. We fill 1-2 recycling bins a week from anything from old worksheets from school to shampoo bottles in there. Though my kids play hard w/ shampoo bottles in the tub.