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Upcycling items saves money and time!
I love shopping home goods stores. Not necessarily to buy a lot of new items but more for ideas on what my next project will be. Organizational plastic storage baskets and bins are so handy but can get expensive if you try to reorganize a whole room. I wrote a DIY Storage Box post that will save you money you can check out here. So, I am constantly on the prowl for items that will get me the quality results I see in a home store without the price tag that comes with it.
On a usual trip hitting garage sales you can find great items for pennies that still have some life left in them. I found this plastic canister with red lid for $.25. It has sat in my basement for a couple months because I couldn’t find a place for it.
Just before Christmas I was browsing and saw some adorable Kitchen counter top storage canisters. They are adorable and had a chalkboard area for you to write in what was inside. I have an obsession with this chalkboard trend! I love all of them and it is so hard to resist buying anything that has a chalkboard sign on it. So, I almost bought the set of three for around $20. But, I said no and tried to figure out a way to make them myself.
Then I remembered this cute canister. As is, it is not my ideal counter top storage because you can see right thru it. How was I going to use it if I felt like anything inside was on display? So I set it aside and looked around at the other discarded items I can’t seem to throw away just yet. That is when I found two beauty subscription cylinders that almost made it into the trash.
I finally got my mind working and put all three of these items together. It was perfect! Well, almost perfect, I wanted something that would tie all three storage containers together. Then, I found some thick wrapping paper and it was a perfect match. Carefully, I wrapped each cylinder and then lined my red canister with more paper. I was thrilled with the results! Well, almost thrilled. Remember, my obsession with the chalkboard signs? That is exactly what it was missing. Thankfully my local dollar store has chalkboard labels that really can be used on anything. I added the labels, filled my cylinders with tea and coffee k-cups and put granola bars in my canister.
I was thrilled with my counter top now! Not only that but I saved $20 on top of it! I call that a win -win. So next time you are about to throw out a sturdy container, think twice and see if a up-cycling would save you any money. What do you think of this kitchen counter top storage idea?