What can you do with a box?

[forHISglory]

Hey fellow frugalers!

Let's suppose that you have a box. Any kind of box: big, small....... What can you do with it to make it into something useful? Tell us what kind of box and what you would do. There is a prize for the best idea. It is a . So if you see a tip you like, be sure to give the poster a hug!!

Here is my tip. We collect boxes that paper reams come in. We get them from schools, offices, churches, etc. These are great sized boxes for storage and have nice fitting lids. Hubby paints the outsides of the box with leftover paint. This gives a more decorative look and actually helps to strengthen the box. Then he adds labels to the boxes and writes the contents on the label. These store nicely on shelves and don't look too bad!

Here's another tip. I get the boxes from Aldi's that gravy mixes come in. I paint them to match my kitchen and then use them to store the mixes, such as gravy, chili, taco, etc. It makes it very easy to keep all those mix envelopes organized.

Your turn!! And remember to give prize hugs!

[Debbie-cat]

I save all nice looking boxes for Christmas time. I use them to wrap presents in that I have made or have picked up nice things from Goodwill that don't come in boxes. I also use small boxes to hold buttons, odds and ends of ribbon, markers/pencils, craft paints and supplies.

[McD]

According to the oh so great Andy Sandberg and Justin Timberlake:

Step 1---cut a hole in the box
Step 2---put your beep in that box
Step 3---Make her open the open
Step 4--that's the way you do it.

[Gardengal18]

A box? GREAT! I have a wonderful use for those. My mischievous cat "Max" (little devil he is, there is nothing he dosen't get himself into) can have literally hours of enjoyment in one. He jumps in, he jumps out, he pushes it around the house while he's in it.....It keeps him out of my hair for quite a while anyway...Shopping bags work well with him too LOL!

[Sara Noel]

According to the oh so great Andy Sandberg and Justin Timberlake:

Step 1---cut a hole in the box
Step 2---put your beep in that box
Step 3---Make her open the open
Step 4--that's the way you do it.

It took me weeks to get that song out of my head at Christmas. Thanks A LOT.

[missyali]

A box? GREAT! I have a wonderful use for those. My mischievous cat "Max" (little devil he is, there is nothing he dosen't get himself into) can have literally hours of enjoyment in one. He jumps in, he jumps out, he pushes it around the house while he's in it.....It keeps him out of my hair for quite a while anyway...Shopping bags work well with him too LOL!

My kids, too!!! Although I don't let them have the shopping bags!

[jantana]

We take boxes that have lids on them and decopage them for bridal and nursery showers. We find out their colors for weddings and thems for nurseries and decorate accordingly. It helps if we find 3 boxes in different sizes and tie a big ribbon around them. Makes nice decorations and everyone loves them.

Jan

[Missy]

I turned a paper ream box on its side, gave it to my hen, and now she has a nest box, lol. She loves it, she can sit on it, lay eggs in it...it's the best thing since sliced bread as far as she's concerned!!

If I have a few boxes, the kids are allowed to make box cities. Crayons, a few boxes, and they play all day with them.

I have used them, minus the top and bottom flaps as collars in planter boxes. I didn't have enough dirt to fill the planter, so I stapled the collar to the inside of the planter box to hold it still. I filled to collar with dirt,, then planted in that. When I had more dirt for the planter, I added it to the planter, around the uoutside of the collar. I could then remove it, and the plant was undisturbed.

ummm, what else can I think of...small ones like jewlery boxes can be used in desk drawers to organise paper clips, tacks, eraser caps, etc etc.

jelwery boxes again can be used toorganise loose seeds. When you get seeds from your plants, put them into the box, write the plant name and date on the lid and you are ready for next years planting...

[Judi Dial]

I use boxes from commercial kitchens to store books. I have 1,000's of books. Egg boxes (take 15 dozen eggs) will store approx. 50 paperbacks. A tomato box will take (usually) two stacks of large format paperbacks or hardcovers.

I have had shelves added to wooden boxes for show displays.

I have a small divided wooden box on the top of my stove with small spice bottles in it. I have a small wooden box in DH's office with clear plastic bottles with paperclips, rubberbands, etc. in them

I had a boss once who took boxes of the same size, covered one side with contact paper and added a drawer pull for storage behind the counter because all that was there was a shelf.

Judi

[3tomboys]

My dd's learned to slide for softball on a large box. We opened it up fully, made sure there were no staples and away they went. It was in the backyard for the whole weekend and they had a blast! The socks didn't handle it very well though!

[heartofmine]

My bill station is a shoe box. I pay bills every 2 weeks when hubby gets paid. I go through my mail immediately and drop all the bills inside. In the shoebox is a notebook for keeping track of what has been paid, date, and amount (also on the doctor bills I have a running list of payments subtracting the amount as I go), large calculator my old eyes can see, 2 small brown vanilla envelopes..one with postage stamps and one with address labels, along with all the bills. When I'm ready to pay bills all I have to do is grab my shoe box, checkbooks and I'm ready to pay bills.

**have to tell something rather funny ds said. We recieved an inheritance last year. I was busy paying bills out of my shoe box as usual. My son said mom do you think we could afford something besides a shoe box now for the bills or at least get a new shoe box since that one is torn. I laughingly got out the duct tape and taped it up and said see son good as new.LOL

I've also taken shoe boxes and covered them with old wallpaper and border and have them stacked inside my craft closet. Each shoebox holds something different...one lace, one ribbons, one buttons, etc. I also have one fixed to store cards in. Every so often I'll buy a box or a few cards for birthdays, Christmas, Sympathy, Thank you's etc and add them to the box.

Another decorated shoe box holds photos that I haven't put in albums yet.

[savvy_sniper]

I sell online and always need boxes. My inventory comes in HUGE boxes. Rather than throwing them away or putting them in the recycling bin, I have become quite good at cutting down boxes, taking boxes apart, and remaking them into the exact size I need. The proper size box uses less packing material and weighs less. All leftover scraps are put in the school paper recycling bin.

[checkerkitty]

Take any size box and fill it with clothes you no longer need or wear. Then close up the box and take it to Goodwill. I also have a stash of hand me down clothes for a friend of mine who lives about 6 hours away from me packed in several diaper boxes. Our youngest children share the same name (kind of funny!) and are about a year and a half apart. I'm giving her all of my DS's clothes. I LOVE hand me downs, clothing or otherwise. I also have a box filled with old t-shirts that are no longer wearable due to stains and tears. I'm going to make cleaning rags out of them when I get the instruction manual to the serger my mom bought for me from someone at work. I can't figure the thing out on my own .

[sunshine]

I use cereal boxes for gift bags -- either cut handles in the top, or punch holes and thread braided yarn, etc. for handles. Then either paint or decoupage the box.

I also use them for quilt and stencil templates.

[sunshine]

Oh -- and I also used to punch holes in cereal box portions, and used yarn or shoe laces for the kids to practice "sewing"