This is a great thread!! Here are the ones in our house at the moment:
- I have two instant coffee cans that I've covered with decorative contact paper that I use for cooking utensils (one for wooden spoons, etc; the other for baking stuff like spatulas) and another of the same cans but half the height that I have all my measuring spoons in.
- They sell dried herbs here in large rectangular tin cans that don't keep humidity out; I put the herbs in jars and I have two of the tin cans housing my sewing kit (one for thread, the other for notions) and a third that I keep on my desk for putting notepaper and post-its that I want to throw away but am too lazy to get up and walk across the room to throw out. In addition to useful they are decorative and retro, and will probably last forever.
- I start my seeds in egg cartons, then move them to yogurt cups, then to cheese boxes, and finally to mushroom boxes.
- Here they serve ice cream in really nice decorative little plastic cups (meant to be thrown out of course) - I use one for storing the head of garlic that is "in progress," one for my steel wool/scouring pad, one for rubber bands, one for twist ties, etc.
- I use shish kebab sticks to prop up my plants when they need a little support.
- I use my pasta maker to make pasta, but I also use it to roll dough very thin for tortillas and crackers, and to cut tissue paper or aluminum foil into ribbons for gift bags/Easter basket grass/ etc.
- I filled a glass soda water bottle with tap water and put it in the toilet tank so that it doesn't use as much water when it fills the tank.
- I wash out jars and re-use them to store absolutely everything. I arrange them by size and shape and fill them with dry goods and spices and they are very attractive in the kitchen. I end up throwing out very little in the way of packaging anymore.
- I use mushroom boxes (about 4" x 6" x 3") in organizing in my pantry and kitchen drawers. They help keep all my stuff in order rather than having to buy a drawer organizer.
- We needed a shelf for books so we repurposed a door that was being thrown out propped up on some discarded bricks - underneath, we put shoes; on top, we have our books. Because it's a door, it's deep enough for books to be lined up regularly in the back and another set of books to be stacked on their side in the front.
- I use market baskets to hold toiletries in the bathroom; potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and citrus in the kitchen.
- I use the free toothbrushes they give you at hotels for cleaning hard to reach spots (fridge, appliances, grout, etc) since they are not good enough for everyday brushing. Can also do this with an old toothbrush that's no longer good for teeth.
There are lots and lots more but that's enough for now. I will try to come up with a new one every week!