I do the same thing with basic salad supplies - lettuce, a tomato, small tupperware of pre-chopped onion / bell pepper / mushroom, and the shelf is tall enough, dressing. It cuts down on preparation time, and even better, I don't have to dig past all my roommates' groceries to get to the handful of things I need most often. Works great. ... View related article.
I love the idea of using chopsticks as swabs - I always manage to end up with extra disposable sets, and they're just the right size for a flute, too!
I just tried the DVD-case recorder stand idea, but sadly, the stick in the middle is just too thick. Maybe if you cut it down to half- or quarter-thickness with a knife? One of the taller ones might work for a flute, but I'm not sure - I think it would be top-heavy. Will have to try that later.
