Food containers to brown bag my lunch? I currently use GladWare containers, but don't have enough (we seem to keep losing them). Any suggestions on what I could use/re-use instead of buying more GladWare? Thanks so much.
By Bella Swan from Forks, WA
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Go to your local thrift store. They have lots of reusable containers at very reasonable prices. I recently shared a purchase of a bunch of real Tupperware with my mother-in-law. They were 50 cents to $1.00 a piece.
How do you lose your gladware? Do your kids throw them away? Does your husband leave them in the car until they get moldy? Learn to treat your plasticware like your plates or glasses and you won't need to keep replacing them.
When I was a kid, my mom made me bring home my ziplock bags so she could wash them and reuse them. I thought we were really poor (we were) but I didn't know she was also reusing and recycling them!
Two things. Garage sales are great place to get containers for 10-25 cents. You can pay more, but why?
Second, if people aren't old enough to remember to bring them back, they aren't old enough to use them. I know that sounds hard, but gee whiz, when are people going to grow up about our resources?
I had a young person who was staying with us, take a nice stainless bowl which was part of a set, to work and leave it there. No amount of reminders worked. So I dropped in where she worked and had people look for it in the refridgerator. They couldn't find it but she did and brought it home that night, probably because they all reminded her. Sorry about being an old rag, but I am getting older by the day, and don't have replacement money. I want the things I have to last till I croke.
My son used to leave his lunch bags at school on purpose because he wasn't eating the sandwich and didn't want to hear about it when he got home! Just postponing the inevitable! He quit "forgetting" when his teacher made him clean out his locker because it was so stinky, and I made him clean out all the moldy containers and his stinky book bag!
I don't pitch out the moldy containers; I find that running them through the dishwasher gets rid of the smell 99% of the time.
If you have someone who simply refuses to bring back their lunch containers, put their sandwiches in a bread bag, and don't give them anything that can't be sent in an already recycled bag. I also wash and reuse sandwich bags, so I wouldn't even use those for the "forgetter".
Whatever happened to the days when a person simply wrapped a sandwich or two in wax paper and added some fresh fruit etc in the lunch box/bag of choice each day? And wax paper is environmentally safe unlike plastic.
I have three suggestions, if the foods are moist, you can possibly use small recycled peanut butter or jelly jars for such things as salads, vegetables, etc. 2. If you know someone with a baby ask them to save their empty rectangular baby food containers.
Hi. The people at my work have a "Chinese Thursday", which means they order from a local Chinese delivery place (Panda Garden). Anyway, they put the food in these very nice plastic circle containers (clear on top), and I ask them to give them to me when they are done. They go through the top dishwasher just fine, and are wonderful! Also, maybe put a note out on craigs list. :-)
I've been buying the "deli sliced" meat that come in reusable containers. Once the meat is gone, I've got another container. My husband and boys really like the meat, so I have quite a collection - enough to send some w/college son as he moves off campus this fall!
I'm not above reusing any and every resealable plastic lidded container that enters my home: butter tubs, Cool Whip bowls, even the little bowls we get ham salad in from the butcher. Then even if they get left behind somewhere, I'm not worried. The bowl itself didn't cost anything, and there'll always be another.
I also think embarrassing someone at work or school can be a good incentive. It only takes once, and they usually remember to bring your dish home!
I've seen people (re)use gift bags as brown paper bags and they have a number of them and just switch everyday. You can get them at just about every store or get them at birthdays.
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