I had an epiphany a few months back.  While I was going to Target to buy plastic Snapwear and CostPlus to buy glass spice jars, I was throwing perfectly good glass jars in the recycler.  So I started cleaning these jars and a revolution began in my house.  I have simultaneously reduced the amount of stuff I recycle while saving money.

The first step is to remove the labels.  Simply bring a large kettle of water to a rolling boil, turn off the stovetop, add the jars, without lids, and make sure that the labels are fully submerged.  Then let the jars sit in the water for several hours until the water is room temperature.  Some labels will just fall off.  For others, I use a nylon scrapper to scratch the label off and then baking soda to scrub the last bit of glue off.  Once the outsides are clean, I throw them in the dishwasher for a final cleaning.  It might sound like a lot of work, but I have found so many uses. 

My latest favorite use, is making dry beans in the crockpot and then freezing the beans in the jars.  Since a typical 15 oz can of beans only contains about 7 oz of actual beans (I know, isn’t that annoying?), I eyeball about 7 ounces in some bottles and then 14 or 21 ounces in others so that way I always have the amount I need and put the jars directly in the freezer.  When I’m ready to use the beans, I either put them in the fridge in the morning to thaw throughout the day, or I will use the defrost feature – without the lid – of my microwave.  Using glass jars to freeze items reduces my ziplock usage.  Just beware when freezing liquids in glass jars.  Liquids expand while freezing, so be sure to leave ample room at the top of the jar to accommodate this expansion.

I also use recycled jars for:

• Cooking Light’s Kansas City Dry Rub (old spice jar)
• Cooking Light’s Garam Masala (old spice jar)
• Cooking Light’s Asian Dry Rub (old spice jar)
• Cooking Light’s Berbere (old spice jar)
• Cooking Light’s Homemade Curry Powder (old spice jar)
• Cooking Light’s Ras el Hanout (old spice jar)
• Cooking Light’s Creole Spice Rub (old spice jar)
• Greek Seasoning Mix (old spice jar)
• Salt Free Cajun Seasoning Mix (old spice jar)
• Cooking Light’s Memphis Barbecue Sauce (Trader Joe’s Organic Grade B Maple Syrup bottle)
• Alton Brown’s Chili Powder (Dundee orange marmalade jar)
• Grainy French-Style Mustard from Joy of Cooking (pickle jar)
• Cooking Light’s Thousand Island Dressing (Trader Joe’s Salsa Authentica jar)
• Cooking Light’s Spiced Cranberry Sauce (TJ Mayo jar)
• Joy of Cooking’s Teriyaki Sauce (TJ Maple Syrup bottle)
• Homemade Asian Sesame Dressing (Sesame Oil bottle)
• Bulk combining of dry ingredients for future use (store full jars in freezer):
  • GNOWFGLINS’ Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies (32 oz/1 qt jar – such as mayo)
  • GNOWFGLINS’ Flatbread Mix (32 oz/1 qt jar – such as mayo)

I really enjoy making my own spice mixes rather than buying them at the store because I usually have all the ingredients and it’s easier for me to make it rather than go to the store with the kids.  Plus, it’s way less money.  You can easily spend $3-$6 for some of these spice mixes and why do that when you can just make it yourself for just pennies?

Some jars do hold onto the odor of the food they once held, such as pickles, so beware.  I suspect if you put your chocolate chip cookie mix in this jar, you might detect a slight pickle flavoring, I know, delicious, but I haven’t tested this.

There are a ton of crafts that can be made with glass jars. but, since I’m not a super-crafty mom, I haven’t gotten that far yet.  Click here to get started: Google Search: craft idea glass jars.  A really simple idea: buy craft glass paint and let your kids paint their own jar to store pencils, crayons, etc.  Or you can have your kids paint the jars that you will use to package a gift.