As a kid, I remember being embarrassed by my thrifty, Depression-era grandma's frugal ways - specifically, her habit of washing out and reusing the plastic tubs that margarine, sour cream, yogurt, etc. come in. She doesn't give a crap about the planet, mind you, she just doesn't see why you should bother buying Tupperware when you have a perfectly good free container right in front of you.
I thought of her recently when I got a (free!) cupcake at Cupcake Royale in West Seattle. When you get one to go, it comes in an upside-down plastic tub, so the cupcake is sitting on the lid and the bowl protects the frosted top. BUT it's a sturdy, clear plastic with a cute Cupcake Royale sticker on the bottom, and it occurred to me that I could easily reuse it in many ways:
1. Go-cup for chips or cookies (it holds a bit more than a cup, and the hard sides protect delicate chips and crackers from breaking, unlike a baggie)
2. Tiny planter - pierce some drainage holes in the bottom and use the lid as a spill tray
3. Stackable, see-thru bathroom cabinet storage for cotton balls, Q-tips, etc.
4. Lives-at-your-desk bowl for sharing coworkers' snacks (no more awkwardly fashioning a fragile bowl/plate out of a Kleenex!)
5. Reuse it for presenting your own cupcakes to friends
6. Button/bead box for crafters
7. Desk storage for misc. tiny office supplies (rubber bands, binder clips, food-shaped novelty erasers)
8. Cut a slit in the top and make a swear jar! Or add a face and make it a piggy bank.
9. Water/paint/glaze mixing jar for on-the-go artists (the snap top keeps it neat when you throw your supplies back in your bag)
10. Glue felt and ribbon to it and make it look like a tiny cake
Okay, these are mostly variations on the one idea - "holds stuff" - but still. If companies are going to give you reusable, attractive plastic tubs, you might as well make the most of it. And you won't even have to explain to your coworkers why you appear to be eating a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for lunch.
- Stephanie P.
- Got a tip for your fellow cheapskates? Send it to hardtimesnewsletter@gmail.com!
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Hi there - I hope you don't mind me commenting on your blog. I was searching for cupcake tubs and found your blog just now. I've been trying to find some in the UK but no luck so far. Could you tell me if the tubs look anything like these items on Ebay -
ReplyDeletehttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370077322009&_trksid=p2759.l1259
I'm making a heap of cupcakes for a picnic event and desperately looking for something to put them in.
I love your ideas for the cupcake holders by the way...I'll need to print it out for everyone at the picnic! Any excuse to eat a cupcake is good for me.
Best wishes
Jan
Hi Jan, sorry it took me so long to respond! I didn't see your comment till just now, so I can no longer see the Ebay item listing, but here's a (bad) picture of the Cupcake Royale to-go tub:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jleighb/157735527/
As you can see, they're not totally spill-proof. ;)
Hope your picnic went well!