Okay, everybody…you know I don’t buy stuff. I usually encourage everyone else to stop buying stuff. I recommend that you don’t even look at stuff so that you aren’t tempted to buy it. Buying stuff generally wastes money, needs to be dusted and clutters up a house. Stuff is over-rated.
But…
You know I love jars. Jars are beautiful and jars are practical and jars get used at my house constantly. I’ve been given a countless number of canning jars and storage jars. I’ve found wonderful jars for pennies at yard sales. My house and my pantry are full of jars of all sizes.
But I don’t buy stuff, which is why I had such a struggle at the store the other day. I had Elias (9) and Malachi (6) with me at the time. We were in the “canning aisle” looking for some more of those nice plastic lids for my wide mouth jars, which unfortunately, they didn’t have. I was backing out of the aisle when on the top shelf I saw a wonderfully, incredibly cute and fantastically huge jar. It was thick and sturdy and it said “Ball” on it and I fell in love.
But I’m a person who doesn’t buy stuff.
So I kept backing out of the aisle, and the boys followed me. And then I felt myself magnetized back into the canning aisle, and before I knew it, instead of going in reverse, I was moving forward. Suddenly, I was holding the jar, examining it closely. The boys were quite bored with the whole situation, until I exclaimed something like, “think of the cookies we could put in this thing!” and then they also liked the jar.
I didn’t really need any more jars, and I don’t buy stuff…so I put the jar back on the shelf (I may have hugged it first), and then I backed out of the aisle and walked away.
We went to the produce section and picked up a few things we needed (and now I’m just rambling) but in the produce section we found these adorable, little bananas. I’d never seen such tiny bananas before and the boys thought they were the coolest bananas ever. They were only 97¢ for the whole bunch, so we decided to grab them for a snack.
Now we were ready to check out, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that jar. In my head, the jar was already in my kitchen, filled with delicious treats for my family…or filled with rice or beans and looking cute on top of my fridge…or filled with a nice batch of Limeade with floating ice cubes and lemon and lime slices…
Somehow, for the third time in fifteen minutes, we ended up back in the canning aisle. (Elias and Malachi are great sports…and are also quite used to having a weird mom.)
I made a decision. I was going to splurge and buy that jar. It was $10.47 for Pete’s Sake, which was an excellent price for such a nice jar. It’s not like I was going to be taking the meat and vegetables out of my children’s mouths so that I could “support my habit”.
I put the beautiful jar into my cart, stepping all over myself as I began to launch into a long, yet eloquent lecture to the boys about how we don’t normally just see something at the store and decide to buy it “just because we like it” or even if we love it, because that’s how money gets thrown away and we really want to be careful with money and not wasteful…
And everything I said was totally sinking into their sponge-like brains, I’m sure.
Then Elias interrupted to say, “But Mom…at least this is something you’re really going to use a lot.”
Maybe he was still thinking about the cookies I was going to put into the jar…but yes, he was right. I’m really going to use this little (big) splurge of a jar. Oh look…I already am.
See, isn’t it beautiful? (It’s okay with me if you don’t think so. I love my jar.)
(And you can’t have it.) ;)
If you didn’t already know that I am weird and obsessed about jars, now you know. And now you also know how hard it is for me to spend money on things that aren’t food or socks. Shucks, who am I kidding?
I have a terrible time making myself buy new socks.
:)
What’s your obsession? Do you love jars? Do you drag your children back to specific aisles at the store so that you can hug things? Do you struggle to spend money on socks?
Ok, this seriously tickled me! Oh how I can relate. In fact, I’ve seen that same jar in stores before and debated purchasing it.
Only crazy, real foodie women like us would have such a magnetic dilemma with a glass jar!
To heck with the shoes, give us the jars!
That is a really BIG jar!! I have never seen one of that size. Not only will you be getting great use of the BIG jar… it fits right into your collection!!
Oh my loved your article & I LOVE jars, too! I was at the store tonight & saw a few that I really, really wanted for rice, beans and noodles. I wanted them in a bad way. I went back to them twice. How I wish you would have posted this earlier, I would have been inspired to buy them. It wouldn’t have taken food out of our mouths either but I just couldn’t do it! Tomorrow I can & just might!!! (BTW – I covet your Ball Jar!)
I almost bought this jar myself today! I was at the goodwill and cleaned their selves of canning jars and then headed over to some other big chain store to get some replacement lids where I saw this. My heart melted, but I had a screaming baby and toddler who needed lunch. my thoughts wondered and put it back, this is my sign I should have got it, I am going back next week!
Um, which store????? And just how big is that jar? (gallon?)
Walmart and yep, gallon. Isn’t it SOOOO cool?!?!? :)
Oh my lands, I hear you on the jars! We’re moving and I’m *gulp* purging my jars. I put a whole mass of the jars I’ve saved from peanut butter and honey in a paper bag and it’s going to be recycled. I have to turn my head away when I go in the laundry room because my beautiful jars are there forlorn and forsaken saying, “You aren’t going to do this cruel thing, are you?”
I hardly EVER buy clothing new – usually only second hand. But I am a sucker for really nice maternity clothes. And I’ve only been pregnant twice (with hopefully more) but if I see good quality maternity clothes on sale…you can bet my non-pregnant self will be there trying to imagine how cute me and my hypothetical (please Lord?) baby belly would look :-D
This is so funny- and you deserve that jar!
It reminds of the time I bought a huge glass jug of apple cider at some discount store, because I really wanted that jar. I must have mentioned it to my kids, because when daddy came home, my 3 yr. old told him, “Do you know mommy bought this juice just for the jar! She really likes the jar.”
I thought it would be perfect for making vanilla in. My husband agreed and I picked up another jar later in the week.
I did that too. I bought apple cider for the jar to serve tea in for get togethers.
LOVE this jar! Sometimes you just gotta splurge! And, think of it this way…its a jar the whole family will use! You really bought it for them. Right? *wink*
By the way, I love how you organize your pantry with those glass jars. So awesome!
I don’t think I have bought new socks in about 3 years. I hate to spend money on socks and clothes. Food is okay though/ I have to pull myself away from fabric….the COLORS! the things I could DO with it in my spare time! Then I remember the 50 yards of other fabric I am supposed to be doing something with in my spare time and usually talk sense into myself. Not the last time though. I had to buy the remnant of neon green PLU to make bowl covers with…when I get time!
I guess I like jars too! I saw that exact jar at a certain “Hobby” store for $30 and knew there was no way I could spend that kind of money. You can imagine my delight when I was able to buy THREE of the exact same jars at Wally World for the price of one at the other place. Oh and my socks are hole-y. No one sees them, but now everyone will know!
! :)
My obsession is jars too! :) Containers of any kind. Love them. I even spent part of my birthday in The Container Store, if that tells you anything.
I LOVE that jar…I really really need to have that jar…I have found myself in the last 2 yrs in love with canning jars…I especially Love the old blue ones with the glass lids…I dont know anything about their value, it’s not about that, I just am drawn to them. We are hoping to move within the next few months so I have started trying to pack and get organized so I went to uhaul and bought special boxes with dividers and foam bags that fit my jars…I hope my Walmart has your jar (my poor hubby, cuz now I will be on a quest to find it, lol). Thanks for sharing and I LOVE your jars and good for you for getting that jar!!!
What?! $10.47???!!! I have coveted that very jar for quite some time, but I’ve only seen it for an obscene $29.99. I could splurge on the $10, not so much $30.
It’s beautiful, especially filled with cookies. :)
I just loved reading this post – so entertaining – I was totally smiling and chuckling while reading this! I adore your humor and writing style! I love jars too and save nearly every jar I can and use it for storage from food to buttons to crayons to whatever, if it can fit in a jar, I put it in one. What a fun BIG jar you found – glad you allowed yourself to enjoy a little slurge on something that is practical, as Elias so wisely pointed out! Blessings to you, kel
i dont know if they have ross stores where you are, but i got a really great jar for $2 from there… :) and those tiny bananas are great. my dad is a trucker and he bought a huge box from a shipper once and gave us most of them. my kids LOVED them!
Laura,
I have that same jar! I fell in love with it at Michael’s. I used it to make my first batch of vanilla, per your recipe. Now I grow my Amaryllis inside! Love it!
Oh my stars, you found a gallon size?!? Score! I’ve only got a dozen or two (blush) of the half gallon ones – some with dehydrated veggies, to boot. :D I totally do the same thing – if it keeps haunting me (seriously haunting me) throughout my quick shopping trip, there’s typically a reason. And really, can you truly have *too* many canning jars? ;)
It IS a beautiful jar. =)
The most heart-warming thing I ever saw in a Walmart was once when I saw a young mother carrying her child in a toy aisle. The young child was exclaiming with delight at the various toys. The mother, and this was the wonderful part, was sharing her child’s delight and voicing gentle regret that they could not buy all of these things. The mother did not sound stressed and the child did not sound frustrated. It was so different from the usual scene of an angry mother dragging a crying child away from the toys while maintinaing that they were worthless junk. I mean, they may be worthless junk, but it’s a lie that they aren’t attractive so why try to convince a child who knows very well they are?
Anyway, your struggle over the purchase of the much-longed-for jar, shared with your sons, reminded me of that incident. :)
:-) I am glad you bought the jar.
I guess more women like jars than you knew!! LOL
I have similar issues.
I knew right away what jar you were referring to, as I have also seen that jar and it dances around in my head, taunting me. So far I have resisted.
Like others here, the container something comes in will frequently influence my decision to buy the product, (all things being equal) because if it’s a reusable jar, why then, that adds to the value of the product, doesn’t it?
I am obsessed with little glass jars because it’s great to put my homemade lotion in!
On the other hand, I am very frugal about spending money on jars and containers.
I suppose I’m not as obsessed with it as you are, yet.
Gardening supplies. That’s my weakness. I justify it by telling myself that I’m growing foodfor my family to eat, which is true. I loved your post!
I love jar’s as well. Also, exotic produce and spices get me every time.
Nice jar! But my obsession is fabric – quilting fabric. I have a closet full, but I always NEED more!
You could always do a “one in – one out” to help you psychologically better handle the new jar. (Make sure the one you get rid of is old, cracked and useless- you’ll feel so much better having purged the clutter!)
I AM also obsessed with jars. Great buy!!
You found that at Walmart??? I’ll have to go look again…couldn’t find ANY canning jars the last time I was there…I’ve seen a jar similar to that on the Ball/Kerr website for $12-13, but it says it can only be used for dry storage…is that the same one?
Currently I’m obsessed w/baby things! A friend of mine is currently pregnant w/her second. (single mom) So every chance I get I’m getting something new! Today, the SOFTEST blanket in the world arrived. And I just returned from the store.. where I *had* to buy baby detergent so I could wash the baby things BEFORE giving them to her. (she has said she doesn’t like to wash EVERYTHING before putting it on the baby)
I think I could have a problem brewing.. she’s not due until Aug!
I share your love of jars! I would love to find that large jar in our nearest Wally World.
I have the same jar and agonized over it three different trips to Wal-Mart before I got it. It sits by my coffee pot and holds the bulk succanat I bought!
That would be me in the garden center this time of year, especially if it is something beautiful for a pot on my deck! The jar wouldn’t have even caught my eye!
Oh…I fell hard for that same jar too! Mine is filled with granola, a cute little metal scoop that matches the lid and sitting on my counter, where I can admire it daily. ;o)
I LOVE fabric and I love your jar and I have holes in some of my socks. I would rather have fabric (or a big jar) than socks! :)
Okay, you could be me. I have admired that very jar. I have held that jar. That jar has been in my shopping cart (more than once)and in more than one store. I have talked to myself out loud in the store aisle about the jar. I absolutely love that jar and I want it badly. So far I have resisted, but I find myself thinking about that jar sometimes when I’m in the kitchen. I have thought of many purposes for the jar. And now, I see how cute and practical the jar is filled w/ cookies. I think I need the jar. :)
Oh and the bananas are great for snacks, I get them occasionally for my little guy.
Love this story! I am the same way when it comes to Tupperware,but I only buy from a thrift store.
I can’t say I am obsessed with jars but seeing the way you use them and how nice they look, I may start being obsessed. I do like the big one, it looks great sitting out…
I bought myself some socks last week-end and still haven’t opened the packagae. I’m waiting ’til I get used to the idea!
Love the jar. I may have to see if we have one at my WM.
When you use it for snacks for a year you will have enjoyed it for less than a dollar a month. That’s how I justify these kinds of things. ;) It is a neat jar. My sister got my mother one of those jumbo glass storage containers. It looks so neat on the sideboard.
I’ve also walked past that jar many times and felt drawn to it. I’ve been able to resist it’s evil temptation so far. However, I’m supposed to follow your example as our intrepid leader, right? Yes, that sounds justifiable. :)
That’s too funny! I actually have a jar right now at work that I fell in love with about 10 years ago, and put on my desk with sugarless candy for visitors to the office. Now that I’m in the back room in Accounting, I still use the jar, only now everyone takes turns to fill it with almonds, our new favorite food in Accounting.
And by the way…I always look at backgrounds of pictures, and noticed your fridge looks JUST LIKE MINE. You know the old saying about great minds and thinking alike! LOL
Jars not so much. Although I too have a 6yr Malachi. :) My failing is cookbooks and old books I can use for homeschool.
Several months ago I bought 6 jars of bouillon cubes because I decided that the jars would be the perfect size for homemade baby food. They are big enough to get the frozen ice cubes of food in, but not too big…and they had plastic lids that screw on. Perfect. Hope you are enjoying your jar. :)
I do also love jars. In fact I am having a special shelf made for them so everyone can see how pretty they look with all of my grains and seeds stored in them. Its nice that they are so functional yet so beautiful as they proudly display their contents. Could you mention where you bought your Ball jar? I’ve looked for that very same one, but it has always been way more expensive than $10.47.
Okay – I am utterly jealous of your jar and the Walmarts out west that carry that kind of thing! I have looked for those jars for a good while (the gallon size Ball jars…). Online, they’re not that expensive, but shipping more than makes up the difference. The Walmarts around here don’t carry that big of a Ball jar (I’ve only managed to find half gallon ones). I DID see this exact jar at Hobby Lobby though, only they wanted $29.99 for it!!! $29.99!!!! Can you believe that??
Oh, and those tiny bananas cost about $3.50 for a bunch here as well. We think they are adorable, but the price is outrageous!
Love the big jar. They’ve got those at our local Wilco farm store, but I’ve overcome temptation to buy it every time I see it. :) Thanks for sharing such a funny story!
My obsession is school supplies. There’s nothing like the smell of a new box of crayons! Fortunately I’m only seriously tempted in August when all the new things are on display and in September when it’s all on clearance. I always come home with more than my 7 homeschooled kids can possibly use in one year but I can justify it because it ends up in birthday presents and Christmas shoeboxes. At least that’s what I tell myself!
I too have a very soft spot for jars, and I too “don’t buy stuff”. Ever. I rarely treat myself to anything, socks too for that matter! I would have caved and made the incredible purchase too. For I would have kicked myself in the behind if I hadn’t.
Isn’t it great to live simply and frugally!? When something as simple, as a great big EMPTY jar….can be filled up with endless possibilities! Wish I was closer to Nebraska to hang out with you for the day! If you every come to Maine…Let me know!
I had the same experience with the same jar! I now make your homemade vanilla recipe in it. Thanks for giving me a reason to buy the jar!
How FUNNY!!! I love reading your post. Some of the other folks have a THING for the jar too I see. I have never noticed that jar in any store, but I may start looking. HA!!!!
I got an anniversary card today from a friend I had given a bottle of my pure vanilla too. She said I really enjoy my vodka, Oops vanilla. I cracked up being we are none drinking folks. It has been a lot of laughs telling my story about asking my husband to but me a gallon of vodka.
Ummm… honestly, I don’t get it. I mean it’s a pretty – conversation starting jar and all, but I don’t really get it. I’ve thought about converting to jar storage… and their are a few items I’ve done that with because of your “joy over jars” like rice, oat groats, oat bran, etc. But I don’t get how you store all your left overs in the fridge in jars or even the cookies? It just seems difficult to me to get odd shaped items to go in and out of the jar mouths without some extra work on my part and honestly, I just want a left-over to go in the container and come back out… without effort. Did you have to work hard to get the cookies through the neck at the right angle??? Maybe you are just a more uniform cook then myself. The occasional oblong cookie with girth would keep my away from the Ball Jar storage idea. Or even left over lasagna… how appealing can that look stored vertically in a jar? I don’t get it. :)
Well, first of all, the jars I put cookies in (like this one) have very wide tops, so the cookies go in very easily (and come out very easily too…just ask my kids!). And along those same lines, for my leftovers, I almost always use wide mouth jars as well. You’re right…it would be very inconvenient and annoying to stuff leftovers into small mouthed jars. But with wide mouth jars, they go right in, making it just as easy as the tupperware I used to use.
BUT, with jars, I can actually see what’s in my fridge with one quick glance!
And yeah, verticle lasagna is weird and unappealing, which is why instead of a jar, I use all my different varieties of pyrex dishes with lids. https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-i-freeze-food (That post has other info in it too, but I mention my love for pyrex of all different sizes.)
So between wide mouth jars and pyrex, I guess you could say I have a love for GLASSware, huh? It works well for me!
Hmmmm… guess I’ve just underestimated the width on a wide-mouth lid. I’ll need to take a closer look before I make any final conclusions. Now… how do you store your jars? I have to say I really like the convenience of the little spinning towers of plastic organization for keeping containers and blue lids all neatly together. Do they make such a thing for jars and their lids??
Love you blog!
Note to self: check out pyrex with lids.
I should do another blog post detailing these things. This would be SO HARD for me to write, since talking about jars is so difficult for me. :) I have a cabinet for my jars, specifically for my “leftovers jars”. I have a drawer full of lids. When I replaced tupperware and plastics with glass, I took all my tupperware lids out of the drawer and put in my jar lids. Really…I should take pictures and show you sometime!
I just wanted you to know… I found Rubber Made Glass containers on sale at Target and I made the leap. I replaced all of my plastic storage with Glass containers (8-cup, 6-cup, 4-cup, 2-cup, and 1-cup containers will easy seal lids.) The nice thing is they are all shaped such that there are only 3 sizes of lids to match up with the 5 sizes of containers and they all stack up quite nicely in my space previously used for plastic. I lost my spinning towers, but as a trade-off I can now take things directly from the fridge to the microwave or oven where as before the plastic would not have worked the same. Less to wash is just as convenient as a spinning tower, don’t you think? I still have not caught the bug to store food in the fridge in jars but I will definitely be using jars more in my dry goods storage! Thanks for the inspiration!
I love the ne gallon jar, but am absolutely thrilled to find out that WM carries Ball plastic lids for all of my unused canning jars that I have collected over the years!! I hadn’t looked for them in WM in years.
Thanks, and enjoy your splurge!
I LOVE your new big jar!!
Just a heads up – be very careful – my Mother tried to buy one just like that at Target last summer….picked it up by the lid and the glass part crashed to the floor on the way from the shopping cart to the checkout counter. It wasn’t a pretty sight! I already had one that I had been using for a while and since then have been more aware of how I handle it:) Enjoy your jar – it is beautiful isn’t it. You got it at a great price too!
I just prefer storing leftovers and whatever in glass. I don’t like the off smells of plastic, so pretty much my fridge is full of glass jars/bowls/pyrex.
I would love a giant jar like yours! Will have to keep my eyes peeled at garage sales/Goodwill….tis the season!
BHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! I do the exact same thing! I hate spending my money on socks and underwear but I can’t resist a good jar. :-) Thanks for a good smile!
I can’t say much! My deciding factor for buying the organic apple juice that was on sale the other day was over the fact that it came in a beautiful big glass bottle.
I have that jar! But before I could use it to store stuff in, it got repurposed to help with teaching music rhythm. (whole gallon=whole note; half gallon=half note, etc.)
Enjoy!
…and she blushes, noting that she never buys herself new underwear…until the day she grabs the elastic at the top and there is a “handle” she can use to pull those mamas up. :) Then, and only then, does she decide to (ahem) repurpose the cotton underwear as a dust cloth (because who would WASTE them) and purchase herself a few new undergarments. On sale, of course, and in understated colors. :)
You, dearie, are obviously not the only one who struggles to buy herself anything new.
And, I love the jar. Hug away.
BTW – I’m pretty sure those are apple-bananas. My grandma has a banana farm on Maui. Sweeter, firmer. Definitely a good snack and a good “splurge.”
Do I by practical things for myself…hardly ever….my hubby has to threaten me with vile things to get me to spend money on myself (like going and buying multiples of what I need in the wrong size so that I have to go exchange them)…it is much to easy to just make do with what I have! However I do understand your love of Glassware and jars.. Yes!..I inherited my love from my Mother….we not only use ours but decorate with them…people mostly think we are nuts! I however recieved two very large Ball canning jars for Christmas several years ago…one is a 3 gallon size one is 1 1/5 gallons…and I love them both…even if I do have to dust them occassionally!
I love big jars too! In our house we call them kid sized canning jars (pint), mama sized canning jars (quart) and papa sized canning jars (half gallon);)
I can’t tell the size of your new favorite?? Maybe you’ve seen them already, but if not, have you noticed the half gallon size canning jars that Azure Standard has?
Item # NF011 6 qty half gallon jars for $10.95
made by Ball
Item #NF018 4 qty gallon jars for $12.70 not canning jars–just storage (lids have to be bought separately from Azure)
Item #NF140 6 qty half gallon jars for $14.80 not canning jars–just storage(lids have to be bought separately from Azure)
They also carry all the standard size canning jars by Ball.
Hope that helps!
I forgot to mention in my post that this jar is a GALLON sized jar…oh so nice! Thanks for the info about the jars at Azure!
Do I love jars!? This very day I bought mild banana pepper rings at Sam’s Club just to get the gallon jar. I hope someone in my family likes them. :~D
Hey! I got those banana pepper rings and the gallon jar for $5.88. What a bargain. And, not to brag, but I have two of those large Ball jars. I love mine. Wonderful organic wheat flour in one and sucanat in the other.
I love receiving your newsletter and have made several of your recipes, and loved them all.
judy
judy
I have been searching for those Mt. Olive mild banana pepper rings in the
gallon glass jar for a long time. Sam’s Club here on Long Island NY
does not stock that item for some reason…You have any idea on how I
could get a case of four? I love to eat these a lot!
Steve
I love jars. Just before I logged on to this post I had just taken down an old jar with peppercorns in it and admired the jar. It’s formed like a barrel and I’ve had it a long time and I think it came with pickles in it many years ago. Then I admired a jar I have with basil in it that is shaped like an apple (long ago apple butter jar). Then, I thought, boy I am weird, lovin’ on my jars. Then I read your post. I totally get it. :-)
i have an obsession with magazines… particular cooking… on occassion crafting or family activity magazines but mostly cooking… i justify myself saying it helps me put good food on my families table but it really is an obsession
Oh, thanks to you I am developing a love affair with jars as well!!!! :) Oh, well………it is a good thing.
Your new jar is stunningly beautiful!!!
I suppose it goes without saying that I love jars too!!!
FINALLY, people that share my love (obsession) with jars. I bought a box of new half gallon jars just because I’d never seen them before and thought they were too cool to pass up. I’ve seen the gallon sized one but managed to move far enough for the magnetization thing to lose it’s grip before I put it in my cart. Can anyone tell me what you can do with the half gallon sized besides store staples (no not the office type)? I’ve read in the Ball canning book they don’t recommend canning in them anymore.
Its funny I am reading this today, I was at my fathers house and we were talking about jars, well we were looking at his jars and I was telling myself not to “steal” them, they are the really old ball blue and green canning jars, he has had them since before me and I am 35, he has tons and he has really old glass milk jars every sort of glass jar you could imagine, but they are just sitting in his root cellar, except for a few on his shelves, they are soo lonely, I think I told him at least a dozen times if he wanted to “get rid” of them I would gladly take them. Well i didn’t come home with any big sigh, but it was fun looking, I also LOVE jars and the dreams of how things will look in them, I don’t have a beautiful way of showing them, but I see them and love them, its nice, like when I have my shelves full of home canned goods, its peace to my heart!
Glad you went ahead and purchased that jar! If not, you would have gone back to the store to get it and … it would be gone! Some things we just need to get when it brings us such pleasure. Every time you look at, fill up, pick up that jar, you will be smiling big time! Glad you splurged and got the jar! I totally understand!
I have two of those exact same jars, and I love them! I bought one about a year ago so that I could make your vanilla extract, but then since it was full of vodka and vanilla beans for 6 months I couldn’t use it for anything else so I bought another one. I’ve actually gone back for more since then but they were gone :-( I think the label said that Ball is making them as a special 100th anniversary thing? They’re endlessly useful though, I’m sure you’ll get much use and happiness out of your jar!
I hate to buy stuff – unless it’s at a yard sale. I go to yard sales almost every week in the spring and summer and I can completely outfit my kids for a year for around $20. This includes shoes, boots, jeans, shirts, jackets, etc. They are boys so there is no sense buying new, expensive jeans that they are going to put holes in in a couple months anyway. I LOVE yard sales.
Laura, I love your new jar. I have seen and will admit that I almost bought the Ball 100th Aniversary jar..it’s almost to beautiful for words!
My obsession is cook books. I get them from a book club I’m in, my Mom gives me old ones(she’s downsizing since she’s in her mid 80’s), estate and garage sales, thrift stores – where ever I can find them reasonably. Do I use them all, no, but each one has at least one recipe that I definately would make.
I also collect tim cans that companies often use to celebrate an anniversary or holiday. I even have some very plain ones that coffee came in,as well as tea tins from Australia, and institional size tins as well. All together I have over 175 tins and probably 200 cookbooks/booklets!
I can truly relate to the push and pull of wanting to buy something but debating if it will be used.
Love your jar!! I have recently switched my dried beans, noodles and sucuant to glass jars. I love the way they look in the cabinets and much easier to stack than opened bags. I’m getting ready to build a shelf in the shed to put on my jars on. We have been eating a lot of the foods that we canned last year and running out of cabinets to put all the jars. Yard sales and garage sales are great place to pick up jars pretty cheap.
I love your new jar, and LOVE your idea of using jars for leftovers, Never thought of that and I get so TIRED of my bowl/lid cabinet not being in order,,,I try, really I do,,to keep lids in a basket, plastic containers stacked,,,this lasts for MAYBE 2 wks, then I am in a hurry, open the cupboard door and Throw them in any which way..that goes on for a couple months, then I clean the cupboard out,,clean again,,then, well you know,,Just throw the things,,lol
Maybe I read your note wrong, but I thought you asked about if others have things they are obsessed with,,,me,,,yarn or rubber stamps.. and like you, I Use them for good things, so that is why I can buy them,,right??? Yarn, scarves, baby afgans, dish clothes,,, rubber stamps,,TO make cards, but doesn’t happen as often as I like due to it is soooo time consumeing, but Rarely does an envelope go out of this house that doesn’t have a “pretty” sometimes Uplifing message on the envelope.
Oh I’m starting to sin, jealousy you know…I just picked up some mason jars from an online yard sale website, (bookoo.com) for my area. I try not to show my excitement too much over things like this. Everyone has me LOL over the socks & undies. I used to have over a hundred, maybe even 200 of those items. My girls bought me new socks since they hate seeing colors that were popular way back when. I don’t seem to wear any of them out. As for the undies, I am not replacing, and as they fall apart, I’ve cut them up to use for making homemade toilet paper. Maybe it’s dorky, but I’m trying to be a good steward.
I’m not into collecting jars, but a few years back there was a collector’s set of Ball jars out for Christmas. They were a pretty green color and I really wanted them, but I refused to pay the price. I found myself checking on them whenever I was in the store. My patience paid off because they eventually went on clearance after the holidays. I didn’t realize I had a problem with wanting stuff in the store and checking back on it until one of my sons wanted a toy. I told him we’d have to wait. He said, “yeah, I know. We’ll wait until it’s on sale. I’ll just hide it in the back of the shelf and check on it next time.”. Haha
I, too, LOVE jars…and I have this exact same one!! I bought it at Target months ago…you probably won’t be thrilled to know this, but mine was clearanced out for just over $6…thus making my decision to “splurge” very easy!! :)
When I began taking steps to feed my family healthier, my dishes followed suit. I stopped buying the teflon flaking pots and pans. Then I worked a bit for a friend in a consignment shop and pretty much fell in love with old ingenius cookware/dishes that were timeless. I love jars, and the big ones are a find! I also like tiny ones but it is very difficult to find tiny ones with tigh lids/tops.
I think it’d be great fun for you to post about your favorite and unique cookware/dishes. Two of my favorite things are my pumpkin masher that is an upside down cone sieve w/ a wooden handle for mashing, and this large glass baking tube that sits in a little metal rack handle for making pretty “long french loaves.” Perfect for a family hoagie. :)
Yes, I rarely buy anything period. My husband insisted on getting me a $5 dressy blouse that was new w/a tag, from a thrift store last wknd. I still contemplated an entire argument of why we didn’t need to buy the blouse the rest of our browsing time there. How silly I am sometimes!
My Dr. told me to get rid of my plastic dishes. That even if they are Bpf or whatever, “free,” that there is still tons of other chemicals that they have not went public with yet that affect women’s hormones. Jars have become aesthetic asset in my home.
Where did you find your jar? I am having a hard time finding them in stores in my hometown, just would like to know if I even have the same store in my area.
Thanks
Walmart. :)
Laura, I have this jar! I was hoping to keep bagels in it, but I found out only the little bagels go through the top. Of course, I have a friend that makes great pretzels that would go great in it. :)
My deal is since I am from the home of Ball jars, Muncie, Indiana, I really like anything with Ball on it. I have a few old ones that were my dad’s. I would love to have some really old blue or amber ones, but they are expensive and hard to find.
Ah! You have it too!!! Yes, I think I should make pretzels this week to put in there for sure!
Don’t put hot liquid in your jar. I did and it ended up shattering and burning my leg.