If you buy Altoids or Sucrets, you have candy tins lying around. There is an enormous amount of great ways to reuse candy tins, whether for practical uses, to save money, in crafts, and even science projects. Once I started collecting ideas, I couldn’t believe what people were suggesting (you can make a pocket flashlight out of an altoid tin!), and it made me realize how useful items in our homes we habitually toss are really very useful. Why not reuse candy tins and save money in some of the following ways:
Great Uses For Altoid Tins
1. Store all those SD discs from your cameras and computer that are scattered around
2. Create a makeshift coin purse (see below for ideas on making a candy tin pretty)
3. Store screws, nuts and bolts together
4. Mini sewing kit, perfect to take along and fix snags or loose buttons
5. Store bobby pins and barrettes
6. Hold loose keys
7. Keep birthday candles and matches together
8. Store small electronic devices that would benefit from the protection of a hard case
(especially while traveling)
9. Mini first aid kit that can be tossed into purse for emergencies, with some bandaids, antibiotic cream, and antiseptic wipes.
10. Collect business cards or store gift cards in one place
You can even make your Altoid mint tin beautiful by covering it in fabric or paper and making a beautiful storage tin…here are some I found online created by artistic and crafty folk:
Storing candy, cards, or coins in these beautiful tin box containers would be awesome!
So cool! I use to put all sorts of things in them. I love those little covers, too cute.
I love this post. Thank you for sharing!
Great ideas! They’d also be excellent in kid’s lunch boxes – instead of using wasteful sandwich bags, you could put snacks in the tins – they’d be perfect for some cheese cubes or almonds or a few crackers.
Oh my gosh! These are wonderful ideas! I wish you wrote this post years ago, I could have reused all those Altoid tins I recycled! I especially love how cute they look all dolled up in the last handful of pictures! Do you have a tutorial? So, so cute!
What wonderful ideas! Now I need to gather tins!
This is a great idea! I’m always looking for new ways to organize but the plastic bins get pricey.
Hey thanks for these neat ideas!!!! I always toss mine but it felt weird because they are so sturdy!
Mindy~
Such great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
Birthday candles! I never would have thought of that!
Kas
who would have thought! Great ways to use that tin and I love the covers!
love the business card idea!
Lots of great ideas , Penelope! I use to collect old tins from food stuffs, ect… I kept a few, as some are BIG! I have used the small tins like this for a few of the things you mentioned, and I also use old pill/medicine/vitamin bottles for some of the smae things! I like the small first aid kits, you can keep them in your car, suitcase or in other areas in your house for quick 1st aide! the covers are a cute idea.
Being as that I’m neither artistic or crafty, I drooled over the gorgeous efforts of others. Especially the berry covered tin! Great ideas! 😀
Hey! Interesting! We just have to think out of the box and make the use of everything around us! Thanks!
Great ideas! I’m always looking for more storage, but somehow my Altoids tins (even ones with only 3 mints left) seem to lie around taking up space.
I write about radical homemaking at patchworkradicals.weebly.com – check it out if you’re interested!