Better Leftovers: Replace Plastic Containers with Glass

Is your Tupperware cupboard a disastrous mess? Don't despair. Mine was too until recently. I was tired of fighting the boxes, getting everything to fit, and trying to match the right lid to the right container.

Besides, I don't like to microwave food in plastic containers--and they are pretty gross with soap residue after going through the dishwasher. Ick.

In a bold move, I dumped all the tuppers in the recycling and replaced them with glass containers. Now there are a bunch of spaghetti sauce jars and Pyrex dishes from Amazon (purchased with a gift card earned from Swagbucks, of course).

Why the spaghetti sauce jars? We had been recycling them, and then I realized--leftovers don't care what kind of a container they're in [slaps forehead in disbelief]. Cooked pasta, slices of BBQ chicken, extra roasted veggies now go in jars instead of Ziplocs or plastics.

Yes, there are fewer containers. That will force us to eat up the leftovers more quickly, which keeps the fridge cleaner too. No more leftovers-turned-science projects for us! And check out how nice the cupboard looks (see photo).

You can do this too! Try putting all of your plastics in a box in the garage. Save your spaghetti sauce, applesauce, and peanut butter jars for leftovers. You'll have plenty of containers before you know it, and can recycle or donate those plastics. Plus, nothing beats the look on your mom's face when she opens the cupboard and sees all the funky containers you're using!

How do you store your leftovers? (Those of you with teenage boys in the house don't have to answer, since you don't have any leftovers.) Tell us in the comments.