My husband and I each have a couple of prescriptions filled every month. That means, at a minimum (not including the occasional need for an antibiotic or other prescription) we’re disposing of 48 prescription bottles a year. Yikes!

I wish I could bring in my bottle, the same way I do a reusable cup when I’m getting a fountain drink at a gas station, and just have the Kroger pharmacist pour another 30 days of pills inside. I know they’d gladly take the bottle back and recycle it for me, but that’s no better than recycling it myself and wastes the fuel it would take to drop off the bottles every few months.

Those little pill bottles are awfully sturdy – likely better-made than some similarly sized containers you could purchase at a craft store. They have incredibly secure lids (sometimes too secure) and if you peel off the sticker as soon as the bottle is empty (rather than leaving it on until you’re ready to re-use the bottle), I’ve found that most of the labels come off cleanly.

So, it’s decided: these bottles will now be upcycled!

The ones pictured have been covered in Washi tape (sometimes known as trendy tape or paper tape), plus a thin layer of Mod Podge, because no tape stays put forever. I popped out some circles with my circle punch and played around with a few other ways to spiff up the lids – one has a cloth button on its lid; another has tiny sticky pearl embellishments. This definitely falls in the category of simple craft: 1) I can do it in my lap, 2) I can finish it in an evening, and 3) I can enjoy the fruits of my labor immediately!

So far, I have two bottles in my car – one holds emergency cash ($20), in response to the time I ran out to pick up Happy Meals for the boys and discovered I’d left my wallet at home. Driving all the way home, then all the way back again, is not fun. The other bottle is filled with quarters for the two or three times a year I need to use a parking meter and can’t find any spare change in my purse.

I’ll use a bottle when I travel, to carry earrings, which always get mangled in the little zipper pouch I’ve been using. Another one will be in my purse with the components of an emergency sewing kit – buttons, thread, a needle, and nail clippers.

Now, brainstorm with me: what other uses would/could you have for a cute little bottle like this?