I am sometimes guilty of throwing away unused condiments I get from a fast food restaurant. But check out this smart idea from my reader Melinda….
When we bought our new fridge it came with a plastic container which we use to store all the extra ketchups and other condiments that we get from fast food restuarants. It comes in handy when you want a little of something like malt vinegar but don’t want to have to buy a big bottle of it. If we are planing a picnic, we use the little packets of mustard and mayo so that we don’t have to take the bottles with us.
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Ani W says
We always save them too…we almost always go through the drivethru at fast food places…and I use them in my kids’ lunches for school. They use the leftover chick-fil-a sauces for chicken strips at home! :)
fairy dust says
Our office occasionally orders group lunches from a nearby Olive Garden, and it always comes with tons of extra little packets of Romano cheese that no one ever takes. I wait till the end of the day so everyone else can take what they want, then I take what’s left home, open the packets and pour the cheese into my “shakey cheese” container in the fridge. Haven’t had to buy new in quite awhile :)
Julie says
These are also wonderful for CAMPING!!! Ours go right into one of those plastic pencil boxes for camping….salt, pepper, mayo, you name it!
RK says
Another thing … my mother actually cooks with the condiments. They are all kept in a drawer that is handy from the stove. She doesn’t use recipes … she just makes stuff up … so when she’s making something new that she feels needs a little extra kick, then she will grab some Taco Bell sauce or ketchup or whatever and add it in. Unlike most people, who end up with a ton of extra condiments, we actually often ran out, because she’d use them all up in cooking!
RK says
We don’t buy fast food much, but when we do, we always save the condiments, napkins, plasticware, etc. that they put in the bag. I like to take the salt and pepper packets from the plasticware bags to work for when I’m eating something that needs a bit of salt.
Kyliev Cheap Single Chick says
This tip is one of my faves. I totally wrote a post about this same idea about a month ago! Love it!
http://cheapsinglechick.blogspot.com/2011/01/money-saving-tip-dont-throw-away-that.html
[email protected] says
In my freshman year of college my mom and I couldn’t afford a dining plan up front, and even the payment plan for them only allowed for it to be broken up into 2 segments of over a thousand each. With only one small fridge and a microwave I would take any condiment packets I grabbed but didn’t use all the time!! I had a little Tupperware container I used to put them all in. My friends all laughed but I never had to buy ketchup mayo or mustard. Such a money saver!!!
DIane says
We save ketchup packets. This way when I send chicken nuggets to daycare for lunch my daughter can have ketchup to dip them in. I usually send along two packets and she loves it!
Kathleen says
We rarely eat out and as long as we talking truly left over condiments and not just taking more than you need to pad your stash I suppose I’m fine with it. But take a quick trip to your Asian grocery store – they likely have lunch box supplies (for Bento lunches) and you can find re-usable small condiment containers….my daughter has Micky Mouse condiment containers, pink polkadots, even little flowers to put malt vinegar, soy sauce or hot sauce in. This way your family gets the freshest, quality food that you purchase for them with additional waste.
valerie says
We save condiments too. My hubby is a youth minister, and whenever he orders food for the teenagers (every wednesday) he knows to save the condiments for me! I’m the only one in the house to ever eat mustard or mayo so I just use the extra packets from Subway instead of actually buying any. As for the ketchup, BBQ, and ranch dressings… those are used in the kids’ lunch boxes for chicken nuggets, veggies, etc.
Melanie says
We keep ours in a butter tub on a door shelf in the fridge. We don’t eat out much either, but sometimes (like when we go to Disney) we end up with a bunch of these little packets. DH takes them to work, and we take them on camping trips to try to use them up.
Katrina J says
I very seldom eat out. Maybe once or twice a year. I’m cheap, I love to cook, and I’m a germaphobe. And with that being said, my husband brings his lunch to work everyday. And if its something that requires mayo, mustard, or ketchup I just take regular cheap fold over sandwich bags and put the required amount of the condiment in there and tie it up. He snips off the end at work, and is good to go. I do understand the rare condiments that arent used often like Malt Vinegar, but some people get carried away with taking the packets.
samantha says
I love to do the same thing. Chik filas ketchup containers are great for kids since they peel off and its a dippy bowl! We have a spot in the fridge for our condiments too
candice says
we do the same thing but we use a silverwear holder in a drawer
TERESITA BABCOCK says
I always forget to use them! I have them in the cupboard, and if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind! haha
Jenny Pinching Pennies says
We save all of those packets, and my husband takes them to work in his lunch!
Sarah says
We save by skipping fast food and eating at home.
wondersndreams says
we save them and transfer them into reusable condiment bottles.