I need ideas for reusing....

[creditcardfree]

I need ideas for reusing a glass sun tea jar. It is clear with blue and green dots and about 1 gallon in size. I bought it about 3 weeks ago at Walmart. I have made sun tea twice and then mixed lemonade in it recently. That's when I realized that it has a crack in it and it is leaking liquids very fast.

So, does anyone have any ideas on what I can use it for now? It seems like such a waste to throw it in the trash.

[gamecock43]

can you use it as a cookie jar? coin jar? pen, crayon jar?

[simpleyme]

If it is defective take it back they will let you exchange it ( I am assuming you did not break it )

[zakity]

a terrium (ok, that isn't spelled correctly)

One of those things where you put plants and dirt and stuff in it.

[disneysteve]

Sorry to say but if it is glass and cracked, I'd get rid of it. Cracks have a nasty habit of getting bigger. If the thing breaks apart, somebody may get cut in the process.

I don't think returning it is particularly ethical since you used it a couple of times without a problem, meaning it wasn't cracked when you bought it.

[simpleyme]

returning something after using it as it was designed to be used , if you did not do anything to break it is very ethical
in this case a hair line crack might take a while to be seen or cause a problem at first

[cschin4]

I don't think returning it is particularly ethical since you used it a couple of times without a problem, meaning it wasn't cracked when you bought it.
I disagree. If you purchase something and use it as intended and it breaks shortly thereafter, then you are due a refund. I would return it.

[cschin4]

Frankly, I am getting tired of what I call "look alike" products. Meaning, you buy them for a certain purpose and they appear to be what they purport but then break and fall apart in short order. Quality goes out the window and point of sale and getting your cash was all that mattered. So, I keep all my receipts and have no qualms about returning anything anymore.

[disneysteve]

I retract my earlier comment. It is possible that there was a small crack when it was purchased that didn't leak until it became a larger crack. In that case, go ahead and return it and get your money back. Nothing unethical about that at all.

If you don't return it, though, I would still suggest getting rid of it. It isn't worth having somebody get cut if/when it shatters.

[creditcardfree]

You all have very good points!

I hadn't thought of it cracking more...nor, had I thought of returning it. I really just thought I was trying to re-purpose an item that I could no longer use as intended.

I will try to return. If not, I will through it out.

I do like that terrarium idea, too!!

[simpleyme]

Mighty putty it LOL

I am just kidding of course but has anyone seen that stupid commercial for mighty putty where they fix a crack in a drinking glass with putty?
now that's an attractive repair (not)

[zakity]

terrarium

That's how you spell it! Thanks... I hadn't had time to look it up yet and it was driving me buggy!!


If you didn't drop it or bang it or anything, I would return it and either get your money back or exchange it. No sense in spending your money on something that you can't use.

[cschin4]

I find lots of "look alike" products in the Dollar Store. My mom recently bought my daughter some cheap swim goggles at the Dollar Store. They already fell apart and she hasn't even used them yet. I think they lasted 5 min. I bought a vegetable peeler for there and it was so dull it wouldn't even peel the first apple. I can think of many items that just appear as the "real thing" but are not. And, since you only are paying $1 or so, you tend not to keep the receipt or to just toss it rather than actually go through the process of taking it back.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by cschin4

I find lots of "look alike" products in the Dollar Store. My mom recently bought my daughter some cheap swim goggles at the Dollar Store. They already fell apart and she hasn't even used them yet. I think they lasted 5 min. I bought a vegetable peeler for there and it was so dull it wouldn't even peel the first apple.

This is a separate issue from the OP, but you are absolutely right. We've certainly learned over the years that there is a big difference between price and value. The $1 vegetable peeler is cheap, but the $10 Oxo one is a much better value. The $1 goggles are cheap, but the $20 Speedo ones are a much better value. I'd rather pay $20 for something that will last for years (or even a lifetime) than blow $1 on something that won't last a month or two.

[rob62521]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

This is a separate issue from the OP, but you are absolutely right. We've certainly learned over the years that there is a big difference between price and value. The $1 vegetable peeler is cheap, but the $10 Oxo one is a much better value. The $1 goggles are cheap, but the $20 Speedo ones are a much better value. I'd rather pay $20 for something that will last for years (or even a lifetime) than blow $1 on something that won't last a month or two.

Amen, Disneysteve, Amen! For years I put up with cheap knives in the kitchen that were dull and a pain to use (not to mention dangerous). I finally went out and bought a small set that is nice. They are a pleasure to use and far more safe since they aren't dull and will sharpen as needed. I think I'm money ahead because I'm not replacing them all the time. Not to mention the satisfaction of being able to use them and the pleasure in doing so.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

You know, I once bought a sun tea jar at my grocery store and it leaked at the spigot from day one. For some reason it did not occur to me to return it, though that store is accommodating about returns. I imagine I threw it away or recycled it if I was able to remove the plastic spigot.

In my case, I imagine it was a case of "look alike products," as cschin4 says. I know exactly what she is talking about. It looks like a sun tea jar, but it really isn't because it won't hold tea! It looks like an eraser but it really isn't because it won't erase. It looks like a sandal, but it really isn't because the strap over the foot comes unglued in the first week of wearing it. It looks like a pony-tail holder, but it really isn't because it has no elastic memory. It looks like an oven thermometer, but it really isn't, because it registers 50 degrees lower than the one that has been reliable for you.....

Of course I'd rather pay bigger money for something of quality. But sometimes I cannot tell which item has quality until I put it to use. That is particularly so when I am buying an item for the first time....And where would I have gone to buy a quality sun tea jar? I have no idea.... Also, we know that price is not the guide on discerning quality.

[creditcardfree]

The sun tea jar is from Walmart, so quality may have been an issue. The glass seems thick enough.

The purchase was so spontaneous. I was excited that it was glass, since hot liquids and plastic are getting bad reviews lately. The glass ones do not stain like the plastic ones either.

It will be going back. I just need to dig through receipts to find the right one. If I remember right, it was only $5. Also, I need to decide whether to exchange or return.

[simpleyme]

last summer i bought 2 water guns from the dollars store, my son filled them with water and they leaked out every seam and they did not squirt at all

definitely a look alike item it looked like a water gun, had a tag declaring it a water gun but was not a water gun at all

I returned them for store credit next time I went

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

Of course I'd rather pay bigger money for something of quality. But sometimes I cannot tell which item has quality until I put it to use. That is particularly so when I am buying an item for the first time....And where would I have gone to buy a quality sun tea jar? I have no idea.... Also, we know that price is not the guide on discerning quality.

You make a good point. Higher price doesn't guarantee quality, though I think there is definitely some correlation. I'd fully expect the dollar store item to be crap. I'd have somewhat higher expectations for the Wal-Mart item and much higher expectations for the Crate and Barrel item. Price is certainly a factor in quality.

I think the internet offers a wealth of information and reviews at a variety of sites. Before any significant purchase, I always do some online research. I did that a couple of years ago before we bought our ice cream maker. I read dozens of reviews and we've been very happy with the model we chose to buy. Had we just picked by looking at the different models in the store, the decision would have been different and uninformed.

And sometimes "quality" is a more personal decision. There are pricey kitchen items that I just don't care for. I don't like the way they feel in my hand and I prefer a version that I got considerably cheaper.

As for where to buy a good sun tea jar, if it was something I'd expect to use a fair amount, I'd check a good quality place like Crate and Barrel or Sur la Table or Kitchen Kapers. If it was something that would just get pulled out once or twice a year, I'd probably do something cheaper like Bed, Bath and Beyond or Target or Wal-Mart.

[simpleyme]

I sometimes fill out surveys and they will ask "at what price would you question the quality of this product" I find that interesting as if they make a item too cheap people will perceive it as shoddy so they mark it up.

also a recent survey about toothpaste asked if I used "Premium toothpaste" then defined it as toothpaste that cost over 6 dollars a tube,I thought that was interesting as it was such a meaningless description not the way I would judge a product to be premium