Use and re-use

As I am feeling particularly crabby (a friend recently said *if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy* ; ), I've decided to list a recent success in shifting of resources. In my quest to spend less, and use more wisely, I created:

Shelves for toys
We love books, have many shelves, but bookshelves tend to be too narrow for most toys. Toys need depth. I had been pricing shelves, and eyeing Ikea (the bastion of supposedly "cheap" fixes), when I chanted the mantra, "everything we need is already here". In the basement were plastic crates from our Graduate Student Modern decorating days.

To make shelves, I stacked six crates three-high, side-by-side, and secured them together with 7" SafeTy ties. The crates are now a solid unit, but I am pondering whether the crates should also be secured to a stud in the wall? Upside: less likely to be pulled onto toddler. Downside: toddler might decide this is a really cool climbing toy.