10 Creative Things to Do with Inexpensive Thrift Store Baskets

Baskets can be a rather odd thing in that they are extremely useful and versatile yet somehow get continually tossed aside by their owners. Any good thrift store will likely have a basket section somewhere in it. And, what once may have been $20 baskets are going for something closer to a dollar.

The thing is all that utility is still there. A basket is a basket, an empty container with all sorts of possibilities perhaps for carrying something, holding something, displaying something, or concealing something. Rather than getting another plastic storage tote, the inexpensive thrift store basket allows us to save some coin and do it with something a bit more attractive.

Baskets are just too frequently pigeonholed into a life of picnics, so we just have to realize their potential.

1. Condiment Container

Tabletop condiments used to be a heap simpler: a salt and pepper shaker. But, for many of us, the finer things in life have made our tabletops more elaborate. Hot sauce, smoked salt, nutritional yeast, pepper grinder, and whatever other little peccadilloes we just can’t live without. Stick them all in a basket.

2. Basket Lamp

This can work in several ways. Some people go with the full-on basket light fixture, with the basket hanging upside down akin to a lampshade. Other people like to pile stuff, such as pine cones, in the basket and run a string of lights in the basket, creating a bit more atmospheric lighting than something to read next to.

3. Mock Planter

Ever go to a nursery and buy a plant. They come in unattractive little plastic pots that then require that we buy another pot and some potting mix so that we can transplant them. Or…we can just put that ugly plastic pot into a tall basket and it disappears into a beautiful planter. Don’t forget they can be used as hanging baskets, too.

4. Toilet Necessities

Bathrooms can be littered with necessities, particularly by the toilet. Responsible hosts will have backup toilet paper readily available. They might provide some reading material and a bit of air freshener. Why not stick all this stuff in a basket next to the commode or atop the tank?

5. Fridge Organizers

Whether it’s a fridge full of different people’s stuff or people’s different stuff, it helps if there is a little organization. Though baskets are typical of the fridge, they can live quite happily in them, containing loose vegetables or, again, a selection of condiments.

6. Pet Beds

Pets love snuggly, comfy spots to nap. We tend to go buy them beds from the pet store, but that’s not necessary. A nice basket makes for a good spot, and while at the thrift store, there will be cheap cushions for cheap to put in said basket. That’s a quality pet bed that pets will love.

7. Holiday Displays

Putting out a few decorations for the holidays, whichever it may be, is fun and festive. Often, however, we have tons of little items to contend with, and that can be less fun. Unless, we make a basket display for the holidays: a basket of Halloween candy, a basket of Christmas ornaments, a basket of…

8. Bicycle Basket

These days bicycle baskets tend to be serious, metal affairs built for ruggedness. But, that’s not to say they have to be that way. A nice, thrift store basket affixed to the handlebars or rack can do the job with some vintage flair.

9. Shelving

Though we usually think of the bottom of a basket being the bottom, we can also use our imaginations to think of it differently. A square or rectangular basket turned on its side, with the back attached to a wall makes for a pretty nice shelf, particularly for holding things like towels, socks, or dishrags.

10. Gift Baskets

One of the best presents to give to loved ones and close friends is a collection of their favorite treats. While most of us think of gift baskets as a rather impersonal present that we order all put together from a shop. A gift basket using a thrift store basket can be filled with very personalized items. Then, the basket can be re-gifted to the next lucky person, maybe you!

Isn’t it nice to think all those baskets haven’t been woven in vain? For pocket change, we can reimagine them into something we treasure.

Related Content:

• 8 Crops That Grow Well in Hanging Baskets
• 15 Easy Ways to Reduce Waste and Dive Into DIY This Year!
• How to Furnish Your Living Room with Secondhand Everything and a Little DIY Love

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