A Few At a Time

5 half-pint jars

 

I ventured into the thrift store and found six half-pint jelly jars. Of course, I ran my finger around the rim of each jar. One was rough, so I bought only these five. Two of the rings are rusted. I feel that this was a good deal at $0.29/each. For $1.50 I increased my supplies for canning. I already have three dozen of this size, maybe more. That is not many, but I have never had them all full at once for a long time. Since these have straight sides, they are appropriate for freezing, also.

 

The best part of this is that there are no dead spiders, grime, jelly, or dirt dauber nests in these jars. I store every jar with an old flat/lid and ring or foil or plastic wrap to prevent undue grime when I need to use canning jars.

If I could buy a dozen at this price, the total would be $3.60/doz., not a bad price considering a new dozen of these would be $8.95/doz. or $0.74/jar as opposed to these $0.29/jar.  I am not going to be buying any new boxes of these, but will increase my supplies a few at a time and cheaply. Canning jars are always on my mental list of things to look for when thrifting.

Tonight, I have 6 quarts of strawberries to wash, slice, and lightly sugar. Tomorrow, the sugar will be dissolved and the jars will be clean. I will put at least five more half pints of strawberries to freeze for later consumption.

Your turn
Do you buy used canning/freezing jars? What is the price point you are willing to pay? Do you ever get free jars? Are they ever filled with dirt dauber nests, spiders, crickets, or dirt?