Tacky or Ingenius?

I have this quirky little habit of hanging onto items past their prime until I've found a replacement for them. From something as small and insignificant as a cracked wooden spoon to wobbly stools or ugly, faded deck chairs, I tend to keep them a wee bit too long. I think it's because I don't want to do without and in my experience, replacement always takes longer than expected. 

  But sometimes it pays off. 

About a  a year ago I used my Pampered Chef microwave rice cooker to cook quinoa. I followed the directions on the quinoa package  which  instructed me to cook the grains as I would rice. Well, apparently that wasn't the best advice because  I cooked the quinoa AND the bottom of the rice cooker. It was melted and had a distinct burnt odor to it, that is there to this day. So much for those instructions. And so much for my much-loved rice cooker. 

I couldn't bear to part with it. Deep down I figured there must be SOME use for this plastic kitchen pot. It seemed a waste to just recycle it. So, it has been tucked away at the back of my cupboard for a number of months now (maybe a year!). 

Then today I had a brainwave. It could become my next compost bucket! It's nice looking and is many steps up from the icecream pail I've been using. It's trendy black, just the right size, and has a sturdy lid. It its quite nicely on my counter. 

I eagerly relayed this fantastic idea to Handyman and he even gave me the impression that it wasn't a bad idea. Then, of course, he said, "How much did that compost bucket cost you?". 

Never mind. 

I'm just happy to have found a new use for a quality piece of plastic.