It was another eventful Friday night that included shots of Burnett’s (I know), a couple Natty’s (again, I know), a fully eaten large pizza, and a trip to the medic. Then, suddenly it was Saturday morning... circa 1 pm. Groggy and half alive, I opened up my designated empties cabinet and an avalanche of empty bottles toppled out of my desk onto the floor.
I had an epiphany: If these were utilized in a way of decoration, storage, etc., there would be no need to lock them up in a cabinet so my RA can’t find them. Here are some great ways to put those empties to use!.
Make a Graveyard
Take all those empties and put them in a great display, like an Olympian would do with medals. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Don’t be ashamed, idolize those bottles. They’re yours and you should be proud! If you’re anything like me, you don’t have a lot of trophies that weren’t for participation, so this is all some of us have. You know who you are.
Candle Holder
Remember Grandmother’s antique silver candle holder you couldn’t ever touch? Well, this is a bit of a modern twist. Take those empty Burnett’s, Bud Light, Barefoot, and La Prima ($8 Tequila and it shows) bottles and put some long candles in them and light them up.
Sand Holder
This might sound dumb, but if you have a special place with a beach (i.e. the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore), then take your favorite liquor bottle and fill it with sand, put in your dorm and treasure it forever. Whenever you see it, you’ll think of your favorite bottle and your happy place.
Soap / Hand Sanitizer Dispenser
It would be an understatement to say college is not clean. Various passing of the bottle can lead to a lot of risk for one’s health. Therefore, transform your latest addition to the graveyard into a hand soap, dish soap, or hand sanitizer dispenser. From now on, you can clean off the germs of the night because when we are three sheets to the wind, health is not a big concern.
Lamp
If you want a little extra light in your dorm room, carve a small circular hole in the back of a glass bottle, feed in some string lights or Christmas lights, and then you have a wonderful lamp.
Make Them Into Glasses
Personally, I think the best way to drink a Budweiser is with a Budweiser glass, but not just one from the gift shop at the brewery. If you wanna get creative, there's a way to take a Budweiser bottle and make it into a glass you can use forever.
Don’t bother recycling those empties, because remember, President Elect Trump says that we don’t have to worry about global warming (@China.) Reminiscing the night with your friends is half the fun. On a tough Tuesday night when you're slammed with work, staring at the pretty display of empty bottles on your shelf and drinking Bud Light from a Bud Light glass may be the only thing that gets you to Friday.