Hey earth muffins! The start of my sustainable journey back in May of 2018 introduced me to one of my current loves: mason jars. 😍 These jars aren’t just for holding your trash when you go zero waste (which, of course, isn’t something that all zero wasters aspire towards anyways!)… They can be used for reducing waste in your kitchen and pantry, for holding DIY cleaning supplies, and about a million other things. Today, I wanted to share the brands/types of jars that are currently in my personal mason jar collection. 🙂 I will then share the best way that you can pick up your own!
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The Brands That I ❤️
–Ball: How can you not love a good Ball mason jar? I probably own at least one of every type of Ball mason jar in terms of size and shape in my mason jar collection…. 32 oz normal mouth, 32 oz wide mouth, 24 oz normal mouth, 24 oz wide mouth, 12 oz normal mouth, etc. etc. I think my two favorite Ball mason jars are the 24 oz wide mouth (as they are tall and skinny and are the perfect size for leftovers!) and my 24 oz vintage 1920s blue tinted jar (it even has a different Ball logo – I love that it can still be used after all of these years). The wide mouths are definitely the best ones, as it is much easier to get food in and out. ✌️
–Kerr: I also have a lot of Kerr mason jars, in sizes and shapes that are similar to Ball. Again, I think the wide mouth ones are the best, so I tend to have a lot more of those in my collection.
–Le Parfait: I only have one jar from this brand, but I will definitely be looking out for more. It seems like the glass of these jars is thicker, which makes it seem more sturdy than some of the newer Ball or Kerr jars. I also love the gorgeous design of the cursive “Le Parfait” on the side – it makes it seem so elegant and French! 🍷
–Mom’s Mason Jar: This brand doesn’t exist anymore, but I think it is just adorable that there is an actual “mom” in the jar’s design. I only own one jar of this brand, and it is a 12 oz jar. This makes it perfect for packing things in my lunchbox, so I definitely get a lot of use out of it!
–Atlas: They also don’t make these jars anymore, and I only have one of them. It is also a small jar which makes it perfect for saving leftovers or taking food with me when I am on the go. 😊
–Bormioli Rocco: As an Italian, I obviously must have some glass jars from Italy in my collection. They make these jars in some really fun shapes, so I have a coupe of oddly shaped ones to spice up my pantry.
Where to Get Your Jars
Yard sales! I have found that the best place to buy a lot of jars for a cheap price is at yard sales (especially if you go to a sale at an elderly person’s home). I got a box of ten jars for $2 at one garage sale and another box for $3… And these included the 1920s blue Ball jar, the Mom’s Mason Jar, AND the Atlas jar. Quite a way to grow your mason jar collection! This shows that you can not only get a great deal, but you can also find some unique jars you might not be able to find somewhere else.
My grandpa (aka relatives). My grandparents did a lot of canning when their farm was up and running, so he accumulated boxes and boxes and boxes of jars… That are now just sitting in his basement. He gave me a ton of jars to start my collection (for free I might add!), so I would definitely ask relatives and friends to see if they have any jars they do not want anymore.
Thrift stores! Just like yard sales, you can usually find lots of shapes/sizes of mason jars secondhand. However, they will definitely be priced at $1-$3 for each jar, which isn’t as cheap as other places.
As gifts! Especially during the holiday season, many people like to gift things in mason jars… Which allows you to enjoy whatever is inside AND the jar. 🎉
Repurposed! Some of the jars in my collection I have added through repurposing. After using up the honey, I added a glass honey bear that can now be refilled from the bulk bins! 🧸 I also used an old mini wine bottle as my counter-top olive oil container (that can either be refilled from the bulk bins as well or from a huge glass bottle of oil in the pantry).
New? With all of these other secondhand options, do you really need to buy them new?
What is your favorite thing to do with mason jars??
Love,
Jenna ♥
