Cool kitchen storage

Smart grocery shopping, along with eating at home, can save your budget big bucks. But only if you take good care of your purchases once home.

Ever reach for the garlic only to find that it has dried into a knobby mass? Have you foraged in your fridge to unearth dessicated sage? Or the worst offense, observed wiggling larvae in the flour? Keep your ingredients at their peak and at the ready with these kitchen storage containers.

Produce bins
These vintage-style bins for holding garlic, onions and potatoes are reminiscent of simpler times. Just what we need in our hectic lives. $21.99 to $29.99. Amazon.com







Herb keeper
This simple herb freshener will keep your herbs snappy for up to three weeks. Herb keeper. $9. AKitchen.com










Pantry canisters
What a deal! These old-world canisters for pantry basics are an amazing buy. Set of 4, $59.99, on sale $19.99. Amazon.com











Salt cellar
Keep salt at-the-ready in this lovely, glass salt box. $7.95. Crate and Barrel







Bread box
Bread, the staff of life, deserves a home of its own. This retro bin will add a punch of color to your kitchen. Not yet available in the U.S., but coming soon!



Pasta container
If you love spaghetti, linguine and capellini, you'll need a very tall canister to fill the bill. This cool modern option fits perfectly. $15.50, on sale $13.90. Amazon.com









Butter crock
For an old-fashioned butter crock, this version has a sleek modern twist. $9.99. Amazon.com









Cookie jar
Chocolate chip? Oatmeal raisin? Peanut butter? Iced molasses? Fill this country crock with all your cookie favorites. $25.99. Target

Adirondack chic water bottle

I started saving big on my grocery budget awhile back when I stopped buying bottled water and started carrying my own filtered water in refillable bottles.

If you want to give it a try, do it in style with this trompe l'oeil, rattan wrapped aluminum water bottle. It's got Adirondack chic and is perfect for summer. $10. Pottery Barn.

Thank you Velocity Art and Design

I am just returning from Velocity Art and Design where I had an opportunity to speak at their Creative Business Growth Workshop. A big thank you to all who made this possible, including the many people who missed the inaugural Sounders game to attend!

As a now former Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist and a PR specialist, I was excited to offer my perspective on how to promote one's self and one's company in these extraordinary times, including how to reach out to the media, what to say in an email and how to use blogs to further promote products and services.

For all those in attendance, since we didn't have time for a real Q & A, I am happy to take your questions via email at tracyschneider@comcast.net

Home decor from the grocery store

Has your budget for home furnishings dried up? With an eye on design, I've gone grocery shopping and found some great treats that will stay with you long after the foodstuffs inside are gone.





Hip restaurants are using old fashioned bottles to serve their water, and you can too. Enjoy this sparkling lemonade and use the empty bottle - with its hinged cap - in perpetuity. Rieme sparkling lemonade, $4.59. Metropolitan Market











Whether you're stashing buttons and beads or screws and nails, everyone needs small containers to corral their things and maintain their sanity. My favorites are the Bonne Maman preserves jars. First feast on bread and these great preserves. Then make this squat, ten-sided jar with a tattersall lid a part of your home organization system. $5.29. Safeway









Mood lighting in the 70's meant a bottle of Chianti topped with a candle. The quality of Chianti has improved over the years, but mass production means their classic straw-wrapped bottles are a rarity. Don't miss this twofer! Bell'agio Chianti, $$16.49, on sale $11.98. Safeway














It's no secret that small glass juice and water bottles can be turned into great-looking vases. Restaurants use them all the time. My favorite is the fat Orangina bottle with its citrus peel texture. This vase looks good with any decor and holds a single blossom (another cost-saver) beautifully. Pack of 4, $4.29. Metropolitan Market











Turn a magnum of your favorite wine or champagne into a fab lamp. And I'm not talking rec room decor. A visit to Cafe Campagne will show you just how chic this DIY project can be. Magnum of Cook's Brut California champagne, $6.99. Costco

Have your own favorite home decor from the grocery store? Share it with me.

Welcome "Hot Finds, Cool Prices" readers!

Thank you, Seattle Post-Intelligencer readers, for letting me know how much you've enjoyed sipping your Saturday morning coffee with with me and "Hot Finds, Cool Prices". I appreciate your interest, enthusiasm and suggestions these last 2+ years, ever since I originated the column in the Home section of the newspaper.

It takes some doing, but fabulous, accessibly priced furniture and home furnishings can be found in the market, and I hope you will continue to spend Saturday mornings with me to learn about them, albeit online. Don't see what you're looking for in a current post? Check out all of 2008's past "Hot Finds", now in one spot. I'll be posting earlier "Hot Finds" over the next few weeks.