Lately we've been reusing some of our (BPA-free) water bottles. But drying a bottle is a drag, especially when you hand wash, as we do. So instead of paying $16 elsewhere, my wife put the chopsticks we rarely use into a toothbrush stand we were going to throw away.

Reusing water bottles and plastic sandwich bags not only saves money, but reduces waste, and might be better than recylcing. If you're concerned about BPA, check your water bottles' recycling number. A #2, #4 or #5 won't leach BPA, but a #1 and #7 will. You can use the #1 and #7 stuff as a vase for flowers.