Remember when Woman's Day/Family Circle magazines used to give $25 to readers who sent in tips or bright ideas that got published? Probably all the good ideas are on message boards now!

I ended up with a plethora of coffee mugs (and don't even like coffee). I've weeded them out, but some of them have special meaning or were gifts...well, you know.

I do the traditional thing of using them for pencil holders. One has a couple of harmonicas. One has my reading glasses (in a case). And I keep one on the table for my cordless phone. I like it nearby but I don't want to spill food on it. Plus I (usually) know where to find it!

What uses have you found for coffee mugs, besides coffee? How about any other such "tips"?

I have one on my dresser that DS24 gave me when he was in first grade. It says "I Love My Mommy". I keep spare change in it and when it gets full I take the change to the grocery store to supplement my grocery bill.

I don't seem to collect coffee mugs, maybe because I like the giant size ones that aren't as common place with the cute sayings.

Since yours have special meanings I like that you want to use them. What about using one as a tooth brush holder?

I have my toothbrush in a Snoopy mug that says "I think I'm allergic to morning..."

You can plant a plant in them.
Use them as a small flower vase.
You can break them and make a mosaic out of them. A nice mosaic trivet would be cool.
I use them to put potpourri in them.

Mine are boring pen and pencil holders. Really what I use is the huge mug that both my girls thought they just had to have when they graduated from high school. It looks like a huge pub mug, has the name of their high school, and all the names of the classmates. After school they didn't want them. I am enough of a penny pincher that I didn't want to throw them away, you can't really give them away since it has my girls name on them. So I knew I had to think of a way to use them.

Using them as small flower holders sounds wonderful. That would be such an expensive gift.

I also use my old coffee mug collection for storring many many things. I have one that sit's on the coffee table that says, "It's my 29th Birthday and Ill cry if I want to" DH gave it to me on my 40th Birthday.

When we had no power for a week last April, I put tea-light candles in several coffee mugs. In the evenings we used them to light up the dining room, bathroom and kitchen.