Replace flimsy cardboard game boxes with stackable plastic

Thanks to Julianne for your question about games and puzzles. I'm a big game lover. My house has tons of games and puzzles. However, I hate the bulky, awkward boxes they come in. So I opted to pitch the cardboard and replace it with stackable plastic.

Like I said, I have tons of games, so I used the most inexpensive container I could find. These disposable plastic containers designed for leftovers were both cheap and shallow (unlike most tougher plastic containers). In most cases, I just cut the image of the puzzle or game right off the original box (generally the sides work well) and stuck it to the lid with double-stick duct tape.

I used my label-maker (WalMart $15) to make a small label to put on the back of each folded game board. The game boards are stacked together and are kept in the trunk with the game piece containers.

I also have one container that stashes extras. In it, I keep a few extra dice, a timer, some random pieces from old games, a notepad and some pencils.

Unfortunately not all my games will store this neatly. Games like Connect Four, Hullaballoo, and Battleship are still stuck in their original containers. But the vast majority of my games are now contained and much more accessible.

As a side note, Julianne, if you were referring to the wooden-type kids puzzles, I have a bunch of those too. I treat these like they are one toy rather than individual toys. I keep all the pieces for all the puzzles in one container. The puzzle boards stack on my son's shelf next to the container. Whenever he wants to do a puzzle, he lays out all the boards, dumps out the container and finds the pieces he needs. The bonus here is that he'll stay focused much longer. When it was just one puzzle, he'd finish too quickly and get bored. Now it takes time and keeps him interested. Of course, it also offers a very quick clean-up…a must for me. Just thought I'd pass it on.