Create Your Own Bill Organizer from Recycled Coffee Cans

Hate to throw away plastic coffee cans when empty? Well, now, you can recycle those by converting them to a bill organizer. Here's how:

Take two 3 lb. coffee cans and cover separately with fabric, contact paper, decorative paper--whatever you like. One easy way to cover these is to cut the legs off a pair of pants. Cut the leg so that it is one and a half times as long as you need to cover the can. Hem the bottom by sewing or using fabric glue. Slip the coffee can through the leg, leaving excess at the bottom of the can. Then, roll the leg up to form a pocket all the way around the can. Do this for each can.

Another method (shown in the picture) is just to buy some cheap acrylic winter headbands, such as those now selling on clearance at WalMart for 70 cents. Place the headbands around the coffee cans and you now have a cover. Additionally, since the headbands are stretchy, they can easily be pulled out to insert bills.

Once both cans are covered, stack them on top of one another. Buy two plastic or wood lazy susans (available at Target and Amazon) and a couple of spindles (available at Ben Franklin and other craft stores). Drill or punch two holes in each ofthe lazy susans and run your spindles through the holes.

Buy some ball bearings and glue to the bottom lazy susan.

Place bills to be paid in the organizer pockets or, if you used the headband idea, place the edges under the headband, marking the date due on the envelope the bill came in.

These type of organizers normally have 31 slots and are very expensive. Most bills are due the first, middle, or end of the month, so you don't really need 31 slots.

You now have a bill organizer that spins around. Place a calendar, stamps, blank envelopes, pens in the top can.