How “Jar-Hopping” Saves So Much Space in My Tiny Fridge and Pantry

Quinn Fish
Quinn FishLifestyle Editor, The Kitchn & Staff Writer, Apartment Therapy
After earning dual degrees in journalism and ethnic studies and winning national awards as the managing editor of the university newspaper at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (namely for my senior project), I moved to Brooklyn and got my start as an editorial assistant at Working Mother magazine. I worked as the associate digital editor at Reader’s Digest before jumping over to The Kitchn and Apartment Therapy. (I also have bylines in PureWow about NYC bars, restaurants, travel, and activities, which, yes, is as fun as it sounds!) I’m deeply passionate about helping people live their best lives in their homes — whether it’s optimizing their kitchen storage or adding pops of much-needed color and character to their space — and keeping up with home and lifestyle trends (and viral crazes!) across platforms. My favorite part of the job? Deep-diving into the analytics of what readers care about, want to shop for, and need help with most. Of course, it’s been extremely fun and rewarding to interview celebs like Martha Stewart, Jordin Sparks, and Marie Kondo, too!
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published May 21, 2023
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Glass jars with assorted pickled products
Credit: Martí Sans / Stocksy

Confession time: I have a hard time throwing out anything I see as being reusable. If it came into my home, and is durable enough to get a few uses out of it, it’s probably staying — call me something of a zero-waste trailblazer (or a child raised on conservation). What this really means is that I have a collection of jars, rubber bands, twist ties, corks, and other miscellaneous “multi-use” gadgets. But I’ve found that these items really do come in handy — especially in my teeny half-wall kitchen.

In my tiny space, I have a (literal) mini fridge and one three-shelf cabinet for my pantry. I cook every single day, but with limited space, this means smaller grocery trips and more creative storage solutions. That’s where “jar-hopping” comes in. 

Having glass jars of all different shapes and sizes (all of which originally came as packaging) — pickle jars, spice jars, candle jars, Fly by Jing chili oil jars, big glass Martinelli’s jugs — means I tend to have the perfect container for whatever my current need is, big or small. And when the product is used over time, I have the perfect container *yet again* to move it into. 

What I’ve coined as “jar-hopping” is simply moving the contents from one jar to another, saving me space, and freeing up bigger jars and containers for more appropriate uses. For example: About every other week, I’ll make a batch of pickled red onions and will store them in a big pickle jar; when I’ve used about half of them, they’re then moved into, well, a pickle jar that’s about half the size of the original. (Can you tell I’m a pickle fiend?). The bigger jar is cleaned and freed up for whatever I want to store in it next — be it my collection of bar matchbooks, makeup brushes, a propagated pothos, or pickled red cabbage. 

I do the same thing in my pantry and even in my bathroom. I was tired of seeing this giant container of oats take up unnecessary space within my limited kitchen storage. But fear not — I simply moved the half-box of oats into a smaller glass jar. Now, I can see exactly how much I have left and I have more room in my pantry. Win-win! 

Time for another confession: I’ve never purchased food storage containers. Yep, I rely on reusable packaging and takeout containers. Yes, it’s only me in my apartment, but I’ve mastered the art of using very little to hold and create a lot — all while saving money on storage solutions. Zero-waste, money saved, and space created. What’s not to love?

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