When I need to get things dealt with and out of the way, these are two of the things I reach for most often. They’re cheap, small, relatively easy to find no matter what country I’m in, and incredibly versatile, as you’ll see below.

Chip Clips. I’ve been given a few of the expensive ones over the years, but I can’t recall ever purchasing one. I always use the wooden clothes pins for closing up chips and other food bags I don’t have twist-ties for. Binder clips from the office supply store work great for especially for larger, bulkier bags. While the expensive kind pictured below works fine, you can easily substitute with the above ideas for a greatly reduced cost.

Drying rubber gloves. Picked this one up when I was house sitting in Jordan. Instead of setting aside a crock with an upside down wooden spoon to collect all the water and get messy, find an extra nail / cup hook / edge of a wire shelf / whatever and clip your rubber cleaning gloves by the longest finger. The water can drain out onto a water proof surface or onto a dry cloth to be used for cleaning later.

An art clothesline. This can be used in classrooms, children’s rooms, or just as a cool el cheapo idea for the home office or funky apartment.

Communications center for the fridge. Place a magnet on the back and use to clip notes, lists, etc.

Project clamp.This is a great use for the old stained ones. Clamp together things you are gluing when working on smaller, more delicate projects.

Curtain hook alternative. Appropriate for a cottage theme, or for a laundry room / kitchen. Fun with denim curtains or ones made from antique flour sacks. I have some neat colored Khmer head wraps from Cambodia that are going in the new kitchen when we build. Tie-dye or funky ethnic fabrics would also work, depending on the look you are going for. What I like about this idea is that it works great with another cheapskate curtain hanging idea . . . using string, wire or cable instead of an expensive rod.

Recipe card holder. Just clip the card to edge of an open container, cup hook, or the bottom of a curtain . . . anywhere that will be in visual range of where you are mixing things up. If you are using binder clips, you only need to turn them upside down. How cool is that?

Lamp shade. Now I wouldn’t have come up with this one on my own, that’s for sure. But here’s a link to an article showing how someone put together a lamp cover from wooden clothespins and an old wire tomato cage from the garden. It puts some fairly interesting patterns on the wall when you are done. Looks like something a teen would have fun making for their room. (I’d personally trim down those tall open wire ends, but I guess that’s personal preference.)  

Nail gripper. I loved this idea when I ran across it. I’ll never need to smash my fingers with a hammer again!

Toothpaste tube clip. I love using the clips to hold the rolled down tubes. It keeps all the extra from going back up into the tube and getting wasted. You also don’t have to spend time while you’re bleary – eyed in the morning squeezing the extra back down to the bottom again.

Pair organizers. Need to keep socks, mittens and gloves paired up while they dry? These work great for winter wet clothes management.

Poster, painting or light tapestry hangers. These are really fun for the funky apartment, loft or decked out dorm room. Check out the picture below for some colorful inspiration!

Garbage can sanity. Tired of the large bag slipping down into the can? Use two or more large binder clips to secure the bag to the edges of the container. Problem solved!

Organizing small table linens. Finding it a bit annoying to have sets of fabric napkins and placemats slip-sliding all over the linen closet or drawer? Clip your sets together with clothespins or binder clips when you store them.

A cheapskate's money clip. Got loads of cash? (Hey, it can happen.) If you are on a trip or need to carry lots of small bills, binder clips are a great way to organize your paper currency. Just flip the ends down after you clip it on!

Technical support at the ironing board. Having trouble with pleats or ironing a hem in place prior to stitching? Grab a clothespin or two. You'll be back in business in no time.

Know of any other cool uses for clothespins? I’d love to hear about them. Keep those ideas coming!