Take A Peanut Butter Jar On Your Next Beach Day For This Genius Hack

When you're packing up to take your family to the beach for a little sun and fun, there is a wide variety of gear you can bring to enhance the experience. You've got your pails and shovels, towels, phones and keys, wallet, beach bags, diapers, snacks or lunch, an umbrella, chairs, and maybe even a tent — it's a lot to remember and keep track of. That is especially true when you're visiting a beach that has some issues with theft. While you and the kids are playing in the water, someone can easily come and snatch your belongings. Your money, keys, and phones can be gone in a flash and you won't know until you return to your spot on the sand. However, there is a great peanut butter jar hack that can help keep them safer. It's also going to keep them out of the sand. 

The idea is to clean out the peanut butter jar (or jars) and use them as a storage space for small items. There is more to the story, though. We've got tips for getting the jars ready, what you can put in them, ways to keep them from getting lost in the sand, and more. Plus, you get to do some snacking every time you need a new one. Here are a slew of tips for using a peanut butter jar to keep your stuff safe at the shore. 

You don't want your cash or belongings to smell like lunch, so you have to wash the jar first. (Before you clean the almost empty jar, Food & Wine suggest throwing in a bit of chocolate syrup and hot milk. Shake it up for peanut butter hot chocolate.) Instructables suggests throwing in a few egg shells with water and shaking it up to get the last bits out. You can also try the dishwasher. 

When it's dry, throw in smaller items like keys and money. Use a family-sized jar if you want to fit your phone. Tie a ribbon around the jar and leave a long tail. That way you can bury the jar with your valuables under your beach towel with the ribbon sticking out so you can find it again. (You can also make carrying your beach supplies easier with this towel hack.)

Throw the jar in your beach bag, but keep it at the bottom, covered or rolled in your towel. Anyone walking by will likely grab what they see first for a quick getaway. Another idea is to get a designated kid pail. Put the jar inside and cover it with sand so it looks like one of your little ones was digging. It's unlikely anyone would look there. If you're crafty, leave the label on the jar, and paint the inside "peanut butter color" so thieves will think it's part of your lunch. 

Peanut butter jars aren't just for valuables. They're also great for keeping loose snacks like pretzel sticks or candy, as sand tends to get everywhere, even on your food. If you bring your dog with you, keep treats in one jar and water in another. You can also keep mini packets of ketchup and mustard in there. Throw in some salad fixings and dressing and give it a shake for another lunch idea. You can try throwing lip balms with SPF and reef-safe sunscreen in a peanut butter jar as well, as those essentials always tend to get sand around the rim, and this will help prevent that. If the beach sand is really fine and powdery, double protection with a Ziploc and a jar is a great idea. Just another reason why you should always pack a ziploc in your carry-on. They're really useful. 

Another great use for peanut butter jars at the beach is to get the sand off at the end of the day. Keep one with a damp washcloth or baby wipes in the car. You can fill one with cornstarch or baby powder with a short-handled makeup brush inside to make that sand slide right off your feet before getting in the clean car. You can also store jewelry you forgot to take off and don't want to swim in. That said, it's still always best to leave anything really valuable at home.