Only College Students and Alcoholics Save Beer Cans

Yes, still on Real Simple’s bad ideas January 2012. This one is frankly beyond belief. I feel like all the editors must have left the room for this one or left early for vacation. Use an empty beer can as a noise maker? Really?! Seriously? Right now I’m feeling like the writers of Saturday Night Live have written these “New Uses for Old Vices” as a spoof. But no. If you have managed to stop drinking on New Year’s Eve, not to worry, “You can still start 2012 off with a bang or at least a rattle.” Yeah, that’s what someone who has decided to stop drinking on New Year’s should do. Put a bunch of coins in their empty beer can and tape it shut and then go, “Yay! I’m going to AA!”

Well who knows, maybe they should celebrate in such a fashion. Who am I to judge? It does seem like a waste to go out and buy a 1 dollar or 2 dollar paper noise maker that won’t last the evening because someone’s going to spill champagne or beer on it and ruin it. And if you’ve got kids staying up all night, maybe this WOULD be a good craft project and thus something you Classic (SJ) moms or might want to enlist your kids in doing to keep them busy and out of trouble. Although I think this last minute idea might work for all personality types desperate to keep their kids out of their hair as they finish off that umpteenth beer.

So sure. Save those beer cans and put the kids to work as a craft project. Of course, then when they’re in AA one day you’ll wonder if maybe that craft project was such a great idea after all. Or maybe just ask them to take out the recycling. Might be easier.