No country for old scrunchies

Some things go out of fashion and even an Unfashionista does not want to wear them any more.

Back in the 90's, the only accepted method for tying back your ponytail was with a ruffly, fabric-wrapped rubber band called a "scrunchie." In these enlightened days, "accepted" is the last word you'd use in relation to a scrunchie. Catherine Zeta-Jones made headlines in 2010 when she wore one of these outmoded fripperies in public.

But any girl who was worth her salt 2 decades ago probably still has remnants of a once-mighty scrunchie collection, and patiently awaits the day when she can wear them with pride.

Well, ladies, while you're waiting, there's something you can do with your scrunchies that's both fashionable and functional. Use them to help organize your jewelry!

I just discovered this method while sorting through a collection of old accessories. "Hmm," I thought. "What am I going to do with all these scrunchies? I can't wear them lest I get laughed out of town. But I can't just throw them away...." Then, setting aside that problem, I thought, "Hmm... what am I going to do with all these necklaces?" Then I thought, "And why are these drawers in my jewelry box so darn deep? What can I possibly store in them that takes up so much space?" And then, in a whirlwind, the answer came to me!

Wrap the necklaces around the scrunchies! It will keep them from getting tangled, keep the scrunchies safe from the landfill, and make the best use of my bottomless jewelry drawers. This worked even better than I expected, because the elastic in the scrunchies actually serves to hold the loose ends of the necklaces in place.

Here's the technique for optimal scrunchie storage:

1. Wrap the necklace around the scrunchie (and here, may I employ a favorite 90's expression: "duh!")
2. Poke the trailing end of the necklace through the loop of scrunchie.

Ta-da! One scrunchie seems to be quite adequate for storing 2 necklaces.