I was at work a few days ago, and went into the rest room to wash my hands. Well, the soap dispenser (it was one of those with the metal pump spout that sticks out of the counter) was plugged up with congealed soap, and nothing would come out.

I stood there and thought for a moment, and then had a brainstorm. I went back to my desk and grabbed a paper clip. Back in the rest room, I bent the paper clip out a bit, so part of it was straight, and then used the straight end to clear the congealed soap out of the dispenser spout. After that, the spout worked like a charm!

Yes, paper clips are absolutely indispensable. I have several braided into the strap for my keys, you know those that can go around your neck. Just in case I might need one...

In one apartment I used to live in the strings that operated the blinds were ridiculously short. Like, maybe you'd reach it if you're in the NBA. I took a bunch of thick paper clips (so they wouldn't unroll as I pulled on them) and used them to extend the string to something reasonable for someone who's just over five feet tall. Problem solved.

As always, the pesky hubby was like, what's the problem? Sure, if I was a foot taller, I wouldn't have a problem either!

My tiebacks for my curtains had a hook snap off and I have a paperclip holding one end in place

My paperclips hold paper and documents.

Don't forget that you can use a straightened paper clip to open dead/malfunctioning CD/DVD drives.

A few days ago I decided to make a pie with fresh cherries. It was kind of late in the evening when I realized I didn't own a cherry pitter. What I did have was a large paper clip. Turns out the cherry pits are a perfect size to get stuck in the larger loop of the paper clip and thus be quite easily extracted. That pie came out delicious!