Almost everybody always has a ton of elastic rubber bands stocked in a closet somewhere, and while they’re pretty good at keeping things together, there actually are a lot more handy uses for this humble item.

In fact, the chances are that you’ll always want to have a couple of rubber bands nearby when you take a look at these smart, but unexpected ways to use them.

Who knew that a simple and extremely cheap household item would have so many uses and save you a lot of frustration and time? Let’s take a look at the best examples and jump right in.