Free and cheap activities for young toddlers

I've been scouring the web lately looking for activity ideas for my 17-month old.  Unfortunately most ideas are either too advanced or really not worth mentioning (going for a walk? Reading books? Oh...I hadn't thought of that!)

So, I thought I'd post a few of the activities we have come up with, most of which involve trash, so they're free.  Really, things you would normally throw away are so much fun to a 17-month old.

I've been on an online shopping kick recently.  That's not free of course, but we have created a fort...

We've also made use of the packing paper as craft paper.  Mostly B likes to dump the crayons out and then put them back in the box, but he scribbled a little.

Finally, the packing peanuts provided some great fill-and-dump fun.  This one requires close supervision if your toddler still wants to put everything in his mouth.

I created a "pom-pom-stuff-it-in" from an idea I found on Money Saving Mom.  I was surprised at how quickly B figured out what to do, and how many times in a row he would do it.  It works well when I want to entertain him in his high chair for a little longer while I make dinner.

B also spends quite a bit of time playing in his kitchen drawer.  It's filled with empty containers, plastic cups, a pot, etc.  He really likes to stir as well as "drink" from cups.

And, finally, what is perhaps B's favorite toy right now... a bowl full of plastic Easter eggs.  He stirs them, he opens them, he dumps them out, and he uses a large spoon to transfer them from one bowl to another, which I figure is great motor skill practice (after all, using a spoon without dumping its contents can be pretty tricky).

What are some things your young toddler enjoys/enjoyed?  I'd love to hear some more ideas!