It’s funny. I used to read lots of older books when I was growing up. A couple of centuries ago, it was considered wise to hang on to things like cord or string, just because they could be useful. Of course, back then, we had so much less stuff floating around. Now we have problems with hoarding stuff that might some day be useful. (And too much stuff in general!)
Distracted, but on the stories - I was remembering a parable (a story from a book geared towards schoolchildren) of two boys, one of whom opened a package tied up with string carelessly and threw away the string and paper wrapping; the other boy carefully untied the string, removed and folded the paper. The payoff was that the one who saved it made something useful out of it later, whereas the boy that wasted those things went without. Of course these days… while it is good to reduce, reuse, recycle, when it comes to hoarding, a lot of times it’s more healthy to throw away than keep…
I’m just scared of developing Diogenes syndrome… Better to get rid of things before we develop an irrational emotional attachment to stupid material objects. A great exercise to stay humble and grateful for all we have. Also, not to have a closet full of empty crystal jars… ;D
I guess the good news is that with all the stuff everyone has around in storage, we won’t run out of stuff this time. Food? Maybe. Stuff? Definitely not. hehe
Just don’t hoard. If you don’t have space or you have more than you need, trim your stash down.
Yes, but how many do you need? I can’t say I’d need more than 1 empty box most of the time, but when I need more than one I curse my inability to leave random empty boxes lying around
It’s not about what I need in the moment, It’s about what will be useful in the future. I hoard stuff but I keep it to designated areas. If it gets to the point that it’s breaching containment, then some things have to go to make room. Things like good cardboard I tend to use more often than I receive them, especially since I stopped using amazon as much as possible (and amazon stopped using boxes in a lot of cases even before that). So I hang onto it until I have so much that it exceeds the spot between my two desks that I keep it in. I also have a healthy supply of hardware, crafting supplies, cables, computer parts, and general electronics that comes in handy all the time. If I have something break I generally have whatever I need on hand to get back up and running again. At least as a temporary solution until I can get parts or whatever.
A bigger issue for me is stuff I’m sentimental about. I have a couple crates of toys from when I was a kid and things that came from my grandparents that I don’t really want to get rid of but also don’t know where to put them.
I’ve found the occasional box handy, but not many until it’s time to move. We had a stash of something like a dozen folded flat and out of the way, then we got bankers boxes because they’re not too expensive and they’re a really nice size for some heavy things, and then we got some plastic rubbermaid containers because they work better for some lighter items.
The rubbermaid containers will actually be more of a pain to deal with since they don’t fold flat, but at least they stack. So I figure we use the top-most container in the stack to store a spare blanket and clothing that we want to keep packed down most of the time, and that’s pretty space-efficient. And then flatten the boxes and have that somewhere on a shelf or stacked next to something out of the way.
Break it down, fold it flat, store it. They’re handy when you move. Shipping tape to set them back up and seal them for the move.
Just don’t hoard. If you don’t have space or you have more than you need, trim your stash down.
STICK EM IN A STEW
Terrible way to get your fibre in… lol
but it’s definitely a way
considering boxes are like a few dollars each, it’s a good strategy.
Nooooo, you gotta matroshka them into each other! It’s cardboard boxes all the way down!
Cardboardception!
This is happening to me with crystal jars… I have to trim the stash from time to time…
It’s funny. I used to read lots of older books when I was growing up. A couple of centuries ago, it was considered wise to hang on to things like cord or string, just because they could be useful. Of course, back then, we had so much less stuff floating around. Now we have problems with hoarding stuff that might some day be useful. (And too much stuff in general!)
Distracted, but on the stories - I was remembering a parable (a story from a book geared towards schoolchildren) of two boys, one of whom opened a package tied up with string carelessly and threw away the string and paper wrapping; the other boy carefully untied the string, removed and folded the paper. The payoff was that the one who saved it made something useful out of it later, whereas the boy that wasted those things went without. Of course these days… while it is good to reduce, reuse, recycle, when it comes to hoarding, a lot of times it’s more healthy to throw away than keep…
I’m just scared of developing Diogenes syndrome… Better to get rid of things before we develop an irrational emotional attachment to stupid material objects. A great exercise to stay humble and grateful for all we have. Also, not to have a closet full of empty crystal jars… ;D
I don’t know anything about Diogenes syndrome but if you are obsessed with jars, you’re gonna love living in one.
We are already living in a cristal jar, kind stranger. You just don’t know it yet.
We’re moving apartments and it’s a REALLY great time to trim up all the stupid stuff we haven’t touched in years. heh
I don’t know… maybe soon we will find those Depression era tactics useful again…
I guess the good news is that with all the stuff everyone has around in storage, we won’t run out of stuff this time. Food? Maybe. Stuff? Definitely not. hehe
Yes, but how many do you need? I can’t say I’d need more than 1 empty box most of the time, but when I need more than one I curse my inability to leave random empty boxes lying around
It’s not about what I need in the moment, It’s about what will be useful in the future. I hoard stuff but I keep it to designated areas. If it gets to the point that it’s breaching containment, then some things have to go to make room. Things like good cardboard I tend to use more often than I receive them, especially since I stopped using amazon as much as possible (and amazon stopped using boxes in a lot of cases even before that). So I hang onto it until I have so much that it exceeds the spot between my two desks that I keep it in. I also have a healthy supply of hardware, crafting supplies, cables, computer parts, and general electronics that comes in handy all the time. If I have something break I generally have whatever I need on hand to get back up and running again. At least as a temporary solution until I can get parts or whatever.
A bigger issue for me is stuff I’m sentimental about. I have a couple crates of toys from when I was a kid and things that came from my grandparents that I don’t really want to get rid of but also don’t know where to put them.
I’ve found the occasional box handy, but not many until it’s time to move. We had a stash of something like a dozen folded flat and out of the way, then we got bankers boxes because they’re not too expensive and they’re a really nice size for some heavy things, and then we got some plastic rubbermaid containers because they work better for some lighter items.
The rubbermaid containers will actually be more of a pain to deal with since they don’t fold flat, but at least they stack. So I figure we use the top-most container in the stack to store a spare blanket and clothing that we want to keep packed down most of the time, and that’s pretty space-efficient. And then flatten the boxes and have that somewhere on a shelf or stacked next to something out of the way.