This is a pile of cardboard that went to the recycling center today. Most of it is normal stuff - plus a couple of poster tubes that until recently held posters I've decided not to keep (and one that was empty!)-but there are some problem children here, too. I don't know why I held onto 1) the cardboard box from my extension ladder - it adds nothing to storing or moving the item. 2) the box my emergency radio came in - the radio lives in my car, in a bag, which is in turn in a plastic bin 3) and 4) the boxes my clock radio and shredder came in - again, no advantage in storing or moving - and best of all, 5) the box for a fan I DON'T CURRENTLY OWN AND DON'T REMEMBER BUYING - I think my brother or foster daughter must have bought it and taken it with when they moved out.
Empty boxes, in my opinion, are where I cross over into hoarding territory. They carry a poorly thought out just-in-case component to them. One of the weird thought processes I have is: If I decide to Get Rid Of It, it will be easier to do so if I have the box. This kind of makes sense for things I might sell, but it applies (in my mind) to things I donate, as well. I think I mentioned in another post that I won't donate junk. Well, if it is in its original box, it probably isn't junk, right?
The killer is, the strategy does pay off, occasionally. A couple of weeks ago I sold my Breville juicer on Craigslist for $80 (about half of what I'd paid for it new six months prior). I think I would have gotten less without the box and manual.
So I am keeping some other boxes I maybe shouldn't, like the one for my flatbed scanner, which I bought for a specific project and can foresee not needing at some point in the future. I doubt I'll be able to sell it; the technology is already a little old now that I've had it a couple of years. I also keep the box for my blender, because I will go months at a time without using it, but sometimes want it out of the way otherwise. Keeping the box for my DVD player made sense six years ago when I was taking it back and forth between my house and my parents' place every few weeks. It doesn't make sense anymore, but I still have it because it *did* make sense. I'll have to work on that one. It is a cheap, basic player, not worth coddling.
Empty boxes, in my opinion, are where I cross over into hoarding territory. They carry a poorly thought out just-in-case component to them. One of the weird thought processes I have is: If I decide to Get Rid Of It, it will be easier to do so if I have the box. This kind of makes sense for things I might sell, but it applies (in my mind) to things I donate, as well. I think I mentioned in another post that I won't donate junk. Well, if it is in its original box, it probably isn't junk, right?
The killer is, the strategy does pay off, occasionally. A couple of weeks ago I sold my Breville juicer on Craigslist for $80 (about half of what I'd paid for it new six months prior). I think I would have gotten less without the box and manual.
So I am keeping some other boxes I maybe shouldn't, like the one for my flatbed scanner, which I bought for a specific project and can foresee not needing at some point in the future. I doubt I'll be able to sell it; the technology is already a little old now that I've had it a couple of years. I also keep the box for my blender, because I will go months at a time without using it, but sometimes want it out of the way otherwise. Keeping the box for my DVD player made sense six years ago when I was taking it back and forth between my house and my parents' place every few weeks. It doesn't make sense anymore, but I still have it because it *did* make sense. I'll have to work on that one. It is a cheap, basic player, not worth coddling.
No comments:
Post a Comment