Speaking of Collecting.......Or Obsessive Behavior, It's a Fine Line, Right?

I thought of adding this to my list yesterday, but it didn't, in my mind, fall into the category of collecting for hobby or sport or whatever you collect things for. I will admit that this falls into the hoarding category in that I do feel some responsibility (both environmental and fiscal) and satisfaction in the collection and may or may not have trouble getting rid of the content. I once posted this to facebook:

There is no piece of bubble wrap too small for me to save.

It is true. What it doesn't reveal is that there is also no piece of styrofoam popcorn that will be thrown out, no shipping box that won't be broken down and placed in the mountain of shipping boxes in the basement, every bubble lined envelope (and can we talk here? I am sick TO DEATH of packaging that is purposely crafted to be used only once. Like, the only way to get in is to pull a tab and thus wreck the chance of re-use. Irresponsible and I will do everything I can to thwart your attempts to get me to purchase packing materials you box and envelope makers. Trust me, I'm a master) and (this one is controversial in our house, trust me) I keep every carton that any appliance or teapot or cell phone or electronic or item of almost any kind is packaged in.

And let's talk styrofoam popcorn. A nuisance to the environment and have you priced it out? I'd never throw that stuff away. I'll lug it house to house to house to grave if necessary.

We'll just let that sit for a minute because when I type it all out loud like that it sounds like someone should call one of the therapists on Hoarders and have them come for a visit.

I'm thinking I might not even publish this post.

Pete sometimes tries to get the boxes, break them down and put them in recycling before I get to them, and sometimes I let them go, but if the box is a good one....... I'm a recycle bin diver. I also put signs on boxes that I want to be sure to find when I go looking. SAVE THIS BOX!

This is getting embarrassing.

Still, the boxes that things come in, aren't they good to have so you can pack them up again if you need to? Like to send them back if something goes wrong or to safely pack them to move! This makes sense to me, although a recent acquisitions has me wondering. Last spring for Mother's Day I ditched the old dishes and had my family pitch in on a great Macy's sale and get me all new Fiesta Ware dishes. I have 12 place settings and the boxes are all neatly tucked into a corner of the basement. I'm thinking that it might not be the best way to move them some day. Like, maybe they would be better packed all together with all of my bubble wrap and styrofoam popcorn. It amazed me that they made it safely the way they were packed, but I guess FRAGILE means something. Sometimes. Not always. And in the boxes they will take up so. MUCH. ROOM! I'll have to rethink that one.

These photos? Just a tip of the iceburg.

Because I know there is at least one of you who will have totally stopped thinking obsessive-compulsive disorder and skip immediately to this:

Thirty. Yes, I know! I mentioned it earlier, there are reality tv shows about people like me. I GET IT!

Comments

[kim]

Wow!

[Carole]

I save some boxes but mostly we flatten and recycle. I want Fiesta Ware dishes but I'm waiting until Hannah moves out because that girl is BRUTAL on dishes and every single one I have is chipped.

[Ruth]

My mother does this, too. You want to ship something? "I have a box that will work!" Need to protect something fragile? "There's bubble wrap in the basement!" I do it too, to an extent (we still have the boxes for the desktop computer that died five years ago), but am in a mixed marriage (B's mother threw ALL of those things out, and he can't stand having them around the house). Having to buy a box really rubs me the wrong way, though.

[margene]

There are no words.

[claudia]

Terry, when you do something you really DO SOMETHING.

I love Fiestaware and have those colors (or similar) plus red and orange. Of course I use them all together.

[Manise]

Haha! So my new wheel box has been saved with all of the plywood, wood braces, screws, bubble wrap and 2 large bags of peanuts it came in. It will be put in the attic with the TV, and computer/monitor boxes . But....... I have a basement closet with similar "useful" smaller boxes, bubble wrap and...... more peanuts. I recently culled a bunch of it to get to the vacuum.

Pretty Fiestaware btw.

[Patty]

I want Fiesta Ware too. Someday. No boxes though! Right to the dumpster at work!

[Laurie]

I saved boxes, and tissue paper for moving. Boxes for the mugs I bought, boxes for my little collection of boxes. Etc. Then when I moved, I didn't remember I had them. Or they were too dusty to think about using. Or I couldn't find them when I was packing that thing. So OUT they all went. Heresy, I know.