I'm... I'm... a... BOXOHOLIC!

[high plains drifter]

It's true. I've tried to deny it. I've tried to justify it. But in the end... I think there's something "off" about my obsession with stockpiling boxes. Lord knows that when plastic storage tubs and containers became a thing decades ago, that I thought it would cure my addiction. And it has to some extent curbed my box-hoarding... making life so much easier in some ways. But damned if I'm not still utterly beguiled by certain boxes. I love the different sizes, weights, thicknesses, and even manufacturing methods. Some are so heavy-duty that I feel given a bit larger dimensions and I'd have the perfect coffin for myself... eventually.

I guess in my defense, I've shipped a ton of stuff over the years just as I've received a lot of stuff, so they do get used for more than just storage or taking up space. But I swear, when I come across a nice box or one that is uniquely shaped, etc... I have a hard time letting it go.

To compound this addiction, I also should confess here that I also tend to stockpile foam and bubble wrap. Same thing... I use packing material so whenever I get some good stuff, I keep it. But thankfully the foam and bubble wrap is to a lesser extent. I have [only] one large box of each!

Okay... So what about anyone else? I'm now wondering who else has a tendency to save certain useful things. I'm not talking about collecting bobble-heads or Hot Wheels. And I'm not talking about nuts/ bolts/ screws/ zip-ties/ etc. I have to assume that we all have parts bins full of that stuff. I'd guess also a lot of metal, plastic, rubber... if you're like me.

And I could probably also phrase this as "What do you have a bunch of that your wife would have no problem with you throwing out?" lol. But yeah... anyone else have an issue with hoarding practical items? I know this thread might die but it would be cool to see some others chime in here. At the very least it might make me feel a bit less crazy... knowing that there are others out there that appreciate this kind of practicality!

After needing some more storage space last week, I did make some progress in getting rid of a few dozen boxes but it wasn't easy to choose what ones would make the grade and stay on for another term lol. This is maybe a third of em and doesn't include my larger ones that are stored in the garage.




And yes... Inside the boxes... more boxes!

[smog]

Likely most people dont have enough space to stock pile boxes. I have a small collection of small containers, more than I need. I hate to throw away a well made, perfectly functional container. So I don't. I find Boxes easy to recycle.

Many years ago I helped my aunt clear out some houses when she was executor of an estate. They were owned by a mentally ill fellow. For many years he had been drinking to kill the pain he lived with before his death. Apparently he would drink a case of beer and then chuck the empty bottles into his recycling. The empty beer box he would put the basement. He drank a lot and did this for many years. His basement was a maze of neatly stacked beer boxes. Stacked em right to the ceiling. Was an usual sight.

[indybama]

Ive got the same problem HPD. Theres a pile of boxes in the kitchen right now, thats been there for probably better than a yr lol.

Where i grew up, there was an old man that wasnt quite right. He collected news papers, magazines, brochuers, n such. After he passed away, they had to clean his house out n ended up tearing it down. Newspapers were stacked floor to ceiling in every room n even out on the porch. The house was in such bad shape, i think thats all that was holdin it up

[DrIsotope]

I am a self-confessed box hoarder. I never know when I might need that precise size of box. Then the box collection gets overwhelming to the point of being unwieldy, and I cull it again. I just recently cut up some boxes that had shipping labels on them from 2017. If I haven't used them yet, I ain't gonna. As to saving other "useful" items? Buddy, i save everything that might have a use in the future. I have a box full of old phone cords/cables, and this house hasn't had a landline in over a decade. Wire has to be shorter than my finger to get thrown away. Anything that comes in a fabric bag, oh, you know I'm keeping that. My son has one of those mic holders (for gaming, ugh) that has a base like an old desk lamp. He broke one of the ears off (who knows how) at the base where those two springs attach, so the whole thing would just flop over. Did I have the parts in a bin to fix it? You're damn right I did. Repaired in 10 minutes. He was like... "What? How? Who has this stuff just lying around!?"

The dark side to this is that friends and family come to me like I'm some sort of magical hardware store, that has everything, all the time. A sister will bring me a bolt and go, "I need another one just like this." And I perpetuate this cycle... because OF COURSE I have another one just like it.

[high plains drifter]

Pros- So far seems I'm not alone.
Cons- On list with "mentally ill" and "not quite right" folks.

I can live with that!

Originally Posted by smog

Likely most people dont have enough space to stock pile boxes. I have a small collection of small containers, more than I need. I hate to throw away a well made, perfectly functional container. So I don't. I find Boxes easy to recycle.

Many years ago I helped my aunt clear out some houses when she was executor of an estate. They were owned by a mentally ill fellow. For many years he had been drinking to kill the pain he lived with before his death. Apparently he would drink a case of beer and then chuck the empty bottles into his recycling. The empty beer box he would put the basement. He drank a lot and did this for many years. His basement was a maze of neatly stacked beer boxes. Stacked em right to the ceiling. Was an usual sight.

Good point and needing more room is pretty much the reason I've been trying to reduce some of my old crap around here lately.. Clothes and other things gathering dust too. I was NEVER gonna pull on those 32" waist Wranglers ever again. Guess I thought for twenty+ years that I might? Our home is pretty small though ( 1832 sq ft) and if we had kids, a ton more of my stockpiled stuff would have to go.

Sad about the old guy fwiw. Hits particularly close to home.

Originally Posted by indybama

Ive got the same problem HPD. Theres a pile of boxes in the kitchen right now, thats been there for probably better than a yr lol.

Where i grew up, there was an old man that wasnt quite right. He collected news papers, magazines, brochuers, n such. After he passed away, they had to clean his house out n ended up tearing it down. Newspapers were stacked floor to ceiling in every room n even out on the porch. The house was in such bad shape, i think thats all that was holdin it up

Glad I'm not in the habit of holding on to everything. I toss as much junk mail, paper, plastic, and glass as I can... easily. It has to have some kind of useful potential if I'm making room for it lol. Back in the day Dad would have all his small hardware separated in baby-food jars. I may get some of my habits from him.

Originally Posted by DrIsotope

I am a self-confessed box hoarder. I never know when I might need that precise size of box. Then the box collection gets overwhelming to the point of being unwieldy, and I cull it again. I just recently cut up some boxes that had shipping labels on them from 2017. If I haven't used them yet, I ain't gonna. As to saving other "useful" items? Buddy, i save everything that might have a use in the future. I have a box full of old phone cords/cables, and this house hasn't had a landline in over a decade. Wire has to be shorter than my finger to get thrown away. Anything that comes in a fabric bag, oh, you know I'm keeping that. My son has one of those mic holders (for gaming, ugh) that has a base like an old desk lamp. He broke one of the ears off (who knows how) at the base where those two springs attach, so the whole thing would just flop over. Did I have the parts in a bin to fix it? You're damn right I did. Repaired in 10 minutes. He was like... "What? How? Who has this stuff just lying around!?"

The dark side to this is that friends and family come to me like I'm some sort of magical hardware store, that has everything, all the time. A sister will bring me a bolt and go, "I need another one just like this." And I perpetuate this cycle... because OF COURSE I have another one just like it.

That's a great story bout being able to fix whatever comes your way but I can understand how others might come to expect your services lol. I'm the same way though... And there's not much I don't modify right out of the box to suit my needs better, upgrade, personalize, etc.

Wire for me as well although not any huge stash... just enough for most household/ hobby/ automotive projects that might arise.

And fwiw when I was cutting down boxes recently, I found a shipping label from 2015 so I'm right there with ya.

[Goro Majima]

Damn. I can actually relate to this. Heavily. I'll be asked of a certain size box needed for whatever reason, and I can go in the garage and find something that would work. But also I'll have a box I can use for shipping stuff myself. I'd like to say I started out with shoeboxes as random storage before buying stuff online became a necessity.

As for the packaging protection, yes that too. Even the brown wrinkled up roll of paper that isn't torn in larger packages. I've straightened those out and rolled them back up with a rubber band or 2! I haven't used any for packages yet but it has come in handy for paint masking.

I've a few rolls of bubble wrap and some of the slimmer/denser plastic foam wrap. It's just smart to have such stuff handy in my opinion. And whoever is receiving on the other end can appreciate a nicely packaged, package.

[high plains drifter]

Originally Posted by Goro Majima

Damn. I can actually relate to this. Heavily. I'll be asked of a certain size box needed for whatever reason, and I can go in the garage and find something that would work. But also I'll have a box I can use for shipping stuff myself. I'd like to say I started out with shoeboxes as random storage before buying stuff online became a necessity.

As for the packaging protection, yes that too. Even the brown wrinkled up roll of paper that isn't torn in larger packages. I've straightened those out and rolled them back up with a rubber band or 2! I haven't used any for packages yet but it has come in handy for paint masking.

I've a few rolls of bubble wrap and some of the slimmer/denser plastic foam wrap. It's just smart to have such stuff handy in my opinion. And whoever is receiving on the other end can appreciate a nicely packaged, package.

Oh man, I started with shoe-boxes too lol. Used to have a lot of them for storage but now down to maybe four... photographs in one, memorabilia in another, and whatever random things in the other two but that's about it.

Funny you mention the packing paper. Whenever my wife picks up something breakable at Hobby Lobby, I always salvage the large squares of protective paper. I've accumulated a decent amount of it now... also rolled up the way I used to roll up posters lol. Used to use newspaper to pack breakables or for shipping but we just don't acquire newspapers anymore.

Sounds like you take a lot of pride in packing things. I do as well. When I send something ( often times guitars) I want to make absolutely sure that I've done everything possible to minimize the risk of damage. I'll take hours to pack large items for shipping. So far so good.

[DrIsotope]

I graduated past shoeboxes to the next worst option-- did y'all uh, know that the USPS will send you big shrink-wrapped bundles of Priority Mail boxes? Specifically Large and Medium Flat Rate?
The mediums are the precise width of a standard filing cabinet, so I have about 20 (free!) parts bins in an pair of old, fire-toasted HON filing cabinets. The rest of the shop is full of those boxes as well. Some still shrink-wrapped.
Then you graduate from cardboard to plastic. How many plastic storage bins do I have, in sizes from 6 to 50+ quarts?

[ferp420]

i hord stuff too mostly cars and parts for sead cars then theres building meterials ive got enuff stuff to build a house literally lumber beams cabnets flooring sinks tubs ive got brand new cabnets in there boxes still 2 spare water heaters batterys solar pannels old inverters needing repair
and rc stuff but the rc stuff is small so whatever lol

i have a fire place for cardboard boxes they dont last long once winter comes around

[smog]

It's interesting to hear these stories. Seems we all have a common tendency to collect. RC as a hobby really plays nicely with such a tendency.

I do have a set of boxes that my aftermarket truck wheels came in. I broke them down to lay flat and have them stored away in my garage rafters. There is really no reason for me to be keeping them and I have been storing them for many years now. All this talk of boxes has triggered memory. I also have stacks of lumber in several locations around my property. I have rock piles(i dont think I have to explain this). I have a record collection, a cd collection and enough t-shirts for several lifetimes.

My best boxes are three original 1980's Tamiya boxes from my first rc cars. I got them when I was a kid. A Frog, Wild One and Grasshopper. I also have my Wraith, Bomber and Yeti Boxes...so yeah, I guess I have collected some boxes....damn, apparently denial and poor memory are linked

[high plains drifter]

Originally Posted by DrIsotope

I graduated past shoeboxes to the next worst option-- did y'all uh, know that the USPS will send you big shrink-wrapped bundles of Priority Mail boxes? Specifically Large and Medium Flat Rate?
The mediums are the precise width of a standard filing cabinet, so I have about 20 (free!) parts bins in an pair of old, fire-toasted HON filing cabinets. The rest of the shop is full of those boxes as well. Some still shrink-wrapped.
Then you graduate from cardboard to plastic. How many plastic storage bins do I have, in sizes from 6 to 50+ quarts?

Oh no... lol. Yeah, I never acquired any of those. But we have plenty of plastic bins... large to small. I think that one thing I don't like about the plastic bins is that they're not perfectly square or rectangular lol. When I consider what I have stored in some of my good old-fashioned cardboard boxes ( vintage magazines, wood scraps, books, etc) a lot of those things are perfectly squared so therefore the cardboard boxes maximize the use of space within. I knew that my OCD must somehow be at play here lol.

Originally Posted by ferp420

... 2 spare water heaters

Where the hell were you last week?!?!

Originally Posted by smog

It's interesting to hear these stories. Seems we all have a common tendency to collect. RC as a hobby really plays nicely with such a tendency.

I do have a set of boxes that my aftermarket truck wheels came in. I broke them down to lay flat and have them stored away in my garage rafters. There is really no reason for me to be keeping them and I have been storing them for many years now. All this talk of boxes has triggered memory. I also have stacks of lumber in several locations around my property. I have rock piles(i dont think I have to explain this). I have a record collection, a cd collection and enough t-shirts for several lifetimes.

My best boxes are three original 1980's Tamiya boxes from my first rc cars. I got them when I was a kid. A Frog, Wild One and Grasshopper. I also have my Wraith, Bomber and Yeti Boxes...so yeah, I guess I have collected some boxes....damn, apparently denial and poor memory are linked

"Seems we all have a common tendency to collect. RC as a hobby really plays nicely with such a tendency."

Quoted again for truth! lol

I wish I had more room for lumber. I'm always curb-surfing and I see it everywhere but I sadly just don't have the space for any more of it. I have a small stash in my garage but it's not much.

Yep.. Wheel boxes are great. Carrying handles built in! I've had plenty over the years but every time I sold a set of wheels, they went along with the boxes they were in.

Same with the vinyl and CD collections. I even have one box filled to the top with VHS and cassettes lol. In my defense though, I do have a nice tape deck that I keep promising myself I'm going to use again one day. Really wish I'd never gotten rid of my Technics turntable... sigh.

Rocks... yep! I also have a few hundred pounds of rip-rap that I keep intending to use for a 1:24 or 8th scale course.

I used to manage a textile printing facility many years ago so I also have a good number of t-shirts. Many are my own designs/ artwork so I can't really get rid of em. The other day when I was cleaning out my clothes boxes, I came across my Cub Scout uniform lol. Crazy I was that small once!

I saved my RC boxes for a while but it became so unpractical that I finally got rid of them all. If I had any vintage or hard to find ones, I would definitely keep those boxes but none of mine were of any value.

[DRED805]

Ohhhh.... okay. I thought this thread was gonna be about how much you love eating *****. Who doesn't?!

[high plains drifter]

Originally Posted by DRED805

Ohhhh.... okay. I thought this thread was gonna be about how much you love eating *****. Who doesn't?!

Sad that it took me a second

I only wish that were the issue ( and surely my wife wishes that was an "issue" lol).