Shannon Stacey


Need a box?

I got caught last night smuggling the Wii box into the basement. Spousal conflict ensued, during which I was informed we’ve been using the Wii for over a week, it works fine and we don’t need to keep the box.

A week? Please.

I save boxes. You know, just in case. The Sony Reader’s box is down there. The box for the Playstation 3 the kids got two Christmases ago. The box to my four-year old laptop. The box for the flatscreen TV that’s happily lived up at camp for two years. The three or four year old camcorder’s box. The boxes to our cellphones. The boxes to the cellphones we had before these. And, yes, the boxes to the cellphones we had before those.

And now, the box to the Wii. (The conflict ended as is usual for us—with Mr S saying “Do whatever the hell you want as long as you Shut. Up”.)

How ’bout you guys? Do you save boxes or toss them? If you save them, do you have a time limit or do you let them take up space until you run out of places to put them?

15 comments to “Need a box?”

  1. Lauren
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    1
      · January 5th, 2010 at 10:36 am · Link

    My husband is a box saver. Like whoa. I have a book problem, he has a box problem, LOL. They stack up in the garage corners until I lose my mind and go break them down and recycle. Now of course, we’re planning on moving this year, so if we don’t have enough boxes, it’s all my fault.



  2. Charlene
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    2
      · January 5th, 2010 at 10:41 am · Link

    My husband has boxes that predate our marriage. I break down boxes for recycling the second they’re empty.



  3. Angela James
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    3
      · January 5th, 2010 at 10:49 am · Link

    We save boxes. It’s come in handy a time or two, when we’ve decided to sell something. For some reason, you get more money for it from people if you have the box. Psychological thing, I guess. But I found boxes in the attic for cell phones we had like…six years ago, lol!



  4. vanessa jaye
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    4
      · January 5th, 2010 at 11:15 am · Link

    Yup. I’ve been on a major cleaning binge this week and found the boxes for cellphones we had 10 years ago (phones long gone). Also still the box for the printer that died 3 yrs ago. I’m trying to break the habit



  5. azteclady
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    5
      · January 5th, 2010 at 11:19 am · Link

    I save boxes because I reuse them rather quickly–many gadget boxes are the perfect size for mailing cookies and sturdy in the bargain!

    Plus, bigger boxes are perfect for storage–old papers, yarn stash, completed projects, craft supplies, etc.

    The only thing that never ends up in boxes? Books (and that’s why I make my own bookcases :grin: )



  6. Shannon
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    6
      · January 5th, 2010 at 11:20 am · Link

    My husband thinks it’s because, although we’ve lived in this house fourteen years, I was raised an Air Force brat (and mom kept up that nomadic life after stepdad’s retirement/divorce). Electronics and such are best packed in their original packing/boxes, right?

    Since I don’t return things, I can’t really claim that as an excuse. The Asus Linux-based netbook that I bought before Christmas last year? Hated it almost the second I turned it on, but it still sits, like a brick, in my office. The box is in the basement.



  7. nightsmusic
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    7
      · January 5th, 2010 at 11:37 am · Link

    Depends on what came in the box. Sometimes, I save them if I’m afraid the warranty might come in handy, sometimes I save them because they’re the right size to use to send something to a friend. Most of the time though, they’re outta here.

    Now, bubble wrap…that’s a whole other animal :mrgreen:



  8. Annmarie
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    8
      · January 5th, 2010 at 11:50 am · Link

    I would save boxes but my DH tosses them when my back is turned. It is the saddest thing ever.



  9. Jaci Burton
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    9
      · January 5th, 2010 at 2:07 pm · Link

    we’ll save electronics and appliance boxes for awhile, and then eventually pitch them. Not enough room around here to save a ton of boxes, though the boxes my books come in are kept. They’re great for shipping.

    I do tend to keep more boxes around the last couple months of the year because I do more shipping then.



  10. Shannon
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    10
      · January 5th, 2010 at 4:45 pm · Link

    I could never use the box for something else. What if “just in case” came and I didn’t have the box anymore?

    Plus I don’t want anybody opening a package from me thinking I sent them a Wii or a PS3. :lol:



  11. Michelle (MG) Braden
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    11
      · January 5th, 2010 at 5:20 pm · Link

    I just had this same conversation with my dh and re a Wii box! We got our Wii 2 years ago now and he said don’t we think it’s time we could get rid of it? Um, no. What if we move? It packs in there perfectly.



  12. Natalie J. Damschroder
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    12
      · January 5th, 2010 at 8:50 pm · Link

    Yep, I do it, too, but not consistently. I have the cell phone box thing going on, but we recycled the Band Hero box already.

    RE: I don’t want anybody opening a package from me thinking I sent them a Wii or a PS3. My brother sent our Christmas presents in a DirecTV HD receiver box, but he wrote “(sold separately)” and “(not included)” on the box. :)



  13. Jean
    Comment
    13
      · January 6th, 2010 at 2:31 am · Link

    We’re both box savers. Last summer, we pulled the boxes out of the garage and sorted through them. We got rid of the boxes for items we no longer have or will never need the box for if something goes wrong (i.e.: weedeaters). We did keep the boxes if they could be used for something other than the item that came in them.



  14. Jean
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    14
      · January 6th, 2010 at 2:33 am · Link

    Oh, yeah. 28 years of military moves contributed to why I save boxes. I repacked as much as possible in the original box for moving.



  15. Shannon
    Comment
    15
      · January 6th, 2010 at 11:11 am · Link

    My brother sent our Christmas presents in a DirecTV HD receiver box, but he wrote “(sold separately)” and “(not included)” on the box.

    :lol:

    We have a family member who likes to use awesome boxes for less than awesome presents on purpose, although everybody’s caught on to her now. I think she’s mean.

    Nothing beats original boxes, especially for electronics and TVs and such.

    That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. :lol:







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