Monday 24 October 2011

It might come in usefull one day

I needed some kind of wrapping to post the bag to Eileen, which she won in the raffle last week, and looked through my small pile of used padded and jiffy bags. Occasionally someone sends me something in the post, and I try and unwrap it without damaging the bag too much, then I can use it again. I didn't want to fold Eileens bag, but send it flat so it arrives in good condition. Luckily I had one just the right size.

I try not to accumulate too much clutter, but I find it hard to throw things away which might come in usefull one day. This little pile doesn't take up too much room in a cupboard in my office.

I wondered how long you should keep potentially usefull things, before you decide you no longer have a use for them. In this case, the bag I have used has a postmark dated March 1998, so 13 years and 7 months later I have found a use for it. Maybe Eileen will also open it carefully and re use it at a later date. It could be the most travelled padded bag ever.

Here is another one, not quite so old, January 2006. So how long do you keep something in case it might come in usefull?



I took Henry a walk to the new cemetery again today, to see what his reaction would be. He remembered it from yesterday, and went into search mode again. Sniffing through the undergrowth, and looking all around him. This time he didn't put his tail down though, and it only lasted a few minutes before he gave up and decided there was nothing to find. Maybe the spirit had moved on.

We called in to see Julie, and Jessica blind dog. Julie had a bone, which they both took great interest in, so to make it fair and not favour one more than the other, she took it to the garage and sawed it in half. Here they are both enjoying it out on the lawn, while we had a cup of coffee.

Henry absolutely loves Jessie, he gets so excited to see her. He has got more friends here than he has in his own village.

15 comments:

  1. Hey Ilona, I'm glad to see someone else who saves padded bags for re-use. I don't have any as old as yours though. I just started saving them in the last five years. I really have no place I can put them so for now they're in a bucket in my living room. When I finish decluttering and emptying out my file cabinet (some day) then perhaps they can go in there. I only kept about 7 or so. That is enough for my needs.

    I don't tend to keep a whole lot of things I can use some day as a recycled item because I have no where to store such stuff. If I had more room, I would keep more.

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  2. Love the photo of Jessie, she is like my late dog Daisy. I too save all sorts of things to use later, except I can never remember what "safe place" they are in. Must get organised. Sally

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  3. I have cards and things to send to my sister and family in New Zealand if its suitable it will be winging its way there soon. Its the opposite of me as I am a not very well travelled old bag, lol.

    EileenM

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  4. We keep all our jiffy bags and also boxes from catfood, cereal, teabags even fishfingers etc to send out stuff we sell on eBay, we occasionally get people say they wish we had left the original contents inside especially if it was a chocolate cake box! They never linger in the cupboard much longer than a week or two, and I always make sure things are opened carefully to re-use :0)

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  5. Love the doggie photos♥ I also keep and re-use jiffy bags, tissue paper, bubble wrap, boxes:)

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  6. I am not really a pack rat but I also keep those envelopes and any decent cardboard boxes (packed flat) and bubblewrap also. I used to save jam jars but was not using them up so kept the best and recycled the rest.
    I keep cotton rags but throw them on the compost or use them for mulch when they get too grotty. We have a recycle pick-up every week so I
    put a lot of stuff in that. I recently got rid of a lot of luggage and only kept two or three cases - the rest went to Goodwill. I have also just donated a bunch of yarn which I will never use. I love a really good chuck-out - very liberating - but I try to dispose of everything thoughtfully. I dont get magazines or newspapers - I try to follow Bea at Zero Waste Home although I dont think I could be a minimalist as she is.
    Glad Henry got his mojo back !

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  7. With selling on ebay and etsy I use and reuse padded bags, bubble wrap and tissue. I also have a corner in the spare room devoted to odd boxes.
    Good to see the pooches enjoying their 'shared' bone.

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  8. Your first envelope is the same age as my eldest son, when you opened that parcel (can you remember what was in it??!!) I was cradling a 20 day old babe in the heat of the South African sun!

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  9. Yes Hawthorn, I can remember some of it. It was from the BBC, a selection of goodies as a reward for taking part in a phone in programme. There were bags, a keyring, pens, and some other nicknacks. I still have the bags which come out of the cupboard occasionally when I need that particular size or shape.

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  10. We keep useful objects too, like padded envelopes and bubble wrap. But I so want to get into decluttering again. As Lizzie says it's so liberating.

    Sft x

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  11. I keep padded envelopes and those plastic mailing envelopes. I do wish people wouldn't write in large letters all over them. If I can disguise or take off my own address I re-use them for Ebay items. If I can't I cut out the address and cut it up into small pieces. You've got to be careful of leaving your name and address lying around.

    There are all sorts of things I keep in case they come in useful but I'm really trying to sort stuff out without it being too painful.

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  12. Yep we do it too!
    Moving house was a nightmare LOL

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  13. Worse is when you find things that you know you thought would be useful but you cant imagine why.
    We have a few padded envelopes too but our house is much more disorganised than yours I think so whether we actually know where they are when we need them is another matter.

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  14. Yes, I think most of us tend to hang on to stuff "that might come in useful some day"
    Jars and bottles are my favourites, for home produced jams, pickles ets, and home made booze.

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