I keep collecting buying"empty boxes" [hmm] plastic cardboard etc anyone else collect things they might need?

I only keep boxes which 'belong' to electrical items incl steamer, cordless vacuum, kitchen knife set, stand mixer, juicer, curling tongs (going on eBay) and desk fan.
All packed flat in an underbed plastic lidded box with their packaging and instruction leaflets in the utility room.
Nothing on top of wardrobes or cupboards.

Mine is jars with lids! Jam or sauce/mustard jars, that sort as I always intend to make chutney etc but never quite get around to it! ?

And sadly, clearing parents and in-laws' houses didn't work for me as I brought a lot of their bits and pieces home with me. I still have their boxes of "stuff" stacked up in my bedroom. Waiting for a time when I feel able to tackle it all.

Just remembered another use I have for boxes. My husband has many medicines and I keep all the bottles, packets etc in a box and my smaller amount of medicines in a smaller box, very handy and easy to see which tablets belong to who.

My ACs have gone from eye rolling and groaning at my ‘collections’ to telling their DCs, “go ask Granny. She will have whatever you want”.
We collect small containers for school as requested by them, if the GCs don’t get to them first. Big strong boxes become dens and a smaller strong box currently has a 4 year old in it pretending to be a ?

I don't collect boxes but have an enormous collection of bone china tea sets. Many have 120 pieces in. I have about 7 complete dinner and tea services. I tried to stop buying and scale back. I gave one entire set to my niece when she had her first child and one to my dd on the birth of dgs. It is sad really as i have soup tourines and everything bit only 4 cops and saucers, milk jug and teapot get used and occasionally the layered cake played. My dh says i should rent it out for vintage weddings.

Shoeboxes are useful if you take part in the annual "Operation Christmas Child" collections. Take them to your nearest collection point, empty or filled with the suggested items - another reason to collect during the year!

How comforting to read all this, I thought it was only me. Boxes which might come in useful, and boxes that might be needed to return faulty item, and plastic bags. Unfortunate when I need a plastic bag I think that's .too good to use for whatever so can't part with them !

Same here Chino I stopped collecting things when I moved several years ago. No hoarding or things to dust etc. Sadly my husband is quite the opposite.

I am definitely not a hoarders and if I no longer have a use for anything it goes to a charity shop.
Unfortunately I cannot say the same for my husband who hates to get rid of anything ????

Much as I too can be tempted by those empty boxes, I can only support what others have said - if you've ever cleared out a parent's home, you will never clutter your own up again. For me, it was heartbreaking, tedious and sometimes, irritating. What really saddened me was: the huge plastic box full of birthday, mother's day cards, Chistmas cards, etc. that my Mum had kept for 70+ years. The box full of baby clothes (some 50+ years old) for the other babies she couldn't have. And TWO large plastic "underbed" boxes full to the brim of brand new tea towels that she never used (the ones in the kitchen were full of holes but she couldn't bring herself to chuck them out). Now, whenever I'm tempted by those boxes, I always think of Mum's bungalow.

I save bubble wrap etc to use with charity shop collections who take from house. They also appreciate used shopping bags even paper ones that we get here with clothing purchases. They also appreciate small boxes to use for donated jewellery.
I am guilty of keeping nice larger boxes... Some contain mementos of dear ones....even have one for self and dh

Another box collector here,I do use some at Christmas to put gifts in them and parcel then up, very useful for some odd shaped presents, these boxes always come in handy even if only at Christmas.Waste not want not!

Snap! I have empty boxes and tins galore. I've become worse since two moves in the last three years (first to a rental property, then the newly finished house). I've kept much of the packing paper - just in case it might be useful! Last night I wrestled for ages separating, trimming and folding an enormous (ridiculously) amount of bubble wrap that enshrouded a chair delivered from JL It could be useful. Worse though, is the fact that I then don't use the stuff, in case a better use might present itself!!

If you really want to cure yourself of these tendencies to save thing that might come in useful, let me tell you what helped me.

Three consecutive weekends clearing one small house of the things my parents had collected during their retirement. They had "cleared out" a lot of unnecessary things 20 odd years earlier when my father retired.

We finished with four car-loads of stuff for the nearest charity shops, plus four industrial sized skips for rubbish.

After that both my sister and I found it remarkably easy not to hoard, as we were both certain that her grown children who had helped clearing their grandparents' house won't want to do it again.

I'm a box collector perfume gift set boxes are my favourite also shoe boxes but any box plastic or cardboard I just can't part with thinking it will come in useful I also keep any fancy tins usually that have contained biscuits or chocolates from Christmas

I had a beautiful box which held 4 lovely mugs and did'nt want to chuck it out but had no use for it so it had to go sadly.

Cardboard boxes stay for a while for the cats to play with but boxes that presents come in, pretty tins etc, I keep just in case! Some are being used but some not yet... I, too, am not a hoarder and don't keep everything and am tidy but not show house tidy. My mum always said "you never know when you may need something" lol!

Maggiemaybe, Urmstongran
SNAP!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! I was saving boxes for packing in case I moved house, but four years later it's not going to happen so they will have to go. I keep boxes which may be "useful" and do try to use them - even if it's just to store the other empty boxes - ha ha .

I don't collect boxes but definitely have an obsession with buying gorgeous notebooks. I never write in them - my words would just spoil them. Much better to keep them in pristine condition.

But, of course, I have to buy boxes to keep my lovely notebooks in.

Don't mention boxes!
I save everything plastic and cardboard that is clean and robust for the grandchildren.
Their various schools are always asking for clean packaging for various projects.
We are always well equiped to comply.
In fact before Christmas, one primary school asked GS if "your dear granny could provide some empty milk containers for an experiment?"
We responded with a delivery of fourteen (yes 14) bottles and GS was the star of the class that day!
However, now that New Year has arrived, DH insists we "clear out all the clutter".

Me too Maggiemaybe ??

Do not be over zealous in getting rid of cardboard boxes, GD's new computer failed and had to be returned so original packaging was needed.
I have a cupboard dedicated to storage boxes in my kitchen, I stack them inside of each other but DH puts them back with each individual lid on, you can imagine how much room this takes.

Thank goodness for that !
I've just fished out of the bin a pretty sturdy box which had contained Body Shop goodies ( which I'd laid out in the bathroom ) and put all said goodies back in it, ribbon and all.