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I probably am - Throw/give away old one

(85 Posts)
May7 Fri 06-Mar-20 14:03:15

DH bought new razor because the one he has been using for 20yrs has not been working properly for about a year. Couldn't get new parts so basically it needs bining as its neither use nor ornament to anyone. Will he bin it ? No he wont. His mother was the same and always had spare kettles, irons etc. Anyone else share my pain grin

grandtanteJE65 Fri 06-Mar-20 14:08:11

I know exactly how you feel. My parents kept everything, convinced that "it would come in useful one day".

You could try telling your husband that the day when all that rubbish came in useful never arrived. We needed 8 skips to empty the house after their deaths.

kittylester Fri 06-Mar-20 14:10:59

For goodness sake May, it might come in handy. grin

Baggs Fri 06-Mar-20 14:14:58

When clearing my parents' house after Mum died we found eleven kettles. Eight of them were broken beyond repair and only one was in use. We sighed.

Oldwoman70 Fri 06-Mar-20 14:16:42

I'm afraid I am a bit of a hoarder (although I am working on it and have got rid of a lot of stuff which I kept "just in case").

I currently have a large box of wires for various electronic devices which I am not sure what to do with. I don't know which wire goes with which device and even if I still have those particular devices, but I feel if I get rid of the box I will immediately discover I need them - help!!!!!

grannysue05 Fri 06-Mar-20 14:16:44

Oh May7 I sympathise. My DH is exactly the same. We have double and triple of everything ... just in case it comes in useful.

We shopped in Aldi last week. I came out with a bag of shopping and DH came out with a set of screwdrivers from the middle aisle.
I reminded him that we have several sets already. His reply was that THIS set came in different sizes to the ones we already have!

We have spare kettles and spare vacuum cleaners that can never be thrown away .... just in case.

TrendyNannie6 Fri 06-Mar-20 14:19:16

I’m guilty of that . I’ve got draw in the garage full of chargers etc god knows what they all belong to, I will find out one day

FlexibleFriend Fri 06-Mar-20 14:22:56

If it hasn't worked properly for the last year does he think it will suddenly spring into life when his new one stops working?
I have multiple vacuum cleaners but they all work just fine but have different uses.

Scentia Fri 06-Mar-20 14:24:34

I sympathise, my DH is the same. We have computers which are bigger than me!! He also keeps boxes for anything he has purchased, you know just in case!!

Cabbie21 Fri 06-Mar-20 15:19:45

We needed three skips to clear the junk from my parents’ house, or rather, the sheds and the loft. Dad was a hoarder, and I fear my husband is the same, I vowed not to create the same problem for our offspring.

Callistemon Fri 06-Mar-20 15:28:03

It's not the whole razor, May, it's all the components of the razor that might just come in useful for something sometime.

You just don't understand the possibilities of this rubbish useful item wink.

DH has a garage full of things that 'just might come in useful one day'.

SalsaQueen Fri 06-Mar-20 15:33:54

My husband is the same (well, he would be, if I didn't get rid of things) and his parents were both like it.

I go through things in the house and shed, and if we don't use them or things are no good, they get thrown away.

janipat Fri 06-Mar-20 15:41:16

Can anyone remember one time, just one, when any of this junk treasure has ever "come in useful"? No me neither.

Callistemon Fri 06-Mar-20 16:02:18

Yes!!

When our neighbours had a new boiler DH dismantled their old one and the parts came in very useful to keep our boiler going for quite a while longer. The gas engineer was pleased as he said he couldn't get the parts any more.

We've had a new boiler since and thank goodness the plumbers too our old one away.

Calendargirl Fri 06-Mar-20 16:07:03

When we installed our new kitchen ceiling lights, there was a little plastic thing in the box. DH said ‘chuck it, it’s rubbish’ . Normally we don’t do that.
Fast forward to when the bulb needed changing, yes, that little bit of plastic was what you use to get the old bulb out! You can still do it, but very fiddly.

May7 Fri 06-Mar-20 16:19:02

Ok thanks. It seems I'm not being unreasonable at all then.
Once, when the children were small, I spotted something ontop of the kitchen units. clearly I'd not been cleaning properly I got the step ladder out to look and I was amazed at what he'd been putting up there ! Obviously out of my sight. Little screws, and bulbs and well you know stuff. We have a utility room with boxes full of stuff as well. He is lovely though wink

NannyJan53 Fri 06-Mar-20 16:35:35

When Dad died, Mum asked us to go in loft and clear any junk items he had put there. We found 2 Video recorders, seems when they no longer worked, he bought another and put them in the loft 'just in case'!

janipat Fri 06-Mar-20 16:38:38

Well done Callistemon with the boiler! I note though that your DH dismantled the neighbour's old one and kept the parts. He didn't keep the whole blooming thing in one large piece "just in case" it could come in useful. I have no objection to DH keeping parts that will service something we have, it's the randomness of so much I question smile Still he's not like my dad who kept the packaging boxes for absolutely everything, even microwaves that had gone to the skip years before!!

CanadianGran Fri 06-Mar-20 16:40:51

Opposite issue at my house. Hubby is uber-organized and is always wanting me to clear out my 'stuff'.

That bin of yarn in the attic will be knit into hundreds of hats and mittens when I retire! I at least got rid of the knitting magazines from the 80's when he reminded me that when I do start a project I look for a pattern online.

evianers Fri 06-Mar-20 16:41:00

Best thing to do is move country! Had a major clear out of extraneous items, but have come to realise many things would have now definitely come in useful.
However.........OH refused to part with 'precious railwayana collection' which has seen removals thus :
UK - SA, SA - Oz, Oz - Belgium, Belgium - France, France - UK.
You think you have problems?!!!grin

Callistemon Fri 06-Mar-20 16:44:01

It could have been the whole thing for a while until he dismantled it janipat!
I just don't go into the garage any more, except absolutely necessary. It's full of might-come-in-useful bits and pieces and no room for a car.
He doesn't keep cardboard boxes though, and I'm often searching for one without success.

sodapop Fri 06-Mar-20 16:45:24

My husband saves everything as well. We have a big row discussion from time to time to get him to take some stuff to the tip. He currently has three barns containing crap useful items.
He saves the boxes as well Scentia

Callistemon Fri 06-Mar-20 16:48:50

CanadianGran
But we know that stash of yarn will come in useful! grin

Marydoll Fri 06-Mar-20 16:53:01

When I was teaching, I was in charge of the IT in my school. I had boxes and boxes of cables, kettle plugs, hard drives, monitors etc., I never threw anything out.
My boss kept telling me to clear it out and I just ignored him.

It was a different matter when a new extension was built and he realised he hadn't allowed for purchasing new IT equipment in his budget. I was able to cobble together a fair number of systems. It cost him nothing. wink

The IT technicians used to come and raid the boxes to repair equipment in other schools. It saved those schools a fortune. Often I would find a bar of chocolate or a cake on my desk and I knew the techies had paid a visit! smile

TwiceAsNice Fri 06-Mar-20 17:06:13

That’s brilliant Marydoll! Obviously women know EXACTLY what to keep “just in case” ?