I think I've told you that I like watching those TV shows about hoarders to gain insight into my own tendencies toward hanging onto everything that comes into this house. Once in awhile someone will make a comment about hoarding empty boxes.

I do that! But there are reasons.

When I had a job, I could bring home boxes that copier paper came in, and one of my co-workers used to work at Baxter-Travenol, the hospital supply company, and she obtained a bunch of really nice boxes for me. Now that I don't work, I don't have those contacts.

Although I haven't checked dumpsters at retail stores, my impression is that they recycle their cardboard, so I wouldn't know where to ask for boxes.

Aside from storing all the stuff that we haven't gotten around to unpacking in six years (it's like Christmas Day when we start looking in them), I'm afraid to get rid of the empty packing boxes because some day we might move again. Yes. I know we could probably go buy new ones when needed, but we are not wired to think that way.

We don't do 'retail therapy' so our purchases are few and far between. You know the Trade Deficit where we hear about how more stuff from China comes into our country than goes from out country back to China? My house is a Consumer Items Deficit zone where we send out more stuff than we bring in. This affects the Balance of Boxes.

Small mailing boxes are available from the Post Office, but the free ones can only be used for high-priced priority mail. Several years ago, people (not me) would turn the boxes inside out and use them for the cheaper postage, but now the post office prints something on the inside so that doesn't work.

This past summer I was able to make some inroads on decreasing the size of my box stash, donating some household items to charity in some of the hoarded boxes, and using the shabbier ones for trash. I got rid of all the old Priority Mail boxes because they've served their purpose. And in some cases I replaced the cardboard boxes with lidded plastic storage tubs.

This reminds me. Remember how wire coat hangers used to multiply in dark closets? I have this problem with storage tub lids. I have a big stack of lids, various shapes and sizes, and can't figure out where the bottoms are. I realize they are here and there as open bins, serving to organize this and that, but I'd like to get them matched up again in case I need the lids. The first step is to go around and locate all the lidless ones, and then make a list so I can round up possible lids in Colorado and bring them here for matching.

Guess I'll go do that now.

Speaking of Channels (you didn't know we were?) I wish there was one like this:

Hoarding
Hoarding: Books
Hoarding: Boxes
Hoarding: Couponing (seen that show? I can't stand to watch it)
Hoarding: Cats

Hah!