For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for July 21, 2021

My mother used to do that once upon a time.

I do that but not at that level. Just a couple stowed away. That is the hoarder level, Mrs Richards.

I have 30 year old butter bowls I use year round. Love them

The recycling people actually WANT us to send in our plastics. The glass jars, on the other hand, they rather we re-use. (At least this is the case where I live).

That was my Mother-in-law. She had a basement closet full. And 26 boxes of lime Jello?

You are going to need a lot more than that one box, Uncle Phil. You need one to carry the plastic containers and one to fend off your mother.

Lynn’s Comments: This was done at the time when my parents were leaving their house of many, many years. My mother had more plastic containers than anyone you can imagine.

That was the Greatest Generation’s trademark wasn’t it-waste not want not. Use it up and make do.

But you still have to have the right size. And be able o find it.

My mother-in-law said I will find a use for that someday.

Mom must be my wife.

When we cleaned my grandparents’ house after they passed, we found dozens of boxes full of old buttons. Both my grandparents saved buttons, sure that they’d be needed someday. They never were.

When people hoard things, it’s usually for one of two reasons: 1. Nostalgia 2. They think they’re going to need it some day.

I have only so much space for plastic containers, so I am forced to put extras in recycling.

I have 3 humongous plastic “containers” (bins) that I use to store recyclables.

Don’t complain. Those of us brought up during WWII learned how to scrounge, save and reuse. Today’s can’t fix it, throw away consumerism is ridiculous as well as contributing to the earth’s many environmental woes.

On the flip side, I have a family member who refuses to save any plastic containers, so when they need one they’re always out of luck. They are, however, very well stocked with napkins, plastic cutlery, and sauce packets from various fast food restaurants.

My wife saves small butter tubs and the Chinese takeout trays saying she will use them to store leftovers. We must have 50 butter tubs and well over 100 takeout trays and I’ve never seen her use any of them for leftovers. I try to slip a few at a time into the recycle bin when I get the opportunity.

Just take them out one at a time. It will be an entertaining game for a while.

The large scale recycling of plastic was started by the plastic industry not to stop pollution/waste but to make people feel good, less guilty about using plastic. Before the program began there was considerable sentiment to limit the use of plastic. Much of the plastic is not recyclable both physically or economically and is shipped to East Asia where it is dumped in landfills or the ocean. Considering the water used to clean the plastic before it is placed inn the blue recycling bin recycling probably has a negative ecological benefit.

Lynn’s Comments:

Here it is! This is my mother’s basement with all the plastic containers!

My mom was the same. “Don’t come crying to me about what you need after you throw it out!”

Those fatal words, "You never know when it might . . . "I am myself a victim of this disease. There is, so far as I know, no known cure. Recycling schemes cause us agonies untold. Think of us sometimes, please, as you go to your waste bin or dump.

I probably need to recycle my plastic container stock.

you don’t ask permission before disposal of trash like that. you ask for forgiveness after you have already done it.

I have an ex who used to hoard toilet paper “because it was on sale.” When the COVID shortages hit, I could here her “See! I told you so !!” from 2,000 miles away.

Hello, wife!

Leave her 2 of each container, and toss the rest. There’s no room in the new place.

My mother liked those deluxe mixed nuts in the big plastic containers. When cleaning out their house, I tossed out over 45 of those containers. At one point they were just tossed into a corner of an unused bedroom when the closet got full of other junk. At least they were washed out first. Dunno why they just didn’t put them into the recycle bin to be taken away every other week. I hope I never get that disease. That was the easiest part of that house to clean out.

The lime jello is used by people who are getting colonoscopy, as it won’t interfere with the colon being scoped. Yes I have had one, and was told I could have that if I was hungry, since you can’t eat for a day before and have to take some god forsaken brew to clean out your bowels :( I suspect the senior in question had them for that purpose.

She has too many storage containers. What happens with products bought in plastic containers. Not quit like my mom, one part my dad kept lot of stuff related to tools plus he had small collection of books he read several times. My mom did kind of arts and crafts, pretty dolls, and bells. She lost interest in a lot, one item she never lost interest in her harmonica she took pride in that. For me I have my books but when done I either donate or trash depends on the condition. I do not have lot of crafts never got into that.

I wonder how many of those containers were made before resin codes were used?

Mistake was that you told her. Just do it and apologize later. Sorry Honey. Heh Heh Heh……

Man up, Phil! Box them up, and ship them out! (and don’t call me “Dear”)

Until about 6 years ago, our city accepted only “1” and “2” bottles with necks for recycling.

I wish I had purchased 26 boxes of celery Jello. It made the best salads.

Ouch! This one hits a little too close to home!

I just take mine to my daughter’s and like everything else that goes over there I never see it again. ;-)

I can give advice but can’t take my own advice. I once told my aunt to throw out anything she wouldn’t be needing for the next six months. I have stuff that I’ve had for years!!!

Our local Chinese restaurant keeps us in all the plastic tubs we’ll ever need.

Depression Hoarders

Can someone call up the people from “Hoarders???”XD

Reminds me of when we cleaned out my in-laws house. I wondered why did I they keep all this junk. Then I thought about when my kids have to clean out our house and all the thing my wife and I have accumulated over the 47 years of our marriage.

I cleared out a whole bunch of plastic containers when we moved into the RV a few years back. I kept the Tupperware, one butter tub & 1 whipped cream tub. And now, in my new home, that’s still all I have.

Now and then. Maybe not all at once.

They apparently haven’t come in handy yet.

That was my Mother also. Still finding things that might come in handy that I am having to dispose of

My great Uncle had a clothes closet filled with toilet paper.

Sometimes I get like this as well, and I have to force myself to just throw most of it out.

Hey, i keep unique-shaped takeaway containers..

I KNOW they’ll NEVER come in handy!

Usually any person who was alive during the great depression tends to save everything.

When my grandmother was moving she had $100 worth of pennies ! *(I kid you not ) !!!!! *

I’m in this strip and I don’t like it.

I keep a limited number of one size of deli meat containers, based on the number of lids I can fit in the one on the top of the stack. Soup containers from carryout or farmer’s markets are pretty standard, so I keep as many as will fit in the cupboard (granted, some are often in the freezer full of soup – I always make extra). Anything beyond that I put in my church’s Little Free Pantry, and people take them.

The Mantra of a hoarder.

My newest “find” for refrigerator food storage are Dairy Queen sundae cups. A couple of boiled eggs, quartered apples, half of a Roma tomato, partially emptied cans of soup or fruit…and you can SEE what you have without opening it. Empty, they stack together nicely in a small space. Another use is to trap unwanted very small critters, pop the top on and carry them secure from house to the wilds several miles away.

Been there, done that, still there, still doing that.

Oh Lord. MAJOR Depression era hoarder mentality. This is not going to end well.

When my Grandma passed away we threw away stacks of plastic containers including washed out jelly containers from diners. People who lived through the Great Depression didn’t throw anything out.

My MIL was the queen of the curtain rods. Seriously. She had three big boxes full. Every time she moved, they went with her. I started chucking them out by the handful. Eventually, she stopped messing with drapes, going with blinds. Bye-bye rods.

At some point, you don’t need to tell her what you’re getting rid of/donating/recycling/tossing. It’s not worth saving, and telling her will just cause her unnecessary stress. I remember trying to distract my grandma in the cabin while my dad was going through the basement. At one point she escaped me and my aunt and came out to see Dad about to toss ancient seatless chairs into the bonfire. “Those can be re-caned,” she said. “Mom, they’ve been around since I was a little kid,” Dad said (respectfully, of course). I heard there were also home-canned goods in the basement leftover from the 60s or 70s… in theory, canned things last forever, but in practice… yikes!

Who knows if hey were ther the TITANIC might have been saved. Everybody baling water.

He’ll need a U-Haul to take those to a recycling station.