Boxes

I've been watching a lot of Toy Hunter recently and been fascinated by the amount of Americans who have huge toy collections stored in huge rooms/garages/barns and yet, somehow, just have everything stored in a giant mess of tatty cardboard boxes. Really, you spend this much money on toys, have a load of space available and then don't have everything sorted out properly?

All of my stuff has always been reasonably well organised, despite the lack of space, but over the past couple of weeks I've been having a sort out and general tidy. After buying a bunch of shelves from Homebase (the type you're supposed to stick in your garage - not quite the pretty glass display cabinets I dream of) and some plastic boxes, all my (and the kids') toys are stored neatly away...yet easily accessible for playing with.

A recurring problem during the sort out was the what to do with the cardboard boxes the toys came in (I've definitely against keeping things Mint In Box - toys are meant to be played with!). I've got loads of the things, plus even more cardbacks. I don't like chucking them out, but even flattened they take up a load of space that could be used for other things (namely more toys).

The question is why didn't I chuck them as soon as I got them? Some crazy idea that I might someday sell everything and boxed items sell for more? Because the boxes look pretty? Because some are 30-odd years old and it just doesn't feel right condemning them to the recycle after all this time?

Bits of all the above, most likely. I took a stand, however, and have pruned them back a little. Some of the less than exciting cardbacks have bitten the dust, as have a couple of boxes. Actually, as I write this, I'm beginning to think I ought to go and sort through some more right now. This little piece of text is convincing me that I really don't need to keep all these things, that the house would be better off without them.

It'd be a lot easier if I had useable loft space. But I don't. The loft has been filled with all the insulation in the world, which is great for The Planet and reducing The Bills, but not so great for storage.

...maybe I should just send them somewhere safe for the moment. Somewhere out of the way, like maybe Grandma's loft...