Isn't related to mine by any chance is he? Mine managed to back up the drive and hit the house because he didn't see it! I mean, my fault obviously, I should have made sure we bought a bigger house. Then there was the time he was decorating, I went out with the dog, came back and everything was in darkness as he's slapped wet wallpaper over bare live electric wires. I could go on.


Sorry, way off topic I know. Back to recycling - egg boxes make very good cells for sowing seeds in or for putting your seed potatos in to chit.

"...putting your seed potatoes in to chit." Please explain for this Canuck.

To chit your seed potatos is to put them somewhere dry, cool and light to allow shoots to develop before you plant them. Egg boxes are about the right size to prop them up in on a window sill or in the greenhouse to do this.

We used to just put a slice in the ground - as long as it had an eye, it would grow.

I agree, though, that egg boxes are great for seed starting. If you use the cardboard ones rather than the plastic foam, you can just put the whole thing in the garden, as the paper rots and provides some fiber to the soil.

Exercise caution with the egg carton top sections where the ink is. Un-inked bottoms may be good and may be used for flowers. But for veggie starts, avoid commersial inks on starter trays and as soil additives. Package inks aren't checked for soil toxicity.

Sometimes I'll recycle or throw away the cardboard rollers and other empty containers. Wrapping paper rolls make great dog toys and the paper towel ones are good for smaller dogs. Some containers are good for Girl Scout projects so I'll save those. Some things I'll keep "just in case". The cardboard egg cartons we save to make fire starters. I'll have to try starting seeds in them.
Milk jugs and other plastic containers like them have many uses.

I don't think I'm a "hoarder", I prefer to think of it as storing potentially useful things.

Christinap, I think they must be blood brothers or something ... I had tears running down my face at the 'just didn't see the house' bit ... because mine is capable of the exact same reflexion!

I have used egg cartons to start off seedlings, and the big advantage of course is that you can just plant the whole lot out when the time is right!

I do hang onto cereal cartons quite a bit nowadays! I run them through my craft cutter and get some nice embellishments for my scrapbook pages from them. Covered in paint, ink or fancy paper, nobody will ever see the humble origins of my super layouts. I have even managed to sell some shapes cut from cereal boxes

Hoarding runs in my family and I try very hard to not fall victim. I also will throw out an item if buying a new item. On the other hand I, along with my mother, have a collection of coffee makers. For some reason, we find it very hard to get rid of one when acquiring a new one. Open my panty and on the top shelf is a line of coffee makers.

My paternal grandmother was a hoarder. She lived across country so my dad didn't see what was happening, but upon her death we found that the three story house had only a small walkway throughout due to the amount of junk, furniture, dishes, etc. piled everywhere. It took my parents months to clean out the house. Some things were sold and some were split amongst the children and grandchildren, but most were just thrown out. I'm afraid that my father, who was floored when he saw the house, is almost as bad. My mother keeps him in check or their house would end up the same. I mean, seriously, who needs to keep every single magazine and newspaper bought?