The Things That Live Rent-Free In Our Homes

Call us the ultimate recyclers. If something makes it into the house, it’s not leaving unless it’s absolutely useless—and even then, there’s doubt. We aren’t necessarily thinking about recycling; it’s more about, “What if we need it later?” 

 

I’m not saying everyone’s homes look like that. Many prefer an uncluttered space. But most of us grew up with someone—a mom or an ouma—who believed in keeping everything. There’s even a term for this: hoarding disorder. It’s when people can’t let go of stuff, even if it has no real use.

 

This post we’ll go through the cupboards and drawers to see what’s there. You might even recognise a few of these keepsakes from your own family’s stash.

 

Funeral Programmes

 

You’ll find them tucked away in living rooms, often in the display cabinet. Some might be yellowed and faded by now, but these programmes hold a quiet kind of importance. A reminder of someone you knew or cared for. 

 

Plastic Containers

 

Ice cream, butter, and yoghurt tubs get washed and reused as cheap tupperware. We’re resourceful like that! After all, why spend money on fancy containers when we get free ones with our groceries. These containers are great for storing leftovers or sending food home with visitors.

 

 

Grocery Bags

 

We’d be lost without our Shoprite, Pick n Pay, and Checkers grocery bag collection. Sometimes we neatly fold them, and other times they’re a crumpled mess. Sometimes one bag holds twenty other bags inside. They have their purpose. They end up as trash liners or as makeshift carry bags when you’re running errands. We keep adding to the collection. Can never have too many bags,

 

Condiment Sachets

 

We’re not the type to throw out those small sauce packets that come with takeaway bags. We’ve got our own sauces in the fridge but it feels wrong to let them go. You know you’ve got a drawer somewhere filled with tomato sauce packets (and paper napkins!). We don’t actually use them but keeping them just in case feels right.

 

Empty Beer Bottles

 

Most neighbourhood bottle stores let you return 750ml bottles. For those who enjoy their dop, those returns means you pay the best price. So we let the Castle Lager or Black Label empties accumulate. They’ll be returned when the next round of beer is bought. It’s a system, and the bottles sit patiently in the kitchen or backyard, waiting for the weekend.

 

Electronics Boxes

 

New fridge, new TV, new microwave – the boxes stick around. Our logic is that we might need them someday if we move houses. It’s best to have them handy rather than scramble to find boxes when the time comes. Even if we never move, we get some comfort seeing those boxes waiting loyally.

 

Shoe Boxes

 

We get attached to the box our takkies or heels arrived in. So they always end up piled on top of the closet. Most are empty but some contain pairs we just don’t wear anymore but can’t part with. We keep our good shoes under the bed but when their time is up, they’ll go into the same box they came in with.

 

Soap

 

When the new bar of soap is unwrapped we look at the old one with a strange sense of loyalty. We’ll keep that small soap for ages even though we’ve already moved on to the fresh one. It might sit on the shelf or next to the new one until it gets used. But we never rush to throw it out.

 

 

Receipts

 

Crinkled ATM and store receipts always seem to collect in our wallets, pockets and drawers. We stuff them in for reasons unknown even to ourselves! Maybe for returns we’ll never make or expenses we’ll never tally up.

 

At the end of the day, nothing goes to waste when you’re trying to be resourceful. As they say one man’s trash is another’s treasure, and for us, everything has a purpose…even if it’s not clear what that is yet! Let us know in the comments what junk you’re finding useful to keep around the home.

 

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