On the other hand, I know a lot of cats that seem to be possessed.

@Just Breathe — If you’re worried about pets and children, simply get a unit with an on/off switch at the back of the unit instead of the top. Turn the shredder off after each use. That’s it. That’s all you need to do to keep it safe. We have cats and they have not figured out how to flip the power switch at the back of the machine.

I am not worried for any of my own loved ones, I was just trying to let people know about the dangers of shredders. I’ll bet not everyone who reads this blog owns a shredder like yours – with a cutoff button. I’ll wager that most older models didn’t have them. In fact, I have documented evidence that many horrible accidents have occurred involving shredders. I just wish people would remember to point that out each time they recommend using them.

By the way, my dog knows how to turn lower switches off and on. My son’s dog pushes the button to make the icemaker pop out cubes for it to chew, and I once owned a horse who could let himself out of the corral and grasp the door handle in his teeth, in order to open and close the door to the house.

When pets can do all those things, it doesn’t take a child long to “watch and learn.”

But even for those of us who do consider our animals part of the family (I’ll raise my hand proudly), Erin’s analogy isn’t off-base. I never thought to try this, but I’d probably have an easier time letting go of a physical object if I compare my feelings toward it against my feelings toward my cats–not because my cats equate with “possessions” but because doing so reminds me how blessed I am without it.

In the past, friends have told me, they got appraisals and were able to donate early manuscripts (showing all the drafts) for up to $10,000.

Greetings from the netherlands

Additionally, I don’t think most people like the look of shredders and put it in a container to look nice. We’ve written about ways to hide a shredder to make it more visually appealing: http://unclutterer.com/2008/04.....-shredder/

When you hide a shredder in a storage container it also has a place to live — and, as we always say, a place for everything and everything in its place.