My husband found a "mystery bit" just yeaterday. It was in our study where all the eBay sales items are awaiting postage or auctions to finish. I hope it is nothing important that belong to any of that.
We have accumulated quite a number of "mystery keys" over our years of moving all over the place. I think we took our chances and through them out after the last move.
@ Terriok, a bit off topic, but that is fabulous karma (evil grin)
I once laughed loud, long, and hard when my husband got bird-bombed. Sure enough, within the next week I had a) a huge splatter on my lap while I sat on a park bench, and b)a pigeon poopfest INTO MY LATTE as I was raising it to my lips at a lovely sidewalk cafe. Been a bit off coffee since.
back to topic
I am a bit leery of tossing too many mystery bits, but as long as they are corralled and don't cause me stress I don't worry about it. I really love the muffin tin idea. My sister sent me a vintage tin in my Christmas box this year and I have it on a bookshelf with paperclips etc in it. I think it will fit perfectly into my desk drawer, just hadn't thought about it. Great idea!
That is exactly why we are all keeping those mystery bits! Like 365lessthings said, "I hope it is nothing important" *bites fingernails* ;o) Just wondering, I think maybe it would be good to have a time limit on the "WTF?"-box. Purging it every year or so. I'm pretty sure that the important bits leave the box within the first few months anyway ;o)
I hate to admit this, but I sort of miss having a junk drawer for little bits and random things. I think my husband missed it too for a while, because we both started one around the same time. His is more hardware oriented and mine is things I could find a home for but I don't. Still, I love PEEP more.
PEEP is da bomb. It saves So. Much. Time.
DJK, off topic for sure but I received more very similar Karma- delayed.
During grade school, there was this girl in my class that was quite mean named Betty. On the way to the church for graduation, in our maroon caps and gowns, a bird pooped right on Betty's head. Well, I roared!
Two decades later, I was studying down in Mexico. I was sitting at table outdoors with my terrific Spanish class and suddenly plop- a bird got me on the head.
I would walk down the street and plop yet another bird would bomb me. It happened at least six times in Mexico that summer- always on my head. Everywhere I went.
"Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near? Just like me, they want to be close to you!"
I got back to Chicago, I was sitting in a Mexican restaurant outside. You guessed it. Plop!
Well, at least I got a free Margarita out of the deal. By that time, I was use to it.
But you know what? It was still worth it. Just to see mean Betty get pooped on during grade school graduation!
@JuliaJayne, ah, well, technically, if you have a place for things that have no place, you do have a place for them. *scratches head* Right? ;o)
@chacha1, oh yes, PEEP, every unclutterers wet dream ;o) Hee hee, no, I think for a lot of people who finally decide to declutter, they find that so many things turn up you didn't know they had, including mystery bits. Then, they are inclined to keep them because they don't know what will turn up in the rooms they haven't decluttered yet. Especially if they are thinking about putting some of the stuff on eBay, they need to keep all the mystery bits that turn up while decluttering, because they might belong to whatever is going to be sold and it might make a price difference. It's the old "it looks worse before it'll look better" thing. I think that's what junk drawers and WTF?-boxes are for, for this "transition phase" between cluttered and PEEP when you still have too much stuff and you have to practice putting stuff where it belongs.
@terriok, I love this kind of instant Karma payback -- but I'm a little afraid to laugh too loudly here (or maybe I'll just cover my coffee from now on when sitting on the balcony, and I'll wear a hat) ;o)
@trillie, True, but if you ask yourself WWMD (what would Martha do) the stuff in the drawer needs to be tended to, not left in a disorganized mess ;)
Yay! I found a place to take my mystery bits. I'm working part time for a couple who recycle all kinds of things to make their sculptural standing and hanging art! I have already got a box started to take to them.
This is their store. http://www.ilovecarmine.com/index.htm
Trillie! Why didn't I think about that? A hat! ;o)
I love the of the WTF box, at least for a short time anyway. And there are a few things that could be gathered and ziplocked. I actually figured out one of the mystery bits the other day when I went to hang a picture and was missing a clip on the frame...
One down 193 to go... :)
LOL, katie!
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