I love him but I want to strangle him!

[mdbucks]

dont throw out all the mayo jars, save couple for screw on waterer, and feeders. Pitch the rest though.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Male perspective:

A lot of us are pack rats to one degree or another. If the "Pack Ratting" affects
your life in a negative way then it is a sickness. I have boxes of parts I
really need to throw away that are taking up valuable storage space. If I started
filling our kitchen cabinets with crap I hope my wife would smack me on the back
of my head to snap me out of it.

The "cheap" thing I can't explain. There is a HUGE difference between being
frugle(smart with money) and cheap. His cheapness and pack ratting are most
likely both symptoms of an underlying psychological problem.

Trying to get you those commercial birds tells me he is thinking about you. Be gentle,
not nervous, when explaining to him why his idea won't work. In his mind, and ego,
he is trying to get you the chickens you want and satisfy his own criteria(cheap).


We don't know this person and only have the info you provided in your post to go on.
Take these comments very lightly. If he was a friend I would smack him and tell
him to stop being a dumba**. Then we'd hang out or play with our junk.


Mayo jars make great containers for screws. So do coffee cans.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
That's scary md. We were both typing that at the same time.

WE ARE GUYS. YES!!!

 

[Rosalind]

It's not just a guy thing, I tend to packrat myself. So does DH. At least we have a big barn and attic to fill up.

The rule in our house for packratting is, if you aren't going to use it immediately, don't get it in the first place. When you need (fill in the blank: loose hardware containers, canning supplies, whatever), it will still be at the store, waiting to be purchased. If you're going to get it on sale, or save it for something, use it right then and there. For example, if I'm going to bring home empty plastic containers from work to organize the woodshop stuff, I better be doing the organizing that very weekend, not at some time in the distant future.

Also, for every acquisition, be it purchase or freebie, you have to have done your homework and be 100% sure that this is really what you want. We don't do the whole, "Well, I really wanted XYZ, but ABC will do in a pinch." We have found that nine times out of ten, ABC will NOT do in a pinch, it will require five times the work and fidgeting around that the original XYZ purchase would have required. Chickens are a good example of this: Free chickens from the commercial meat chicken place are not bred for laying, surviving cold winters, or even for disease resistance really. The commercial chicken processor only plans to keep the chickens alive for a comparatively short time through the administration of lots of drugs and hormones and an on-site veterinarian--and presumably you want to keep your chickens alive for a long time without horrendous vet bills. In terms of cheap, is it cheaper to pay $2/chicken for a hardy breed that will lay plenty of eggs, or is it cheaper to pay $70/vet bill every couple of months for chickens that are constantly sick and produce few eggs?

You've heard the phrase "penny-wise and pound-foolish"? Tell him he can be as cheap as he likes when it comes to buying toilet paper, spaghetti, papertowels, sodapop, most household cleaning products, birdseed. He can use his frugality to build you a winter garden with row covers out of salvaged materials, and feel like he is saving some $$ on the grocery bills. Some things though, it doesn't pay in the long run to skimp. Use those mayo jars to make mini-greenhouses for garden plants!

 

[johnnyjack]

ok male side of this story lol... my wife is a pack rat but i love her anyway. she comes up with all these ideas to make extra money but they never work out so the get packed in a corner or under beds. i on the other hand am one of those who thinks if its not used in 6 months get rid of it.. just had to throw in my 2cents worth.lol

 

[3peeps]

Quote:
Well, if he's got ADD like me, he won't notice.

BUT if he does have a "different" psychological problem, such as OCD or hoarding (which could explain the cheapness) he will definitely notice a mass riddance of all his crap and would certainly have reason to flip out.

I highly doubt you would do this anyway...just a gut feeling based on your post. You obviously respect him enough to discuss things, anyway.

 

[EweSheep]

Saw a program on Oprah with this kind of disease. One of the things they say dont do is to throw out stuff when they are gone...it would make them go nuts! (I would have loved to do this with my hubby's parents...they are packrats galore!)

Underlying physcological reason? Like what???? Loss of a member in family or empty nesters are one of the few reasons along with "memories" or "might need it later" thingy going on.

If I dont use any new products within the year, get rid of it. That means your clothes that you wore when you were younger LOL. Its not a one size fits all LOL!

 

[mdbucks]

Pack rats usually have the best intentions. My DW's grndmother recently passed so we are cleaning out the "stuff". I have thrown belts for washing machine that was bought in the 60's, electric cords from every appliance that was ever thrown away(cloth cords), pullys and knobs from old appliances, half pieces of moulding, tiles for floor in bathroom that was previuos to what is in bathroom now and has been since 1985,(first time I was at this house. How much of any of these things were ever used is anybody's guess, but I wonder how often the knob or belt was able to be found when needed? My parents put dates on boxes and if it hasn't been opened in 5 years they throw it away, because obviuosly they didn't need it. they have managed to clean out most of thier attic. They started that policy after going through grandparents stuff when they passed, and found New stuff that was bought 40 years ago and never opened.

 

[chickbea]

HEY!
I'm sure that all you guys meant RECYCLE those mayo jars, not toss them - right?

 

[SpottedCrow]

My MIL is so picky that she doesn't even like leftovers!!!
My SIL and I are both clutterers and one of my DH's aunts was once featured on Real People as one of those folks that just had a small path through all the rooms...
But then again my DH still has his Vietnam draft card...not like they're gonna take him at 60 years old...