Why do we have so many . . . boxes?

Well, this is actually a good thing. If there's one thing I don't mind discovering when I'm planning a move, it's for sure got to be boxes (although a nice wad of cash would be nice, too).

P mocks me for it, but I kept almost every single box that we received with wedding gifts. Well, actually, I think I threw away some of the lousy Bed Bath and Beyond gift boxes, but I've found the Dillard's gift boxes to be quite handy (and attractive to boot!). And, of course, most important of all, I have the box for every kitchen appliance, for all the dishes (the ones that had boxes), for pots, pans, and other bakeware, even for various lamps around the house. P is, I think, especially appreciative that I kept the box for our recipe box, and that we even have a few boxes for items that we no longer own, like our DISH satellite, or P's GameCube (he was v. distressed to discover he'd sold it in the wrong box).

Anyway, in spite of all the boxes, I still feared that we'd need to set aside some of our budget to invest in more containers for all. our. stuff. But a friend of mine unknowingly set my heart at ease last weekend when she reminded me of a time-honored college-student tradition: swiping product boxes from Wal-Mart during their nightly restocking activities. I remember with fondness the time that my roommate and I had to actually sign out of the dorm and spend the night with an off-campus friend so that we could go to Wal-Mart after midnight for boxes. I still have some of those boxes (sad? or remarkable?) - and one of them is even labelled "BEV" (I miss you, Sara!) - and while P isn't too keen on the idea of late-night Wal-Mart box-scavenging, I might do it, just for the memories.