King of Boxes

David and I are a couple of stashers: I have a plethora of note and greeting cards for every occasion, wrapping paper, gift bags and the like; he could open a packing store with all his boxes, peanuts, cushioning and other related shipping supplies.

He gets great joy in his box collection, as his boxes are always in motion and are tied to his favorite hobby of listening to music. Boxes come in and go out of our home with the equipment he has bought or sold, as well as the music itself, that he buys or trades.   

Every time he receives a package that doesn’t house equipment, he assesses the quality of the box to determine whether it’s a keeper. If it passes the test, he’ll most likely reuse it for music or something else. He has also bought boxes in various sizes to be sure he’s equipped for every possible scenario.   

Our attic and shed are filled with boxes, and sometimes I also see them lying around in other rooms waiting for him to determine whether they’ll make the cut – or go straight to recycling. There were many times, I must say, when I have wondered Who needs all these boxes, for goodness’ sake? 

I’ve become much more aware of all these goings-on since the pandemic started. I guess that’s what happens when you’re with someone 24/7, when everything is on display. It’s not like the old days when I had a life out of the house and didn’t always know what was happening in it.

I get my own deliveries from Fed Ex and UPS, as I do way more shopping online than I used to. I’ve taken a liking to testing out shoes from my favorite brands – FitFlop and Taos, which in large part are no longer found in stores – although I know my mom would cringe if she knew I was buying shoes online. She would, however, be happy to know that I’ve gone from stylish to supportive.

Since I cannot resist a good sale, I recently ordered FitFlop sandals and boots but, after trying them on, I decided to send them back; rather, to ask my resident box-meister to do it. I was a bit nervous about this though because, for whatever dumb reason, I tossed the original outer box, which was very large to accommodate the boots. This would mean he’d 1 – ask me where the box is so I’d have to admit I got rid of it before I knew about keeping the boots and then 2 – he’d have to dip into his coveted inventory for my return, and I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about that.

Although he did ask why I tossed the box when I told him I’d be returning the shoes, he seemed pleased for the return ($) and then he right away went into problem-solving mode for a solution. He ended up cutting apart 2 boxes to make 1. It was perfect.

I told him I’ll be a good sport and take my box to UPS so that he doesn’t have to 😊.

Now that I see how simple – and cost free with FitFlop – it is to order, try on, and return, I may do this more often! It’s even easier than driving a whole 5 minutes to DSW, which is more interested in selling kids’ shoes and J Lo stilettos than comfortable footwear for old ladies like me.

I always like when my stash helps him out with a card or for wrapping a gift, but his stash has a lot more potential for me than mine does for him.   

Being married to the King of Boxes is, for me, a match made in heaven.