If you save a whole slew of shoeboxes because you just KNOW your child will need one for a school project, but they never do, and you finally decide to de-clutter and throw them all out, then you can be sure that within seven days, your child will need a shoebox for a school project.
(Though, as I have said before, it should be noted that this is a perfectly reasonable excuse to buy a new pair of shoes. It is not frivolity, it is good parenting.)
Fo me it’s always the boxes that clothes come in. I save them all after Christmas, get tired of them finally and throw them away, and then the next week realize I need them for someone’s birthday. That would be my fault for not planning ahead. And yes – great excuse to go shopping!
“…it’s good parenting.” I find your logic to be impeccable. =)
Buy two pair! One for now, one for the next project.
You could always hide a box….giggle.
That is SO TRUE!! I like your solution and appreciate the helpful advice you are always sharing. š
this may show how long I’ve been reading your blog but I do seem to remember this happened to you awhile back too. And a lovely pair of shoes you bought then too.
am I remembering correctly??
Who keeps shoe boxes? Puh-lease. Only those cool crafty moms, which I’m not.
Oh, well … great that you get to buy some new shoes.
New shoes are always a bonus!
What great advice..so why save the boxes? Although my DH might not buy that logic!!!
Sigh. I feel your pain. Always happens.
This rule also applies to paper towel tubes, egg cartons and frozen fruit juice cans.
I LOVE it!! That is the absolute truth!! It never pays to declutter!!!
See, I just knew I am a good parent!!
This is soooooo true! I also save toilet paper rolls. I have a box of them overflowing in my closet. Hubby thinks I’m nuts–but they came in very handy when we substitute taught Sunday school a couple of months ago and had to make toilet-paper-tube binoculars!!
This is SO true! Excuse me while I go explain to my husband why I MUST go buy some new shoes! š
THANK YOU!! I just pulled no less than 7 shoe boxes out of my daughter’s closet and was about to throw them. Perhaps I will find a spot for them.
I have 3 kids. Can I buy 3 new pairs of shoes? I think so.
I had a parent “donate” a large bag full of shoe boxes to my classroom. They said they know we use them for a third grade book report. Now I get to find a place to store them…yet no one offers boxes when it is time for the actual project. Go figure!
It is one of those cosmic truths…
Oh, the shopping sacrifices we make for the sake of our children. “Good parenting” you betcha.
Shoot, I’m saving the wrong containers – baby food containers š
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog!!!!
SO TRUE. It seems like every time I declutter, my kids need to bring SOMETHING to school that I threw out or gave away while decluttering.
I’m going to go declutter my closet and throw away all the shoeboxes right now! LOL š
And this is why I can never throw anything out and my house is a clutter disaster! I just know that as soon as I throw it out I will need it! I think it must be one of Murphy’s Laws… and I don’t even have a school age child yet!
Totally logical, and absolutely true. One THOUSAND percent of the time.
This is so true. But I like your thinking….a reason for mom to buy a new pair of shoes!!
Yay, I’m a good parent, then! Woo Hoo!
Haha, that’s great. I think that applies to a lot of things in life – saving something because you think you might use it later, then throwing it out, only to find out three days later that you really could have used it after all!
In my opinion there is always a good reason to buy a new pair of shoes. Even if you have to search for the excuse, there will be one.
Great post. So true.
Then there’s Eternal Truths of Parenting: Volume 3,923, Part II: When faced with a new shoebox, Said Two Year Old will instantly grab and eat the silica gel packet.
YEP, same thing happened at our house. And those kind of things continue to happen. I think they call it Murphy’s Law….or the Mamma Curse. š
Buying a new pair of shoes…that sounds like the perfect solution!
Good logic all around. Call me boring, but I bought all 3 pairs of shoes I’ll need for the next two years in one day. Not sure what I did with the boxes, though. With five kids, someone will have a box again soon. LOL
My husband saves every box we get – no matter the size. A few times a year I lose it and break them all down and set them out for the recyle to pick up. And usually the next week, if not the next day, I need every box I destroyed.
Don’t you know it! I’ve done that with those little cardboard cylinders from toilet paper before. Save, save, save for little projects, then as soon as they’re thrown, someone would come asking for them! Go figure! Hope you got some cute shoes from it all! š
I love that logic! Any reason to buy new shoes . . .
of course, murpheys law!
Everytime I throw away an empty shoe box, this happens!
You’d better buy two pair of shoes then. That way your kidlet can take the extra box for someone else who doesn’t have one! š
I’ve done this many times!!
Oh boy, oh boy a shopping spree!
ARGHHHHH the same thing happened to me last night with magazines!!!!!!!!! I just threw them all out last week and he needed to make a collage.
do I get to go buy new shoes too?
At our house, it’s gift bags. I’ll save them and then wonder why I’m cluttering up my house with gift bags, throw them out – and two minutes later, there comes my kids with a birthday party invitation.
I threw away dozens of shoe boxes because I nice shoe rack when we moved and got a nice walk-in cloest. Decluttering, I called it. I have found so many uses for the shoeboxes I no longer have since then that I want to pull my hair out!
You can always use another excuse as to why you need another pair of shoes.
I think your insight is great – I gave you a Brainy Mom Blog award! š
Sex Diaries of a Mom
What a great excuse – I mean reason – to buy a new pair of shoes!
I found a couple of rocks in my dryer over the weekend and I thought of you.
You are RIGHT ON!!! š That is so funny.
Amen to that!!
So, so true!
~Luke
HA! Thanks for the giggles (and the excuse for new kicks).
Ah a beauty of homeschooling – No Project Deadlines – Phew!
I have been saving shoeboxes for the same reason. I’ll learn from you, and keep them, even when I am sick of looking at them. š
Save them for Operation Christmas Child packages. (But if you run out of boxes for school projects, I definitely think it’s okay to buy a new pair of shoes!)
Hear, hear. And don’t forget about the egg cartons and toilet paper rolls…
ha, ha! i’ve had stuff like that happen to me.
And this holds true no matter their age. I just cleaned out my sons closet. He left for COLLEGE and had I think every shoe box for every pair of shoes ever bought for him in his closet. I haven’t used an old shoe box in years for anything. We got rid of ALL of them last weekend.
Of course, last night I said one of those boxes sure would be handy to send him a little care package now wouldn’t it. My husband just laughed.
Amazing parenting in my book!