I’m no hoarder but I can see where cartoon lady comes from, it’s still a perfectly good lid and straw. Maybe the problem is our society making so many useful things that are meant to be single use disposable trash thrown out rather than reused
I think pathological hoarding behavior stems from anxiety rooted in trauma (loss of a loved one, neglect, etc), or something like that. A hoarder might say they’re just being frugal or environmentally conscious but that’s a surface level rationalization.
Being desperately poor in childhood or adult life can lead to this also.
I would bring my own cup to restaurants if they let me. Also they always give me a straw I won’t use, they should at least ask if I want more trash.
You are aware you’re supposed to suck liquid into your body through a straw, right? Like, inside it. And you’d do that with a random straw on a pawn shop shelf?
It’s a funny joke, but plz remember that hoarding is actually a serious mental illness
i see sometimes some solid examples of hoarding. (as a firefighter). we used to call them “Collyer mansions”.
rarely is it poop or animals and whatnot. most often it’s books and newspapers. sometimes it’s “i run an ebay store” and i have to remind them their house is bulging and gonna fall in. always there are bugs. lots of bugs.
sad mental illness for sure.
it makes it very hard to get in and search or rescue or sadly recover when rescue won’t happen.
So, 1-2 dollars in today’s money?
Me with my box of cables. You never know when I might need that Parallel or PS/2 cable, and then won’t you be glad I saved it
The way to find if you’ll ever need that cable is to throw it out. I call this Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Cable.
Every. Single. Time. Clean out the box? Inevitably “oh I have a cable for this, let me go get it.” “Oh right, I tossed it”
retro computing is a thing. and it’s getting more popular with the rising cost of everything. personally I have like 4 boxes of “dad cables”
I love how this is formatted so you get engaged before it becomes a thought bubble. Brilliant.
Honestly, when I do come across some ephemeral junk from 30+ years ago, it is kind of a delight. Even tho the object itself usually serves no purpose now.
Yeah, my room is a mess, why do you ask? <.<
The bubbles aren’t even popped! That’ll go for top dollar.
Back in my shudder pop vynil collecting days, I thought I was smart to try and get all of those gold avergers funk pops.
Yes, I figured that other collectors figured that out too, so I was even bigger brained, and thought " " if I get ALL 19?20? I can’t remember of them, I can sell it in a bundle, I can get even more money " "
As of 2026, I sold drum roll please either Groot, or Ant Man. For sure only 1 of them…
link. I hope nobody pays $30 for shipping for a $3 item for ANYTHING
If all old stuff eventually became valuable, we would have picked Monte Testaccio clean by now.
You know, I live in an area where there’s randomly only paper straws and that really hard plastic lids at places.
I do really miss those perfect straws and the soft plastic lids. But I’m not gonna save them. The power of excess and ignorance and being able to throw something like that away, only to have effectively infinite more to replace it next time IS satisfying, and I miss that.
I’ve written about the science and engineering that goes into McDonald’s’ Coke, the ice, the water, the straw (omg the straw…), the carbonation, the fountain itself, the portioning in relation to the salt in the food, the syrup, and even the progressive changes in flavor as you get closer to finishing your meal and drink and the ice melts. There’s so much that goes into it. Even if I’m the consumer on an assembly belt, a feedpig in a line of faceless feedpigs, I find the effort they’ve put in to maximize enjoyment absolutely incredible.
However, in the end, it’s right to do what’s right. We must move on and figure out better ways. McDonald’s is now an evil company, it’s garbage food, overpriced (I looked the other day: nine dollars USD for just a mcrib sandwich!!!), and terrible for you. It’s time to find greener pastures and let it go. Support local, progressive businesses, as it’s better for you, better quality, and weirdly also cheaper than right wing corporate industrifeed places like mcdonalds. Even a decent Vietnamese Bahn Mi is untouchable and is absolutely full of fresh vegetables and other fresh ingredients.
