# Things other people consider "disposable" that you don't **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568 "2015-07-30T11:40:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/1 "2015-07-30T11:40:04Z")
My wife asked me if I had a thumb drive to transfer some work files. I took the one off my keys and handed it to her. She took it to the job she’s quitting, handed it to her supervisor, and left it. I once left a thumb drive full of photos with my parents to transfer to their computer. They seemed surprised when I asked for it back on a later visit. Am I wrong here, or is it just because it’s a small item and _they_ didn’t pay $20 for it? If it was a portable hard drive I don’t think there would be any question I wanted it back. It’s not about the money, but it’s that I spent a while picking out a flash drive that I liked and I used it a lot. What are some other things other people seem to consider “disposable” or implicitly “gifts” that you don’t? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/2 "2015-07-30T12:37:12Z")
Our Hav-A-Hart trap. IIRC it cost around $60. I use it to relocate any raccoons or opossums that move into our barn, so I need it for a week or so every year or two. People ask to borrow it all the time but the only way I get it back is to remember who borrowed it last and ask. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/3 "2015-07-30T13:08:48Z")
On the flip side, I view as disposable the plastic leftover containers we give our guests with some extra food to take home after a party. If it’s glass, I want it back, otherwise, you can keep it. Most people return them. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/4 "2015-07-30T13:31:18Z")
I guess “pets” is too easy an answer, hunh? ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/5 "2015-07-30T13:43:23Z")
I was brought up in a household that kept all the plastic containers that margarine and Cool Whip came in. After a while, just how many of these does a person need? So now I consider them disposable although my parents certainly don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/6 "2015-07-30T14:29:50Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > My wife asked me if I had a thumb drive to transfer some work files. I took the one off my keys and handed it to her. She took it to the job she’s quitting, handed it to her supervisor, and left it. > > I once left a thumb drive full of photos with my parents to transfer to their computer. They seemed surprised when I asked for it back on a later visit. > > Am I wrong here, or is it just because it’s a small item and _they_ didn’t pay $20 for it? If it was a portable hard drive I don’t think there would be any question I wanted it back. It’s not about the money, but it’s that I spent a while picking out a flash drive that I liked and I used it a lot. > > What are some other things other people seem to consider “disposable” or implicitly “gifts” that you don’t? You are definitely right. It seems crazy to think of a device that has your files on it as something to just pass around. It’s no different than a phone or MP3 Player albeit not as expensive. As far as your general question, my parents grew up in homes that had just got out of the Depression which made them both pack rats. It’s in my blood and I have to fight those impulses or I too will save everything “just in case”. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/7 "2015-07-30T14:33:42Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I was brought up in a household that kept all the plastic containers that margarine and Cool Whip came in. After a while, just how many of these does a person need? So now I consider them disposable although my parents certainly don’t. Ditto. I just won’t use them as food storage. My mother labels and marks everything she puts in the freezer. Rice in old yogurt/sour cream containers, for examples. As a teenager, I once found chicken fat in a sherbert container and felt seriously robbed! > [@saje](#): > > I guess “pets” is too easy an answer, hunh? I came to post “pets”, too. My mom and I have an agreement – if she goes, I will take her cats. If I go, she takes mine, even the little one who hates everyone (he’ll come around eventually). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/8 "2015-07-30T14:39:37Z")
Pennies. I’ve been saving them for years, and now have several hundred dollars’ worth. And I once found a fairly valuable one in a parking lot. Twist ties. I reuse them, until they’re worn out. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/9 "2015-07-30T15:03:40Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I was brought up in a household that kept all the plastic containers that margarine and Cool Whip came in. After a while, just how many of these does a person need? So now I consider them disposable although my parents certainly don’t. The last time I dropped a fecal sample off at the vet it was in an old margarine tub. The receptionist asked if I wanted the container back! When I chuckled she mentioned that some people bring samples in using their good Tupperware and want the container back. Imagine taking home some leftovers from their dinner party!. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/10 "2015-07-30T15:06:13Z")
Ziplock bags. They’re just not flimsy enough to throw away after one use…unless it had raw meat in it. My kids’ babysitter thought thought I was a cheap bitch for washing them and reusing them. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/11 "2015-07-30T15:52:08Z")
I’m always surprised at how quickly people are done with their laptops. 3-5 years and they “get slow” and it’s time to move on. I think maybe some people buy low-end laptops and maybe they are too slow for software that comes out in 3-5 years. But I also think they get viruses and malware that they don’t clean up. As a computer-aware person, I bought something with processing power that closely matched my desktop and I keep it clean. I don’t see needing a new laptop for many more than 5 years (but yes another factor is I don’t use it as my daily machine). ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/12 "2015-07-30T15:56:11Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > The last time I dropped a fecal sample off at the vet it was in an old margarine tub. The receptionist asked if I wanted the container back! When I chuckled she mentioned that some people bring samples in using their good Tupperware and want the container back. > > Imagine taking home some leftovers from their dinner party!. Hahaha, I just used an \*\*\*old \*\*\*Tupperware container. But my vet also asked if I wanted it back! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/13 "2015-07-30T16:06:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > The last time I dropped a fecal sample off at the vet it was in an old margarine tub. The receptionist asked if I wanted the container back! When I chuckled she mentioned that some people bring samples in using their good Tupperware and want the container back. > > Imagine taking home some leftovers from their dinner party!. > [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Hahaha, I just used an \*\*\*old \*\*\*Tupperware container. But my vet also asked if I wanted it back! Receptionist: Sir, this is meat loaf. You: Uh-oh! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/14 "2015-07-30T16:08:03Z")
:D:D:D Priceless! ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/15 "2015-07-30T16:14:52Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Am I wrong here, or is it just because it’s a small item and _they_ didn’t pay $20 for it? If it was a portable hard drive I don’t think there would be any question I wanted it back. It’s not about the money, but it’s that I spent a while picking out a flash drive that I liked and I used it a lot. That’s just rude. If someone gives me a USB flashdrive of data, I copy the data off there and give back the flashdrive. I don’t see any reason I am entitled to keep it. Although they have gotten cheaper over the years, they certainly aren’t free. If I intend to give people data without getting anything back, I burn it to a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/16 "2015-07-30T16:25:35Z")
Nodding my head in agreement with the parents who saved everything…especially margarine tubs. My dad, who was the epitome of organization, had each size of nail or screw stored in separate margarine tubs, all nicely labeled, down on his tool bench in the basement. I still have a shelf in my basement full of just such tubs, nicely labeled and full of small items or spare parts. Saves time and money in the long run. In the old days, we used glass jars for this purpose, but almost nothing comes in a glass jar anymore. I love to make my own soup and am just a bit famous for it in my neighborhood. I usually take a big plastic container full of fresh made soup to the home of anyone who’s been ill or is just home from the hospital. Often, the soup is still hot, so I’d grab a dish towel to wrap around the container so I could carry it easily and I’d generally leave the towel with the recipient, too, for the same reason. I’ll quite often get the plastic container back, but I’ve never once gotten my towel back. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/17 "2015-07-30T16:59:49Z")
My mother washes out and reuses plastic bags - not only heavier zip-lock bags, but bread bags. I’m retired, but I’m not so broke that I can’t afford a box of generic storage bags. I had an aunt who used to wash and reuse aluminum foil. Um, just no. I reuse take-out containers, but I don’t think that’s too unusual. I recycle a lot, but I can’t think of anything that I reuse that someone would consider unusual. Sometimes a dryer sheet. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/18 "2015-07-30T17:01:54Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > Nodding my head in agreement with the parents who saved everything…especially margarine tubs. My dad, who was the epitome of organization, had each size of nail or screw stored in separate margarine tubs, all nicely labeled, down on his tool bench in the basement. That’s awesome 🙂 Much better than the “glass mayo jars full of every size of screw” and “this one says bolts” the rest of us will inherit! ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/19 "2015-07-30T17:14:24Z")
Money. I keep hearing about disposable income. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568/20 "2015-07-31T00:05:26Z")
Coffee cans and canisters - they are just handy for kitchen storage Shoe boxes. I keep old mail in them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-consider-disposable-that-you-dont/726568.md?page=2)