Skip to main content

My mug shot

Image
By
This is every mug I own.


How many did I buy? Zero. They seem to just appear.

I don't even drink tea or coffee. In winter I have might have a hot chocolate or cocoa. So 9 mugs seems like a lot.

How does this happen?

I reckon most mugs are gifts. There are two reasons for this.

1. It's a safe bet. People need to drink. It's kind of like buying your dad socks for father's day. But the difference is that socks wear out and need replacing. Cups don't. One of these mugs i received as a kid in the 90s. It still works fine. Now it has 8 friends.

2. It's often for what's on the mug. It might be a greeting card-style message, or a sports team logo, or something humorous. It's a good thing that something functional can also provide an inspiring message or pleasant memory as you use it.

But the problem comes when we have too much. If I use the cup my sister gave me at Christmas, then I'm not using the 'awesome brother' one she already gave me. And I'm not using the one mum gave me either.

So what to do?

If it were a different item I'd take photos of the memorable/sentimental ones, scale down to what I need and recycle the rest. But ceramic cups aren't recyclable and throwing them into landfill seems just as wasteful as having a shelf full of cups sitting untouched for 9 months each year.

I've considered selling some, but doesn't everyone else also have too many mugs? Who would want more?

What do you think? How many mugs do you have?
Would you like one with cartoon bees on it?
Read more about:

Comments

  1. Anonymous24 August 2018 at 19:51

    This is funny, we also have more than we need. I used to like having mugs that all match, but now I love the story behind every mug that I have.

    In the spirit of recycling and being green I've seen cafes at universities with a basket of old mugs at the counter that you can use (and return, if you want) instead of the plastic cups. Maybe it can be donated to a cafe like that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. david1 September 2018 at 15:31

    Hi Anonymous.
    Thanks for the tip. That's a good idea. I'll keep an eye out for a cafe like that.
    Also, I did manage to sell the one with the bees on it. A teacher wanted a mug for her classroom desk for pencils and thought the bees would be a design the (small) kids would love.
    Far better than it sitting in the back of my cupboard.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My October challenge

By
Decluttering can be overwhelming. I've been stuck. Shelves and boxes and drawers full of stuff I should go through but not sure where to start. Aaagh - there's so much of it. The solution? So for myself (and for you if you want) I've developed a strategy. I've picked 31 categories in advance. I plan to tackle one item per day of October. If I miss a few that's OK. The point is to overcome overwhelm. To focus on one thing at a time. To move forward instead of being stuck. My favourite way to declutter is to sell online . (I even wrote a  free ebook of tips for selling online). I also like to recycle or upcycle things. Wanna join in? I've chosen categories where I think most people would have excess. If there's a category you have already dealt with, that's cool. Have a rest day - or go even further in one of the previous areas. The list Ok so here's my plan for this October. Bookmark this post or download the picture of my notes. For each category I ...
2 comments
Read more

The Latte Factor

By
For the first time ever I'm reviewing a novel. Latte Factor is a short story  - around 120 pages - and is equal parts of inspirational story and financial education. The combination of the two is quite rare, and done quite nicely. The story is about Zoey Daniels, associate editor for a travel magazine. Although she's never been outside the USA  - "a travel editor who's never travelled". She struggles with money and is considering a higher-paying job at the company her friend Jessica works for. The job would provide more income, but would also be more stressful and demanding. She already has a nightmare about being on an increasingly-fast treadmill that she struggles to stay on. Her current boss Barbara - aware only of the money situation - suggests she talk to Henry at the coffee shop. This peculiar suggestion is where Zoey's life begins to turn a corner. Spoiler Alert Being a book of fiction, I don't want to spoil the story for you. It's a book you ca...
Post a Comment
Read more

Less Clutter More Cash - now available

By
Do you feel like you have too much stuff? Is your home full of things you never use? Would you like to swap them for cash? We did My wife and I have sold more than 550 items online as we downsize and we've learnt a bit along the way. I've put some of our best tips into this handy ebook. I hope you can use these tips so you too can have less clutter and more cash. Enter your email address below to receive the book for free. Less Clutter More Cash Get my new ebook for free. PS. This will subscribe to the But Wait There's Less email list, so you'll know when the new updated version of the book is available. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Post a Comment
Read more