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I finally understood why my grandpa saved every single piece of twine and string he ever touched
He was a farmer in Kansas who told me it cost him 80 cents a mile to haul hay in 1972 and that one loose knot could cost him a whole afternoon's work, so now I untie every package string and roll it into a ball just like he did.
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avery2191mo ago
One loose knot could cost him a whole afternoon's work" - that line really stuck with me. My dad had the same thing with binder twine from hay bales, he'd yell at us kids if we cut it instead of untying it. Now I sit there picking at knots on Amazon packages like a crazy person. It's weird how those little things stick with you once you know the reason behind them.
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allen.kai1mo ago
Man that hits hard. My grandpa was the same way with old coffee cans and screws, wouldn't throw a single one away. It's funny how those little habits stick with you once you realize the story behind them.
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The coffee can thing drove me nuts as a kid until my grandpa showed me his secret system. He had them all labeled by size with masking tape and a sharpie - 8 penny nails in the Folgers can, drywall screws in the Chock Full o'Nuts one. If you're picking up the habit, trust me, get a cheap label maker from the office supply store before you end up with thirty unmarked cans like I did. Takes the chaos out of it and keeps your partner from throwing them away when they clean the garage.
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