elnan

Our cat's favorite place to sleep is in a Banana box from Costco. We had an old wheeled desk chair from a thrift store. DH removed the seat and replaced it with a plywood platform, put an edge on so the box would not slide off. Put an old bed pillow in the box, adjusted the height and rolled it against the wall under a large window. He leaps into the box, then goes onto the window ledge.
Outside the side entrance door is a small patio table of the type used to set drinks or potted plants on. Under that table is just enough room for a cardboard box that is a snug fit for the cat. He likes to curl up in that box if there is no one available to let him into the house. The box protects him from rain and wind. He also uses it as a refuge from unwelcome visitors, such as feral cats that show up around the time that people in the area are setting off fireworks. There will often be a showdown to decide who gets the box.
I use a medium to large sized box to store flattened cartons and boxes in until they can be taken to the recycle pickup in the next town, a distance of about 7 miles from our house.
I do save the pretty bags for gifts, storing them in a large sterilite plastic box along with wrapping paper and gift tags.

Banana peels, potato peelings, egg shells, and coffee grounds all get composted and returned to the flower beds. I even scrape out the keurig cups and throw the coffee grounds into the flower beds. I do a lot of things that other people think is silly. I figure that is their problem, not mine.
A very dumb thing I did in "saving" was to put wood ashes from the stove onto the ground around a huge red rhododendron. That killed the plant. I just can't get the difference between acid and alkaline straight in my head.

Bearisgray, you verbalize some very interesting thoughts.