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There’s a spot in my apartment where the term “miscellaneous” lives freely. There is no organization, no consistency in any way, shape, or form. It’s a place where chaos thrives – where random is encouraged and tidiness is nowhere to be found. It’s the wild west of the apartment and you can find all sorts of stuff inside of it.
It’s called the junk drawer, and it houses everything from cigarettes to pizza coupons; condoms (LOL), spare change, tape, scissors, receipts, and mail that you’ve deemed somewhere in between important and insignificant – all of that stuff resides here.
There’s probably a stapler that you never use, some stamps, a few paper clips, and maybe even a laser pointer. All of this shit is tossed into this drawer nonchalantly and left there to be picked up at an unspecified later date.
I was recently told that the junk drawer is “Midwest as fuck” which is the reason I’m writing this. I thought this was something that everyone had, but if you don’t I’m telling you now that you need to have one.
I pride myself on keeping a relatively tidy apartment. I love cleanliness – it’s why I take two showers a day and have drawers exclusively for sweaters and another one for sweatshirts. I like things to be kept in place and it’s because of this that I don’t often lose things.
All of my stuff has a designated area that never changes. If I need a spatula or some other cooking utensil, I know exactly which drawer in my kitchen to go for. If I need flour or olive oil there’s a cabinet for that, too.
Depending on who is visiting me and how much I like them, they’ll either get a red SOLO cup from above my refrigerator for their drink or their pick of glassware from a cabinet designated exclusively for glasses.
But when it comes to the stuff that I bring in from the wilderness sometimes I find myself at a loss for where to put it. And that is precisely where the junk drawer comes in.
Get home and see a new restaurant has placed a menu with coupons propped up next to your front door? Junk drawer. Find a dollar bill in your lint filled pants pocket? That’s going in the junk drawer, too. I recently found a half of a pack of perfectly good American Spirits on my way home from the bar. Those are also currently living in my junk drawer.
What I love about this drawer is its randomness. I’d bet there’s ten dollars in change in there right now that I’ll use at some point to buy some cheese fries from the drunk spot down the street from me.
You just don’t know what you’re going to find in there, but you can bet your ass that if you’re looking for a certain something and you have no idea where it could be, the first place to look is that junk drawer because nine times out of ten you’re going to find it in there.
It’s a spot for quick access, usually located in the kitchen but at the same time very far removed from your drawers for utensils like forks, knives, and other kitchen accessories.
I’ve heard that many people will organize their junk drawer, going so far as to put dividers up or arranging compartments so that they can easily find things. To that all I say “get the hell out of here.” The only person who organizes a fucking junk drawer is Martha Stewart.
The whole point of the junk drawer is chaos. Otherwise, you would have put it in a different area of your house. Embrace the randomness of it. You’ve already conceded that you have no earthly idea where to put this thing, so when it gets placed in the junk drawer just know that you may have to do a little digging. Junk drawers are not meant to be organized or tamed. Let them run wild. You never know what you’re going to find in there..
Image via Better Homes And Garden
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jduda@grandex.co
From the Midwest and can confirm every place I’ve lived has had a useful junk drawer. Top-notch journalism, Johnny.
People prefacing statements with “I’m from the Midwest…” is worse than “I’m from New York…”
Just kidding y’all. Stirring the pot. Happy Halloween!
Parents house had junk drawers in 3 separate rooms. Never knew what you were gonna find in there
Duda’s writing is pure supply side economics. We didn’t need an article about a drawer…until now.
Trickle down baby
Voodoo Blogonomics
Unfortunately, my entire house is a junk drawer.
Junk House
I have been decluttering lately to help get rid of PMWS (Post Monday Work Stress) and found that aggressively throwing useless things from junk drawers into the garbage is very, very satisfying.
Can confirm. Recently did this because my junk drawer was so full that it got stuck.
Cleaned out the junk drawer this past weekend. Tamed the cords, threw out the pepper packets/ year old soy sauce packets. 12 lighters and match books from The Lodge now in a ziplock. Felt great.
Username does NOT check out.
Can’t argue with you there.
Not just a Midwest thing. My family has always had one and we’re in Philly.
Had a junk drawer in my house in Northern Massachusetts growing up, actually we had 3. Now in my tiny apartment in Boston I have a junk table because my kitchen has ONE drawer.
Woah, no need to flex on people with your 3 junk drawers from your childhood. Not all of us grew up so privileged.
I don’t think a junk drawer is just a Midwest thing. I grew up in MD and live in the south now, have always had a junk drawer. I actually have 2 now.
What’s more likely, Duda using a rubber or Dorn bringing back the forums?
My grandfather always called it a “good things” drawer because that’s where he kept all the good things he had no idea what to do with
Bf never had a junk drawer until I moved in. Now he goes there first when looking for things and is pleasantly surprised that he can almost always find what he wants.