It happens often—you stock up on office supplies, many of those including stuff you can use to ship items, and then the supplies sit there unused for years. You forget about them (much like other home essentials that have been untouched for ages) and they continue to sit there.

What gives? If you’re going to spend the money on supplies, you surely meant to use them at some point, right?

Well, we all have good intentions on most of our purchases. Shipping supplies is no different. Life just . . . gets in the way. But luckily, there are ways to make use of those supplies you once intended to use, and you can have fun using them, too. It may take a tad bit of work on your end, but it almost always guarantees to make someone else (and yourself!) happy in the long run.

• Send a memento to an old friend. When life gets in the way of your household and items you don’t use, it also tends to impede close friendships. People move away. You fall out of touch. What better way to rekindle a friendship than to randomly send a piece of memorabilia to an old-time friend of yours? Pack it in a box, tape it up, label it, and ship it out. They’ll be surprised and see that you cared enough to think of them.
• Mail a care package. Whether you choose to send one of these to your elder family members that you can’t always visit or someone you know who’s away at college, care packages are nice little surprises for people that may not always be able to get out and buy snacks and essentials. These also live up to their name in that they show you care when you send them to someone close.
• Organize your house. Do you have stuff lying around but don’t have a place for it? Think about using some of your cardboard boxes and packaging tape to put away what’s unneeded. You can simply box up the clutter and store it in the attic, basement, or a closet (especially since it’s tough to throw certain things away).

There you have it. Three simple ways to repurpose the shipping supplies you once bought but never got around to using. Whether you’re making an old friend’s day, making your kid at college smile, or decluttering your home, you can be sure to get some use out of these common items that you’ve neglected for too long.