The Usefulness of Cardboard at Big Events

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I’ve now made my way down to the heart of Tennessee for the best week of the year twice in a row now, and that celebrated title goes to The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

Camping out among one hundred thousand other people stoked to see similar shows that I’m into, eat the most amazing food you can think of, and be among beautiful people is the highlight of my year for two straight years. As much as I love the music, I love the experience, culture, and community with the people even more.

That’s why setting up your campsite to be “home base” is so important so that you can hang with other people, have a good time, and still get the sleep you need (which is a huge functional part of the festival weekend that many people forget about).

So, I decided to stop and revisit my experience this past weekend to write down what I must bring next year, and I’ve figured out a few things that are must haves for my future Bonnaroos. But one thing that stuck out to me as useful kind of surprised it.

Without realizing it until after the festival, I suddenly figured out how absolutely useful cardboard boxes would’ve been as storage at my campsite. There were so many things scattered around camp by the time Sunday came around that we had a somewhat tough time of finding what we needed, when we needed it. This could have saved precious time while also fending off losing anything we may have let wander into someone else’s campsite.

I know that next year we’ll be packing more appropriate and useful items while also cutting back on things we really didn’t need as much, so adding cardboard boxes to my list of things I have to have is important to me. The best part about it that is in spirit of Bonnaroo is that cardboard is free, easy to assemble, and biodegradable in a way that plastic containers are not. These three things make it the perfect item to have when it comes to keeping all of your loose things in a storage container that you know it’ll be in when you go to find it in the mornings or evenings back at camp.

While a lot of festival attendees may not think of cardboard as ultra useful, I’m beginning to realize it’s what I need from every year here on out.

Choosing a Favorite Candy

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I’ve never been a big fan of candy or ever claimed to have a sweet tooth in the slightest, and I think part of that comes from my love for savory foods more than just about anything.

https://youtu.be/hjcKrfkIPu0

Besides, anytime I want to eat something sweet (especially containing chocolate), I absolutely have to have a glass of milk near me to cut the sweetness. Considering milk is my favorite drink anyway, this comes as no surprise to me and those who know me well. But the whole “too sweet for me” thing is quite real, especially when milk isn’t on tap.

So, I’m not often found browsing the candy boxes shelves at local stores when getting groceries, and that’s just simply because I never, ever seem to eat candy. If someone gives me candy as a gift add on, as a stocking stuffer, or just for fun on Halloween and Easter, I’ll pick through the few that I enjoy more and munch on them from time to time. But I honestly don’t crave candy in the slightest.

One thing I can remark on regarding candy, though, is my favorite types. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy chocolates and chocolate sweets with milk any given time, though I don’t seek out pure chocolate bars like some people do.

And on the opposite end of the candy spectrum, I do not enjoy hard candies. The stickiness, pure sugar aspect, and how hard it can be on your teeth do not appeal to me. I always feel like I’m digging pieces of hardened sugar out of my teeth after eating them, and if I don’t happen to crunch through these candies to speed up the eating process, I end up sucking on them for far too long, which then feels like I’m slowly eroding my enamel with full awareness of what’s happening.

So, rather than those two, my favorite type of candy rests somewhere in the middle with gummies. Gummies aren’t hard on your teeth whatsoever so long as you clean your mouth properly afterwards. They’re fun to suck on for a few seconds before tearing them apart and swallowing. I don’t mind grabbing a few candy boxes of gummies from the store anytime I’m about to see a movie and want to save money, so the blue sharks, the rainforest frogs, the Haribo bears, and other like candies are what you’ll find me enjoying the most.

A Big Question

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Often you can find me writing about topics that have meaning to me or tie into my recent life doing. Sometimes, it’ll be about my hobbies and adventures, so you’ll begin to see more things centered around festivals, road trips, hiking, concerts, and camping. And at other points, you’ll see the lifestyle articles, such as pieces on organization, budgeting, and indoor improvements to your home.

Today, I’m leaning a little more towards the latter. In fact, I’ve recently proposed to my girlfriend of almost 3 years, and so I’m kind of interested in chatting about something a lot of people don’t consider: the ring box.

Here’s the thing to consider: most jewelers will give you a box with a place for the ring to sit. This is mostly for proposing and showcasing the ring itself so that it can be on display when opened but easily portable and hidden on the go.

But the thing is, those little boxes are hardly ever easily hidden when you’ve yet to pop the question. They’re always too big for real pockets. They’re so bulky that even putting them somewhere else, like a small bag or satchel, will cause a bulge.

There just never seems to be a low profile box for you to carry your ring in safely while not drawing attention to itself. I always thought there should be some way for a box to be a thing and low profile while the ring is stored, yet able to be manipulated in a way that the ring can be on display once the box is opened. I mean, honestly, what’s so tough to make a few small adjustments to a box so that it can prop the ring up (even if it needs to be done manually) when it’s open, yet the ring can lay flat and discreet when it’s closed. There should be no reason that an impression must be noticed in your pocket if you’re about to ask because that’s a dead giveaway that you’re about to propose.

It’s not like it needs to be high tech. All I’m saying is that the current “boxes” you’re given by jewelers are glorified mini cardboard boxes. Yes, I truly think that they hand out tiny cardboard boxes that happen to have some cushioning inside that protects the ring.

To me, they can do better than this for customers that spend upwards of 3 or 4 thousand dollars on average. (In fact, the actual average seems to be above $5,500 in current times. Couldn’t the jeweler find a way to spend 50 bucks on a ring box that is nice, discreet, and useable for other rings, too?)

Rainy Day Plans for the Summer

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Now that we’re beyond Memorial Day Weekend and June is just a few days away, there’s only one major holiday in sight for the next handful of months.

Well, at least there’s only one holiday that matters for children in the next few months. While adults still have Father’s Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day all within the next 100 days, kids usually only look forward to Independence Day as it’s the only one “exciting” and fun for them out of that spread.

So, what’s a good way to keep your kids having fun throughout the summer while also feeling like they have weekends to look forward to from one month to the next?

My proposal? Trips to the movies.

Kids love going to the theaters, even if they don’t necessarily enjoy the actual film. There’s something about popcorn, candy, a big dark room, and the first time seeing a new film. It’s mysterious. It’s engaging. It’s unique.

Basically, kids look at a trip to the movies as a mini holiday of sorts. And there’s no better way to fill summer weekends (especially those that rain out any plans you may have had for them) than with a trip to the theater.

If you’re looking to cut back on costs during these weekends, too, the number one thing I can tell you is to spend money for a small bucket of popcorn and don’t buy candy boxes at the theater. In fact, you may only have to spend enough for your ticket, your kids’ tickets, and then a single small popcorn if you play your cards right.

Here’s the thing: You’re either a mom who has access to a purse to bring in or you’re a dad with big pockets. Guess what you can sneak into the theater so that you don’t have to pay for candy inside? That’s right: candy boxes from the store.

And with a small popcorn for your kids, you can just refill it every time they need more. What’s better than saving money while also preoccupying your kids for a nice day at the films? If you’re able to keep the costs under 20 or 25 bucks, you’ve definitely mastered the art of rainy day plans. And since you’ll be saving each time you go, you’ll be able to take your kids more often. Our suggestion is to keep it to once a month max just so the special feeling doesn’t go away from overexposure.

Budgeting Is a Lifestyle

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I’ve been budgeting with my partner for just over a week now, and I can honestly say I’ve fully bought into the mindset of not spending any money unless you need to. Of course, we have allocated funds for entertainment and “blow” money each month, but it’s an absolute fraction of what we used to spend.

The thing that’s so fascinating to me is how easy it has been making the transition from not budgeting at all to being on a rather strict budget. I think the biggest factor in accepting this lifestyle change is working together with my partner. If it weren’t for her giving it a try as well, I think I would be far less inclined to change my ways. But since we can hold one another accountable, we’re more likely to stick with it and succeed.

Another thing that has goaded us into spending much less is looking back at our spending habits over the course of the last month. Seeing the ungodly high amounts of money we spent on alcohol and eating out was the perfect scare tactic into never doing that again.

So, we’ve started to see minor changes in the way we look at things. Heck, it’s made us want to keep our apartment more tidy and clean as well. I’ve begun organizing things in cardboard boxes (especially storage items). I never knew how useful cardboard boxes could be until now, and I find myself wanting to keep the boxes we end up with just in case I need them down the road.

Ultimately, budgeting is a way of life. It’s not a temporary thing that needs to happen for a few months until you’ve saved what you need. No, it’s something you commit to in order to live better down the road, save more, and treat yourself when you truly deserve it. If you’re out spending money all over the place, all the time, you’ll never really know what it means to treat yourself because 1) you’ll have less money later on to treat yourself with and 2) you’ll always be splurging, meaning you never really appreciate what spending a little extra looks like.

I’ve never been more sure of something in the way I live until now, and it’s great that we made the change now before looking to buy a house next year. We’ve already projected a budget plan over the next year that should help us immensely in closing on a great house for us before our wedding, and I can already get excited for a great honeymoon too!