Do you have a ‘random nuts and bolts tub’?

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Does every household have a ‘random nuts and bolts tub’, or is that just me? I don’t know how it started, but this collection of odd nuts and bolts, screws and nails has been gradually growing over the years. Maybe there are just one or two bolts left over from a pack, or a couple of screws that came as an optional extra with something but were not needed, or even a loose bolt that I’ve seen on the roadside and picked up, plus a few random handles, hinges and the like. But in they all go to await a future use. If I need a set of screws of a specific size to make some shelves, for example, then I will dig out the pack of the appropriate size. But when something breaks or just one thing is needed for some task, my first port of call is often the ‘nuts and bolts tub’. I tip the lot out onto a tray (so I don’t have to spend ages picking each item off the floor afterwards) and have a rummage around, and more often than not I will find something to do the job I need. The latest was a bolt to repair the loppers my partner just managed to break, over-enthusiastically attacking an overgrown shrub. What would I do without it? All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2023.