10 Things Every British Person Has in Their Junk Drawer

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10 Things Every British Person Has in Their Junk Drawer

Every British home seems to have that one drawer filled with a mish-mash of items, things you just can’t bring yourself to throw away. This drawer, often in the kitchen or living room, acts as a mini museum of everyday life, holding everything from half-dead batteries to takeaway menus from your once-favorite local chippy. Let’s open up this drawer and explore what you’re likely to find inside and why these items have earned their place in the chaos.

1. Batteries—at least four types, all half-dead

It’s a universal truth in British households that the junk drawer will contain an assortment of batteries. They’ll range from AAA to D size, and despite all being half-dead, they are kept just in case. We convince ourselves they might just work in an emergency, even though they rarely do. This collection often becomes a mix of brands and types, accumulated over years from various gadgets and Christmas gifts. The hope is that among these tired cells, there’ll be just enough juice left for whatever minor crisis arises.

2. One pair of scissors no one’s allowed to lose

In the chaos of the junk drawer lies a pair of scissors that holds a status almost sacred. These scissors are crucial for everything from cutting wrapping paper to snipping open packets of pasta. Despite their importance, they always end up back in the drawer, hidden under a pile of randomness. They are the unsung hero of household tools, always there when you need them, assuming you can find them.

3. Old birthday cards you never threw away

Tucked between manuals for appliances long gone and random receipts are old birthday cards. These cards, often from loved ones, are kept as mementos of affection and milestones. We keep them, telling ourselves we’ll look back on them, though in reality, they just move deeper into the drawer’s abyss with each passing year.

4. A mystery key to some door, somewhere

Every junk drawer houses a mysterious key. Its origin is unknown, but the fear of discarding what could be an important key to a crucial lock keeps it permanently in the drawer. It could be for an old shed, a previous home, or something yet to be discovered, but it stays, just in case its door reappears.

5. Random screws and wall plugs from IKEA

Ah, the remnants of many a flatpack furniture assembly! No matter how carefully you follow the instructions, you always end up with spare screws and wall plugs. Into the junk drawer they go, joining others from projects past, held in reserve for future furniture emergencies or perhaps to confuse during the next assembly.

6. Takeaway menus from places that closed in 2014

These menus represent hopeful Friday nights past, now out of business but not out of mind. We keep these menus as a culinary archive, a reminder of meals loved and lost. Despite the fact that many of these establishments have long since shut down, their menus live on in our junk drawers, a paper trail of our takeaway history.

7. A tangled mess of USB cables and wires

This inevitable nest of cables contains every type of connector from years gone by, despite most of them being obsolete. We keep them on the off chance that we’ll come across a device that might just need that one specific cable no one uses anymore.

8. A pen that works… sometimes

The pen in the junk drawer is a gamble. It might work when you quickly need to jot something down, or it might just leave a scratchy line. But the hope that it will work when absolutely needed keeps it from being thrown out. It’s a small act of faith, a belief in the power of second chances.

9. A torch with fading batteries “just in case”

Much like the batteries themselves, the torch lies in wait for a power cut or a nighttime adventure into the attic. It’s dim and unreliable, yet remains an essential part of the drawer’s inventory, a beacon of hope that it will shine brightly when required.

10. Half-used birthday candles and a rogue balloon

These festive remnants find their way into the drawer, leftovers from celebrations past. The candles might range from numbers to sparklers, and the rogue balloon might be slightly deflated, but together they hold the promise of future festivities, ready to be brought out for impromptu celebrations or to patch together a last-minute party.