Is it obsessive compulsive for a person that lives alone to label storage bins?

I also think it’s just being neat and tidy. Also, labels are cool.

Now, if you start writing your name on each item in the container, you might have a problem.

Only if the storage bins leave no room to get out the door.

Labeling storage is the smart thing to do.

No. I’d do it if I had so much stuff that it could be categorized and stored in bins.

Oh, good grief. No matter how many people you do or don’t live with, why wouldn’t it be useful and practical to make it easy to identify what’s in containers? Unless your friend is a trained therapist, she should just mind her own business.

Anyway, what if you were? Does that mean you shouldn’t label your containers?

I have a crush on the OP and all of the people who have answered so far.

I have to ask though, why label? Are you helping the burglar to know as to where expensive stuff is prior to police response?

Batteries, light bulbs by wattage, and taxes by year is not burglar worthy.

Next time your friend comes by, without a word, slap a label on her that reads, “Friend”. Say nothing. Just go about your business.

My Brother P-Touch is my friend.

If I had labeled my storage I wouldn’t have to travel 120 miles round trip to get a copy of my daughter’s birth certificate for Little League. before you ask, it’s more of a hassle to go online to get a copy

^Perfect example of why labeling is worth while.

@jonsblond They want a birth certificate to enroll a child in little league? This Papers Please thing has gone too far!

@glacial crazy, isn’t it? Little League is serious business.

You know why I think it’s a great idea? ‘Cause I label stuff too.

I love my label maker!

I do not think it’s obsessive compulsive unless you label every single item in your house…this includes the house itself.

No. Labeling storage bins? Seems perfectly normal to me. If you also label your dresser drawers and kitchen cabinets then I think it might be OCD or maybe you are losing your memory (which of course is a serious matter and unrelated to OCD).

I have little boxes in my bathroom closet that label. One full of mini shampoos and soaps, one full of medications, one full of sewing thread and needles, and a few others. Why would I want to bother opening every box every time I need something out of one. I don’t use those boxes much so I don’t remember which one is where. I have 5 plastic small bins of travel items. One with the FL and GA, another international, another TN, AR, MO, aother NY, etc. Why would I want to pull them all down, at a glance I can see what states I have where, and what I don’t. I am one of the least organized people I know and I still do some of that.

No it’s not OC to label your storage containers etc. It’s sensible and organised. If you’re looking for something, it’s handy to know ‘all the xxx are in that place’. Plus, while you might live alone I’m sure you have visitors occasionally.

I like it! I label some things but really should do more. I have a DYMO Rhino PRO 5000. It is great.
Label away! Just don’t label the label maker.

@LuckyGuy I put one on mine… Its name is OMG Labels!.

@LuckyGuy I have the DYMO Letratag. I love it.

It’s starting to become a problem when you place sticky labels on the dog or the toilet…or even your vibrator, that would shake me up a bit.

Labeling makes things more organized and easier to find, plain and simple.

No. Try labeling everything, yet leaving it all strewn about, not stored away, but having it all logged in a spreadsheet with numbered categories. That would be obsessive compulsive for the single.

Why is your ‘friend’ stirring up trouble? Being neat and orderly is a good thing. And it’s a personal thing. Is she more of a slob? Maybe she is jealous.

I noticed you wrote in topics that all your canned goods are lined up. Would it happen to be that you are a little obsessive compulsive? That it isn’t just labeling bins, but there are examples all over your house, and your house is never with somethng out of place? I am not assuming, just asking.

@JLeslie No, not everything is in order. The canned goods are lined up so I can see the label and know what I have or need before I go to the store.
I have a dog that gets paw prints on the kitchen floor and I don’t mop daily.

@chyna Is your neighbor a slob?

Why? I don’t know my neighbors. We all have acre size properties so we don’t actually see each other.

I meant your friend, my mistake.

My dad is a slob boarding on hoarder and he things my husband are obsessively neat, and we are very far from that.

Hah, I have all my canned goods lined up, facing forward. I sort my clothing by colour, pattern and type, including socks and undergarments. My house is usually very organized. I say usually because my partner is incredibly untidy. However, she does say she has an organization to her disorganization. My dog is like a toddler. It is amazing how much mess a 9.6 pound dog can make. Within 5 minutes, her toys can end up everywhere on both levels of the house (she has a toy-box of sorts). Like @chyna, I will not clean paw prints up daily (unless they are mud gobbed). I’m not sure what label I’d fall under. I don’t break into a sweat and have anxiety attacks if things are not how I deem they should be….well, not usually. Being routine and organized helps me cope better with other psychological conditions I have.

Labeling storage containers just makes good sense. The only time I don’t label storage stuff is when the container is completely unique and used often (like the pretty little box that holds my sewing stuff). I know what’s in there, and it’s usually out in the open somewhere.

I love my label maker, but find it too much trouble to haul it out just for one thing. So most of my cardboard boxes in the basement are labeled with a marker. Still labeled, though!