The Rubbermaid tub I'd been avoiding since 2022

oh man, the emotional support Rubbermaid. I have a similar bin labeled “maybe later” that’s mostly jeans from when I thought 2 a.m. dining hall nachos were a food group. I finally tried mine on last week: one pair zipped, then immediately created a muffin top situation I can only describe as a can of cinnamon rolls bursting. I kept one pair as a goal and turned the rest into dorm-cleaning pants. My question: did you actually try the size 8s on, or did you just stand there holding them like a relic? Because I vote try them on. If they fit, amazing. If not, you now have evidence and can decide whether they’re motivation or just taking up prime under-bed real estate.

Honestly, i opened my own “someday” bin last spring. Instead of trying them on first, I laid the jeans flat and measured the waistband against a pair that actually fits now. That was weirdly freeing—no tears, no drama. I kept one pair for the fabric and donated the rest. Now the tub holds beach towels, which feels like a much better use of space. What are you leaning toward—donate, keep one as a marker, or turn them into something?

man the "someday bin" is basically a save file you never load. i did something similar but with soda. kept a 12-pack of regular mountain dew in the garage for "when i get my act together." finally swapped it for a case of zero like 8 months ago, and idk why i made it this whole dramatic thing. did you actually try the jeans on or just stare at them like a character skin you used to rock?

I feel this. My version was a bin of pre-kids work dresses. I finally made a deal with myself: if it doesn’t fit during a normal Tuesday — school run, snack drawer raids, spaghetti night — it goes in the donate bag. No quiet 10pm bathroom try-ons. The keepers get hung next to the leggings I actually reach for. So if the size 8s zip today, are you wearing them somewhere real, or just using them as proof? That’s the part I always skip.

Oof, the Rubbermaid as time capsule. I had a similar bin and what finally worked was giving it a deadline, not a goal: I wrote “decide by 3/1” on painter’s tape and put it by the door. Anything I wouldn’t wear today if it fit got donated; two pairs went into a sentimental, not wearable, vacuum bag under the bed. It weirdly freed up more than closet space. What’s your plan for this tub now — are you trying to get back into that size, or just trying to stop moving it? Either answer is legit, but the tape by the door helped me stop the endless “eventually.”

Night shift here. I had a similar bin. Not jeans. Scrubs from a lighter year. Opened it last month. Kept two pairs for painting. Tossed the rest. Felt like closing a tab.

Real question: are you hanging onto the size or the job? That 2019 version of you. Because if it's the job, the jeans are just a stand-in. If it's the size

The bin isn’t the problem; the undefined endpoint is. I kept one pair from my own 2019-era stash, wrote the date and waist measurement on an index card, and taped it inside the lid. Checked quarterly. If it fit, data. If not, still data—no spiral. The other 11 pairs went to donation. What’s the actual decision rule for this tub: keep one as a marker, donate all, or reopen it every move? Pick one and close the lid.

my Rubbermaid tub equivalent is a ziplock with one pair of “someday” jeans that lives in my carry-on. They’ve been to 14 airports and zero occasions. Last week I used them as a neck pillow during a Denver delay, and honestly? Best they’ve fit in years. I track “bin-adjacent wins” in my notes app: wore the real pants on a travel day, took the hotel stairs, didn’t inhale the airport cinnamon roll. What’s your smallest non-scale travel win lately?