Don't throw away your old phone box — you might need it in an emergency

That cardboard box in your closet can come in handy more often than you’d think.

By Erin Carson Nov. 10, 2026 11:45 am EST Loner Nguyen/Shutterstock Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

There's a specific type of anxiety that comes with deciding what to do with a box. Do you immediately throw it away? Do you stash it in a closet with about 20 other boxes that store little more than your own guilt? If you chuck it, you might need it for some unknown purpose in the future. But if you don't, that box might just sit in your home indefinitely.