How many Paper Clips do I need?

I had some unexpected spare time today, so I decided to clear out my desk drawers a task that has been desperately needed for a long time. It was amazing what I found, well ok it was interesting. Firstly it was very profitable, I found €25 and NZ $2, the former will be useful but the latter probably will not. I suppose this was put away after a foreign holiday with the thought that I would return to the draw and take the €25 for the first night’s shopping. It has probably declined in value two fold since then.

For somebody who uses computers all the time I found and incredible number of marker pens, and a huge number of paper clips. There were also four erasures and an old, very old digital camera. It would also appear that I had stashed every pair of Apple headphones that I have ever bought.

It set me wondering, why do we keep stuff, and why do we buy more stuff that we already possess. In my case I think that it is because I forget or cannot find what I already have. I also have a very bad habit of picking things up at conferences, which I think maybe useful like marker pens for instance. Now I probably only use a marker pen once a year, and that was when I was in full time employment. Maybe in my new academic course I will be marking away all the time.

I also start of with very good intentions; I will check that drawer before I need a paper clip and because I now know where everything is I will be able to find the offending paper clip. I will not buy a new paper clip for decades.

But hold on if I now use my stocks of paper clips that will last me years what happens to paper clip manufacturers, if everybody behaves like me then it will be a disaster for the paper clip industry. It was often said that in a similar case that mustard manufacturers make their profit from the mustard that is left on the side of the plate. So an unintended consequence of everybody de-cluttering their draws could be the demise of paper clip manufacturers.

By the way where are paper clips made and who by?