When it comes to possessions, everyone is different depending on the individual's tastes and demands.
After all, one man's trash is is another man's treasure, or so they say.
Possessions can also include intangible assets like ideas, talent, trademarks, and intellectual property.
While the list of these items is endless, there are some things people shouldn't go through life without having.
This was explored specifically applying to one gender when Redditorsimmer5523 asked:
"What is something every man should own?"
Listen up, gents.
Claiming Responsibility
"His f'kups."
– lrbiester
"Hi, Proud owner of many f'kups here, trying to be better."
– ghoul_legion
Staying Humble
"A self-awareness based sense of humor. I define this as a man understanding that it's okay to be the butt end of a joke. Don't hang your pride on being untouchable... if you lean into a joke, it passes you faster and nobody at all really cares. I have found that people think I'm more confident and charismatic than I actually feel."
– ManyThat9040
Stay Confident
"Self Respect."
– ChairmanSaab
"Sorry bro I lost that years ago along with any confidence in myself."
– danktt1
"You can always get it again."
– CharimanSaab
These can be practical necessities, regardless of gender.
This Holds
"A good quality bucket. You never know when you'll need it. This applies to everyone, not just men."
– Dhampyre-supreme
"And something in the larger size range."
– cCitationX
"Hey man, it’s not about size, it’s about how you use it."
– Christmas_Panda
Odds And Ends
"Add a flashlight with spare batteries, condom and Plan B, car jack, plunger, tire iron and weapon to the list of 'it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.'"
– 1vertical
These can definitely come in handy.
Dental Requirement
"A toothbrush."
– EnvironmentalMoney87
"I had a roommate once who didn't own a toothbrush. He just chewed gum and figured that was good enough. Some of the worst breath I've ever encountered."
– Nooples
Can't Live Without Them
"Tools, and a willingness to learn how to use them. Long term, there is practically no better investment."
– AdamOas
"The first rule of home repair and improvement : The one tool you do not yet own is the tool the next project will require."
– Proud-Wrongdoer5053
Cooking Essential
"A decent set of kitchen knives. Everyone, regardless of their gender should know how to cook."
– WhiskeysDead
"Chef’s knife, pairing knife, kitchen shears and a bread knife. Maybe a cleaver, that’s 95% of stabby/slicey/choppy kitchen related tasks."
– gratusin
These suggestions would help improve men's image.
Manner Of Dress
"Professional clothes."
"A suit is well and good, but a freshly ironed buttoned shirt and chinos with a belt will work too. A watch is also of benefit."
"As much as people say looks don't matter, it's a lie. The first thing you can possibly be judeged on is your appearance, second is how you carry yourself. Take care of your appearance, stand up straight, look forward, shoulders squared, look people in the eyes, and speak clearly."
"You don't need to always be looking or acting professional, but the ability to when necessary is invaluable. It's a great way to make a good first impression, which can open a lot of doors for you."
"You don't even need to be in good shape to do so. My brother is a heftier gent, and even still he has the ability to look very professional and carry himself in a way that draws both attention and respect."
– Nath_davies98
Stay Organized
"A good quality wallet. No velcro, football badge/camo effect effort. A nice wallet made of good quality material neatly containing all your important cards etc."
"Ladies spot these things."
– Specialist-Cake-9919
A handkerchief is something I like to carry when most guys don't.
They can easily go in men's pockets, and are not at all cumbersome to have on his person.
What's it good for?
To wipe off a moistened forehead, preventing runny noses, and wiping off armpit sweat before it appears on the expensive shirt he's wearing during a job interview.
The whole point is to never let them see you sweat–whether it's for a business meeting, giving presentations, or a first date.
Men can at least look classy on the outside under potentially intimidating scenarios with a hankie.
You're welcome.
A casual collector has a dedicated space to show off their prized possessions, but a hardcore collector doesn't know when to stop adding to their reserves.
I'm not ashamed to say I collect Starbucks mugs from cities I've traveled to around the world.
While one mug is sufficient for daily sipping, I like having several mugs to contribute to my shelf display commemorating my travels from locations far and wide.
Note that I left out the number of mugs in the collection to avoid shaming.
On that note, I'll save the discussion about my sneaker collection for another day.
Redditor FlintTheDad wanted to go further with their curiosity about the things strangers collect and asked:
"What do you own a ridiculous amount of?"
Can't Keep It Together
"Nuts and bolts. Every time I get a new thing that needs assembled, I keep the leftovers 'just in case.' Now I have a ton of random, particular nuts and bolts with severely limited applications and I just can't seem to throw them away."
How Plush
"Stuffed animals. Childhood me had a problem."
"Childhood me loved stuffed animals so much. Then I became an adult and realized how much better actual animals are. Grew up and started working my real job, which enabled me to buy said animals, add in my shitty impulse control, and now I have too many animals."
A Matter Of Taste
"Salt and pepper shakers. I guess 7 pairs isn't ridiculous for some niche collector but I am not. but where the hell did they all come from? I have cows, sugar skulls, goats, I don't need to shake that much salt and pepper."
Spinning Out Of Control
"Records."
"About 2000 of them. Back in the 1980's all my friends gave me their records when they bought CD's"
"Many people would kill for a good vinyl collection these days!"
It Holds
"Paperclips. I have a whole drawer full of them."
"Papers coming inbound are all clipped, papers outbound don't need to be clips. Give a few years of this and you end up with literally thousands of paperclips..."
For The Sake Of The Craft
"Crafting supplies."
"I'm a serial crafter in that I like to get really into a crafting hobby for a period of time (could be months, years, or sometimes just weeks), and then I move onto the next craft. I usually buy supplies for that hobby as though it will be a lifelong passion."
"I'm also an aspirational crafter: I'll see the potential in raw materials which 'forces' me to buy said raw materials, but then I get lazy and the project never comes to fruition."
"In short, I have two separate hobbies: collecting crafting supplies and crafting."
– marGEEKa
Storing Storage
"Empty boxes from ordering stuff. Im taking them to recycling as soon as I decide Im not gonna use them."
– Skuhlens
"I was so bad with boxes, and with three people in one house we were getting alot of boxes built up. I finally got rid of them all, broke them down and recycled them. Then I had no boxes to wrap anything in for christmas and had TO BUY BOXES. The box cycle is a savage and heartless one."
Once More With Feeling
"Socks. Socks. Socks. I got socks for my socks' socks"
"Are you the sock monster in my dryer?"
Clean Ears Forever
"Q tips."
"My wife signed us for an Amazon household essentials subscription and overestimated how often we bought Q tips. A box came every month until I pointed out that using our stock of 20,000 Q tips would take a while."
Growers
"Houseplants. It's hard to stop buying/trading or just propagating and making more."
"Second, I wanted to respond to all the trade plant comments with r/takeaplantleaveaplant I've also seen trades on the Nextdoor app and community groups. My local plant store also hosts plant swaps. So take a trimming of your plant and propagate it, show up and see who wants to swap."
Wrap Your Mind Around This
"Cables. There is an unwritten law of the universe. If you throw away a cable, you will need it within a month."
"Holy f'k this. Last time I moved I tossed a box I had been holding on to for years full of various PC components and PC component accessories: cables, fans, various riser cards/adapters I no longer can identify... the works. Tossed it because hey, I haven't touched this in years, no point moving it."
"Literally the next goddamn day a friend of mine called and asked if I had an old DVI cable he could bum."
Herbalicious
"Tea."
"I worked in a tea shop and was able to get an insane amount of loose leaf tea for free. I literally have a cupboard of nothing but different flavors of loose leaf teas. Hundreds of dollars worth of tea for my own drinking pleasure. I probably have close to 40 different flavors, all in their own happy little tins waiting for the day I think 'Yes, a pure green tea sounds perfect today.'"