And I found another version of the busted one that was in the closet originally--it's in use, but I could swap it out if I wanted.

I compared all three--and here is the lesson for me, and maybe useful for you.

It makes a huge difference which one I use!!

I was really glad to have them on hand to try out--I would hate to try to go to the store and bring one of them home, and make the discovery I did.

One of them has a taller third drawer, so I could use it for even more lightbulbs, but it's also significantly taller, so it would make the homemade "drawer" I want to put on the top even shorter.

So:

original unit:
-9.5 inches tall; leaves 6-3/4" for bulb drawer (6-1/4" interior)
-drawers are 2-3/8" high (Altoids tins clear, plastic boxes don't fit on edge and don't stack; P-touch tape have to lay flat)
-drawers are 9-1/8" x 11-5/8" (organizing compartments fit)
-everything fits

second three-drawer unit (equal drawers)
-10.5" tall; leaves 5-3/4" for bulb drawer (so, 5-1/2" interior)
-drawers are 2-3/4" tall (air above Altoid tins; plastic boxes clear on edge; P-touch tapes fit on edge; a big plus, that drawer will be easier to use)
-drawer width (interior) 8-7/8" x 12-3/4" (organizing compartments fit w/ nothing to spare--but no strain either)
-everything fits, with a little extra room that the original didn't have
-longer front-to-back, so it sticks out beyond the shelf into the molding area, but the door still closes

other three-drawer unit, w/ larger bottom drawer:
-11-5/8" tall; leaves 3-1/2" for bulb drawer (not unreasonable, but not the depth I might need w/ the protective packaging on today's spiral fluorescents)
-shallower drawers are 2-7/8" deep; noticeable clearance above everything
-deep drawer is 4-3/4"; light bulbs fit, but there's lots of air above, hard to stack bulbs
-interior of drawer is 8-1/2" x 12-1/8"; THIS IS THE DECIDER. Too narrow. The organizing compartment won't fit across the drawer, and there's a 1/2" gap if I turn it, and then my arrangements get all wonky.
The stuff I'd saved won't all fit in the drawers.

So, the middle one is the best solution. In fact, it's a big improvement over the original one.

But I would never have known that standing in the store.

When I start my organizing business, I'm going to have a stash of all the makes and models available, and I'm going to bring them to people's houses to try. And then after we try them in place, I'll replenish my supply. (of course, I think two of these are not actually still available exactly as is, in the market today!)

Because those fractions really made a difference for me!

(of course, this raises my anxiety level should I ever face this again someday). .

Do you use the FlyLady system? One of the first things I ever read on this forum, so many years ago, was a post by Blazedog (at least that's what I think her name was) when she repeated Flylady's mantra "You can't organize clutter." I read this before I even heard of Flylady. It was like a light went on, a dim light in a very cluttered corner of my mind. And it has taken me so long to excavate to that light, dejunk my stuff, organize what's worth keeping, and learn how to be displined. I still have a long way to go. But I'm far enough along that now I wonder if I can be an organizer too. Perhaps I can help other people sort out their lives before its too late, and still make a living out of it. Who knows?

I can appreciate why religious people take a vow of poverty or simplicity. What I once thought was so quaint an idea now seems wise beyond words. I long for a life where my time is spent on people, not stuff. I have a way to go, but I am on the right track.

I think my favorite things to get rid of are the emptied boxes and baskets that I have acquired over the years to pile stuff into rather than making decisions about the stuff. How much money did I spend trying to organize clutter? It is so freeing to give away those now useless storage containers.

Please keep my posted, Talley, on your progress towards begining an organizing business. Being a former New Yorker, I can appreciate that you are in the premier environment for learning how to effectively deal with things and space. Here in Texas, we have lots of room. And the overabundance of stuff to prove it!

I just checked my email files and discovered that I still have a few emails about the P-touch from 2005, so I have a very old email addy from you. Does it still work? I would love to talk to you about your business ideas. Either way, good for you. I am always amazed by your suggestions and the ideas you post. Your business is bound to be a success. Thank you!

~Cupofkindness

(which, actually, I sort of am. But I'm not serious about starting such a business)

I think any e-mail from 2005 wouldn't work. But you can take out the hyphens and send it to Gmail, and it will!