Np-complete the practical approach

I was cleaning a packed cupboard and recognized the problem had become bin-packing. New items where added to the front of the cupboard and items where used from what was accessible at the front. Instead of allocating resources to solve the bin packing problem I instead changed the rules for how the cupboard was used. I determined a maximum number of items per shelf and then added the rule that no more new items can be added then have been taken out. The principle is buy and take only what you need. This prevented the problem from becoming difficult to manage. It is important to recognize hard problems and to prevent them.