i think i'm becoming an anti-collector.

[vash]

i came close as a younger person. i had a Day of the Dead thing going with all the little dead things..got rid of it all, except an Elvis-skeleton chingadero. vintage cast iron? all but two left. shotguns? i have given away several. i want to buy a new bolt action rifle, but i will get rid of one first. (might help if i sold a few of the shotguns ) knives are on the hit list for my next fumigation.

i just dont want a bunch of stuff anymore. i think i would love just a few (TWO) fantastic examples and get rid of all the rest. like i would be willing to get rid of all my bolt action rifles if i could buy just one Cooper Custom in some great multi-tasking caliber..say .300WSM. i could get by with two shotguns..

shoes? i buy great shoes but i only have a few pairs..i wear them out, toss them and buy another pair. i just want to keep things i use and enjoy.

weird huh?

for example. some idiot cable guy left a Makita impact driver at my house. i found it after i took possession of my new home. i tried to find the repair guy and they thought i wanted to find him to complain so they gave me a rash of crap..i kept the drill only to realize i needed a charger. DUH! so i bought a new setup and gave the brandnew (found) drill away. keeping both felt crazy.

i think it's because i'm getting older? my friend, she has about every size of Le Crueset dutch oven..they all look brand new and are displayed behind glass cabinets..i would toss them all and keep the 7qt, and turn that one into a crusty used pot. i didnt even blink a tear when i sold my 911SC..i just wasnt finding the same joy anymore.

[wayner]

I think that I am starting to think this way as well.

I grew up with the belief that you keep everything until its completely worn out
That leaves me with too many garage shoes, tattered briefs and all sorts of other "stuff"

I just want a few nice things
(and am starting to resent when people give me stuff as gifts )

It feels weird thinking this way but my biggest frustration comes from being disorganized because there isn't enough space for mediocre or useless stuff

The problem is that I keep slipping back to my old ways and sabotaging myself. I need an empty spaces coach.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Not unusual at all. After a couple of long-distance moves (and another one coming soon) and dealing with my parents getting 40+ years of crap out of their house so we can sell it, I have ZERO desire for material things beyond what I can fit in my car. Maybe that's a slight embellishment but not too far off. I keep a few GOOD things and chuck the rest. I want one good car as a daily driver, one motorcycle, one good road bike. Okay I'm keeping two surfboards (a Robert August longboard and a FireWire shorty but they're different tools entirely...). Tools? I've got a schyte-ton that I'll be selling and / or giving away. I just don't want the stuff anymore. Too heavy and bulky. I've probably donated $15k worth of books to be local library in the last two years. I love books and love reading but they're just too heavy and bulky. Online / audio is the way to go. Same with DVDs and CDs. Literally thousands accumulated over decades - gone. Don't want em. They take up space.

The p-cars are probably going this spring at Hershey. I might keep the 911 simply because I want to fix it up and leave it to my kids one day, but we'll see. It be hard to turn down a cash offer and give them each a check for college expenses instead of a physical object. I inherited a boat that's going away this spring too (I can't stand power boats, if it were a sailboat I might be more inclined to hang onto it...), plus about six full rooms of antique furniture (I personally hate Victorian / post-Victorian stuff which most if it is). I'm sick of having to look after this crap. Craigslist is my best friend lately! Most recently I dumped two complete, awesome old rack stereo systems (probably $3k each new) for $300. Fine with me.

Keep a few good things and chuck the rest. I haven't purged firearms yet knowing that eventually I may need them against a government hell-bent on confiscating them but it appears that may be at least one or two election cycles away so... maybe. I have a few I don't want to part with but am not posting details. The less people know what I have, the better - especially when it comes to armaments.

[HardDrive]

In our family, I'm the only person of my generation that cares about hunting/guns. As such, I have inherited a number of shotguns, and rifles, all of which have family history. While I appreciate having them, do I really need 5 shotguns and 3 deer rifles? No. I'm kind of stuck with them.

[Seahawk]

Interesting. My wife and I were talking about this earlier this morning.

I am cleaning out all our old electronics detritus as well as other stuff that will sit neat and tidy, never to be used again

The big problem for us is that we haven't moved in 22 years - so even though I don't really "collect" anything, I haven't had that forced purge in a long, long time. We will stay here until my wife retires in ten years then figure out the next steps, come what may.

The only things I am emotionally attached to are a few small things from my parents I received when they passed away...with the exception of a few pistols and a rifle, I could sell pretty much everything else without remorse. All of the guns I own now will go to my son. We have really culled the herd to family guns or some really cool stuff like M1 Carbines, etc. Since we have our own rifle and pistol range, and skeet, everything gets used.

I don't know if the car jones has left me but I just can't get excited by much. The Mercedes will go in the Spring and I have no plans to replace it. Yet And it is not that the 560SL was and is boatish (I bought it to cruise in), I just really don't need a hobby car. Sacrilege I know.

As far as tools and farm stuff, I am pretty merciless. I sell stuff every year at auction to keep my equipment footprint as small as possible. Any romance I ever felt about maintaining old farm gear has long since faded.

[vash]

interestingHD.

my stepdad was a collector. boarderline hoarder with respect to coats and jackets. when he passed it took a semi load to empty the house. come to think of it, that might be when i started to get rid of my own stuff. a lesson learned maybe.

he had a notebook with shotguns. at one time he at 88 shotguns. all numbered, SN# written down, etc. i would go hunting and ask.."hey, do you have a silver pigeon i could try? " i'm sad most of his 20ga got taken by friends that didnt return them. i would love a 20ga O/U..he owned them all. my bro and i are planning a big sandhill crane hunt in TX. i wont need to buy one, i'll just raid my mom's gunsafe and borrow one..put it back when done. i'm over big piles of stuff.

[flatbutt]

I was never a collector but I've been thinning out the hoard for awhile now. When I had a major renovation done to the house 8 years ago I had to move a ton o' stuff out of the attic and basement. I used that as an opportunity to just toss stuff to the curb. People were cruising my house just to see what was out there.

[vash]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I was never a collector but I've been thinning out the hoard for awhile now. When I had a major renovation done to the house 8 years ago I had to move a ton o' stuff out of the attic and basement. I used that as an opportunity to just toss stuff to the curb. People were cruising my house just to see what was out there.

funny!! i just dumped a bunch of boxes of tiles the PO saved just in case. in case of what? i dont even keep leftover paint. i file away the color code and i'm willing to buy a qt if i splooge all over a wall or something with tomato sauce.

[pwd72s]

The more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of. Choose your stuff carefully.

[wayner]

...yet here I find myself considering adding a72 Mercedes 350SLC to the fleet.
ARG!

[Crowbob]

I'm thinking about boxing up most of my junk and storing it (only because some of it is valuable and the kids might want it someday). Go minimalist. Easy chair, couch, TV. No doodads, no whatchajiggies, no nothing.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Simple is good. My wife and I are both anti-hoarder to a fault, sometimes we purge stuff we later wish we had. I do have three cars and at the moment can't fathom parting with one, but if at any point the joy is gone....look out.

[aschen]

I hate having too much crap around. I love getting rid of crap and always had the house rule that you cant get a "new" anything without getting rid of the old one or something else to offset it.


However, I now have 3 small children and I have been forced to give up on my minimalizim. It stresses me out to see all the plastic crap and junk we have for the kids. As soon as they hit puberty age I am throwing it all out.

[Craig T]

I have always been an anti-hoarder ("to a fault"). If I don't see an immediate use for something, out it goes! I'm so "OCD anal", I can close my eyes and inventory every single item in my man cave, right down to the little nut, bolt, and screw drawers. I was challenged on this and only missed a screw driver, a couple box ends, and surfboard repair kit. Same with my ammo (and I do kinda hoard that). I'm even worse with clothes. I use the One-Year Rule. If it hasn't been worn in a year, to Goodwill it goes.

My wife...AHHHHHH!!!!! Just the opposite. We have a divided house, literally. There are drawers and closets I just don't open (for sanity). It results in a knock-down drag-out fight about every six-eight months when it metastasizes to the gym or my daughter's old room.

We just started a kitchen and master bath remodel. All the cabinets and drawers had to be emptied. I had to get a F#@KING dumpster. I can see how stressed she gets when I toss something...even something worthless. If she's handed a free travel comb and toothbrush from British Airways...In a drawer it goes!

If our marriage survives this remodel it'll be a miracle.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by vash

funny!! i just dumped a bunch of boxes of tiles the PO saved just in case. in case of what?

In case someone drops a hammer (or rifle or scope) on a tile and it chips or breaks. If they still make the tile (which may not be the case) it's probably changed a bit in color and pattern.

[VincentVega]

I sure wish the previous owner kept a few extra pool tiles, I cant find anything close!

I have too much stuff, no question. I'm a sucker for a 'good deal', mostly tools but sometimes boats or ... Couple too many hobbies with an interest to learn new stuff and I have some work to do.

[scottmandue]

Also guilty of "toomuchitis"
I have gone through my wardrobe (with my wife's prodding) and have everything down to one closet and one dresser (closet is a catch all for guitars, guns, and photo equipment).
Speaking of photo equipment finally went to digital... still in the process of trying to dump all the 35mm stuff.
Cannon lens collection

I probably have 20 watches could weed that down to 5-10
Worst is my guitars, I have 5-6 in the closet and another 6-8 in the garage plus assorted assorted amplifiers scattered about... probably could whittle that down by half... problem being they are all my 'babies'
But working on that too:
Gretsch Electromatic short scale bass guitar

[Oh Haha]

Originally Posted by aschen

I hate having too much crap around. I love getting rid of crap and always had the house rule that you cant get a "new" anything without getting rid of the old one or something else to offset it.


However, I now have 3 small children and I have been forced to give up on my minimalizim. It stresses me out to see all the plastic crap and junk we have for the kids. As soon as they hit puberty age I am throwing it all out.

Amen brother!!!!

We took a load of non used toys to Goodwill today. My kids have too much "stuff".

My wife keeps stuff just to have it. Seriously, how many frikkin' "extra" blankets does one house need? I'm not talking ones to be used in laundry rotation. These are blankets that we NEVER use.

She has a lot of purses but only uses 1 at a time. I was kind enough to box up the other 5000 and cram them in the attic for her.

[rwest]

I've been collecting high end hand tools for woodworking and had a good friend who did too; he passed away several years ago and without having someone else who you can "compete" against or who thinks your stuff is cool, I'm at the point where I decided that no one but me is really impressed with my tools and frankly I'm not that impressed and I would be better off selling much of it and putting that money into deferred comp so I can retire early and enjoy using a few really nice tools then having a ton of nice tools and not having time to use them.

A guy doesn't need 30 or 40 squares- might be able to justify 4 or 5 though.

[mistertate]

Just about every record album I ever bought, sold, wish I bought, wish I didn't sell, never even heard of is free on YouTube now. Same with skateboard videos. No need to buy more.
You can get a lot of books at the library.
We're moving towards a post material world.