Stuff We Accumulate, Irrationally

DGS49

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2012
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Pittsburgh
As I ease into my 70's and take inventory of all of the worthless stuff in my household (now supplemented by a rented storage unit), I realize that over the years my wife and I have been accumulating certain stuff neurotically, to the point where we might have to buy another house just to store the stuff. There are just some things in life that we cannot pass by if we see ones that we like.

Women-folk traditionally take this path with shoes and purses. When they see one they like that is reasonably priced, they buy it, recognizing that you never "need" a new purse or a pair of shoes; it is always an impulse. Then at some point you look around and find that you have 25 purses in a closet somewhere and at least 50 pairs of shoes, most of which you haven't worn in at least 20 years. You get the idea.

In my case, I like flashlights. Any time I see one advertised that looks powerful and "manly," I buy it. Now I have probably 25 of them, most of which have dead batteries that are corroding the terminals as we speak.

I also accumulate winter gloves. As a motorcyclist who rides all year, I find that the one factor that causes me to go home in Winter is that my hands get too cold to tolerate, so I'm always sort of on the lookout for winter gloves that are "guaranteed" to keep your hands warmer than any other gloves previously known to mankind. But eventually and grudgingly I have realized that this is all nonsense. All gloves can do is RETAIN the heat that is already in your hands, and when your hands are gripping the handles of a motorcycle they are not generating any heat, so in a time period that is no longer than an hour, your hands are going to be so cold you can't stand it. But I have a large box of these wonderful "guaranteed" gloves, all of which are good, but never good enough. Thankfully, the previous owner of my Goldwing added grip warmers, so I can wear whatever gloves I feel like now, and my hands are fine.

My wife also accumulates umbrellas. We have probably a couple dozen of them in various places around the house and our cars. And I won't even mention jewelry.

How about others out there? Do you accumulate certain things neurotically? What are they?
 
The hardest part is to throw stuff out
Some idiot may pay me $10 for it eventually

The best solution is rent a storage unit for $150 a month to store stuff that might be worth $800
 
Fishing equipment, if anything.

I have a room in my house that is 'the fishing room'.

In it I have probably 30-40 rods for fishing for everything from panfish to marlin, countless reels, pegboards on the walls filled with lures, monofilament spools, tools, shelves with boxes of tackle and a workbench/desk that I use to make spinnerbaits, bucktails and saltwater lures and rigs before trips.

I've also got a decent-sized fish tank, along with maps and pics of various trips on the walls and some knickknacks on shelves that I've mounted on the walls in any available space.

It is stuffed to the gills (nyuck, nyuck, nyuck) with stuff, but it's also my stuff, whereas my wife has taken over much of the rest of the house, so it's also my favorite room in the house which I also use as my office. Sitting in it right now sucking down a coffee and looking at the week.....
 
Fishing equipment, if anything.

I have a room in my house that is 'the fishing room'.

In it I have probably 30-40 rods for fishing for everything from panfish to marlin, countless reels, pegboards on the walls filled with lures, monofilament spools, tools, shelves with boxes of tackle and a workbench/desk that I use to make spinnerbaits, bucktails and saltwater lures and rigs before trips.

I've also got a decent-sized fish tank, along with maps and pics of various trips on the walls and some knickknacks on shelves that I've mounted on the walls in any available space.

It is stuffed to the gills (nyuck, nyuck, nyuck) with stuff, but it's also my stuff, whereas my wife has taken over much of the rest of the house, so it's also my favorite room in the house which I also use as my office. Sitting in it right now sucking down a coffee and looking at the week.....
I had that problem with guitars gear and amps etc.

One day I decided to address all the crap I had in my home studio.

I pared my stuff down to 3 guitars a Strat, a Les Paul and an acoustic I got rid of a lot of my amplifiers and effects pedals not only did I pocket about 6 grand I now find that with my space less cluttered I can concentrate on playing more.

I got my rig down to just a few different wattage amps a small pedal board and I'm a lot more productive now
 
Fishing equipment, if anything.

I have a room in my house that is 'the fishing room'.

In it I have probably 30-40 rods for fishing for everything from panfish to marlin, countless reels, pegboards on the walls filled with lures, monofilament spools, tools, shelves with boxes of tackle and a workbench/desk that I use to make spinnerbaits, bucktails and saltwater lures and rigs before trips.

I've also got a decent-sized fish tank, along with maps and pics of various trips on the walls and some knickknacks on shelves that I've mounted on the walls in any available space.

It is stuffed to the gills (nyuck, nyuck, nyuck) with stuff, but it's also my stuff, whereas my wife has taken over much of the rest of the house, so it's also my favorite room in the house which I also use as my office. Sitting in it right now sucking down a coffee and looking at the week.....
I had that problem with guitars gear and amps etc.

One day I decided to address all the crap I had in my home studio.

I pared my stuff down to 3 guitars a Strat, a Les Paul and an acoustic I got rid of a lot of my amplifiers and effects pedals not only did I pocket about 6 grand I now find that with my space less cluttered I can concentrate on playing more.

I got my rig down to just a few different wattage amps a small pedal board and I'm a lot more productive now

Heresy I tell ya!

lol
 
I don't see a problem with having a few extras as backup in case the other is lost or broken........but then I'm not renting a storage unit or buying a bigger house to accommodate and if you're at that point, it's time to let it go & declutter.........prioritize
 
Over the years I have lost tools like hammers.
Then I go out and buy a new one.
The best way to find your lost hammer is to buy a new one.
Then you will find that lost hammer soon after.
So now I must have about 5 hammers.
Some people have garage sales or estate sales to get rid of their junk.
 
My girlfriend has a side gig as a professional organizer. This has been her best year yet.

I am learning to pare down what I actually need. Thrown tons of stuff away. Given away and sold even more. Only once in the last 8 years have I found I needed something I got rid of. And buying a new one cost around $25.

The more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you.
 
Acoustic guitars and hats and boots are my weakness- 7 guitars, 3 hats (and numerous ball caps) and 7 pairs of boots- at one time I had 10 pairs of boots- I like shirts too- and socks- have way more than I'll ever need. Most of the shirts I've worn maybe twice- but, it's a PITA to load all I won't use up (if I can make up my mind what I really don't want/need) into a container, or 3 and carry them off- I do kinda want to so my kids won't be burdened with it- oh, did I mention I have probably 150 books?
 
The hardest part is to throw stuff out
Some idiot may pay me $10 for it eventually

The best solution is rent a storage unit for $150 a month to store stuff that might be worth $800
the best solution is to sell all that shit today

Sell it or give it away.
Paying for a storage locker will quickly cost more than the value of your stuff.

Even if you store your “stuff” in a garage, you can no longer put your car in the garage
 
Collecting useless junk is what separates us from the animals ... most animals.

hoardingsquirrel.jpg
 
As I ease into my 70's and take inventory of all of the worthless stuff in my household (now supplemented by a rented storage unit), I realize that over the years my wife and I have been accumulating certain stuff neurotically, to the point where we might have to buy another house just to store the stuff. There are just some things in life that we cannot pass by if we see ones that we like.

Women-folk traditionally take this path with shoes and purses. When they see one they like that is reasonably priced, they buy it, recognizing that you never "need" a new purse or a pair of shoes; it is always an impulse. Then at some point you look around and find that you have 25 purses in a closet somewhere and at least 50 pairs of shoes, most of which you haven't worn in at least 20 years. You get the idea.

In my case, I like flashlights. Any time I see one advertised that looks powerful and "manly," I buy it. Now I have probably 25 of them, most of which have dead batteries that are corroding the terminals as we speak.

I also accumulate winter gloves. As a motorcyclist who rides all year, I find that the one factor that causes me to go home in Winter is that my hands get too cold to tolerate, so I'm always sort of on the lookout for winter gloves that are "guaranteed" to keep your hands warmer than any other gloves previously known to mankind. But eventually and grudgingly I have realized that this is all nonsense. All gloves can do is RETAIN the heat that is already in your hands, and when your hands are gripping the handles of a motorcycle they are not generating any heat, so in a time period that is no longer than an hour, your hands are going to be so cold you can't stand it. But I have a large box of these wonderful "guaranteed" gloves, all of which are good, but never good enough. Thankfully, the previous owner of my Goldwing added grip warmers, so I can wear whatever gloves I feel like now, and my hands are fine.

My wife also accumulates umbrellas. We have probably a couple dozen of them in various places around the house and our cars. And I won't even mention jewelry.

How about others out there? Do you accumulate certain things neurotically? What are they?





heated gloves, vest and grips. buying the same thing in different styles is never going to work. handguards work well in conjunction.
 
As I ease into my 70's and take inventory of all of the worthless stuff in my household (now supplemented by a rented storage unit), I realize that over the years my wife and I have been accumulating certain stuff neurotically, to the point where we might have to buy another house just to store the stuff. There are just some things in life that we cannot pass by if we see ones that we like.

Women-folk traditionally take this path with shoes and purses. When they see one they like that is reasonably priced, they buy it, recognizing that you never "need" a new purse or a pair of shoes; it is always an impulse. Then at some point you look around and find that you have 25 purses in a closet somewhere and at least 50 pairs of shoes, most of which you haven't worn in at least 20 years. You get the idea.

In my case, I like flashlights. Any time I see one advertised that looks powerful and "manly," I buy it. Now I have probably 25 of them, most of which have dead batteries that are corroding the terminals as we speak.

I also accumulate winter gloves. As a motorcyclist who rides all year, I find that the one factor that causes me to go home in Winter is that my hands get too cold to tolerate, so I'm always sort of on the lookout for winter gloves that are "guaranteed" to keep your hands warmer than any other gloves previously known to mankind. But eventually and grudgingly I have realized that this is all nonsense. All gloves can do is RETAIN the heat that is already in your hands, and when your hands are gripping the handles of a motorcycle they are not generating any heat, so in a time period that is no longer than an hour, your hands are going to be so cold you can't stand it. But I have a large box of these wonderful "guaranteed" gloves, all of which are good, but never good enough. Thankfully, the previous owner of my Goldwing added grip warmers, so I can wear whatever gloves I feel like now, and my hands are fine.

My wife also accumulates umbrellas. We have probably a couple dozen of them in various places around the house and our cars. And I won't even mention jewelry.

How about others out there? Do you accumulate certain things neurotically? What are they?
I have battery heated riding gloves.

You should get some. Don't buy the rechargable ones or you'll be home in an hour again. Get the ones that run off batteries and take a pocket full of spares.

Oh, and I have cool tools that are for doing shit I'm never gonna get around to.
 
As I ease into my 70's and take inventory of all of the worthless stuff in my household (now supplemented by a rented storage unit), I realize that over the years my wife and I have been accumulating certain stuff neurotically, to the point where we might have to buy another house just to store the stuff. There are just some things in life that we cannot pass by if we see ones that we like.

Women-folk traditionally take this path with shoes and purses. When they see one they like that is reasonably priced, they buy it, recognizing that you never "need" a new purse or a pair of shoes; it is always an impulse. Then at some point you look around and find that you have 25 purses in a closet somewhere and at least 50 pairs of shoes, most of which you haven't worn in at least 20 years. You get the idea.

In my case, I like flashlights. Any time I see one advertised that looks powerful and "manly," I buy it. Now I have probably 25 of them, most of which have dead batteries that are corroding the terminals as we speak.

I also accumulate winter gloves. As a motorcyclist who rides all year, I find that the one factor that causes me to go home in Winter is that my hands get too cold to tolerate, so I'm always sort of on the lookout for winter gloves that are "guaranteed" to keep your hands warmer than any other gloves previously known to mankind. But eventually and grudgingly I have realized that this is all nonsense. All gloves can do is RETAIN the heat that is already in your hands, and when your hands are gripping the handles of a motorcycle they are not generating any heat, so in a time period that is no longer than an hour, your hands are going to be so cold you can't stand it. But I have a large box of these wonderful "guaranteed" gloves, all of which are good, but never good enough. Thankfully, the previous owner of my Goldwing added grip warmers, so I can wear whatever gloves I feel like now, and my hands are fine.

My wife also accumulates umbrellas. We have probably a couple dozen of them in various places around the house and our cars. And I won't even mention jewelry.

How about others out there? Do you accumulate certain things neurotically? What are they?
I have battery heated riding gloves.

You should get some. Don't buy the rechargable ones or you'll be home in an hour again. Get the ones that run off batteries and take a pocket full of spares.

Oh, and I have cool tools that are for doing shit I'm never gonna get around to.



even better, run the ones that connect to the bikes battery.
 
As I ease into my 70's and take inventory of all of the worthless stuff in my household (now supplemented by a rented storage unit), I realize that over the years my wife and I have been accumulating certain stuff neurotically, to the point where we might have to buy another house just to store the stuff. There are just some things in life that we cannot pass by if we see ones that we like.

Women-folk traditionally take this path with shoes and purses. When they see one they like that is reasonably priced, they buy it, recognizing that you never "need" a new purse or a pair of shoes; it is always an impulse. Then at some point you look around and find that you have 25 purses in a closet somewhere and at least 50 pairs of shoes, most of which you haven't worn in at least 20 years. You get the idea.

In my case, I like flashlights. Any time I see one advertised that looks powerful and "manly," I buy it. Now I have probably 25 of them, most of which have dead batteries that are corroding the terminals as we speak.

I also accumulate winter gloves. As a motorcyclist who rides all year, I find that the one factor that causes me to go home in Winter is that my hands get too cold to tolerate, so I'm always sort of on the lookout for winter gloves that are "guaranteed" to keep your hands warmer than any other gloves previously known to mankind. But eventually and grudgingly I have realized that this is all nonsense. All gloves can do is RETAIN the heat that is already in your hands, and when your hands are gripping the handles of a motorcycle they are not generating any heat, so in a time period that is no longer than an hour, your hands are going to be so cold you can't stand it. But I have a large box of these wonderful "guaranteed" gloves, all of which are good, but never good enough. Thankfully, the previous owner of my Goldwing added grip warmers, so I can wear whatever gloves I feel like now, and my hands are fine.

My wife also accumulates umbrellas. We have probably a couple dozen of them in various places around the house and our cars. And I won't even mention jewelry.

How about others out there? Do you accumulate certain things neurotically? What are they?
I have battery heated riding gloves.

You should get some. Don't buy the rechargable ones or you'll be home in an hour again. Get the ones that run off batteries and take a pocket full of spares.

Oh, and I have cool tools that are for doing shit I'm never gonna get around to.



even better, run the ones that connect to the bikes battery.
Never seen any that do that.
 
As I ease into my 70's and take inventory of all of the worthless stuff in my household (now supplemented by a rented storage unit), I realize that over the years my wife and I have been accumulating certain stuff neurotically, to the point where we might have to buy another house just to store the stuff. There are just some things in life that we cannot pass by if we see ones that we like.

Women-folk traditionally take this path with shoes and purses. When they see one they like that is reasonably priced, they buy it, recognizing that you never "need" a new purse or a pair of shoes; it is always an impulse. Then at some point you look around and find that you have 25 purses in a closet somewhere and at least 50 pairs of shoes, most of which you haven't worn in at least 20 years. You get the idea.

In my case, I like flashlights. Any time I see one advertised that looks powerful and "manly," I buy it. Now I have probably 25 of them, most of which have dead batteries that are corroding the terminals as we speak.

I also accumulate winter gloves. As a motorcyclist who rides all year, I find that the one factor that causes me to go home in Winter is that my hands get too cold to tolerate, so I'm always sort of on the lookout for winter gloves that are "guaranteed" to keep your hands warmer than any other gloves previously known to mankind. But eventually and grudgingly I have realized that this is all nonsense. All gloves can do is RETAIN the heat that is already in your hands, and when your hands are gripping the handles of a motorcycle they are not generating any heat, so in a time period that is no longer than an hour, your hands are going to be so cold you can't stand it. But I have a large box of these wonderful "guaranteed" gloves, all of which are good, but never good enough. Thankfully, the previous owner of my Goldwing added grip warmers, so I can wear whatever gloves I feel like now, and my hands are fine.

My wife also accumulates umbrellas. We have probably a couple dozen of them in various places around the house and our cars. And I won't even mention jewelry.

How about others out there? Do you accumulate certain things neurotically? What are they?
I have battery heated riding gloves.

You should get some. Don't buy the rechargable ones or you'll be home in an hour again. Get the ones that run off batteries and take a pocket full of spares.

Oh, and I have cool tools that are for doing shit I'm never gonna get around to.



even better, run the ones that connect to the bikes battery.
Never seen any that do that.





I've used them for years.
 
Tools...I can never get rid of tools.
Getting ready to hire a service that'll come in and get rid of all the crap you dont use.
Gave my buddy my swamp cooler and $1200 dollar custom canvas tent. We're not allowed to have garage sales in my neighborhood and I dont like the idea of selling shit on the internet because I dont want complete strangers at my home so I'm just gonna trash a lot of stuff.
 

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