Too much stuff.

Maxmosbey

Maxmosbey

Final Approach
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Aug 23, 2007
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San Juan, PR/Ames, IA
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I need to get serious.
Two things, first the watch thread got me thinking, and secondly, everyone is asking me what I want for Christmas. I have a Seiko watch, a Pulsar, a Timex, a Yamaha watch of unknown make, an a L.L. Bean pocket watch. I don't even wear a watch.I have at least a dozen pocket knives. I have so many flashlights that my wife makes fun of me when I buy another one. I have three sets of headsets. One for each ear and one for my nose. What the heck? I walk around my house and I have accumulated so much stuff. Stuff that caught my eye, got boughten and dragged home. There are sundry wooden and metal boxes. I don't know why I am attracted to boxes. I have a gun safe full of guns, most of which I don't shoot, some of which are brand new. It is crazy. Why do I haul home so much stuff? I am really drowning in stuff. I need to get rid of some of it. Anyone else feel like they have way too much stuff?
 
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Story of our lives.

Wife and I have moved from tiny condo to modest ranch house to larger ranch house to a 3700 sqft house which we think is way too large, and all were, in their time, filled-up with... stuff.

Now, we are planning for downsizing, which will not be easy, but will be worthwhile.
 
The first question I ask when someone says "I want..." is "Where you going to put it?"

Of course, I know JUST where to put that new Porsche ...
 
Ken Ibold said:
The first question I ask when someone says "I want..." is "Where you going to put it?"

Of course, I know JUST where to put that new Porsche ...
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Yes, Ken: my garage.
 
I have too much stuff, too. The past few years I've been trying to get rid of stuff (relativley successfully).

For me, part of the problem isn't new stuff but old stuff. For example, I have a good sum of furniture that I hold on to for sentimental reasons (things my great grandfather built with his own two hands, for instance), but that I never use. I consider them worth keeping because they're important to me, but I try to get rid of the things that I never use. For example, I need to go on an eBay spree and sell all the remaining Jaguar parts I have (now that I've sold all my Jaguars).

The past few months I've been living out of a hotel room for work. I have to say, it's been surprisingly not as bad as I thought.
 
My basement has most of our "junk". I keep meaning to get rid of at least 1 box per week until it's empty, but each time I open a box I find something with sentimental attachment.

A buddy of mine had a pretty good rule - He said "You need to move every seven years, that way you have to get rid of all your crap and you don't have too much time to accumulate too much new junk."
 
Yup, I agree with the "too much stuff" thing. And gifts for kids tend to be electronic in some way or another these days, which causes the kids I know to isolate themselves to themselves in their activities.

This year, we're not buying them "stuff". We're buying them "experiences"... they'll get out of the house and try some new things and hopefully make some new friends (classes, lessons, group activities), and I won't have to talk to them all year about picking the new "stuff" up!
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Yup, I agree with the "too much stuff" thing. And gifts for kids tend to be electronic in some way or another these days, which causes the kids I know to isolate themselves to themselves in their activities.

This year, we're not buying them "stuff". We're buying them "experiences"... they'll get out of the house and try some new things and hopefully make some new friends (classes, lessons, group activities), and I won't have to talk to them all year about picking the new "stuff" up!
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This is an excellent thing to do. Too many parents focus on "stuff." I told my mom a while ago I don't want anymore stuff, unless it's for something big that I need. We only give eachother one present a year perhaps, something that we need. The rest of it is in things that are helpful.

Experiences last a lifetime. Stuff lasts... not long.
 
i was thinking about getting Leah a one man rigger for my glider...
 
Maxmosbey said:
Anyone else feel like they have way too much stuff?
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Absolutely!! Just getting done with the repairs to the house after some major storm damage. Had to clean out three bedrooms and the garage. When it's all neatly arranged in the rooms it doesn't seem that bad - when all put in a pile, then have to be sorted and replaced - no doubt about it - too much stuff!!

Gary
 
Matthew said:
A buddy of mine had a pretty good rule - He said "You need to move every seven years, that way you have to get rid of all your crap and you don't have too much time to accumulate too much new junk."
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That rule doesn't really work. When you're packing up for a move, there's no time to sort out the stuff you don't really need in any significant way and it's easier to just pack it up and move everything to the new place where it will sit unmolested until the next move. At that point since it's already packed it's a no brainer to move it again.
 
My/our problem is that I/we want to be involved with too many hobbies.

I accumulated several guns b/c I wanted to get involved in hunting a lot - which I did.... until I started back to school. I still expect to be involved in hunting going forward, so I'll keep the guns.

We bought a couple of fishing kayaks because we thought we would spend all summer on the lakes/rivers fishing - mine hasn't been out since June and hers hasn't been out since May.

I still have a totally impractical Jeep that I try to mod every once in a while for the 4 times per year that I actually 'use' all the mods I have made. With the money I spend on gas and mods for the Jeep, I could probably afford payments on a much more practical and useful pickup.

We have a 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (aka Woody) in the garage because my wife 'always wanted one'. Now it's a maintenance hog as I try to get it to pass Georgia emissions testing. I haven't been able to sell it 1.) Because she wants to keep it and 2.) It's the only vehicle that we can haul our fishing kayaks with (see above).

We currently have 4 bicycles in our garage because we were going to get involved in biking. I have put about 200 miles on mine in the 3+ years I have had it. She actually rides hers and is in the process of upgrading - more power to her.

After our trip to Alaska last week (read: Mucho time in airplanes/at airports) I have pretty much convinced myself to stick with what works - flying. Tentatively planning on dumping the Jeep(s) and kayaks and spending the time/money on flying. I would rather get 'good' at one hobby than half-arse a bunch of different hobbies. As an added bonus - flying accumulates 'junk' at the hangar instead of the house. 'Out of sight, out of mind', right? ;)
 
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CJones said:
My/our problem is that I/we want to be involved with too many hobbies.

I accumulated several guns b/c I wanted to get involved in hunting a lot - which I did.... until I started back to school. I still expect to be involved in hunting going forward, so I'll keep the guns.

We bought a couple of fishing kayaks because we thought we would spend all summer on the lakes/rivers fishing - mine hasn't been out since June and hers hasn't been out since May.

I still have a totally impractical Jeep that I try to mod every once in a while for the 4 times per year that I actually 'use' all the mods I have made. With the money I spend on gas and mods for the Jeep, I could probably afford payments on a much more practical and useful pickup.

We have a 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (aka Woody) in the garage because my wife 'always wanted one'. Now it's a maintenance hog as I try to get it to pass Georgia emissions testing. I haven't been able to sell it 1.) Because she wants to keep it and 2.) It's the only vehicle that we can haul our fishing kayaks with (see above).

We currently have 4 bicycles in our garage because we were going to get involved in biking. I have put about 200 miles on mine in the 3+ years I have had it. She actually rides hers and is in the process of upgrading - more power to her.

After our trip to Alaska last week (read: Mucho time in airplanes/at airports) I have pretty much convinced myself to stick with what works - flying. Tentatively planning on dumping the Jeep(s) and kayaks and spending the time/money on flying. I would rather get 'good' at one hobby than half-arse a bunch of different hobbies. As an added bonus - flying accumulates 'junk' at the hangar instead of the house. 'Out of sight, out of mind', right? ;)
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Leah has a rowing scull now. We're slowly working on building a canoe. Of course there are the gliders. I think I am going to get the Alero cleaned up and sell it and put the money in my 'next glider fund'. we really don't need 3 cars...
 
tonycondon said:
Leah has a rowing scull now. We're slowly working on building a canoe. Of course there are the gliders. I think I am going to get the Alero cleaned up and sell it and put the money in my 'next glider fund'. we really don't need 3 cars...
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At least you are limiting yourself to the number of activities you are involved with - rowing and gliding/flying. With us, we have so many unrelated activities, that we never get 'good' at any one thing. ha

As far as 3 vehicles - you could sell both of the other cars - 'Ol Blue is going to live forever!
 
CJones said:
At least you are limiting yourself to the number of activities you are involved with - rowing and gliding/flying. With us, we have so many unrelated activities, that we never get 'good' at any one thing. ha

As far as 3 vehicles - you could sell both of the other cars - 'Ol Blue is going to live forever!
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yea but driving it back and forth to iowa and minneapolis to see the parents would get pretty darn expensive...
 
Nice to know that there are other people in the same circumstances. So far today, I noticed that we have seven back packs/book bags in the basement store room. Four boxes of canning jars. We have never canned anything. I was up in the attic and I found a box full of glass beakers and other scientific glass ware. I remember buying them at a garage sale, but I don't remember why. Maybe I thought that I was going to be a scientist someday. In the garage attic there is a stand with a half dozen heavy cast iron feet of different sizes, that I assume you place a shoe over to repair it. I have no idea where they came from. Three chain saws. Only one will start. Three shop vacs. Various sizes. Two five gallon buckets full of old bicycle parts. There is several boxes of college texts, both my wife's and mine from the eighties. I wonder why we never took those back in and tried to sell them when we were done with them? The best thing is a five gallon buckets full of wheel weights, and a half bucket of .38 special brass. I was always going to melt down those wheel weights, cast them into bullets, and reload those .38 cases. I think that was twenty some years ago that I was going to do that. That is just what I noticed while digging out the Christmas tree. Holy cow. I have a lot of stuff.
 
CJones said:
I still have a totally impractical Jeep that I try to mod every once in a while for the 4 times per year that I actually 'use' all the mods I have made. With the money I spend on gas and mods for the Jeep, I could probably afford payments on a much more practical and useful pickup.
Click to expand...

There is no such thing as a totally impractical Jeep. :D My 1999 has 162000 miles on the clock and is still going strong. When it snows here (and it does now and then) we (my wife drives a 2006 Jeep Commander) are the only ones able to make it up the hill to get out of the neighborhood.

Now, if you are modding yours all the time, you are well aware of the fact that JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket. :D :D

And, yes, there are plenty of vehicles that burn less gas than my Jeep. But they all come with monthly payments attached that greatly exceed my fuel bill. So I'll stick with the Jeep.


Oh, and too much stuff? Guilty. That's a two car attic, not a two car garage next to the house.
 
CJones said:
My/our problem is that I/we want to be involved with too many hobbies.

I accumulated several guns b/c I wanted to get involved in hunting a lot - which I did.... until I started back to school. I still expect to be involved in hunting going forward, so I'll keep the guns.

We bought a couple of fishing kayaks because we thought we would spend all summer on the lakes/rivers fishing - mine hasn't been out since June and hers hasn't been out since May.

I still have a totally impractical Jeep that I try to mod every once in a while for the 4 times per year that I actually 'use' all the mods I have made. With the money I spend on gas and mods for the Jeep, I could probably afford payments on a much more practical and useful pickup.

We have a 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (aka Woody) in the garage because my wife 'always wanted one'. Now it's a maintenance hog as I try to get it to pass Georgia emissions testing. I haven't been able to sell it 1.) Because she wants to keep it and 2.) It's the only vehicle that we can haul our fishing kayaks with (see above).

We currently have 4 bicycles in our garage because we were going to get involved in biking. I have put about 200 miles on mine in the 3+ years I have had it. She actually rides hers and is in the process of upgrading - more power to her.

After our trip to Alaska last week (read: Mucho time in airplanes/at airports) I have pretty much convinced myself to stick with what works - flying. Tentatively planning on dumping the Jeep(s) and kayaks and spending the time/money on flying. I would rather get 'good' at one hobby than half-arse a bunch of different hobbies. As an added bonus - flying accumulates 'junk' at the hangar instead of the house. 'Out of sight, out of mind', right? ;)
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Chris, you are just like I was at your age. I still have an old 12" jon boat out behind the garage. I bought it to go fishing. I used it a couple of years, now it just sits back there. The last time it was in the water was when my son was in high school and they decided to start a club and call it the Ames High Yacht Club They took it out to Ada Hayden. It leaked so bad it almost sunk. I actually fixed all the leaks and never took it out again. We have the four bicycles. We each need a road bike and a mountain bike you know. Probably put twenty miles a summer on the mountain bikes. The road bikes both have flat tires. Anyway, just a word of advice, you had better do something now, while you are young. Keep it up, and by the time you are sixty you will be like me, smothered in stuff.
 
gismo said:
That rule doesn't really work. When you're packing up for a move, there's no time to sort out the stuff you don't really need in any significant way and it's easier to just pack it up and move everything to the new place where it will sit unmolested until the next move. At that point since it's already packed it's a no brainer to move it again.
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Dad was in the military and we moved every year. Mom said (and she was right) that three moves is equal to a fire.
 
Maxmosbey said:
Nice to know that there are other people in the same circumstances. So far today, I noticed that we have seven back packs/book bags in the basement store room. Four boxes of canning jars. We have never canned anything. I was up in the attic and I found a box full of glass beakers and other scientific glass ware. I remember buying them at a garage sale, but I don't remember why. Maybe I thought that I was going to be a scientist someday. In the garage attic there is a stand with a half dozen heavy cast iron feet of different sizes, that I assume you place a shoe over to repair it. I have no idea where they came from. Three chain saws. Only one will start. Three shop vacs. Various sizes. Two five gallon buckets full of old bicycle parts. There is several boxes of college texts, both my wife's and mine from the eighties. I wonder why we never took those back in and tried to sell them when we were done with them? The best thing is a five gallon buckets full of wheel weights, and a half bucket of .38 special brass. I was always going to melt down those wheel weights, cast them into bullets, and reload those .38 cases. I think that was twenty some years ago that I was going to do that. That is just what I noticed while digging out the Christmas tree. Holy cow. I have a lot of stuff.
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My wife's father was an unbridled pack rat. Their home sat on top of about 3000 sq ft of basement that was filled floor to ceiling with all sorts of junk including two gas powered generators. When an ice storm dropped power lines over a wide area he had to go out and buy a (third) new generator because he couldn't find either of the first two in the mess. I've been faced with a similar problem on some smaller items that mysteriously vanished into the junkpile storeroom but nothing as large as a generator.
 
Maxmosbey said:
Nice to know that there are other people in the same circumstances. So far today, I noticed that we have seven back packs/book bags in the basement store room. Four boxes of canning jars. We have never canned anything. I was up in the attic and I found a box full of glass beakers and other scientific glass ware. I remember buying them at a garage sale, but I don't remember why. Maybe I thought that I was going to be a scientist someday. In the garage attic there is a stand with a half dozen heavy cast iron feet of different sizes, that I assume you place a shoe over to repair it. I have no idea where they came from. Three chain saws. Only one will start. Three shop vacs. Various sizes. Two five gallon buckets full of old bicycle parts. There is several boxes of college texts, both my wife's and mine from the eighties. I wonder why we never took those back in and tried to sell them when we were done with them? The best thing is a five gallon buckets full of wheel weights, and a half bucket of .38 special brass. I was always going to melt down those wheel weights, cast them into bullets, and reload those .38 cases. I think that was twenty some years ago that I was going to do that. That is just what I noticed while digging out the Christmas tree. Holy cow. I have a lot of stuff.
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If you ignore it long enough, it becomes your kids problem.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
This year, we're not buying them "stuff". We're buying them "experiences"... they'll get out of the house and try some new things and hopefully make some new friends (classes, lessons, group activities), and I won't have to talk to them all year about picking the new "stuff" up!
Click to expand...
On a Christmas holiday in Costa Rica a few years ago, we met a family who did that every year. The parents would decorate the tree with hints so the kids knew what to pack -- ie cold weather gear, hiking gear, tropical stuff -- and then on Christmas morning they would wake up and receive their tickets. Then they had a short time to modify their packing, and off they went to the airport. I thought that was a great idea.
 
Ken Ibold said:
On a Christmas holiday in Costa Rica a few years ago, we met a family who did that every year. The parents would decorate the tree with hints so the kids knew what to pack -- ie cold weather gear, hiking gear, tropical stuff -- and then on Christmas morning they would wake up and receive their tickets. Then they had a short time to modify their packing, and off they went to the airport. I thought that was a great idea.
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Well, maybe while they're out doing these activities, I can clean out the garage and attic and my office... because I'm guilty of too much stuff, too. :thumbsup:
 
AuntPeggy said:
Dad was in the military and we moved every year. Mom said (and she was right) that three moves is equal to a fire.
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I grew up as an Army brat. We moved every year for quite a number of years. My folks knew just what the weight limit was that the government would cover for our moves - and they were right at that limit. So, if they bought something, then something else had to go. Seemed to work pretty well for them.

I, on the other hand, have accumulated junk that still sits in cardboard boxes, unopened, from my last two moves.
 
Matthew said:
So, if they bought something, then something else had to go. Seemed to work pretty well for them.
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I *try* to do that with clothes... if I buy two shirts and a pair of slacks, I find two old or seldom worn shirts and the pair of pants most in need of replacement, and donate them to charity. Helps keep the closet from filling up.
 
I think we all suffer from this "too much stuff-itis". I too have way too much stuff, mostly old car parts from previous projects. One of my new years resolutions it too try and liquidate most of it and attempt to pay down some of my debt.

As far as acquiring more stuff, what I do when I am out somewhere and trying to decide if I need to purchase something, I tell myself that I have lived this long without it I probably dont really need it. If I do have to borrow or rent something more than three times I will buy it.

Does this site have a classified section?:D
 
Chris, I agree that people tend to get involved in too many activities. That was my problem (probably still is), but I've limited it.

- Jaguars require you to have your own parts supply depot to keep them operating. No more Jags, no more required supply depot
- Only modifying the Mitsubishi. The motorcycles and the truck are kept in reliable operating condition, nothing more
- Guns? Well, those are low maintenance, we'll just keep those

Bah. I still have too much stuff.
 
gismo said:
My wife's father was an unbridled pack rat. Their home sat on top of about 3000 sq ft of basement that was filled floor to ceiling with all sorts of junk including two gas powered generators. When an ice storm dropped power lines over a wide area he had to go out and buy a (third) new generator because he couldn't find either of the first two in the mess. I've been faced with a similar problem on some smaller items that mysteriously vanished into the junkpile storeroom but nothing as large as a generator.
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Generator? How about a car?

I had a buddy who's dad was a big time pack rat - had a car port (probably big enough for 4 cars) stuffed full of junk. One day my buddy asked me to come over and help him move stuff to get a car out - I had no idea that there actually was a car (late 50's Fiat Multipla) in the car port. It took a while, but we found it.
 
When we moved mom to a retirement apartment in 2002, I came across several boxes of canning jars. When I asked how long she had owned them, she said she remembered moving them in 1941.

Maxmosbey said:
Nice to know that there are other people in the same circumstances. So far today, I noticed that we have seven back packs/book bags in the basement store room. Four boxes of canning jars. We have never canned anything. I was up in the attic and I found a box full of glass beakers and other scientific glass ware. I remember buying them at a garage sale, but I don't remember why. Maybe I thought that I was going to be a scientist someday. In the garage attic there is a stand with a half dozen heavy cast iron feet of different sizes, that I assume you place a shoe over to repair it. I have no idea where they came from. Three chain saws. Only one will start. Three shop vacs. Various sizes. Two five gallon buckets full of old bicycle parts. There is several boxes of college texts, both my wife's and mine from the eighties. I wonder why we never took those back in and tried to sell them when we were done with them? The best thing is a five gallon buckets full of wheel weights, and a half bucket of .38 special brass. I was always going to melt down those wheel weights, cast them into bullets, and reload those .38 cases. I think that was twenty some years ago that I was going to do that. That is just what I noticed while digging out the Christmas tree. Holy cow. I have a lot of stuff.
Click to expand...
 
34 posts and no one has mentioned the great George Carlin routine about Stuff (with a light sprinkling of NSFW words, as George is wont to do):

 
Anyone else feel like they have way too much stuff?
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Nope. Not a problem here at all even the least little bit.

I got flamed a while back on the subject so all I'll say about it is that you don't really own that stuff, it owns you because that's the absolute truth.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Yup, I agree with the "too much stuff" thing. And gifts for kids tend to be electronic in some way or another these days, which causes the kids I know to isolate themselves to themselves in their activities.

This year, we're not buying them "stuff". We're buying them "experiences"... they'll get out of the house and try some new things and hopefully make some new friends (classes, lessons, group activities), and I won't have to talk to them all year about picking the new "stuff" up!
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Yeah, buying an "experience" for Leslie's birthday is how we both got into flying! The most expensive gift I've ever bought! :) (and worth every penny :yes:)
 
Everskyward said:
No kidding... :rolleyes:

I think I'm changing my rule to getting rid of 5 things for every 1 thing I buy... and never, never saving the box or bag it came in.
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hahah! guilty. saving the box it came in for a little while makes sense.... but not indefinitely. I have a lot of amazon boxes, I figure I might use them to mail things sometime... bags I eventually use, but not quickly enough.

I agree, experiences are better.
 
We do tend to have too much stuff. It really hit home for me after my mom passed and I had to go through her stuff. She was never wealthy, mostly "poor" by monetary standards. Nor did she care much about material things. Still, she died leaving a house full of things. Things that seemed so meaningful when she was alive, now they are just "junk".

That said, we also work very hard and since you can't take the money with you then enjoy it NOW. When we are dead NONE of it will matter. So, I really don't begrudge pack rats there harmless pass time.

Me? I have a "reasonable" amount of stuff. Most of my money and stuff has gone to experiences rather than things.
 
Who me? With easily 16 computers, 5-6 TVs, 4 cars, an airplane and a lawn tractor and no garage. I was just telling a coworker that 3 of my 5-6 bedrooms serve only as storage rooms. ..oh and I have 2 refrigerators and a freezer outside waiting to be hauled away and 3 dishwashers, two of which will be on Craigslist. (Just listing this is driving me nuts.)

I will be hauling and disposing anon.
 
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