Useful stuff that I have no use for

[Merkava_4]

I've got too much stuff around the house. I can't seem to build up the courage to throw it out.

There was one instance where I needed a block of wood to put on the floor jack to raise the car up higher. I couldn't find a block of wood and vowed right then and there that I would never let myself be in that situation ever again. The next day, I go out and find a construction site where they had several piles of scrap wood. Lots of cut pieces of 2x4's and 2x6's. I took all of it!

Another instance where I was working on the car and needed a box to keep my tools in so they wouldn't get scratched up on the garage floor. I couldn't find one, so the next day I go out to Costco and collect two dozen Skippy peanut butter jar boxes and two dozen CoffeeMate jar boxes.

I still have lots of spare parts for a 1978 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. I have a like new driver's side remote control side mirror complete with outside thermometer. I even have a complete brand new Raybestos drum brake hardware kit. I don't have the car no more and haven't for several years.

Whenever a neighbor throws out a lawn mower, I go and get it. I now have a collection of six lawn mowers that are all perfectly fine if they just had engines.

I've got scads and scads of good stuff that I have no use for. Can't bring myself to throw it away because that would be wasteful.

 

[Nick1994]

Put it on Craigslist, possibly free or out on the curb. Someone with the same heart/desire for things like this that you do will get them and they'd love to have it, plus it's not your problem anymore.

I've gotten pretty good about throwing things away, if I realistically won't use it again, it finds another home, often the garbage can.

 

[Merkava_4]

This all started when I needed to clear out the backyard to plant grass. Now I got all the stuff parked on the patio. I even had to build two sawhorses so that I could have a place to stack all the extra lumber. So now I got a huge stack of lumber on one side of the patio - and several inoperable mowers on the other side of the patio - with clear a narrow pathway to walk through the center. Believe it or not, I would like to keep all this stuff, but I'm running out of room to put it. I envy you guys that simply 86 the stuff if you don't need it.

 

[Wolf359]

I remember reading one article about decluttering. If you look at an object and it doesn't bring you joy, throw it out.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

You are obviously not married.......

 

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
You are obviously not married.......


Maybe not anymore.

hotwheels

 

[larryinnewyork]

This could be the beginning of Excessive Compulsive Hoarding.

I'm just the opposite, if I know I will not use something, I will get rid of it.
I've made many trips to Amvets.
I pride myself on no clutter.
Everything in the house has a current purpose (it's living efficiently).

Best way to clean out a shed.
1) Remove everything.
2) Only put back what you know you need.

 

[Dave Hess]

Merkava,

Put all that stuff on Craigslist before your wife complains about all that stuff collecting dust and taking up space.

 

[The_Jeff]

My hoarding has saved my bacon timeless times.

When I scrap a car I save dumb stuff like the fuses. I even pump the tank dry into my 5 gallon can. I got a "new" saturn and screwed up its hub doing a wheel bearing, but I had a whole knuckle with bad bearing sitting around. Knocked its hub out and made one good from two. My ability to see into the future enjoys remarkable success. I'm lucky I only have two acres; if I had a plot out in the desert I'd never throw anything out.

But, I feel your pain. I have some 14 foot long boxes of siding against the back wall of my garage. I'm trying to side one side of my house every year but life keeps getting in my way. And other cultch keeps piling in front of and on top of this darn siding!

 

[Pop_Rivit]

You have a choice. You can live a life with lots of excess junk laying around, or you can live a life free of junk and clutter. The mowers and old auto parts can be scrapped-you'll never do anything with them. The rest of the stuff is simply garbage.

 

[QuietPortage]

Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
This could be the beginning of Excessive Compulsive Hoarding.

I'm just the opposite, if I know I will not use something, I will get rid of it.
I've made many trips to Amvets.
I pride myself on no clutter.
Everything in the house has a current purpose (it's living efficiently).

Best way to clean out a shed.
1) Remove everything.
2) Only put back what you know you need.

I'll second that. I'm anti-junk. I can't stand my neighbors that have broken [censored] scattered about their property; things rusting away that they'll never use.

OP, your behavior sounds compulsive, as if you may not be in full control. Consider talking to someone who's trained in this field.

Your mention of hoarding things because you don't want to be wasteful struck a chord with me. My father said that, and cleaning out his house was a monumental task when he moved on. His attachment to junk was very unhealthy, and burdened others.

So, bring those mowers to a metal recycler. Keeping them around your house is wasteful. Making new products out of the material is not. Sell the old car parts on eBay, and recycle those too if nobody wants them.

 

[rjundi]

You sound like you are on your leaning towards a hoarder. You may want to figure out why you filling yourself up with stuff and what void you are filling in life.

I am well experienced with a relative much more extreme who is self admitted hoarder.

 

[LoneRanger]

For your kids' sake, start thinning out all the accumulated stuff. After mom died in 2010 and a yr later we moved dad out of the family home which we'd lived in since 1965, let me tell you-- stuff. A lot of it. Moving sale, hauled other stuff to an auction house after each of us were allowed to take whatever things we wanted. And there was still stuff that had to go to the land fill. It was a week long process.

 

[Oil Changer]

If I don't use it after a week, I throw it out or scrap it.

 

[CourierDriver]

I have a 1500 sq ft basement, all opened. Junked up , but you can walk thru it, most of the stuff is old furniture, left over parts from my H VAC days, tools on peg board I have not used in years and the usual 5 million screws, bolts, nuts,,,,lmaoff and it goes on from there.

 

[CourierDriver]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
For your kids' sake, start thinning out all the accumulated stuff. After mom died in 2010 and a yr later we moved dad out of the family home which we'd lived in since 1965, let me tell you-- stuff. A lot of it. Moving sale, hauled other stuff to an auction house after each of us were allowed to take whatever things we wanted. And there was still stuff that had to go to the land fill. It was a week long process.
I now take all my stuff I can part with to the Goodwill or Habitat restore places.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
If I don't use it after a week, I throw it out or scrap it.


I wish I could discipline myself to do that. I'm not a hoarder but walking in my basement you'd think I was.

 

[bigt61]

Merk is making plenty of us breathe easier this morning. We thought we had a problem. I had one extra lawn mower that belonged to my ex - it was brand new (used once) and she was ready to junk it when she was moving. I grabbed it and gave it to a neighbor who needed one. I'm in the process of de-cluttering my basement now. It's hard to throw some stuff out - but if it's not worth at least $20 on craigslist - toss it.

 

[JHZR2]

There's something to be said about some of the stuff, if you had a use for it. I needed wood once for a jacking project, went and took some 6x6 and 8x8 scrap from a construction site (with permission) to use. It has come in handy many times. But I know I'll use it. Scrap wood is one where I think it can come in handy and stow.

Old car parts from a car you don't have? Do you plan on buying another at some point? If not, there likely is someone looking for such an item that is NOS for their car. Perhaps try to sell on eBay or a car-specific forum.

The rest sounds like trash that can easily be replaced.

 

[dlundblad]

I think there is a difference between hoarding and collecting. First of all, you admit to having a problem (regardless of how severe it make be.)

Are the car parts sentimental?

Can you burn where you live? That's what I would do with the wood. Keep a few random sizes though.

I see what you mean with the mowers. I have a collection myself. How many mowers do you have that you use weekly? Do any of the broken mowers have swap-able parts? (For example: My GF's BIL had a Lowes "yard machine" with a B&S that caught on fire that he gave to me. Everything on it was good except the engine and I was able to use the better wheels on my existing mower along with the self propelled gearbox and drive belt.) Keep wheels, gearboxes, belts, blades etc. and scrap whatever else you wont need.