Clutter that might "come in handy someday"

BTM · September 02, 2010, 01:28:41 PM

Does anyone have a bunch of stuff in their closet or garage or someplace that you honestly haven't used in a looong time, but you keep it around because it "might come in handy someday"? Or you've got a "project" that you're going to get around to doing "one of these days" and so you don't want to get rid of it?

Me, I've got some stuff like that... not counting old keepsakes and things from childhood or scrapbooks and whatnot, I've also got computer parts, my old computer drive, a monitor I found that I couldn't get to work but am not sure how to get rid of (don't you have to take those to a special recycling place or something? Keep meaning to research that...) and other miscellaneous stuff.

Also, I have in my possession, a pair of steel toed boots that actually fit me (I've got size 16 triple wide feet, so that's no small feat for ANY type of shoe, much less steel toes.) You see, once I was working a temp job at General Dynamics, a factory that makes medium caliber ammunition (considering how big some of bullets I saw were, be neat to see what falls under large caliber ammunition.) Even though most of my days were spent in the office sections of the facilities, I had to occasionally venture on into the plant, so I had to special order some boots.

Neat thing about steel toes, they do not "flex" like regular shoes (obviously). Anyway, I had the job for about two months or so, then all the work they had for me was done, but they said they enjoyed having me and would call if any other positions came up (which, apparently never did.)

Anyway, my boots have since been sitting in one closet or another and that was about.. oh, four, five years ago.

I could probably make some money if I sold them on eBay or something, especially since they look virtually brand new but dang it, I can't help but think a pair of steel toes might be useful in some situation or another...

How about you guys? What type of odd items do you have lying around somewhere you could probably get rid of without really noticing and yet, for whatever reason, you don't seem to want to part with it?

macabre · September 02, 2010, 03:08:34 PM

hi
Does the wife count?
I am a habitual hoarder, i have over five hundred paperback books, mostly sci-fi/horror story,s and i have honestly ever read about 4 of them..

I also own about 6 betamax video recorders, i never use them!!!

I also have a huge array of tools and yet i am crap at D.I.Y.

SkullBat308 · September 02, 2010, 05:44:24 PM

Yeah, I had tons of stuff like that, but I just took the plunge and got rid of a lot of it just the other day. Feels good actually

Silverlady · September 02, 2010, 06:06:02 PM

We had a yard sale last weekend and sold a lot of stuff we kept for YEARS, but never used again. I tend to hold onto stuff for a long time though anyway. My favorite old thing is a 15 year old flannel bathrobe with holes in it. Just can't get rid of it!

Mr. DS · September 02, 2010, 08:04:49 PM

I think as I get older I try to get rid of stuff more that I'm not using. That way I don't end up on a documentary.

3mnkids · September 02, 2010, 08:41:25 PM

I dont like clutter and im not sentimental so I dont keep a lot of stuff. The only thing that comes to mind are my books. I cant get rid of them even if I didnt like the book.

BTM · September 03, 2010, 10:37:11 AM

Oh yeah, forgot about clothes. I've got several clothes in the closet that don't fit me anymore (mainly because I've gained some weight over the years) but I keep them under the idea that I might miraculously lose weight someday.

Also, I still have a SECOND VCR. I got this for back when I would occasionally copy a rare film I managed to get a hold of that was damn hard to find, and to copy various stuff from other blank tapes (like TV shows and whatnot.) Keep in mind, this was way before pretty much every show was available on DVD (or from other "cough, cough" sources.)

I guess I'll hold onto though, I still have a lot of films on VHS tapes that are either unavailable on DVD or don't have the money to buy the DVD version, and a second VCR would be handy in case the first one breaks (especially since I think don't think you can find them in stores too much now a days.)

The Gravekeeper · September 03, 2010, 07:36:02 PM

I got rid of a lot of a my clutter. I'm still moving around a lot into small spaces, so I just don't have room for it to begin with (to say nothing of the hassle of packing it all up, moving it in a car or a truck, and then unpacking it all).

I do occassionally end up with finished art projects that I don't have room for, have no place to store, and can't sell since I don't have an established name in any way. What happens to them? I feel a little sad about having to throw away something I spent that much time working on. I do hang on to art supplies, though. I might get an idea for a project in the future that requires those supplies (it has happened before; I had some charcoal hanging around for about 2 years before I found a use for it.)

The Burgomaster · September 04, 2010, 07:35:06 AM

My father saves EVERYTHING. He is retired, but was a television repairman for 35 or 40 years. He still has a huge toolbox full of the old vacuum tubes that were inside televisions years ago. He also has electronics trade magazines from the 1960s and 1970s. When people didn't want to spend the money to have their TVs (and other electronic devices like radios, VCRs, and camcorders) repaired, he would bring home their broken items, store them in the basement and say, "I'll fix that in my spare time and we will have a spare [TV or whatever it was]." Of course, he never fixed any of them (okay, maybe he fixed one or two). Over the years my mother convinced him to get rid of some of the stuff . . . they sold a few pieces at yard sales and either gave away or threw away the rest.

AndyC · September 04, 2010, 07:51:11 AM

My wife usually complains about how much of the basement is taken up by old stereo equipment, old computers, assorted audio, video and power cables still in packages, chunks of wire and miscellaneous electronic parts. To me, that kind of stuff always comes in handy, although the need has to arise. I have, at times, needed to cobble a computer together for something, or needed audio equipment for something.

My first outdoor movie night, I got the use of a brand-new sound system the town bought, still in boxes. Got it all set up, and found the speaker cables were missing. By nine o`clock, it was getting dark and nobody could locate cables with the right connectors. I drove home, and returned in ten minutes with enough gear to do the job, all from the stash in my basement. A couple more minutes with wire cutters, a screwdriver and some tape, and we were in business. My reputation grew three sizes that day.

Seriously, people around here think I`m the Professor from Gilligan`s Island or something. I think it started when we had a Christmas party a few years ago, and everybody from church saw the MAME cabinet.

Anyway, the great thing is that we now own a building with a mostly empty basement. Since I plan on doing some PC repair if business slows down over the winter, I want to put a workshop down there, and will probably move all the spare parts from the basement at home, along with some gear from the garage.

AndyC · September 04, 2010, 08:03:13 AM

Quote from: The Burgomaster on September 04, 2010, 07:35:06 AM
My father saves EVERYTHING. He is retired, but was a television repairman for 35 or 40 years. He still has a huge toolbox full of the old vacuum tubes that were inside televisions years ago. He also has electronics trade magazines from the 1960s and 1970s. When people didn't want to spend the money to have their TVs (and other electronic devices like radios, VCRs, and camcorders) repaired, he would bring home their broken items, store them in the basement and say, "I'll fix that in my spare time and we will have a spare [TV or whatever it was]." Of course, he never fixed any of them (okay, maybe he fixed one or two). Over the years my mother convinced him to get rid of some of the stuff . . . they sold a few pieces at yard sales and either gave away or threw away the rest.

Ah, I remember television repairmen from days of yore. We had a 26-inch Admiral colour TV when I was a kid, and it broke down frequently. Used to be fascinated by all the tubes and wires and strange components inside and watching the guy work. Some of the magic left when it all went solid state. Just a circuit board in there, which worked well enough to make TV repair an obsolete job. I guess computer repair and satellite installation took its place.

Some of your Dad`s old vacuum tubes might be worth a few bucks on eBay. Collectors are always restoring old stuff and needing parts.