Don't be this guy

njjeter · Feb 15, 2022

Trying to mulch some leftover leaves, I tore up the belt on my KingKutter 60in finish mower. Luckily I had a spare. After replacing the belt and finishing stirring up a lot of dust in the neighborhood, I went to throw away the ruined belt. My first thought on picking it up, was to save it for some future unspecified project. Then I came to my senses and threw it in the trash (but that won't be emptied for a while, so I have the chance to retrieve it). I look around my garage and small outbuilding and noticed all the other ruined things I have saved in the past. Broken and warped mower blades (could be useful killing zombies), pieces of dry-rotted air hoses (probably useless against zombies), various sized pieces of inner tubes (did use some of that to patch my mouse eaten waders). Neither of my kids seemed to have taken after me, but my 10 year old grandson is even worse than me (don't try to throw away that toy packing). My father-inlaw is much worse than me. What is the craziest thing y'all pack-rats keep?

Jstpssng · Feb 15, 2022

I get excited about well built boxes, as it seems I always am looking for one to store things in. My employer has our annual meeting and gives a big Christmas party around the first Friday of December every year, but didn't in 2020 due to Covid. One night I let my dog out and he started running up the driveway barking, as he often does. I made some smart aleck comment about "Get him!!!"... suddenly a delivery truck tore out of my driveway. (I felt like a jerk, they have enough to worry about without that... never mind that Ruger would just be looking for attention.)

Upon going to the end of my driveway I found a styrofoam packing container. "Wow, Cool! This will be great for transporting eggs, and for carrying things while camping out next summer."
I was halfway down the driveway before I started wondering what was in it.

This past fall I gave it to my brother with two halves of a turkey in it.

grsthegreat · Feb 15, 2022

when i moved to my current home 26 years ago, it was a 30 mile drive to town for parts. a person starts storing everything that may come in handy some day. gets to be quite the collection. i ended up installing pallet racking system to store it all, in addition to parts for my electrical business.

jump forward to today. theres stores, including auto and hardware, a few minutes away.

starting a few months ago i started re-organizing my shelving, one shelf at a time. it doesnt take long to fill 2 trash cans. i find parts for a jeep i sold 10 years ago. i mean, come on. im not that guy....you know, the crazy old hoarder.

am i

Diggin It · Feb 15, 2022

I used a piece of old worn out, broken V belt and some roof tar to raise the edge of a formed/poly garden pond after I found water running over it after a hard rain.

Wagtail · Feb 15, 2022

I posted this over in the "Quotes" thread, but it applies here:

'There is no scrap wood*, just pieces not yet used.'

* bubble-wrap, boxes, orphan screws...

newbury · Feb 15, 2022

grsthegreat said:
i ended up installing pallet racking system to store it all

My "sheds"
have about 400 linear feet of pallet racking. Only a few pictured here.

Most are 3 or 4 levels and so far in the last 10 years I've only got them about 70% full.
Organization and labeling is the key, but it can be difficult. But what I really like is the ability to store HEAVY things if need be and to rearrange at will.

All of the ones pictured I erected by myself. I can't slide a built one around on the concrete floor so for the tall 4 level plus ones I prop up the uprights, hook up a few beams carefully, then build the second level and then continue on up. I view them like "tinkertoys for the big boys'

So consequently I have a LOT of potential storage space and tend NOT to throw stuff out, yet.
I even got a full 300 gallon IBC tote as a water storage tank stored 8 foot up.
I highly recommend pallet racking.

Rockbadchild · Feb 16, 2022

lol y’a gotta be ready for these zombies

there is nothing worse then looking at something and saying i will never need that thing and throwing it in the garbage then the next month you need it …

For me i just can’t get myself to throw antique dosent matter what it is.

The best was my first house i bought it off a old lady her husband passed away a few months prior from me buying the hours her kids offer to clean the garage and throwing everything to the landfill i looked around and said no it had so many relics it was crazy and i didn’t want to throw anything away it used to drive my ex wife crazy … they just don’t get it.

newbury · Feb 16, 2022

rockmalenfant said:
<snip>i didn’t want to throw anything away it used to drive my ex wife crazy … they just don’t get it.

My present wife DOES!
As long as there is some semblance of order and things can be found in a timely fashion she puts up with it, and often adds to it.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

oosik · Feb 16, 2022

I look in my pantry. I save Shed Spread margarine containers and lids. Also, those plastic peanut butter jars. I must have 30 to 35 margarine containers and a dozen peanut butter jars. ONE of these day I WILL find a use ..............

RoyJackson · Feb 16, 2022

njjeter said:
Trying to mulch some leftover leaves, I tore up the belt on my KingKutter 60in finish mower. Luckily I had a spare. After replacing the belt and finishing stirring up a lot of dust in the neighborhood, I went to throw away the ruined belt. My first thought on picking it up, was to save it for some future unspecified project. Then I came to my senses and threw it in the trash (but that won't be emptied for a while, so I have the chance to retrieve it). I look around my garage and small outbuilding and noticed all the other ruined things I have saved in the past. Broken and warped mower blades (could be useful killing zombies), pieces of dry-rotted air hoses (probably useless against zombies), various sized pieces of inner tubes (did use some of that to patch my mouse eaten waders). Neither of my kids seemed to have taken after me, but my 10 year old grandson is even worse than me (don't try to throw away that toy packing). My father-inlaw is much worse than me. What is the craziest thing y'all pack-rats keep?View attachment 733712

Pack Rat....me too ("I might need that some day..."

npalen · Feb 16, 2022

There are easy decisions and hard decisions in life. Whether or not to throw away an old v-belt is a hard decision.

Tinhack · Feb 16, 2022

A third of my barn space is taken up with storage of "stuff I might need some day". Not to mention most of a 1925 Ford Turing car I need to restore. I can't walk in a straight line for more than five feet in the rest of the barn. I have a problem disposing of metal cutoffs. It doesn't matter how small or the shape. I "might need it for a project". Tubing, flats, squares, bars and sheets. I have it all and the machines to work with it. I've got a lathe, mill, about every type of welder and just about every sheet metal tool needed to build a car from scratch. Except my paint booth has even been converted into more storage space.

I guess I need a new building.

newbury · Feb 16, 2022

npalen said:
There are easy decisions and hard decisions in life. Whether or not to throw away an old v-belt is a hard decision.

My "problem" is the time I waste remembering the joy and work I got from the engine the old V-belt came from, but I view it as cheap entertainment.

MossRoad · Feb 16, 2022

njjeter said:
...What is the craziest thing y'all pack-rats keep?

Clem Studebaker's rock and mineral collection.

HawkinsHollow · Feb 16, 2022

My pack rat days are just beginning, my take on it is if you have the space why not? I have a 40 foot container, 20 foot of it is for storage. Starting to refine my system a bit, just need more time! I bought a lighter weight 4x8 rack system that I need to install in there to help organize things. Also, I am thinking about buying some pallet racking and making it a stand alone structure outside. Footers, put roof and walls on three sides for things that can get a little wet. The way the world is going right now the hoarders might be the smartest ones out there. HOARD ON!

deezler · Feb 16, 2022

Speaking of zombies, why are you guys posting to this thread at 3:30-6am? Get some sleep for pete's sake, lol.

Timely thread. Last night while falling asleep I thought for a while, and grew some determination to get organized and PURGE some things. My garage is full. My house is cluttered, partially because I can't even take things out to the garage for sorting/purging. Time to get to work, I don't need all this crap.

deezler · Feb 16, 2022

HawkinsHollow said:
My pack rat days are just beginning, ... The way the world is going right now the hoarders might be the smartest ones out there. HOARD ON!

Oh, no.... no. It's ok to save things that will be worthwhile to you, but this is full on hoarder mentality. Try to dial it back a bit, stay efficient. Otherwise you will be buried in stuff, and most likely, just leaving a horrible mess for your spouse/kids/friends to deal with.

jyoutz · Feb 16, 2022

Last summer I decided to have the dirt/gravel floor of my barn concreted. So looking at 16 years of stored junk and the gear from my adult sons old 4h projects, I decided that after moving everything out, only about 1/2 would be going back inside. The useable but unneeded stuff I sold on Craigslist. Then I rented a roll off dumpster for a week. I nearly filled a 15 cubic yard dumpster. Now my barn/shop is organized and fun to work in. Just do it: if you haven’t used it in 5 years, it’s time to go.

crashz · Feb 16, 2022

I'm a bit of a hoarder, but my father can teach a graduate level course in it. Back in 2010 we closed and moved his business that was in the same spot for over 40 years. 300 tons of scrap metal (junk plow trucks) and 7 tractor trailer loads were removed from a 40x60 building and 1 acre lot. The scrap was taken out by a company, but the seven 53ft trailers were loaded by me alone.

While I believe in re-use for moral, environmental and economical reasons, please think of the folks who have to deal with it later.

To me, a busted V belt is only good to run to the store and check against the new one. I would only keep it long enough to get a new spare and put that away.

One concept that I try to enforce with my father is that we have to balance the usefulness of something with it's inevitable time requirement. One thing we can't hoard is time.

HawkinsHollow · Feb 16, 2022

deezler said:
Oh, no.... no. It's ok to save things that will be worthwhile to you, but this is full on hoarder mentality. Try to dial it back a bit, stay efficient. Otherwise you will be buried in stuff, and most likely, just leaving a horrible mess for your spouse/kids/friends to deal with.

Yes sir I hear ya! I am not piling up a bunch of junk I will never use. I am reasonably picky about what I will take. But people throw out A LOT of good stuff.