So many "advice givers" want us to declutter.

[mapper]

There is a difference between hoarding and keeping useful stuff. A hoarder will accumulate stuff that they never use, my neighbor is an example of this, herplace is filled to the gills with stuff that once acquired never gets used. She acquired a bunch of stuff from an estate sale at an old farm she worked and lived at for awhile. Among them were a chipper/shredder, powered wheelbarrow with dump box, a generator, a small motor home and a 70's vintage IH tractor. The only thing of that collection that she has used is the tractor.
She didn't used to be that way but in the last ten years or so it has gotten a lot worse.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Sounds like my current neighbor. If you dare go in the house, there is just a path to go to each room.

She bought a new garden tractor 3 years ago.... she used it once.

She has 4 sheds ranging from 12'x12' on up to a 12'x32'. All packed to the door... with??

She has a 'handyman' do some things, won't let him throw away anything. There are scrap plywood 1/2 sheets, assorted size lumber up to 16' long, metal roofing, rolls of partially used welded wire fencing, etc...

She also has a horse.... never cleans the corral or run-in. The horse was always getting in trouble getting into the piles of debris.
Instead of having the handyman haul off all of the useless piles of junk, she had him pound in T-posts and use the fencing pieces to put a fence around the piles! There are now two 'fenced in' piles.

She has 2 utility trailers with 4' high sides filled with junk. I thought she was finally getting rid of some stuff ---- nope... they have been in the same spot for at least a year and a half, probably longer.

When she goes, the house will probably have to be burned!

Oh, and she use to have 5 dogs and a potbelly pig living in the house with her. Another neighbor went over there one time.... he said you couldn't breathe in the house because of the ammonia smell.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sometimes it's just age catching up... the mind my be willing but the body can't.

Failing eyesight or physical strength has a great impact...

Maybe the smart ones see it coming in time and downsize and liquidate?

Of course another friend suffering heart attacks left everything in the shop for over a year... simply didn't have the strength anymore even to navigate the downslope...

At the cabin its very spartan... really just what's needed to keep things simple.

Even there in the garage is the 1958 outboard boat that was featured in a magazine and has not been out for decades since the two strokes ban.

Sister in Law is always after me to get rid of it but it's not bothering anything so NO... too many childhood memories!

 

[scaredychicken]

I sort the nuts & bolts on an old hot water "saucer" that is about 24 inches across. it is light weight and doubles as a rain cover for the burn barrel, when not being used to sort.

I have dozens of Costco back & muscle pill containers, that contain the specific hardwares. They are identified by perm marker and are easy to pack around as needed, and fit nicely back into a drawer later on

my workbench is however a mess, as people keep bringing stuff into the garage when I'm not home - I'm working on gaining access to the workbench again

 

[scaredychicken]

She bought a new garden tractor 3 years ago.... she used it once.

that would be a good machine to buy

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I am just starting my collection. But I am in FULL agreement, if it can potentially be useful and I have room to save it I will. And I have plenty of room

The end of July I am driving a trailer up to my dad's house and loading his garage into it. He is 96 and will not be using his floor jack and drill press any more. It is basically my inheritance, I am so excited for this. Not only are most of his tools good Made in USA stuff, but he has all kinds of bits and bobs in well organized drawers and cases. All kinds of cool tool chests and cabinets. I will take some pictures of my hoard and post some of them.

 

[ultrarunner]

Only the last few years have I slowed down because zero shop time with work and caring for family…

There was a time when I would show up at a friends or my Real Estate friends would call and say there is junk in the garage that has to go… please come get it.

Often junk to them would be bundles of EMT, partial rolls of copper wire, drill press, compressor, hand tools… etc.

Got a nice table saw to me… old Craftsman from the 60’s

 

[Jstpssng]

Got a nice table saw to me… old Craftsman from the 60’s

I picked up one of those on the side of the road with a "Free" sign on it. It wasn't even in front of somebody's house, they had hauled it out from a side street to put it on the main road. It didn't have any of the 8" blades, but when we were cleaning out my parent's cellar I found several to fit. Now I just need the bushing adapter and I'll have a nice belt driven table saw.

 

[goeduck]

I have an old cooking pan, about 10x14x2 that I use. I cut one corner off so it acts like a funnel to pour the bits back into a container.

Bruce

Ahhh, a Thinking Man.

 

[goeduck]

my workbench is however a mess, as people keep bringing stuff into the garage when I'm not home - I'm working on gaining access to the workbench again

Ah ha, that must be what happens to my workbench!