saltydecimator 482 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 i save every lil chunk of steel or part that may be useful sometime in the future, but its getting overwhelming... just heard organization isnt a born-with trait, you have to learn it... so what kinda advice etc do you all have?!? thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Took a flood to get me "decluttered", very effective but not recommended. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydecimator 482 Posted October 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 exactly... we moved, and left most of the clutter behind. so nice. then we had to finish moving out of the old house and brought all the clutter over and it became just like old times... bah! sorry bout your flood! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
G O B 3,516 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Took an escape to Texas - had to leave everything that did not fit in a Pods and the Suburban pulling the Comanche on a rented trailer. Cost me almost everything I had accumulated in a lifetime. Worth every bit! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Mark 2,452 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I second the moving thing. Just did it myself. The wife and I made up a rule: If you haven't touched it in two years it's out of here. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 exactly... we moved, and left most of the clutter behind. so nice. then we had to finish moving out of the old house and brought all the clutter over and it became just like old times... bah! sorry bout your flood! Meh life happens, the decluttering was kind of random though lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HB of CJ 1,263 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Gather up all that good stuff and concentrate it under some sort of roof. Rain proof if possible. Keep all the junk or needful stuff away from the public portion of your castle. Keep the up front stuff extremely biffy. Let the junk in the back be out of site. Worked for us. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Odd Man Out 1,283 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I lived for a few years with all my earthly possessions either fitting into or on top of a wall locker. In the years since I have accumulated like everybody but in the last few years I have decided that if I should up and drop dead, I am not going to leave my wife with all the shit -- and in the scheme of things all my earthly possessions are just that, just crap I've accumulated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Declutter? If it didn't have a purpose, I wouldn't have had it in the first place. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
patriot 7,197 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Go through the clutter and see what it would take to build something out of it. That's how you can get a new gun for next to nothing. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 (edited) I'm like the opposite of a hoarder.... except for my bucket of screws, bolts, nails, nuts, washers... When that gets full I sort them out. No, not much for clutter. Edited October 31, 2016 by YOT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
csspecs 1,987 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I have bins that are labeled by category. That way I am not looking for some item for hours. Scrap metal is scrap and goes in the scrap hopper.. If it can't be sorted it is most likely trash. I am less afraid to throw things away, almost everything can be bought again. My space is worth something. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Heartbreaker 1,085 Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 I bought some organizing storage bins. They are somewhere in the corner with the rest of the clutter. Guess I'll go rent a bulldozer. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evlblkwpnz 3,418 Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 I second the moving thing. Just did it myself. The wife and I made up a rule: If you haven't touched it in two years it's out of here. For years, I told my wife that we would move with a 20 yard dumpster. We ended up needing to move and we got that dumpster. I invited people over to get what they wanted and threw most of the rest in the dumpster. I could have made quite a bit of extra money selling a lot of our stuff on craigslist and ebay, but the reality of it was that it would take up too much of my time. As a result, I did the actual move in a matter of hours while she was at work. It was refreshing. She wasn't happy about it, but recently thanked me for it. It was a reset of sorts. Now we have exactly what we need and very little more. We are not total minimalists, but close. As far as scrap metal goes, do a realistic evaluation of what you might actually use and call the scrap guy to get the rest. I'm about to do that again at my shop. It adds up quickly, but scrap prices have made it so that I generate far more money staying at the shop than hauling a load of scrap steel. Scrap guy is always happy to hear from me. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pyzik 597 Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 Organization.I just picked up three more standing shelving units for the garage. Picked up plastic "shoe boxes" at the dollar store (great buy actually, grabbed 25 of them with lids).Smaller parts are going in fishing tackle boxes with dividers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Exciter 20 Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 Yeah the declutter dilemma. Every time I do, never seems to fail I can use that little piece of scrap whatever I just threw away. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evlblkwpnz 3,418 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Yeah the declutter dilemma. Every time I do, never seems to fail I can use that little piece of scrap whatever I just threw away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) The last time I cleaned, I needed that thing two days later. No kidding. I had that thing for years. We have a small house and little storage space. That's probably a good thing. Edited November 2, 2016 by Sim_Player 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigChongus 765 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Look up 5S and try to implement it everywhere you can 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nlacy 692 Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 The wife and I made up a rule: If you haven't touched it in two years it's out of here. Thought about that. Then I realized she might throw me out too... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Nemo 882 Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 I'm about to have another "Cry & Goodbye" session. And yeah, there's going to be something I now need that I just threw out. To some extent, that's what donating to thrift stores is good for. You might still be able to get that item back...for a price. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydecimator 482 Posted November 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 Yeah the declutter dilemma. Every time I do, never seems to fail I can use that little piece of scrap whatever I just threw away. so what ive heard about/read in a declutter book, was that you only remember the times where you needed something, not the 1000s of times when you threw something out and never missed it.... negative vs positive reinforcement kinda?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evlblkwpnz 3,418 Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 Yeah the declutter dilemma. Every time I do, never seems to fail I can use that little piece of scrap whatever I just threw away. so what ive heard about/read in a declutter book, was that you only remember the times where you needed something, not the 1000s of times when you threw something out and never missed it.... negative vs positive reinforcement kinda?? I can remember one time in the last few years that I actually regretted throwing something out and had to go buy another one, but can't remember what it was. The regret didn't last long because I try to focus on the fact that I save time not digging through a bunch of crap when I need to look for something. I get so much satisfaction from throwing things away that it is fairly easy for me to move on. My wife hates it. She is a clinger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Exciter 20 Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 Yeah the declutter dilemma. Every time I do, never seems to fail I can use that little piece of scrap whatever I just threw away. so what ive heard about/read in a declutter book, was that you only remember the times where you needed something, not the 1000s of times when you threw something out and never missed it.... negative vs positive reinforcement kinda?? I can remember one time in the last few years that I actually regretted throwing something out and had to go buy another one, but can't remember what it was. The regret didn't last long because I try to focus on the fact that I save time not digging through a bunch of crap when I need to look for something. I get so much satisfaction from throwing things away that it is fairly easy for me to move on. My wife hates it. She is a clinger. You know that's good advice right there. I spend too much time just looking for crap that I know that I have somewhere. I really need to purge some stuff. I have odds and ends of assorted things that I have inherited from my dad. My issue is I see every piece of anything as something that can be fabricated into something else or as a solution to a problem that doesn't even exist yet. I am making progress though I recently threw out a handful of 40 year old rusty nails. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HB of CJ 1,263 Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 The problem with that handy 20 yard dumpster is that it would quickly weight 100 tons. Granddad was a pack rat. So was Dad. So am I. Time for another full load of stuff going to the goodwill stores. Or the Mother of all yard sales. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydecimator 482 Posted November 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 nope, yard sales too much labor and little return.... you thought gun guys were a penny pinching bunch... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 My wife gives me one day to take what I want and we donate all the shit we haven't touched in over a year. Works like a charm. I keep a lot of shit hidden these days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 nope, yard sales too much labor and little return. I don't want the GP that close to my abode. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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