Dealing with stuff, literally

Anyone got any tips for slimming down stuff in your possession?

How many pieces of wood do I actually need*? Will everything actually come in useful one day?

If I applied the “not used in 6 months” rule I’d probably throw out stuff I might actually have used if it wasn’t for other stuff being in its way.

Also there’s items that might be worth selling but are they worth the time it will take to sell them? A similar amount of time is required sometimes to just give things away.

*I could genuinely do with advice on this. How do you know which wood is worth keeping? Then how best to store it?

Move house, that focuses the mind!

The only thing I’m keeping to sell is a Sony Minidisc separates unit, though I haven’t sold it in the last 16years so I’m not sure I will in the next.

Decided selling stuff is too much of a faff so charity shops and tip runs have been my weekends for the last four months.

Just gone through old cables.  I have a great selection of interconnects that I have no recollection what they were for.  Recycling them this weekend.

At the bottom of my garden the new owners are going to inherit a lot of building material that may or may not come in handy for them…

Good luck!

Move house, that focuses the mind!

We just did! Going up one in number of bedrooms. The storage isn’t as good here…yet. I don’t want to store junk though

If the good lord had intended us to keep every piece of wood that looks useful he wouldn’t have invented fire.

If you got poo on it, would you clean it, or throw it away?

Well. You absolutely need a special stick for stirring paint.

Apart from that set yourself a 50% reduction target. That’s usually easy enough to hit.

Throw out the least useful half of <whatever>.

Also there’s items that might be worth selling but are they worth the time it will take to sell them?

Was very much thinking this after spending almost a day listing classified/ebay stuff. Taking photos, measuring and weighing, do I have a suitably sized box, listing the thing, packing and arranging postage when and if it sells, postman collects saves the post office trip but might interrupt my on a work call. Not really worth my time for some things and I don’t need the money now, but for some obscure bits the only real other option is the bin.

Just bite the bullet and do it once. You’ll soon realise that you don’t miss all the shit you got rid of and that leads to it being much easier next time.

And you’re right about the effort selling stuff. There a pair of brand new expensive mudguards in the back of my van that are unused. They’ve been there months, I’d initially meant to put them on eBay, but they’ve hung about so long now, I’ll probably just drop them off at the local bike recycling charity. Could see my restored Orange P7 going the same way TBH, as that needs to go too.

Meh, it’s only stuff.

At the bottom of my garden the new owners are going to inherit a lot of building material that may or may not come in handy for them

Having been on the recieving end of that just don’t. It’s a dick move, sort your own rubbish out. By all means ask if they want it but don’t just leave it.

How do you know which wood is worth keeping?

Are you actually building things out of wood frequently enough that you need a constant supply. Unless it’s your actual hobby and you’re doing it most weekends, then, if you want the space and it’s beginning to bother you; take it all to the tip, or hire a skip. If that feels like it’s too difficult, you really do need to have a serious think about why you’re hoarding.

I need to get rid of so much stuff to, paid someone to remove a load of stuff from my garage a couple of years ago (responsible place not a cheap fly-tipper before STW judges me :p ) but now it seems as full as ever 🙁 I want to get a decent sized shed sorted in my garden (where I can then dump a load of stuff currently in my garage, like the 5 bikes I’ve not ridden in years but have next to no second-hand value) but the garden itself needs sorting first and the only access to it is via the garage so I need to move the stuff in garage so landscapers etc. can even get to to the garden. So my current plan is to get my loft boarded and move some garage stuff temporarily up there and then get the other work done but I now have so much crap inside my house to it would be enough to fill the boarded loft (and not overload it) on it’s own. Aaargh. None of the stuff I’d happily get rid of is of any interest to charities either so it’s likely a load of trips to the tip, which ends up all seeming like too much effort so I end up not doing anything.

I need the equivalent of one of those TV shows about decluttering but without actually needing to be on TV…

@FuzzyWuzzy

Don’t board your loft. Unless it’s a very small part for Christmas Decs and you’re disciplined enough to keep it that way.

Ask yourself, am I the sort of person who needs to spend a lot of money creating a giant secret cupboard that stuff can accumulate in, unseen, for decades?

we left ours unboarded and not having the ‘I’ll just stick it in the loft’ option has saved me from keeping so much stuff that I do not miss getting rid off.

Yeah, you’re probably right but the other issue I have is I live in a fairly small coach house style property so essentially my living space is 4 rooms (I should have moved years ago but preferred the alternative of becoming mortgage-free…) so even if I was a lot more organised a bit of extra storage space would be welcome (although as you allude to I’d probably end up just using it to store junk rather than dealing with it).

Depends on you. Someone suggested blitzing things but I found that over whelming.

Do a small space at a time. Like, on cupboard or shelf. It takes a few minutes and if you make it a habit you get through stuff and keep on top of it.

You need to be ruthless. If I’ve not used it in a year then it can go. The odd exception is specialist stuff like winter camping gear if I’ve not been away.

If it is useful but of little value then charity shop. If it is valuable then sell it. I know what I earn per hour so use that as a crude estimate of what I’d get Vs how long it would take me to list it on eBay.

The other trick is one in one out. Buy, something new? Then get rid of something old.

…where I can then dump a load of stuff currently in my garage, like the 5 bikes I’ve not ridden in years but have next to no second-hand value

Spending more money to hoard unused stuff is barmy! Take them to a bike charity, there’s bound to be one near you. They’ll use any decent components and weigh in what’s genuinely scrap.

Also, if you can’t face multiple tip trips, (can sympathise with that opinion) big skips generally cost about £200.

Why does having ‘stuff’ cause people such a problem?

I have some stuff tucked down the side of the garage that I haven’t thought about for years. Why would I suddenly want to get stressed about its existence and have to stress about getting rid of it.

I feel this was an idea introduced on Day Time TV so that people emptied their houses of all their superficial stuff and then bought a whole load more.

Having too much stuff gives me itch. So even with things like clothes I have a one-in one-out policy. Luckily I’ve only go a small paved garden and teeny shed (that needs replacing, but that’s another story) If I’m not using it, it’s going in the bin, recycled, or sold on. I passed on a cycle commuter and a road bike to the local bike charity, luckily for me, just around the corner.

I call it having an ‘urge’ when I go through stuff and clear out. Very cathartic, but there’s always some stuff you don’t want to get rid of, but aren’t sure you’ll use like old camping stuff that isn’t going to get used with my decrepit knees.

Other than the tip and recycling the local bike project, charity shops and ‘free to a good home’ on local pages is good. I tried to give some old but good camping stuff to the local school for DoE use but they weren’t interested so that went free to whoever wanted it.

I agree a lot of stuff isn’t worth the time and hassle of trying to make the few quid I might off it selling it online.Presumably that just means I’m not as badly off as I feel, or just lazier than I think I am.

Years ago I would have done a car boot sale (but that was more a case of what can we sell to get some cash),  but I’ve not been to one for decades and couldn’t be arsed with the hassle either.

You need to sort all the wood into 3 piles. 1 – definitely useful, just one step away from being a new creation. 2 – all-round potential, good wood that could be used for many projects or fixes. 3- emergency fix wood, eg propping a fence in an emergency and any other wood not good enough for piles 1 or 2. Then put it all back in the shed, safe in the knowledge that it’s sorted.

Old bike stuff that isn;t being used goes the local bike charity place.

Metal stuff that I don;t need or have had for years and now realise I didn’t really need it after all, goes out on the end of the drive. It’ll be gone by the end of the day.

Timber gets kept until it’s used, burnt or i’ve relocated it too many times, then it goes to the tip, or gets burnt…

I’ve recently had a cull of all the bits and peices in the garage that were just in the way. I’m sure there will be a couple of moments where I think I shouldn’t have gotten rid of something but probably not. I’m loving all the space I have now. Lets see how long it lasts….

I feel this was an idea introduced on Day Time TV so that people emptied their houses of all their superficial stuff and then bought a whole load more.

Well that’s the trick isn’t it. If the stuff causes you stress and you go to a lot of trouble to get rid of it, then buy more and fill the place up again you’ve got nowhere except you’ve spent some more money.

Before getting rid, perhaps it’s worth asking how it’s getting into your house and pondering on that a while?

Similar here.

A good chunk of my cellar floor space is taken up with the offcuts store. Its not too bad when its neatly piled up, but as soon as I’ve been through it looking for the *right* bit to do the job I need, its a proper space eater. But I do do quite a bit of woodwork/general DIY and the number of times I go through the stash looking for oddments in the right shape and size for teh task in hand is not infrequent. Workholding, packing, protection, jig making.

I’ve also got a bunch of bigger stuff left that I moved house with 13 years ago. I mean chucking some perfectly good lengths of 7″x2″ PAR away, just because, would be verging on criminal if I ever needed it. There’s also a set of really chunky turned/carved Victorian tablelegs. Utterly not our style, but really nice things, so again – chucking them would just be bad.

Then bike parts. How do you actually get stuff sold these days? It all has (some) worth to the right person, but how do you find that person. I’ve got most of a 10s Campag Record groupset. That’s got to be worth some money? I can’t cope with ebay – I have no interest in having to use Paypal or all their bullshit costs. I just want to agree a deal, get money directly into my bank account, get the stuff posted. Facebook market place I don’t trust in the slightest and stuff just doesn’t shift on here any more. I’ve had the odd bite through Pinkbike for mtb stuff, but that doesn’t deal with road and gravel kit.

Basic problem is that if I’ve paid money for something, its still worth (some) money while I possess it. If I throw it away, I’ve lost that money that  I worked hard to earn – why would you do that?? But equally how do you extract the remaining value from that item in an efficient way?

As an aside I was quite shocked to see and article in he news last week about a woman who’d been fined for fly tipping for leaving an old item if furniture outside her house with a ‘free to take’ sign on it.

I’ve done that several times in the past and stuff been gone in an instant. I’ve also taken something I’ve seen that I thought looked great and useful. Our lovely old wooden kitchen chairs were actually rescued from a bonfire. We have a side board that was taken from a skip outside one of my wife’s clients houses, and our IKEA sofa was intercepted from a mate who was taking it to the top, was redyed ,and due to be recovered shortly.  A good few other random things we rescued too.

For bike stuff there are bike jumbles from time to time, but I’ve never lived close enough to one to make it worth the bother. Don’t know if some clubs have them, the old rc flying club used to go to used to do one around their xmas party.

Why does having ‘stuff’ cause people such a problem?

I have some stuff tucked down the side of the garage that I haven’t thought about for years.

Depends how much storage space you’ve got!  If I was lucky enough to have a garage, I would never worry about having too much stuff again…

Why does having ‘stuff’ cause people such a problem?

I like having space I can work in without having to move and jiggle stuff around me. Too much crap just gets in the way.

How do you know which wood is worth keeping?

I have two sets of wood scraps… The stuff I will do anything with. Ultimately breaking into kindling and for general scrap use, it is much used.

The cites registered special stuff… That I am too tight to use.

Why does having ‘stuff’ cause people such a problem?

Having stuff I need and use is great.

Having stuff I’ve just kept means:

a) it’s depreciating, keeping it has a cost.

b) it’s taking up space, that space isn’t free.  I bought  a house with a double garage so I’d have space for fun stuff like a classic car and a motorbike, if it’s just full of shit then it’s just a very expensive storage unit.

c) it’s inconvenient.  Having crates of bike spares, 5 tents, 6 stoves, 3 sleeping mats, 4 sleeping bags, etc. It is great if you think of it as always having the correct kit and spares to hand.  In reality 90% of the time I take the same (most expensive / lightest ) quilt, the same (most expensive / lightest)  gas stove, the same (most expensive / lightest) pad and the same (most expensive / lightest) tent.  But I have to spend an hour up there finding/packing the correct ones.  I should just sell the rest.

It’s come to a head this year as I’ve realized I have an entire 8ft wide 2ft deep racking unit devoted to spares for bikes, 90% of which I won’t ever use but probably thought at the time I’d maybe revisit as a niche, like 26″, fat bikes, 9/10speed, a whole crate of old finishing kit, handlebars that I didn’t like and OEM fixed seat posts.  I could fit a motorbike in that space, and a motorbike will be far more fun!  I try and list a few things every time I go into the garage to tidy it up.  Same with the loft. Why did I put the old TV up there, incase the new one breaks?  That’s daft logic, I could sell it on marketplace as a 5yo tely, and if the new one does break, buy a much newer 5yo tely.

Also there’s items that might be worth selling but are they worth the time it will take to sell them? A similar amount of time is required sometimes to just give things away.

Facebook marketplace.  You can probably list something in 30-60 seconds.  Ebay (especially now that it’s free) is slightly longer but still pretty quick.

I recently threw away a whole load of stuff that was still in boxes from when we moved 4 years ago. I knew there were some photos and letters in one of the boxes that I wanted to keep so did go through everything but anything non sentimental got taken to the tip.

I’ve gone through all my clothes and thrown most of the scruffy stuff away. (we’re taking proper scruffy, so charity shops wouldn’t want it), the trigger for that was realising that I had more ‘old so I’ll keep it for DIY’ clothes than I did regular clothes. I now just have a half empty wardrobe if normal clothes and 2 full wardrobes for outdoor gear.

I’ve been through all the cupboards and got rid of old cables and chargers etc. Did find a Sega Megadrive with Sonic which I’m keeping!

When I bought the house the garage roof was filled with wood. Long bits, short bits, ply, MDF, all manner of wonder was stuffed up there. I used a fair bit of it for DIY stuff and realised that a lot of the sheet material was warped or damp so it all got sawn up. Burneable stuff went to my mum, engineered stuff went to the recycling centre. I’m gradually tidying through the whole house and garage but it feels like a full time job.

I keep doing this. Quite ruthlessly but still my house is bursting at the seams with crap. It’s everywhere. Having a 2 year old doesn’t help but my other half just can’t seem to get her head around clearing stuff out.

I keep trying to get rid of a load of old stuff out of the kitchen. Old frying pans that have lost their non stick coating. A broken colander, horrible, tatty mismatched utensils and every time I box it all up, she moans that she likes that little pan for something really obscure that she hardly ever cooks. Same with boxes of DVDs that she hasn’t touched in the 6 years we’ve lived together.

There’s a pasta maker in its box in the hallway. It’s been there for 6 months. She’s going to take it to her mums…

And has been going there for the last 6 months. It’s still there.

I want to put extra insulation in the loft and board it out but I refuse because I know she’ll just fill that with crap too.

My (miserable) tip for getting rid of stuff is to be single. It’s the only way.

Recently gone through this. We had to deal with a serious mould problem in the house. The entire contents of the house has been removed, new dpm screed and flooring down. We decided to get rid of most of our stuff, it’s very liberating !! Filled two skips, got rid of all the old legacy brown furniture that was weighing us down 🙂

I often wonder if we’ll be the last generation like this. My dad was a wood hoarder, even though he never did any diy. He grew up in the Second World War when everything was scarce and it also came from his father who was practical like that. Had some effect on me in the past, mainly with video games, tech etc but much more selective now about what I keep. Had (another) big clear out this year and don’t miss any of it. Everything is so abundant and obsolete so quickly, I don’t think youngster have the same attachment to stuff as in the past.

Everything is so abundant and obsolete so quickly, I don’t think youngster have the same attachment to stuff as in the past.

Not to mention, younger generations can’t (in general) afford such large homes to fill up with things.

I have noticed with my kids, that they are very quick to get rid of stuff once they don’t need it. Bin it, give it away, sell it, trade it in etc. Made easier with selling apps I think too. They don’t have the ‘keep it, it might be useful’ mindset that I have.

They don’t have the ‘keep it, it might be useful’ mindset that I have.

I said in the last thread about hoarding. A few yogurt tubs with lids is useful for food you’d otherwise throw away. Keeping every yogurt tub with a lid ‘just in case’ is a problem that needs gripping.

I often wonder if we’ll be the last generation like this. My dad was a wood hoarder,

Or there’s a perception bias, there’s scrap wood behind the shed form when it was built  To me that’s just sat there because at some point I need to make a few modifications to the roof/guttering.  To my 2yo nephew it’s been there a lifetime.

My parents (since downsizing anyway) seem to have become remarkably minimalist.  I suspect we all grow up with this idea that our parents know everything, and have access to a treasure-trove of spare parts and scrap wood for any occasion, Whereas the reality is they had a couple of odd screws spare to fix your bunk bed and a jam jar of assorted washers and brackets.

I’ve found FB marketplace OK for larger bits that aren’t postable. Provided the item is priced realistically and the ratio of loons to sensible folk in your area is in your favour.

I’ve also used trash nothing before to give away older furniture that might not sell on Marketplace, but was still useable. It advertises across your local Freecycle sites.

@tthew I’d be interested taking your Orange off your hands for a donation to a charity of your choice, depending on size and location 😉

I often wonder if we’ll be the last generation like this. My dad was a wood hoarder,

Yes, that’s how I grew up. There was a lot of wood hoarded. The conservatory was where the lathe lived and things got built. The workshop was too full to be used as a workshop. For as long as I can remember it had a church organ in there waiting to be fixed, one of the reasons it was always too full.  But then they retired and sorted it all out… by building another workshop! We can sit on a sofa in the conservatory now. No lathes in sight!

But I think I have taken on my Dad’s mindset of build everything and fix everything yourself. So I need space for tools and endless supplies of materials, just in case. But I don’t have a workshop, so it all invades the house a bit. Still better than a buy cheap/ throw-away/ landfill mindset I think.