When is it time to get rid of the toys?

adam0321

adam0321

Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
495
So here is my dilemma. I am sure many of you have come to these roads in your life and I am looking for advice. Over the years I have undertaken many hobbies. And like most of us I tend to dive head first into the hobbies and get as many toys as I can. For instance, I have thousands tied up in cave diving gear and when I lived in north Florida I dove 3-4 times a week. I have scoters, and close to 15 scuba tanks. But when I left florida instead of getting rid of the dive gear I kept it all. When I lived in upstate NY I became immersed in rock climbing and have about 5K tied up in rock climbing gear. I also have some 35 guns. Some of which I will never shoot. I also have close to 5K tied up in bicycles. Now I have not gotten out of any of these hobbies all together and I am not hurting on money. However all this stuff is a lot to carry around. I plan on downsizing my gun collection when I get back to the states. I guess my question is this, how do you know when it is time to let go of stuff. I know I am a pack rat, but I am starting to feel claustrophobic. I wanted to make myself a rule that if I did not touch something that was entertainment oriented for 1 year then I would get rid of it. My issue is I know eventually I will go back to cave diving, just like when I live in an area that permits it I will golf and shoot. Not in that order though. Just looking for advice.

Thanks R/S Adam
 
If you "know" you'll eventually go back to it, I don't see why you would get rid of the equipment, unless it would be so outdated that you'd have to buy new stuff then anyway. That doesn't happen with guns and knives, but certainly does with golf and maybe with scuba and climbing gear.

If you need the money or don't have the space, I can see that too. A big move frankly is also a good time to downsize and simplify.

For me, I have thousands of dollars tied up in knives that I'm just not interested in any more, but I don't want to give my stuff away under value, and the thought of actually trying to sell it in a manner that will bring good money is exhausting to me, so its easier just to hang on to it. Knives don't take up too much room though, not like the equipment you mention.
 
This website might be worth a look if you are struggling with clutter. Here is a direct link to the hobbies section. https://unclutterer.com/category/hobbies/

For my part I try to let go of everything that won't realistically be of use in the future. In general I try to keep the stuff to a minimum. It's a spartan lifestyle and stuff is a dirty word. If it won't fit in a car I'm not all that interested. When moving stuff across country I ask myself if it is cheaper to move the stuff or to acquire more stuff when I get there.
 
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I use the sunk-cost rule:

Say I have a knife that I don't use anymore that I can sell for $100. If I wouldn't pay at least $100 for it today, I sell it and move on.
 
Thanks for that advice. That link is very interesting. I am going to heed some of the advice and start to lighten the pack.
 
I have moved too many times to have accumulated much stuff (nor have I ever had all that much in the way of funds) But I have helped manage gear for a couple outdoor organizations. The biggest problem I've seen is that gear thats not used tends to go to rot. Gear can be replaced if those hobbies come back, and you probably won't loose out, new gear will be the same price, and better. Old junk is just old junk, our brains tend to really focus on sunk costs, and its a hard habit to break, but it supposedly can be done..... by the way, I'm predisposed to being a hoarder, and have wasted heaps of time, and a great many of my few dollars hauling junk from place to place that never got used. oh well, maybe someday I'll figure it out too.
 
Spend some time as a mover or doing clean up of other peoples stuff. It's like a magic bullet for busting your own clutter. Things seem to just makes sense when you are looking at "other peoples shit" instead of "your stuff" as the great George Carlin put it.
[video=youtube;MvgN5gCuLac]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac[/video]
 
I have been playing guitar since around 1989, in bands on and off since about 1991. I remember when a girlfriend (now an ex) asked me "Why do you need another guitar?" when I bought my second. She clearly didn't get it. She also wouldn't get it now, when I own 20+ guitars and a few different amps and speaker cabs, plus the countless accessories accumulated over the years. I have several thousand dollars tied up in this hobby. However, when I decided to get into home-based audio recording, I dumped quite a bit of money into it without ever really getting a knack for what I was doing. I ended up unable to come anywhere near recouping my investment . . . and then I was dumb enough to try it again a few years later. I'm still sitting on a couple grand worth of gear that I won't be able to sell for anywhere near what I paid, but I've learned my lesson and have no intention of giving it yet another try.

Eventually, the recording gear will be virtually worthless because newer technology has made my gear obsolete. The guitars and amps, on the other hand, will continue to hold value, and maybe even appreciate over time. I have moved a couple times since acquiring all of it, but I'm getting a lot more aggressive in identifying things to sell, donate or throw away.

I equate my guns and knives with the guitars. Even though there might be superior materials developed eventually, that doesn't take away from what I have.
 
My biggest fear is when I die and my wife sells all my goodies for the peanuts I told her I paid for them.
 
Scott Free said:
"The things you own, end up owning you. —Tyler Durden
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

The less you have, the less you have to worry about.

I still enjoy knives and guns and learning more about both but have got rid of all but six firearms and have a handfull of knives that I haven't parted with. They aren't exactly collectors items but I like them.

You'll know when it's time for the toys to go. If you never get there, enjoy them.
 
I.N.F.K said:
"He who dies with the most toys - leaves a bigger headache for those that are left behind...!"
Click to expand...

Fixed... :D

OP, I am the same way you are. It doesn't matter what the hobby is, I dive in 120%...
That leads to a ridiculous amount of excess in life, especially as time goes by. After having a totally out of control gun collecting habit, I ended up with two very large gun safes that were stuffed full, and each door had numerous spots for handguns too.
I had guns in drawers, under the bed, in our walk in closet, in the closets of the other bedrooms, as well as some that were stored at family and friends houses...

My wife had told me I had a "problem", of course I denied it. One day I decided to get all the guns out and lay them out on our bed, and the other beds in the house.
When I did that, it really hit me. WTF am I doing ? This has gotten WAY out of hand, even though I still loved them all.
I decided to slowly sell most of them off, and after a time, I realized that I missed some of them, but not really others. It made life much easier, but not as much fun :D

So what I am saying in my normally long winded way is, you will know when it is the right time...
 
Glad I read this going to lay all my flashlights and knives on the bed. So I can say WTF.
 
As soon as you start to wonder if it's time, it's time. That goes for just about everything.
 
Pack all your "stuff" a few times moving and you discover just how much junk you have. What about those college notes, text books, or those computer manuals for operating systems or software that you don't even use anymore..... you just never know, ya'know you might need it. I have not found a solution to the amount of stuff yet. It offends my sense of practicality when my wife cleans out her closet and the stuff goes to the dumpster or salvation army. But I understand. I have a pile of jeans from my last waist size in holding for when I loose some weight..... you just never know.

My suggestion is that you seek a happy median. Throw away or sell stuff (toys) that you haven't used in a year unless you have specific plans to use it again. Guns and fishing stuff are two of those kinds of things for me even if I haven't gone fishing for a year or shot in a year, I know that I will eventually shift my activites back to using them. Knives are piling up too now.

The toys aren't the problem for me; it's all the paper, bills, books, and other junk. I need to go through it and salvage the materials that may be important to me and trash the rest. Sounds like a good weekend activity unless I'm out buying more stuff.
 
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