How to stop hoarding projects, parts, tools, etc?

In reply to eastsideTim :

I have to admit the amount of space they take up is one reason I've stuck with Little British Cars instead of reliving my youth and buying old Mopars and 4x4 trucks.  Dealing with one massive vehicle (my extended length E350) is hard enough.  Especially when the SOB is broken (which seems to be most of the time...).

The "can't throw away something that might be useful to someone" tendency is something I need to get over as well.  I kept all of the low impedance speakers from my Dodge truck (sold in 2013) because "someone may need these...".  I really need to throw them away.  I also have some H-F & Craftsman tools that have between a 0 to .0001 chance of me ever using.  This is what I liked about selling stuff on eBay at no reserve and $1 starting bid. I don't really care how much I get for the stuff as long as it leaves the house.  I guess I really need to set up the second account number with my bank...  

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

My latest focus has been paint and chemicals.  There are paint cans from projects 20+ years ago. Sealed up so they aren't completely dry but 20+ year old paint?  Then there is that 5 gallons of C12 race fuel in a still sealed can.   At least 20 years old. Fiberglass resin 5-7 years old?  OK for a mold hopefully  not for the parts though. To keep or not?

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Ahh space.  I can get all sorts of free old wooden boats. From needing minor work and varnish to complete projects. The smaller stuff gets picked up right away. While big beautiful cruisers languish forever. 

Another thread update:  The Impala SS is gone, I bought and parted out a donor truck for my S10, pulled the SBC, and am in the middle of an LS swap for it.  So, no "new" projects right now, but I am in the thick of the current one, so parts for it are taking up space. 

On the plus side:

1. I believe I have cleared out most or all of my old small block chevy parts.
2. I have sold a few things on GRM, Ebay, and FB Marketplace in the last few months, and plan on selling more.
3. Still filling up the trash can every now and then, but not every week as I had hoped.

Down side:

1. The LS swap in the S10 keeps getting slowed down by little and big issues, and parts availability problems.  I am hoping that is over and I can speed up work on it, but am not holding my breath.
2. Because I've started selling stuff on Ebay, I'm holding on to a lot of empty boxes and packing material.  I need to be realistic about what I am willing to sell and ship.
3. Replaced my old exercise bike with a better one, but the old one is trapped in the basement until the garage is more cleared out.

So, still very much a work in progress. I am accepting that the house/garage will likely always be somewhat cluttered, but I'd really like to cut it down to a point where almost everything is accessible without having to move something else out of the way.

Well E36 M3, this was a massive backslide.

Another GRMer was selling a bunch of LS turbo/drag racing goodies, and I couldn't resist.  Had to roll the barely running Beetle out of the garage to fit it all. 

Major goal now is to get the S10 project going, before I decide if some of the newly acquired parts end up on it, and to get scooters shuffled to the front of the garage for some maintenance and test riding so I can decide if I am done with street riding.  They do take up a significant amount of floor space, so if I sold them, the garage would be considerably less crowded.

Edit - realized I forgot to mention another failure on my part.  I rented an indoor 5x10 locker in the fall so there would be space to park the Beetle indoors and work on the S10 over the winter.  I did get some work done on the S10, but it is still not ready, and with the newly added stuff, it looks like the indoor locker may be around for a while.

New lows to my hoarding - just found some used, but good condition spark plugs, that are probably at least 15 years old.  I haven't immediately thrown them out, but maybe I will before trash day.

The trash man just finished picking up on my street , 

so some stuff is gone ,  but I would really love to have 5 full bins a week go away , 

other than just closing your eyes how do you guys get rid of a bunch of stuff  "that I might need someday"

most is not worth the effort to put on EBay or Craigslist !

Thanks for your ideas .......

In reply to californiamilleghia :

The rule I am trying to enforce is:

If it is further down the list than being needed for the top three projects, let it go.

Part of that is the recognition that I may not finish the top three soon enough to be able to worry about what comes after.

In reply to californiamilleghia :

I'm actively throwing stuff on a for sale thread, and if it isn't claimed by the challenge, I am going to try to toss it out.  However, I still have a whole bunch of just in case parts for a future project - just need to find a car for it (and the time/space for the build).  I still hate just tossing stuff that can't go to the scrapper, it just feels so wasteful. 

I just paid the monthly bill for one of my storage lockers, and am really pushing my self to clear out enough that I can get rid of that $90 a month expense.  The other storage locker, also around $90 a month will have to stay, though.

Edit:  I did notice something today - once I put something in a box, and on a shelf, it makes it way easier to ignore.  I am pulling boxes down and digging through them now.  It may result in a bunch of stuff still being kept, but hopefully in fewer (and more well organized) boxes.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Be greatful you don't have a lathe or vertical mill.  Then every scrap is saved as a potential source of metal.  
 There is absolutely no way of neatly organizing that stuff except in piles. 
     Bins,  barrels,  and boxes just won't hold everything.  

In reply to frenchyd :

I have a shelf or two, and some kitty litter bins of various metal scraps.  They come in handy enough that I am unlikely to get rid of them.  I have at least sorted out between "good" and "not so good" used exhaust pipe, and will be hauling some to the scrapyard when I trust my S10 to make the trip out and back.

In reply to eastsideTim :

one bite at a time, brother!  go throw something away right now.  those "used but good condition spark plugs that are probably 15 years old" are a good candidate.  do it, and high-five yourself on your way back from the trash can.

EDIT:  it's hard for all of us sometimes. i parted out the C4 in 2019.  for some reason, i kept the floor section from the hatch area because i thought i might be able to use some sections of it for a battery box, or part of the radiator duct, etc.  it sat in my side yard for 3-1/2 years, killing grass and giving spiders a place to live.  the other day i finally said F that thing and chopped it up with the sawzall, threw it all in the cracked plastic kiddie pool and dragged that E36 M3 to the curb.  i used the momentum from that to break down a couple of steel bookshelves.  at that point i realized i had all the sheetmetal i'd need for a good long time, so I dragged two steel filing cabinets to the curb and let the neighborhood scrap man have them.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Yes, I know.  I was the same way.   Maybe you aren't  there yet but I'm trying hard to reduce the collection.  
 At 74  I've got my current project and at most one more left. So I can toss stuff with a clear mind. Knowing that isn't going to be used in the future.  
   Next up are some used but useable wire wheels.  

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

The used plugs went into the garbage bags.  Now I just have to toss the unused Champion and Bosch plugs I found into my parts for sale thread. 

The little stuff is kind of annoying, because each item on it's own doesn't take up much space.  It is only when a whole lot of it is added up that it does, and my "just-in-case" attitude doesn't let me toss a bin full of things, until I've gone through it.

Trying to remind myself that I'll save $90 a month if I can make enough space for the stuff in my storage locker to come home, so that money can go to re-buying something if I screw up and part with something important.

eastsideTim said:

Trying to remind myself that I'll save $90 a month if I can make enough space for the stuff in my storage locker to come home, so that money can go to re-buying something if I screw up and part with something important.

This. So much this.

Acquiring tools can NEVER be construed as "hoarding."  It's called "building a collection."

Is this a bad time to mention your spare engine?

wae said:

Is this a bad time to mention your spare engine?

Yes.  Yes it is. 

Which reminds me, I want to bring some oil over to pour in the bores to keep it from rusting.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Oil I got!

I've got to go over tonight and see if I have a motor for a chicken plucker build I'm working on.  I'll pull it out and put a few drops down for ya.

In reply to wae :

Thanks!  If not, no worries can deal with it on the weekend, assuming FCP Euro hurries up and sends me my parts.

I just read through a good chunk of this thread, and it made me (and my wife) laugh, sometimes in memory of my similar issues..

Moving twice in 8 years, the second time to a condo, has pared my junk down considerably.  I do have a good friend with a big shop who allows me to share space and tools, so I still have two cars, welders, the welding table, etc. there, and a small storage unit where my tools and some random junk are kept.   I'm building a new house and shop in the sticks, and don't want to just move my junk there without a final sorting and throwing out process.  

My goal is a clean shop with lots of clear floor space, working on one car at a time, tools well organized.  We have 6 vehicles currently and 4 run, which has to be a record.  I'd like to pare that down to 4 by next year.  I'm going to write down my plans here so I can look at it in a year and have a good laugh..

2014 Tesla Model S P85D: Love this car.  Even if it needs service and they're so overloaded it's taking them three months to get it in (most recent appointment was yesterday, cancelled due to Hurricane Ian, rescheduled for a month from now)

2006 Z06: stays.  New motor is in and almost ready to start.  Goal is to get it sorted, back to track days.

2008 Prius: Known as the Freeus, this is my daily and is nearing 300k miles.  Going away when the new Ford Maverick arrives.

1980 C10: Runs, has A/C, has rust, hauls junk like a truck should.  I have several candidates for an LS swap but I'm not messing with it when it's not broken.  This goes when the Maverick arrives, as I don't need two trucks.

1989 Nissan Pao: This is really my wife's car, the love of her life.  Almost perfect condition, driven regularly but sparingly, it stays (and I don't get a vote, anyway)

2004 (?) IS300 with turbo LS/T56 swap: This is the coolest car in theory.  *In theory*.  It has left me walking several times as it's prone to overheating and burning E36 M3 up (like the alternator wiring), it's currently sitting with the trans out, and I generally have a love/hate relationship with it.  Sorta plan on yanking the turbo plumbing and leaving it with a low buck 5.3 for a track rat.

The obvious answer is to get rid of ALL of it.  

Boring.

Noddaz said:

The obvious answer is to get rid of ALL of it.  

Boring.

The idea of doing that, and moving to some remote place in the desert bounces around in my head often.

I was just thinking about this a few days ago, and am proud of the progress I've made, but also realize the temptation of backsliding towards the dark side.

The are three things I need to try and avoid:

1) Saving stock parts (takeoffs) when I perform an upgrade or do preventative maintenance on something not worn-out  "while I'm in there" working on another job. In reality, the space these parts take up is better dedicated to work space and/or vehicles, and the cost of storage almost certainly exceeds to the cost of just buying a new one and/or paying a core charge if and when I actually need one.

2) Buying up crazy-good-deal or hard-to-find parts for vehicles I own, not because I need them right now, but because I stumble upon them when monitoring online communities related to said vehicles.

3) Buying up parts/upgrades I don't have a specific plan to install in the near future because I dream about doing it someday.

All three categories become burdens, and actually limit my future projects and enjoyment because they all create obligations that may not serve me well in the future, but "I've been saving it so long it would be shame not to at this point." Or "Ooh, new shiny project vehicle A for sale! I could sell vehicle B I own and buy it...except I have a full set of spares for vehicle B, and that cool wizbang racing part on the someday shelf for vehicle B that wouldn't fit vehicle A, and it would take too long to find the right person to buy all the vehicle B stuff...so..."

In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :

I've hit all three of those points with some of the stuff I buy or hold onto.  Admittedly, I am trying to firm up my automotive plans for the next few years, which is also leading me to hold onto some parts I otherwise would toss.  In 2024 I am planning on running in Drag Week, so a lot of LS parts are sticking around, just in case.  That's also p[art of why I picked up the stash of turbo swap stuff.  I had originally planned on 2023, but realized I am way to slow moving to have something ready and tested by then.

I am building up a decent pile of steel/iron scrap to take once the S10 can be trusted to run to the scrapyard, but I may just give in and haul it in the minivan.  Normally it's the kind of stuff I'd set next to my trash can, but since gas prices went up, I haven't been seeing scrappers running around picking it up.