Hello, I'm John...and I'm a hoarder.(sniffles...)

Started cleaning/ organizing the garage. Holy crap.
I'm finding stuff I intended to use from 10 yrs. ago. I'm only a 1/4 into it so far, it's painful.
I need sympathy, or a boot to the head, not sure which.
Anyone cleaned out the garage/ shop recently? I mean- really cleaned it out?
-nuts-n-bolts- in a glass jar....save or toss??
-Transmissions and transfer-cases- re-build or toss?
-Tire chains..ugh. Piles of them, and all in good shape, just odd sized.
I know I'm not alone.

 

There's your problem right there.

Every now and then I get the urge to clean and organize the garage.

I usually just lay down until it passes.

 

Oh if only I could put this off for Spring to arrive, I'd be OK- but..- the Wife has a different view....
I need a nap.

Ugh, trying to decide what stays and what goes is not easy.

 

Pick one thing to get done,
Go thru the tire chains, get one set for your size
Scrap pile the rest.

Got a place for nut & bolts ( other than a jar )
No, make one.
Separate & save the good the nut,bolts or scrap

Get 1 thing done, good weekend , MGD time
I did it when I built the shop & moved in,
2 truck loads of stuff I'd never use or knew I had to the dump.

Can't rebuild a tranny in a dirty cluttered garage & you
Don't want to anyway
LOL.
Hard to get started, but findable , usable stuff saves you money
Piles of junk grow to bigger piles of junk

 

"When in doubt, throw it out."

Years ago we had so much clutter in our house that I rented a 14'x7'x4' job site dumpster. I had them deliver it and park it in the driveway beside the house. I told my family that whatever it was, if it had not been used in the last two years it probably wasn't needed, and the overriding motto was to be "When in doubt, throw it out." We filled the dumpster and made multiple trips to the Good Will and Salvation Army shops. It's probably just about time to do it again.

It's amazing how much detritis we collect in our lifetimes and how hard it is to let go of it.

 

Keep it all! What if you get something new that you want to put chains on? Just look at the prices of new chains.

 

Grab something, put it on Ebay with a starting bid of $0.01 and pad the shipping charges a little bit. (Ebay takes a cut of what you get for shipping). I did this with two mirrors from my GMC. The left mirror was missing the glass (stolen while parked in Boston) that costs $175 to replace and the right mirror was cracked in the front due to running up against the side of the garage while I was in Afghanistan (don't ask how that happened). Anyway, doing this allows you to break even (minus your time) and ensures that your "junk" goes to good use.

Now, let's talk chains.. Got any that fit a 265/75R 16 tire?

 

I always save extra nuts bolts and washers...Then when I need some I go to the hardware store and buy new!!

 

I've used a 20 cubic yard dumpster to clean out a garage - and needed a bigger dumpster.

Have employed the 10 year rule - that states - if you haven't used it for 10 years - toss it.
Now if I only applied that rule with no exceptions I wouldn't still have a 30 cubic yard dumpster of junk good stuff.

 

I treat my floor space in the shop as gold.
I fight for every inch I can keep,
I built overhead shelves clear plastic front for dust & can see what's there , used some old kitchen cabinets


I found that drawers under the benches work better than shelves for finding stuff

 

Too organized how can you loose things in there?

 

Forgetting is the problem now. LOL

 

Ya know, Pallet Pete gives me hope and Bogydave just sickens me. Envy is a terrible thing.
The flat bed took a full load to the dump so now I have a little more room to maneuver. Not much, but some. The battle continues and Dale's Pale Ale is helping.

 

We had a garage sale.
Priced trying to give stuff away.
Stuff I thought had value didn't even get looked at.
PU truck load went to Sally Ann, one to the dump.
Haven't missed a thing yet.
Started being tough to throw what I called good stuff away. But I got into it & threw it on the truck

 

I cleaned my attic out in October. I agree with the comment that it's better to throw out stuff that you likely won't use if it can't be sold. It's not worth holding onto.

 

That's the hurdle I am slowly overcoming. I keep remembering a serious cleaning in my old shop, dumped stuff I had held on to for 10 years. Low and behold, not a week after it was gone, I needed it.
I'm trying to condense as much as I can, but I've got a lot of stuff.

 

I scrapped a bunch of screws, nuts, bolts, nails, etc. I had jars and coffee cans full. I kick myself every time I'm looking for something, but in reality, all the stuff I got rid of was oddball sizes that I never used anyway. So, a lot of the time when I have to run to the hardware, I will pick up a box instead of just what I need. Saves some money buying quantity, and I am starting to get a collection of useful stuff.

I agree, get rid of crap you don't use. I've never regretted it.

Dale's is the best beer I've ever had from a can, as long as it is poured in a glass first