OT: Random Excess Stuff In Your House

[Scrutineer]

I have a cast iron stove from 1982 given to me by my now deceased father. It weighs 360 lbs so moving it - even across a room - is a major project. It can't be used in any conventional sense as it fails modern fire codes.

To further complicate matters, it once belonged to my older brother who owned it one season in his cabin on Bantam Lake before he tragically passed in a car accident in 1984. It had huge sentimental value for my dad, but it's a literal weight I'd love to get off my shoulders. My dad brought it to me 10 years ago without warning and it's sat in my basement ever since.

In case you weren't aware, if it is cast iron and you can get by the sentimental reasons to keep it, a sledgehammer will easily transform it into much more manageable and transportable pieces.

 

[Scrutineer]

I've got too many COVID supplies that was saved for the apocalypse. I mean I can bathe in all this hand sanitizer and what's with all these masks I will never wear?

We were prepared for 'forever' COVID.

You can keep them for the next pandemic or donate them for use in an interactive exhibit at the Fauci museum.

 

[fomalhaut]

C and D batteries? I can't remember the last time I used either one. Everything battery-powered I own uses AA or AAA.

I used to sell books, games, and other stuff by mail, so my storage unit still has way too many packing boxes and envelopes, along with books, games, and LPs I don't use any more.

 

[Scrutineer]

When I recycle computer hardware, I always take the hard drive out, with the intention of doing a DOD scrub of it. As you can guess, they’re all over the house now. I was building computers for family members 25-30 years ago, and still have a boatload of hardware.

Old memory cards, back when 8 MB was a large memory card, had some valuable amount of gold in the contacts.... when gold was cheap.

 

[boba]

Musical stuff crammed into my small condo:

• 12 Guitars and cases; 2 Basses and gig bags; 2 Keyboards; 55+ Effects pedals, 1 now unused pedalboard
• 4 Amps (1 of which works, 1 is failing, 1 died, 1 I haven't plugged in for years)
• Studio monitors, headphones, microphones, audio interface, software, books, assorted cables, power supplies, picks, strings, adapters

I'm not getting any younger. When I finally croak, no one in my family is going to want this stuff.

Misc. Items:

• Every cellphone I ever owned except the first one, chargers, old cable TV equipment and an assortment of lines, cables, wires and plugs, old TV, old computer monitors.
• Winter clothing - Coats, jackets, at least 3 dozen sweaters, LL Bean boots. With the exception of a couple of jackets, I haven't worn this stuff in nearly 30 years. No use for it in South Florida.
• Now that I'm retired, I don't really need the 18 suits, blazers, jackets anymore.

I don't know why I don't get rid of this stuff.

Now wait a second, the thread is about EXCESS stuff. Not a music gearhead but did cross a few mountain ranges back in the day. As such 4 tents, 2 bivy sacks, 3 sleeping bags, 3 backpacks, and every imaginable little piece of equipment one could carry, in triplicate, is not excess; they were vital accessories to the hobby. And since injury and age now prevent that activity, reliving it through drawing pictures means every conceivable pencil and a dozen types of paper is likewise vital.

 

[Kolumbo]

One of my biggest struggles is old shirts. I tend to wear the same starting line-up and I know I will not wear most again. I suppose I should just go to the donation box already. I'm talking casual button down and golf shirts. T-shirts?

 

[Zanzman]

50+ paint cans from every home improvement project over the last twenty years at three different houses.

If your in ct paintcare.org tell you places that take them or dried latex can go in your trash

 

[Chin Diesel]

In the lab, not at home, we have a collection of boxes for the equipment that I saved just in case I need to ship it back for repair. Used 2 of 20(?) over the past 10 years.
In the original vein, we have accumulated a tremendous number data storage devices, most of which are unreadable by modern technology, can you say Zip Drive? And enough Firewire, VGA, DB25, DB9, RS232 cables to wrap around the building.

Don’t throw away that firewire. It's used in some of the most advanced military systems.

 

[TRest]

Musical stuff crammed into my small condo:

• 12 Guitars and cases; 2 Basses and gig bags; 2 Keyboards; 55+ Effects pedals, 1 now unused pedalboard
• 4 Amps (1 of which works, 1 is failing, 1 died, 1 I haven't plugged in for years)
• Studio monitors, headphones, microphones, audio interface, software, books, assorted cables, power supplies, picks, strings, adapters

I'm not getting any younger. When I finally croak, no one in my family is going to want this stuff.

Misc. Items:

• Every cellphone I ever owned except the first one, chargers, old cable TV equipment and an assortment of lines, cables, wires and plugs, old TV, old computer monitors.
• Winter clothing - Coats, jackets, at least 3 dozen sweaters, LL Bean boots. With the exception of a couple of jackets, I haven't worn this stuff in nearly 30 years. No use for it in South Florida.
• Now that I'm retired, I don't really need the 18 suits, blazers, jackets anymore.

I don't know why I don't get rid of this stuff.

You could probably sell a lot of the music equipment on Reverb.

 

[Puparoni]

So, our trash can has one of those motion sensors for opening and closing the lid. Battery powered. Batteries died so I went to the battery drawer in a dresser in a spare bedroom (One of our adult kids old rooms).
I open it up and we have one D cell battery. We also have 26 C cell batteries. I have no idea why we bought and accumulated 26 C cells and I have no idea what we have they would be used for.

What random stuff have you accumulated beyond your needs.

Paint. I problem have a dozen half empty cans and the same amount of the sample size ones.

 

[RichZ]

Self opening trash can? I’ve heard of the ones you step on to open, but self opening?

My daughter and son-in-law are one their second one. Maybe third. I've never seen any of them actually work.

 

[RichZ]

We lived in the same house for 56 years. We had a LOT of random stuff when we sold it and moved in with my empty-nest daughter & son-in-law almost 3-1/2 years ago. We divested ourselves of virtually everything, from furniture to most of the random stuff that folks save because they might just need it again one day. Then, after a year, we bought this godforsaken condo and moved again. Couldn't believe how much stuff we had to re-acquire. But 99.8% of the miscellaneous stuff I had saved, is still in the boxes that have moved with us twice now.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Our cat plays with new toys for a couple days before mostly ignoring them. So I’ve probably bought 30ish random cat toys that get retired in a basket once he’s done with them. Man does he get excited for the new ones though.

 

[Hogoff]

Take out containers. You better believe if you come over for a meal you are leaving with leftovers in as many containers as possible. No is not an option. Somehow still not a dent in the stockpile and we rarely eat out.

Same and I’ll add travel cups. If I get one more I’m going to have to add cabinet space.

 

[uconnfan68]

My daughter and son-in-law are one their second one. Maybe third. I've never seen any of them actually work.

Ours are motion-activated, and they’re great. It does confuse me when I have to manually open one now. Conversely, some of the kids have motion-activated faucets, and I’m confused when I get home.

 

[AllHusky]

Computer cables. All of them. If anyone needs a Parallel/SCSI adapter, I'm your man.

Ironically just tossed a few dozen in my Saturday dump run. Felt great.

 

[husky429]

Some of you have more problems than I thought.

 

[HCCForever]

I have a storage unit in CT from my move to Florida five years ago. This includes old computer equipment and stuff from my ex. Time for me to toss most of it in May and move the useful items which is a small minority.

 

[Castlevania]

I have easily a few thousand dollars of bicycle parts. High end stuff, Campy, Shimano XT and XTR. Formula brake stuff, high end wheels, cranks, a dozen unused saddles (seats). Probably 20% of it is new in-box. But the bike world has blown by what was cuttting edge 10-15 years ago. I finally had a charity org that wanted the stuff to build bikes for underpriveledged kids. But I tried for over 2 months to physically give the stuff to them and nothing - every time they were in my area they were too busy riding or skiing. It's been taking up the middle of my garage for 2 months. I'm talking 1,000+ different parts, so I'm not going to list them on CL or Ebay. I think I'm gonna just start feeding it into my trash bin.

i run a reselling business, and would love to come take the stuff off your hands.

 

[TerryBoyz]

Fishing gear. I loved fishing as a kid and took it back up during Covid. Started with 3 rod and reels and one tackle now I have 15 setups and just about every type of lure you can imagine with little intention of slowing down

 

[Conndog]

I have easily a few thousand dollars of bicycle parts. High end stuff, Campy, Shimano XT and XTR. Formula brake stuff, high end wheels, cranks, a dozen unused saddles (seats). Probably 20% of it is new in-box. But the bike world has blown by what was cuttting edge 10-15 years ago. I finally had a charity org that wanted the stuff to build bikes for underpriveledged kids. But I tried for over 2 months to physically give the stuff to them and nothing - every time they were in my area they were too busy riding or skiing. It's been taking up the middle of my garage for 2 months. I'm talking 1,000+ different parts, so I'm not going to list them on CL or Ebay. I think I'm gonna just start feeding it into my trash bin.

Same here on the bike stuff

 

[87Xfer]

i run a reselling business, and would love to come take the stuff off your hands.

It's yours! How soon can you get to Colorado?!

 

[sledog]

I'm sure that I have every textbook I ever bought for colleges - much to my wife's dismay. . They are out-of-date, probably all marked up, etc. I should unload them somewhere. The pile of boxes in basement is monumental.