Done with "stuff"

[mass_burner]

That is so sad ... it is so hard to find decent real wood furniture without an insane cost. The only problem with some of the older dining sets are the sizes with some being huge! At that value on the table, the wood itself is worth more....
The "shabby chic" trend drives me crazy as I hate to see wood furniture painted...

I agree. Painting over 50+ years of patina is lame, but other hardwoods like beech, maple, etc with less grain interest I'm OK with. Colonial furniture was painted sometimes 4-5 times over the years.

 

[Lake Girl]

I have an old dresser stripped that had 4 layers of paint ... couldn't save the faux burling but will try to reproduce. Somewhere along the line, it was too close to a stove or lived through a fire as one side has charring. No longer has hutch or mirror ... missing long before I got it. Family piece from the late 1800s complete with square head nails...

Gradually working my way through inherited furniture to pass on to our kids. 20s dresser had 4 layers; late 1800/early 1900 had 3 layers awaiting a replacement mirror; 50s matched maple or birch dressers that also had 3 layers - one complete and in use; one about 50% complete. Rebuilding drawers as I go so they can be used for the next 50-60 years without issue. My one son acquired a 50s Cushman bedroom set when one of the neighbours changed to a queen size bed - dresser & mirror, nightstand and 4 poster bedframe for free!

 

[mass_burner]

I have an old dresser stripped that had 4 layers of paint ... couldn't save the faux burling but will try to reproduce. Somewhere along the line, it was too close to a stove or lived through a fire as one side has charring. No longer has hutch or mirror ... missing long before I got it. Family piece from the late 1800s complete with square head nails...

Gradually working my way through inherited furniture to pass on to our kids. 20s dresser had 4 layers; late 1800/early 1900 had 3 layers awaiting a replacement mirror; 50s matched maple or birch dressers that also had 3 layers - one complete and in use; one about 50% complete. Rebuilding drawers as I go so they can be used for the next 50-60 years without issue. My one son acquired a 50s Cushman bedroom set when one of the neighbours changed to a queen size bed - dresser & mirror, nightstand and 4 poster bedframe for free!

Good for you. I only have one furniture project left. A staduim seat section of 4 seats attached. Solid oak with brass numbers at the top of the backrest. I already refinished it, only needs seat bottoms and backs, going with brown leather.

I'm done stripping/sanding anything though, did my share.

 

[jebatty]

One of my "stuff" items to get rid of/sell was a DR chipper on a trailer. Well, someone else made the decision for me. My garage was broken into last week, a few small things were taken, and then I noticed a big space was empty -- the chipper was gone too. Lesson learned. Stuff is stuff, and taking pride in stuff is false pride. Let it go.

 

[Sprinter]

Stuff is stuff, and taking pride in stuff is false pride. Let it go.

Healthy philosophy...

 

[Lake Girl]

Stuff is stuff, and taking pride in stuff is false pride. Let it go.

Some of my "stuff" tells my family story so I'll let it go to my children. Maybe it is false pride ... in my ancestors ... for picking up and moving to the unknown in the hope that they were building a better life for themselves and their children. The kids know where to find my genealogy stuff and there is a listing of what came from where and who... other than some of the furniture, items are smaller ie a seamstress tape that was bought in Quebec when they landed in Canada, a billy club from the Buffalo cop, a necklace from South Africa aquired during restoration... and photos of them all

However, your scenario is very different ... I have had our property violated and items stolen ... to buy drugs. We know who but didn't have all the serial numbers to prove it (even though one confessed). Why should I let it go when someone takes my property that I have worked hard to pay for? The offenders had no hard luck story and came from middle to upper class families. I feel for what their families have been forced to deal with...

 

[mass_burner]

For me everything is just metal, wood, plastic etc. I've developed a quick "oh, well" response when something is broken, lost. I appreciate machines, art, etc, but at the end of the day they're just stuff.

 

[firefighterjake]

One of my "stuff" items to get rid of/sell was a DR chipper on a trailer. Well, someone else made the decision for me. My garage was broken into last week, a few small things were taken, and then I noticed a big space was empty -- the chipper was gone too. Lesson learned. Stuff is stuff, and taking pride in stuff is false pride. Let it go.

Maybe someone from Fargo, North Dakota needed it.

 

[mass_burner]

I opted out of the flea market, had to tend to an electricity issue.

Anyway, a friend/neighbor on the cape runs a bed & breakfast and has a little boutique/thrift shop for tourists. I am bringing my stuff there, it will have all summer main street foot traffic.

 

[Jags]

Dunno - I have watched this thread since inception and have some mixed feelings. To me I guess it depends on if it is "useful" stuff. Some of that, I am sure, comes from my father who could make "something" out of "nothing" if he needed/wanted it. I do much the same (learned from the best), so I do keep "stuff" around. The extra belts or hoses on the wall...4 of those 6ft long 2x4 boards...The shelves of steel of all varieties...the tools, the axle, etc.
These came from random "stuff" and this is just the bigger "stuff":



There are many others (these are just wood related) - and I wouldn't want to be without any of them. The joy that the electric tractor and trailer have brought to several of the grand kids is priceless. It cost me the price of one switch and batteries. The rest was built with "stuff" (micro switches for the foot pedals, scrap wood, axle, tires, wiring, belts, etc).

 

[Lake Girl]

Reminded me that some of my "stuff" is repurposed items... my trailer for my Kubota was originally a household oil tank. Will try to remember to snap a pic... I know there is one taken with her highness, Schatzi the GSD, riding in her carriage

 

[mass_burner]

Repurposing I don't have an issue with. My basement bookcase,/AV rack, TV stand, kitchen counter and garage tool counter and drawers are all our old upstairs kitchen cabinets after remodel.

But I only have so much space and I don't like clutter. I have a wood rack for improvising household fixes. But if something hasn't been used for a year, chances are it won't be.

 

[Jags]

But I only have so much space and I don't like clutter.

I do realize that in this arena I am far outside of the norm. My shop is a 40x60 and my big shed is 52X74 and I have a couple of other smaller buildings I don't even count but are perfectly serviceable (and one of them sits dead empty). So "Space" is not an issue.

 

[semipro]

Stuff is stuff, and taking pride in stuff is false pride. Let it go.

I take pride not in ownership but in stewardship.
I do get a good feeling about picking up something from the side of the road and fixing it up for my use or someone else's.

 

[Lake Girl]

I take pride not in ownership but in stewardship.
I do get a good feeling about picking up something from the side of the road and fixing it up for my use or someone else's.

The local landfill drives me crazy as so many things that can be reused, repurposed, repaired... I got a chuckle out of this story from earlier this year
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/roncesvalles-couch-clutch-1.3486748
Couch was left at the curb, no one picked it up to reuse so a thrifty lady stripped it of it's leather and repurposed into clutch purses. She left one at the door of the leather donor's house

 

[jatoxico]

I take pride not in ownership but in stewardship.
I do get a good feeling about picking up something from the side of the road and fixing it up for my use or someone else's.

Tough to be a good steward sometimes with the way a lot of things are built these days but I'm with you, I'm not a fan of the throw away society and try to keep stuff running/working and out of the landfill. Sometimes to the point of ridiculousness, my chinsey homeowner quality weed wacker is probably more than 20 yrs old as is one of my leaf blowers. Neither were very good units even when new. My Keurig makes me late almost everyday cause it's gotten so old and slow but I been keeping it running. I guess it could say the same about me so we are a good match .

 

[jebatty]

What may speed up the Keurig is to clean the small filter screen at the bottom of water container. Flush and brush it both directions. Push the button to open the spring valve. We need to do that every couple of weeks or so.

 

[kennyp2339]

I repurposed my Keurig to my sisters house, couldn't stand the thing, so happy with my old drip style coffee pot that's on a timer.

 

[jatoxico]

What may speed up the Keurig is to clean the small filter screen at the bottom of water container. Flush and brush it both directions. Push the button to open the spring valve. We need to do that every couple of weeks or so.

Yes, that has been part of my "maintenance" program. I'm guessing this unit is approaching 10 yrs old and the pump seems a bit tired. Funny thing is certain K Cups (e.g. the old de-caf I had on hand which I use very little of) seem to flow just fine. I wonder if the cups have changed over time requiring the newer machines to push more pressure than the older ones.

 

[lml999]

And then, the opposite is true. If the move is into a bigger house, the amount of "stuff" expands until the bigger house is filled.

True...happened to us just last month. We moved from a 3 bed multilevel to a large 4 bed colonial, and now the garage is packed with boxes. We used the garage at the old house, so I don't know where all this extra crap came from.

I have a feeling that the moving company forgot to unload a prior client's stuff and just dumped it in our garage. That's what I'm telling my wife, anyway.

 

[mass_burner]

True...happened to us just last month. We moved from a 3 bed multilevel to a large 4 bed colonial, and now the garage is packed with boxes. We used the garage at the old house, so I don't know where all this extra crap came from.

I have a feeling that the moving company forgot to unload a prior client's stuff and just dumped it in our garage. That's what I'm telling my wife, anyway.

My wife asks me about 5% or less about the stuff I get rid of. Of that, I'll catch some hell for ~1%. I'll can work with those odds.

 

[lml999]

My wife asks me about 5% or less about the stuff I get rid of. Of that, I'll catch some hell for ~1%. I'll can work with those odds.

My wife mostly asks me about the stuff I'm not getting rid of...

"How many bikes do you have? How many do you need? Why don't you sell a couple?"​

Do I ask her about her stuff? Nope, I know better than that!

 

[jebatty]

The DR chipper that was stolen was recovered by the police and I got it back! And now I sold it, and also sold an old Cub Cadet lawn tractor with plow. With those gone a lot of space has been recovered in my utility building, which I will not fill up again. Now up for sale is a 12' boat and trailer, an old drill press, and a gas engine powered pump. Also, for no good reason I am getting rid of boxes of old papers. A local bank offers twice/year free shredding service, next one in November, and many boxes will headed to the bank. The mission continues to "get rid of stuff."

 

[Seasoned Oak]

One of my "stuff" items to get rid of/sell was a DR chipper on a trailer. Well, someone else made the decision for me. My garage was broken into last week, a few small things were taken, and then I noticed a big space was empty -- the chipper was gone too. Lesson learned. Stuff is stuff, and taking pride in stuff is false pride. Let it go.

Wow that would be safe around here,thieves dont take things that require any type of work. just things they can sell for a quick buck. I always let my non functioning rechargeble power tools(hot item for thieves) lay around in places that are likely to be broken into and never fails, they take out the trash.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

It's been building for awhile, but I'm officially done with stuff. If I don't use it regularly, its got to go! Who's with me!
Going lean and mean.Thoughts?

You will be able to move into one of those tiny houses that you can heat with a candle.