OT: Being a lazy *spoon* bites me in the rear!

[The Less Blob]

A year ago my mother forced me to move my massive collection of vintage magazines (1920s - 60s) out of her garage and into mine because she was selling her house. OK, pretty reasonable request I guess.

 

Basically, not worth a whole heck of a lot (ok, worth like $25K if I worked them to death and maximized them at full retail), but cool stuff. I didn't pay for any of it, I got it from a vintage magazine warehouse that was forced to move to a space 20% the size, so in helping him toss his excess merchandise for the move, I was able to grab whatever I could snag.

 

So, I have boxes of New Yorkers and Saturdays Evening Posts from the 30's - 60s and lots of other krap.

 

The real value in this stuff would be chopping it up to sell the ads as decoration, but I don't have it in me.

 

A couple of friends of my mother's hauled the stuff in from Long Island to NYC and late at night, in the dark, we stacked it up in my garage, box by box. For the last year I've been telling myself I need to sort the stuff out, but I've been too lazy, the garage is too packed with krap and there's no light in there (I need to pay an electrician $500 to get the electric/light running in there).

 

Today my wife wanted me and the kid out of the house, so while he was playing with his remote control car in the backyard, I decided now was the time to do some organizing in there. Plus I was pretty sure a box of comics or two were mixed in with those magazines.

 

Well, in digging around the boxes I noticed a crack in the wall. A little one, but a crack nonetheless behind some boxes. Needless to say, after a year, moisture had come in through that crack, into the boxes and destroyed 3 boxes outright.

 

One was a box of Scientic Americans from 1928 - 1930. Very cool stuff. Market value on ebay probably only $8-$12 each, about 75 of them in there. I salvaged a couple, cut some pages out of some others (Emelia Eirhart [sp] endorsing something...).... the rest are sitting in my garbage. Yuck.

 

Another was a box of home decor magazines from the 40s and 50s. Honestly, I don't know what these were worth, but most likely also findeable on ebay for $8-$12 each, with some maybe being worth more. $8-$12 X 50.

 

Another was a box of Watercolor magazines from the 90's....a garbage bin find from a neighbor who moved. No great loss there, but I do like to look at those things for technique tips. Plus a bunch of Art in America type stuff which I like to look at, but no monetary value.

 

Moisture seeped into a box next to that column, killed a few baseball cards and some books, no huge loss I hope.

 

Moisture had seemed onto the surface of a nother box to the right...but thankfully had not gotten in. That one was, of course, full of comics from the 50s - 70s, including a low grade FF 5 and some other stuff. Criminey, I just missed the bullet on that one! I reboxed them right away. No signs of mold or stink on the comics, what frigging luck!

 

Of course, my wife and mother have been nagging me to go in there and get the boxes on shelves for a year, so I can't blame them. The haphazard way the boxes were tossed in there up against the wall was my wife's fault, as she was screaming at me and my mother's friends the whole time because we were doing this in the middle of the night and my son refused to go to sleep while we were out there, but there was nothing to stop me from fixing it the next day...

 

Oh well, dumb and lazy.

 

 

[Not*Sure*]

I am the same way. My husband and I are EXACTLY alike in that area. My husband and I have two garage sized storage units, a barn,vehicles all over the property packed full and a house full of stuff.

 

In addition to comics I buy old dolls and fix them up, I do the cosmetic work and my husband does the mechanical fixing voice boxes and mechanisms.

 

I usually try to sell smaller valuable easy to pack items. There are things that go forgotten and end up packed away out of sight out of mind.

 

I had a HUGE box packed full of Teddy Ruxpins 6 working and some parts. Then there were Grubby figures and other characters from the WOW line. Books and cassettes were in there too.

 

I went into the storage to get one because a doll customer was asking for a combo (Grubby, Teddy, chords, accessories puppets=around $250 bargain price)

 

The Box of Teddys was EATEN by mice. The mice ate everything that was soft and fluffy leaving robotic parts all covered with mouse poo.

 

I had a back up in the barn in plastic storage tote that I knew mice wouldn't have gotten into...It was completely ruined with MOLD..

 

I wonder how much we would save in storage space and costs if we actually went through and cleared out the broken or ruined junk..it's sad.

 

We just get so many things it is hard to keep up Ebaying/selling them all. Between ebayables and my art stuff and comics our house is packed to the rafters..I keep fearing the kids will call one of those reality shows where they come and throw out your stuff..

 

I have boxes that I haven't looked inside of since I moved from Florida to Arizona then to California then to Kansas. I must say my stuff kept better in Florida and CA not the mice and weather problems we have here. as far as storing stuff goes..

[lookwhoitis]

packrats

[Not*Sure*]

I know right..minimalists do not know what they are missing.

 

One of my old roomates couldn't bear to have anything on counters and heaven forbid if there was a box somewhere. I came home from work one morning (I worked nights), to find comics stacked in one of my dresser drawers. Desiree said she had had enough of my shabby looking cardboard boxes cluttering the floor. She hung all my Tshirts and jeans in the closet and packed my comics in the dresser. SHE threw OUT my SLIDER comic boxes..seriously F'd in the head.

 

I was livid first off, I paid rent for that room and she had no business going in there for anything but touching my comics is a no no.

 

She threw away a bag from the comic book store once with about $70 worth of books in it. She made a stupid rule that if I left any bags or debris anywhere out in the open she would throw them away. I left the bag in the counter for maybe 2 hours while I was winding down from my day. I spent hours searching high and low for the books I knew I just bought. The next day she told me I broke the rule and she took them to the dumpster while I was in the shower. CRAZY neat freak..

 

Dust bunnies never killed anyone..

[PEP]

That reminds me, I have to go into my storage and locate all my 80s GI Joes and Transformers.

[COI]

I know right..minimalists do not know what they are missing.

 

I'll never understand packrats. How anyone can be comfortable living their life surrounded by junk, debris and dust is beyond me.

 

I have a few short boxes of comics and a few dozen video games and DVDs, and I think that's more than enough junk for me. I'm constantly re-evaluating my need for things, and am quick to get rid of something as soon as I lose interest in it, or if I'm not using it. Lately, for every game or DVD I buy, 2 or more are sold, traded or given away. As for comics, I have a short want-list of about 200 books, and that's about it. I also give away books on a regular basis, and just recently destroyed every VHS tape and CD I've ever owned that no one would take.

 

Accumulating is a burden, and one that I'm all too happy not to take on.

[Not*Sure*]

Well Blob may not be a packrat..I am admittedly OCD about stuff. I like having just about everything I need at hand. I like buying stuff sure but if I am short on cash having whatever at hand is ..well handy.

 

I have always had storage and storage areas since I moved out of my parents house. At one time I had a warehouse and we really need one badly now.

 

This summer because I have been healing up and not able to yard sale much it has come in handy to just be able to go out and pick things out to Ebay for cash.

 

Sure I have three non working Tauruses out in the yard but I have saved thousands picking parts off of parts cars I bought cheap rather than going to the store to buy parts.

 

My husband and I try to do a thinning out once a year or so. We have been known to donate a truckload of new in the box toys to children's charities during the holidays. If I can buy a new in the box doll or toy truck for $1 at a tag sale that dollar bought me a say $10 item and I donate it giving a child a smile for a whopping $1. If an entire truckload of toys for say 450 kids cost us $450 what a bargain! Plus it's a good place for homeless low dollar comics too.

 

The kids move and need new cookware? I probably have a box of new cookware in the storage. Need an alarm clock or set of speakers?desk lamp? Umbrella?

 

Birthday come up unexpectedly? To storage and fish out something nice and wrap it with hoards of themed wrapping paper for an excellent and thoughtful gift.

 

If I say have a friend who likes badgers..and I see a badger book or item. I by it and keep it until they need a present or if I just want to surprise them with something.

 

Our daughter needs a costume or Halloween.. She wants to be a Superhero or Villain (she's 23) but not just a regular Batgirl or Harley Quinn. She wants to be sometone not everyone does. Long gloves,blonde wig, boots, cape..all she needs to buy is a white leotard and with a few minor alterations she's Power Girl.

Not everyone has dozens of wigs and a rainbow of capes/cloaks/costumes galore.

I do.. She called me tonight I was just thrilled to pieces when she said "I know you are the only person who can help me I want to be a comic book character for a party...."

 

Anyone here need kids costumes for Halloween..I could give you a cheap cheap cheap deal on a Superman or Mr.Fantastic? I have heaps.

 

I have a full stocked pantry as well. The same principle applies. Don't feel like driving to the store? Get something quick and easy from the deep freeze or a boxed dinner. My husband gets laid off work for a week or we're sick and unable to get out..I keep several weeks worth of food/meals at hand.

 

I guess it is OCD but I just think it is nice to not have to go and pay retail for stuff.

If I am at a palette sale and buy a palette of stuff I may not have needed 80 towels, 60 bath mats, 30 pillows, 144 washclothes and 60 sets of sheets. BUT I made my money X30 on Ebay and then gave the most fabulous gift baskets over the holidays. Everyone loved getting linens, plush bath towels, hypoallergenic pillows, and high thread count designer sheets. I made the washclothes into flower shapes put them on stems and gave washcloth bouquets at bridal showers. I paid $38 for the palette. I didn't need a truckload of the stuff. Consider I was selling the sheets for $15 each (each piece they were packed seperately top/bottom/pillow slips) I sold one set of duvet covers on Ebay for over $800 (they were $2400 retail price) Sure I still have a box of bath mats and some leftover pieces "cluttering" storage. It's handy to go and get a fresh towel whenever my husband accidently uses one of my good towels to clean up with after he works on a car.

 

A minimalist would have to go to the store and buy a new towel and pay about a third of what I paid for everything for one towel.

 

Someday a archeologist will come upon a hoard of 21 century artifacts and it will be my storage shed..

 

Seriously I feel sorry for the kids if anything happens to us..they would be overwhelmed and not know what to do with everything. They would probably just have it all hauled off to the dump.

[Ogami]

I know right..minimalists do not know what they are missing.

 

I'll never understand packrats. How anyone can be comfortable living their life surrounded by junk, debris and dust is beyond me.

 

I have a few short boxes of comics and a few dozen video games and DVDs, and I think that's more than enough junk for me. I'm constantly re-evaluating my need for things, and am quick to get rid of something as soon as I lose interest in it, or if I'm not using it. Lately, for every game or DVD I buy, 2 or more are sold, traded or given away. As for comics, I have a short want-list of about 200 books, and that's about it. I also give away books on a regular basis, and just recently destroyed every VHS tape and CD I've ever owned that no one would take.

 

Accumulating is a burden, and one that I'm all too happy not to take on.

 

I'm here, on the Not Sure to COI scale.

 

NS...............................Me...........................................................COI

 

I wish I were here:

 

NS.............................................................Me.............................COI

[The Less Blob]

I am a bit of a packrat but I keep the stuff outside of the living area (except for today, but I promised I'd get the boxes I decided could no longer live in the garage out of the 1st floor before the end of the weekend), nothing in the living room, dining room, bedrooms, etc....so in the garage and our third floor that we don't use except for storage. it helps to have a lot of space, it was really bad in the 1 bedroom apartment, but i had 2 storage units and my mother's garage back then.

 

In the back of my head I look at it as backup if I ever have a prolonged period of unemployment (not that as a lawyer I can't go out and hussle some work up, but without an office, etc. to look legit it would likely not be enough to pay the mortgage) I could probably earn $2K a month selling junk online and at flea markets, etc. and slide by, just because I have so much of it.

 

With that said, yesterday I chucked a bunch of books that were not necessarily mold damaged per se, but I said F-it, why take any chances.

 

It really hurt tossing all those 1920's magazines, but it helped a bit to find out they aren't expensive on ebay.

[goldust40]

Have to admire COI's disciplined method of maintaining control, as stuff such as that has a way of controlling you. I have tons of useless crepe that I've had for eons that I should've jettisoned long ago, but the longer you have something the harder it gets to rid yourself of it, due to alleged sentimental attachment.

 

I've got boxes of old NMEs, Sounds, Q Magazines, Private Eye, Uncut, CBGs, etc. etc. just sitting there...once every other year I may take a brief look at them, if that. Not to mention the old and probably defunct mountains of VHS tapes...

[The Less Blob]

already my wife is claiming i brought flees into the house from these boxes.

 

i tell her she's imagining it, but that usually ticks her off more

[Not*Sure*]

Fleas don't do paper..now if there was a DOG in the box..there would be the culprit.

 

Fleas are more likely to ride in on your sock rather than an old box in the garage. The only exception would be if the box were around a dog kennel and fleas lived in it then went dormant. But it's not very likely..

[MR.COMICBOOK]

Fleas don't do paper..now if there was a DOG in the box..there would be the culprit.

 

Fleas are more likely to ride in on your sock rather than an old box in the garage. The only exception would be if the box were around a dog kennel and fleas lived in it then went dormant. But it's not very likely..

I remember one time I bought a bunch of readers from this guy on ebay who stored his comics in a bath tub in his basement, damn was I itchy for a week after reading them. my wife got itchy also and made me thru them out.

[slym2none]

Have to admire COI's disciplined method of maintaining control, as stuff such as that has a way of controlling you. I have tons of useless crepe that I've had for eons that I should've jettisoned long ago, but the longer you have something the harder it gets to rid yourself of it, due to alleged sentimental attachment.

 

I've got boxes of old NMEs, Sounds, Q Magazines, Private Eye, Uncut, CBGs, etc. etc. just sitting there...once every other year I may take a brief look at them, if that. Not to mention the old and probably defunct mountains of VHS tapes...

 

What's amazing is, once you get rid of that toss, you don't miss it (most of the time.)

 

 

 

-slym