Keeping Stuff.
Discussion
I've really got to get over this. I hoard something rotten convincing myself that one day it's really going to help to play string on an ailing mind, make me money or just make me feel nice.
Examples:
Every holiday I've ever been on: Maps, receipts, tickets, leaflets, currency.
Technology: 1st gen iPod, Minidisc player, crap 35mm film cameras, every cable you could dream of (serial in particular), floppies and CD going back years full of every single f
king email I;ve ever sent and received.
Paperwork: Bank statements going back to '92, every piece of paperwork from my first house purchase (2 ago) ten years go. Every MOT, insurance doc and bill for every car I've owned long enough to accumulate paperwork for.
Toys, books, clothes the list goes on and I know it's 97% ste. But how to sort the wheat from the chaff?
Anyone got any good ideas?
Examples:
Every holiday I've ever been on: Maps, receipts, tickets, leaflets, currency.
Technology: 1st gen iPod, Minidisc player, crap 35mm film cameras, every cable you could dream of (serial in particular), floppies and CD going back years full of every single f
king email I;ve ever sent and received.Paperwork: Bank statements going back to '92, every piece of paperwork from my first house purchase (2 ago) ten years go. Every MOT, insurance doc and bill for every car I've owned long enough to accumulate paperwork for.
Toys, books, clothes the list goes on and I know it's 97% s
te. But how to sort the wheat from the chaff?Anyone got any good ideas?
Olf said:
Famous Graham said:
Well, you could sell some of the photographic stuff here. I might be interested if you've got any interesting Canon FD lenses, for example 
Sorry but as I said all the photographic stuff is crap (as in rubbish!)
Olf said:
Examples:
Every holiday I've ever been on: Maps, receipts, tickets, leaflets, currency.
I come from a long line of hoarders and its a habit that I'd love to break, but small stuff like tickets and maps from holidays are worth hanging on to...Every holiday I've ever been on: Maps, receipts, tickets, leaflets, currency.
... just to help with the memories if nothing else!
We live in a through away world, and all this digital technology is so temporary... hang on to some tangible reminders! (just incase your digital memory cards / CD etc. arnt compatible in the future!)
deviant said:
When you sort through stuff ask yourself if you have wanted or needed to look at or find something in the last year. If not shred the paperwork, ebay the gadgets and camera gear and send everything else to the charity shops.
I think that's half the problem actually. I got well into ebay and was getting good money for stuff (because I keep all the boxes!) like a airport card for an old mac which I sold for more that I bought for (appreciating technology who'd have thunk it" but ebay just ain't worth the hassle any more.I'm exactly the same with the crap, yet for some reason I can't fathom, I'm unable to hold onto paperwork.
Don't have a single bank statement, couldn't tell you were my v5s, insurance forms certificates or MOTs are (tax time used to be a frantic time, often involving duplicate v5s and insurance documents being ordered) - thank god for online tax disc renewals. Same goes for mortgage documents, pay slips, P60s, you name it.
Yet with 15 seconds I could lay my hand on a concert ticket from Brian May's Back To The Light tour from 16 years ago, or a stty pair of earphones I got on a flight to America a decade ago, still in their packet.
Don't have a single bank statement, couldn't tell you were my v5s, insurance forms certificates or MOTs are (tax time used to be a frantic time, often involving duplicate v5s and insurance documents being ordered) - thank god for online tax disc renewals. Same goes for mortgage documents, pay slips, P60s, you name it.
Yet with 15 seconds I could lay my hand on a concert ticket from Brian May's Back To The Light tour from 16 years ago, or a s
tty pair of earphones I got on a flight to America a decade ago, still in their packet.uriel said:
I'm exactly the same with the crap, yet for some reason I can't fathom, I'm unable to hold onto paperwork.
Don't have a single bank statement, couldn't tell you were my v5s, insurance forms certificates or MOTs are (tax time used to be a frantic time, often involving duplicate v5s and insurance documents being ordered) - thank god for online tax disc renewals. Same goes for mortgage documents, pay slips, P60s, you name it.
Yet with 15 seconds I could lay my hand on a concert ticket from Brian May's Back To The Light tour from 16 years ago, or a stty pair of earphones I got on a flight to America a decade ago, still in their packet.
Other way round for me. The paperwork is under control but the momentos are crazy - how do you fle stuff like that in a accessible way? It's impossible.Don't have a single bank statement, couldn't tell you were my v5s, insurance forms certificates or MOTs are (tax time used to be a frantic time, often involving duplicate v5s and insurance documents being ordered) - thank god for online tax disc renewals. Same goes for mortgage documents, pay slips, P60s, you name it.
Yet with 15 seconds I could lay my hand on a concert ticket from Brian May's Back To The Light tour from 16 years ago, or a s
tty pair of earphones I got on a flight to America a decade ago, still in their packet.Moving once a year for the last few years has worked nicely for me - anything I know I've not used since I moved is always a good candidate for throwing away come the next move.
I was terrible hoarder of anything computer-related though, partly because it's easy to think of "worth" as being relative to what you paid for it however many years ago. In reality, you're not going to find any use for that 10Gb hard disk, or the 4Mb SIMMs, or that serial cable. Get a box and put all the things that are for current technology in there, making sure you only have one (or one "spare") of anything. Everything else goes in another box. Seal it up, stick the date on it, go back in 6 months and chuck it away if you've not had to open it.
Paperwork I'd not keep anything over 7 years old, and don't bother with bank statements any more; you can request them from the bank if you needed them for some reason. It's also too easy to keep every bit of paperwork - a certificate that comes with a covering letter for instance, just shred the latter. I keep my important paperwork down to one of those A4 filing cases; I know if the house was burning down I could grab it and go.
A friend swears by this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Laundry-How-Junk-Your... - I've had a read and it's all sensible stuff. You probably don't need to go to the extent of having a TV crew take all of your possessions outside though
I was terrible hoarder of anything computer-related though, partly because it's easy to think of "worth" as being relative to what you paid for it however many years ago. In reality, you're not going to find any use for that 10Gb hard disk, or the 4Mb SIMMs, or that serial cable. Get a box and put all the things that are for current technology in there, making sure you only have one (or one "spare") of anything. Everything else goes in another box. Seal it up, stick the date on it, go back in 6 months and chuck it away if you've not had to open it.
Paperwork I'd not keep anything over 7 years old, and don't bother with bank statements any more; you can request them from the bank if you needed them for some reason. It's also too easy to keep every bit of paperwork - a certificate that comes with a covering letter for instance, just shred the latter. I keep my important paperwork down to one of those A4 filing cases; I know if the house was burning down I could grab it and go.
A friend swears by this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Laundry-How-Junk-Your... - I've had a read and it's all sensible stuff. You probably don't need to go to the extent of having a TV crew take all of your possessions outside though
Olf said:
PDP11? DAMN!!! I would have had that 
Although I have no idea where I would put it.
ETA: I am also quite bad at keeping stuff as this thread shows:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/xforums/topic.asp?h=0...
Edited by Morningside on Sunday 16th November 22:49
Paperwork, once a month I go through it Scan to PDF the important stuff, inc receipts etc then shred - once done I save a copy onto a Kingston Secure Privacy Memory Stick
Computer Stuff, try selling on ebay then take to local recycling centre etc
That is my ideal, how often it happens well it is not once a month!!!
Computer Stuff, try selling on ebay then take to local recycling centre etc
That is my ideal, how often it happens well it is not once a month!!!
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