"Must stop the purge!" Topic

Must stop purging stuff!!!!!

Okay, that's off my chest. We effectively moved out of the house for two months for a major remodel. After 25 years in the same house, we had a large quantity of junk built up. We did the garage in the spring, a packed SUV load to the dump and 12 boxes of stuff for Goodwill. Then the moving started. Cleaning out closets, bookshelves, etc., even though we were just moving into pods on the driveway, it was time to zap it. 50 more boxes of stuff to Goodwill and 20 boxes to the library, along with continuously packed trash cans.

It's my gaming basement that's the issue for this post, even though that was the one part of the house we didn't have to move. The purge mentality carried over to the gaming room, which was getting out of control and also ripe for the purge. I do cull my boardgame and minis collections, but I must have been way behind. I came back from a convention with two boxes of new toys and found that I had 6' worth of games along the back of the auxiliary table already there, new stuff I wanted to play. Plus, the two reject boxes were full. I started a massive purge, selling off stuff on TMP, the Geek, Consimworld, and eBay. I made $3,000 USD and sent out 40+ packages, and I was down to the two boxes of new stuff. More space was needed, though, the basement was packed. The boxes of books that I was saving for the club--those guys only took a few books even at $2 USD a book, so I got medieval on the books. 12 more boxes of prime history books to the library, I don't care, it's out! I continued the purge. Noble Knight got eight boxes of stuff, for which I got about $1,000 USD in credit. I sold more stuff on TMP and CSW. I gave several boxes to the club. I filled the big trash bins twice with detritus from the game room. I purged the paint table and bought new paint racks as I had no space to paint, and threw out 5 cubic feet of junk. It's so much better, but I still have a very small row of 1' of stuff along the back table and about four boxes piled up by the painting table, although it's pretty manageable and I have a lot of room to move now. Where the hell did it all come from?

But the issue is, I can't stop! Every thing I look at now is evaluated for whether or not I want it. If I see something loose, I figure out which shelf it goes on and then purge something else in the room to make a space for it. The trash bin is full again and the boxes to unload are also full again (and posted on the Geek). I can't just sit down and play a game. I need to break this cycle! I think a couple more boxes sent to the club and library ought to do it, there won't be anything in the way anymore. It's all identified, and in theory I can stop the purge. But I can't get out of the mindset, everything I look at has a go/no-go aspect, not a fun aspect. I want to paint and play with my toys and games, not evaluate their merits every time I look at them!

Rant off, thanks for listening.

The bug…..

You, sir, are admirable. I totally agree – if you're not going to use it, dispose! Too much stuff weighs on the mind. I'm not urging you to go minimalist ("My entire collection is a Tiger tank & two Sumerian spearmen" nonsense) but what's the point of piles of stuff you'll never look at again. Think of your peace of mind. Think of the uncluttered space. Think of the children!!!

BTW expect others (hoarders) to turn up & try to woo you back to the Dark Side. They're like re-lapsed smokers: only happy when others are also puffing on a fag.

I remember once I saw on a TV show a bartender had a punch bowl on his bar full of little tokens. The were AA "sober for" tokens. He'd give a fee drink in exchange for a token.

Sinister…

I believe your cathartic post has greatly brought into question your continued service as Nigerian Lead Minister.

Bravo! I admire your strength of will.

I vote Gray Bear for the win, though.

🤔 Nigerian

Hey! Aren't there emails going out from Nigerians.. read something like this…

"Greetings,

My name is CHIMEZIE John Madueke, I got your contact from the chamber of commerce as an accredited Investor. My mother, Mrs. Dieziani Alison-Madueke was the former Minister of Petroleum from April 2010 – 28 May 2015 Under
the Administration of the former President of Nigeria, Mr. Goodluck Ebele Johnathan. During my mother tenure in office, she was able to acquire millions of dollars through deals done with several multina-
tional oil corporations using her office as the Minister of Petroleum A lot of these funds were invested and deposited in several offshore accounts in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. (5250.0,00.09 in the Re phelico South Affic and europe bullion in excess of two hundred and fifty milion dollars As you can see from the current trend of events and change of Government in Nigeria, the present administration and
wicked entrien, yat we have suffered tori repe can wil not tabe by and ruch this haptand olose i all f Currently, my hard working mother is ill with cancer and battling for her dear life in a London hospital. As if this is not enough suffering already, the British National Crime Agency has arrested her for questioning on these corruption
charges.

So read the news below:….."

Is this a variation of this letter? 😉

I'm doing the same thing.. it's called aging I think. Stuff just stays in closets and drawers taking up space and no one wants to inherit them. 🙂

i admire you, or think you need professional help. I'm not sure which one yet…..

Baby. Bathwater. Recognize the difference.

I will say that I have purged a lot of … stuff. My only criteria were whether I had any real genuine plans to continue with those projects. Now that they're gone, I don't miss them.
I got foolish thoughts like "What if I had spent all that money that I spent on Sassanids on Pirates instead?" But that way lies madness.

You need a hobby!

35thOVI – based on the correspondence you quote, Nigeria would do well to reallocate funding from the Petroleum and Lead Ministries into the direly needed Proofreading Ministry. I do hope the hardworking Mrs. Adison-Madueke receives the best healthcare available in the London hospital and recovers from her illness. 🙏

Gray Bear, you must forgive them, English is not their first language. 😉

I think how well he… OPPs I mean she does 😳, depends on the responses to the letter. 😉

Recalling the Nigerian Pyramids in Kano – perhaps it is time to recreate them – only this time with lead not ground nuts

Wow impressive amount of work/purging. It must feel so good to refresh your hobby stuff and your mind.

I did the same thing a few years ago albeit in a much smaller version (we moved twice in a year…long story, not a criminal running from the law) and feel so relieved. Good job and good luck.

Running into some lead rot, so regular inspections/clean outs are a good idea.

Recommend checking sealed packages. Have heard of shrink wrapped boxes of metal being opened, only to be found to be too far gone.

A good time to fumigate things and surface spray areas for critters too.

Roach baits, mouse traps/baits, depending on your local population, is another thing to do.

I'm organizing a Go-Pound-Me (a British version of go-fund-me) to cover medical expenses for the esteemed Mrs. Alison-Madueke (bless her hard working heart). All proceeds will go for the care and treatment of the loved and respected former Nigerian Petroleum Minister. I've committed 25% of the millions of dollars that will be deposited into my bank account once my earnest money draft has cleared. John the OFM has pledged a generous amount to this humanitarian cause and I invite others to do so.

Gray Bear: we must also get those bloody horrible and unfair charges dropped against this poor woman! Cancer and then the bloody peelers! 😡

Amen brother. We will also fund legal representation for this unfortunate woman.

" Where the hell did it all come from?"

I believe most people collect stuff, because basically, it's trophies of the hunt for the stuff in the first place. The real joy is tracking down the stuff you want, then when you get it, it gets placed aside when a new quarry catches your eye (rinse, repeat, etc.)
I went through the same collecting phase decades ago (only stopping because money got short.:-( ) But, I'm not parting with my old "trophies" (willingly), because most of it can't be found anymore (that old world is gone now), and, my collection fits in a small closet, so it's not in the way… ;-)

(YMMV)

I heard you don't buy hobby stuff, you buy the time it will take to finish it!

" Where the hell did it all come from?

I found a sheet of Spanish Napoleonic flags.
Like the tattoo of a Mexican cutie, how it got there I haven't a clue.