Worthless junk from w*rk

[Fermion]

Downsizing from 5000sq-ft to 200sq-ft means a lot of decluttering.

As we go through boxes of stuff, tossing things in the garbage left and right, we come to these useless, worthless company awards. Patent cubes, crystal glass sculptures. An entire 30 gallon bucket full of this stuff.

Why isn't any of it made out of silver? At least something we could recycle or melt down. Some of these awards like the crystal sculptures, cost a lot for the company to make (I think $500 to $600 for the large ones). Now they cost me $$$ to throw away.

Ok, end rant.

 

[Walt34]

Why isn't any of it made out of silver? At least something we could recycle or melt down.

Because they wanted to make [-]you[/-] themselves feel good without having to actually spend any money. Or at least not much. You expected maybe a pay raise or bonus? Nah, that costs too much.

 

[youbet]

You kept all that crap for all those years? Wow........ Must have meant something to ya I guess.

 

[Bamaman]

When I was closing out my parents' house, I got rid of a whole pickup truck of glass jelly jars--all from Dollar General Store. I just wonder how many loaves of bread they went through eating toast and jelly that left behind 1000 lbs. of glass jars.

Possessions are worth so much more to the owners than those that inherit it. My kids will be cussing me for years with all "my stuff."

I have enough good inherited furniture to furnish 8 bedrooms and two full dining rooms. We swap out furniture from time to time in rooms for a change.

 

[youbet]

Possessions are worth so much more to the owners than those that inherit it. My kids will be cussing me for years with all "my stuff."

That's the story here too. But, WTF, my son should wind up inheriting a bunch of money (by my humble standards) from us so if he has to have a dumpster delivered to the driveway and hire a couple of day-laborers to haul crap out, he'll be able to afford it......

We have too much:

quilting and crafts crap

ham radio / electronics hobby crap

fishing crap

camping / canoeing crap

crap crap


I did have a lot of work related awards and junque as OP does. At our joint, the motto was "if you can't pay 'em, plaque 'em" and I had a bunch. Often samples of products were mounted on the plaques and I had a pretty complete history of an important industry right there in the basement! But that crap, unlike everything listed above, I pretty much tossed already.

But we're happy and junior understands and accepts his likely future disposal task with a smile.

If it turns out we need to go to a condo or retirement home before we croak, I guess the dumpster and day-laborers will be sprung into action then. But I'm hoping youbet junior gets to do it.......

 

[braumeister]

We have too much:
...
ham radio / electronics hobby crap

I too had tons of that stuff. But it's surprisingly recyclable.
Contact a local ham radio club and they will usually help you to get the radios and some of the test equipment to a new ham or a collector or just someone who will probably use it.

Apart from the radios, the older electronics can make their way around and around again and again. If you've ever been to a large hamfest like Dayton, you'll realize that there are markets for anything, including WW II surplus "boat anchors."

 

[W2R]

Possessions are worth so much more to the owners than those that inherit it. My kids will be cussing me for years with all "my stuff."

If it makes you feel any better, I was feeling the same way about all my own stuff recently when I moved. I thought I was pretty well decluttered, but gosh, I tossed twice as much as I moved or donated. And yet when unpacking, I found myself wondering why I brought so much junk with me.

 

[youbet]

I too had tons of that stuff. But it's surprisingly recyclable.
Contact a local ham radio club and they will usually help you to get the radios and some of the test equipment to a new ham or a collector or just someone who will probably use it.

Apart from the radios, the older electronics can make their way around and around again and again. If you've ever been to a large hamfest like Dayton, you'll realize that there are markets for anything, including WW II surplus "boat anchors."

You may have misunderstood..... I've downsized my hobby stash about all I care to downsize it and I'm really not looking to shed anymore. I've been to Dayton and zillions of other fests over 55 years of hamming. There's still too much "stuff" in the pile (said with a wink) but it's still entertaining on cold winter nights when I'm in the mood to tinker. It's going to be my son's problem and if he just pays a laborer to throw in all in a dumpster, we're only talking a few kilobux. More likely, he'll let some local hams pick through stuff first, then throw the balance into the dumpster. I won't care. I'll be dead........ He knows the few pieces that have some significant value.


My point is, don't downsize/declutter stuff that still has some entertainment and/or sentimental value to you just to keep the kids from having to do it. Just make sure they understand that after you're gone paying someone to heave it into a dumpster is perfectly OK.

 

[Payin-the-Toll]

Downsizing from 5000sq-ft to 200sq-ft means a lot of decluttering.

As we go through boxes of stuff, tossing things in the garbage left and right, we come to these useless, worthless company awards. Patent cubes, crystal glass sculptures. An entire 30 gallon bucket full of this stuff.

Why isn't any of it made out of silver? At least something we could recycle or melt down. Some of these awards like the crystal sculptures, cost a lot for the company to make (I think $500 to $600 for the large ones). Now they cost me $$$ to throw away.

Ok, end rant.

Since you downsized to '200 sq. ft.', I'm guessing you're living in a 20x10 shed!!! Wow!

 

[Texas Proud]

Then there is the other option that we did when we moved my mom...

We sold her house 'as is'... we just packed up the stuff we wanted and left the rest... and oh was there a LOT left... we moved only a few pieces of furniture from a 4BR house... and the garage was full of nails/screws/old tools/boards/pipe/crap......


So, let someone else deal with the junk... (then again, if you are dead you are letting someone else deal with it)...

 

[bingybear]

Downsizing from 5000sq-ft to 200sq-ft means a lot of decluttering.

That is rough downsizing... going down to just 4% of the space

I guess you dropped a 0

I got rid of my patent "awards", promotion and service "awards" before FIRE... it really didn't mean much. It all did the company more good than for me.

I don't need the symbol to remember to good I've done... and there are likely things I think are more important that I never even got a thank you... but that doesn't matter either... I like feeling good when I do good.

But you may want to consider up sizing the 200sf a little unless you are really want to live in close quarters. I'd have to shed quite a bit of stuff to fit in 200sf.

 

[Exrook]

Sounds like an RV to me.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[bingybear]

Sounds like an RV to me.

yeah... didn't think of that. But in that case you pitch most/all your furniture... and really everything. I would not even question job tokens in that case. But I may have to stand corrected. Wouldn't be the first time

 

[REWahoo]

Sounds like an RV to me.

+1

Fermion has posted several photos of his custom RV.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I keep telling my niece that I'm doing my best to declutter, but apologizing in advance for what she will be stuck throwing out!
Congrats on doing the dirty work yourself!

 

[Senator]

I just got done cleaning out a rental. The renter died at the hospital, the kids too what they wanted and left a bunch of stuff.

All the guys old high school awards, saved Hallmark cards, year books, new paper articles, etc.

In the end, all that stuff went into the dumpster. It gave me a better incentive to declutter.

 

[Meadbh]

If it makes you feel any better, I was feeling the same way about all my own stuff recently when I moved. I thought I was pretty well decluttered, but gosh, I tossed twice as much as I moved or donated. And yet when unpacking, I found myself wondering why I brought so much junk with me.

Does your avatar show the new house, W2R? And if so, is it the one on the right or the left?

 

[martyp]

I got some going away stuff at my retirement party. I took a picture of it and then threw it away. I live in 950 sq ft + a small garage. I've never had room for this stuff and have a long history of throwing stuff away.

 

[Options]

Funny you should mention it. Remodeling this month, I threw out all the stuff from the office. The expensive frames (what was I thinking?) for the degrees that hung on the walls of my offices cannot be opened, so I'm strongly tempted to just throw it all away.

How interesting that they seemed like such a proud accomplishment at the time but have no significance now. With no career, I simply don't care. These things now represent the past, where I've been, not the future, where I'm going.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

Plaques are made from some really nice wood if you do any woodworking. If not, someone who does will appreciate it. The brass on them is bringing decent money for scrap metal even if it isn't silver prices.

Another option is to recycle. Many plaques and trophies can be recycled into awards for youth. Yes, they have to pay to have the engraving changed, but its cheaper than buying a whole new award.

 

[stepford]

They always made a big deal about patents at Megacorp (though I must admit the couple $K they'd give out when one got filed always mattered more to me than the snazzy plaque). Several years ago I watched as a friend/colleague got RIF/retired and saw him just chuck over 10 of those plaques in the dumpster. I admit I was kind of horrified at the time... then fast forward 5 years and I found myself doing exactly the same thing earlier this year. Tossing out all those plaques was a big part of my personal disengagement process.

Some things are harder to let go than others, but it all gots to GO.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

They always made a big deal about patents at Megacorp (though I must admit the couple $K they'd give out when one got filed always mattered more to me than the snazzy plaque)....

Our patent release document always said something like "for $1 and other consideration..." but we never even got the dollar. I guess someone complained because the last one I did didn't even mention the dollar... As for the consideration, I doubt they even thought about it!

 

[unno2002]

[FONT=&quot]As we get closer to moving to our retirement home, the “stuff” in our present house keeps bothering me.. When I retired, around 3 years ago, I brought “home” 19 boxes from my office. Some of the stuff I’ve gotten rid of, but even though the boxes have more or less been closed for three years, the stuff is still things… I don’t want to throw in the trash.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Conflicts…[/FONT]

 

[NW-Bound]

That's the story here too. But, WTF, my son should wind up inheriting a bunch of money (by my humble standards) from us so if he has to have a dumpster delivered to the driveway and hire a couple of day-laborers to haul crap out, he'll be able to afford it...

All right! I will not feel bad anymore about keeping my junk.

You may have misunderstood..... I've downsized my hobby stash about all I care to downsize it and I'm really not looking to shed anymore...

My point is, don't downsize/declutter stuff that still has some entertainment and/or sentimental value to you just to keep the kids from having to do it. Just make sure they understand that after you're gone paying someone to heave it into a dumpster is perfectly OK.

Another thumb up. However, I make a conscientious effort not to bring new junk home unless it's absolutely necessary. Between my own junk and the left-over electronic parts from a failed business venture, I have enough to last me a long time.

I think I can still throw away some more, but it takes time to make more passes through the stuff.

 

[Sunset]

Our patent release document always said something like "for $1 and other consideration..." but we never even got the dollar. I guess someone complained because the last one I did didn't even mention the dollar... As for the consideration, I doubt they even thought about it!

So if they don't have proof they paid you a dollar, then all the benefits of the patent are yours.
Must be some patent troll lawyer willing to split a few million with you by working free.
Imagine the panic when they realize they have no proof.....