Organized the garage

[tightasadrum]

I just spent the last two weeks, off and on, organizing my garage. I've been wanting to do this for two years. There's so much room in there now that I feel like having a square dance.

I put up heavy-duty shelving along one wall for miscellaneous stuff, one section for yard tools, another section football tailgate items, a work bench with a tool peg board for me, a potting bench for DW ( all which I built from scrap lumber), and finally an enclosed wooden recycle bin for all that stuff. Next: defrost the freezer, Sunday afternoon. My tenants probably wonder what happened to me after hanging around every day for weeks then suddenly I disappeared.

The whole experience has been renewing to redo the garage. After the freezer, I think I'll take on the basement. Maybe I can start a business doing this for people who don't have the time to get organized?
At least until the market turns around.

Has anyone else found they were driven to this sort of thing after retirement? Is this some sort of mental disorder or what?

 

[Westernskies]

Is this some sort of mental disorder or what?

... maybe and probably?

 

[Khan]

I have been organizing and getting rid of stuff in fits and starts for several years. A recent thread about selling stuff inspired me to get rid of some stuff on freecycle.

Amazing; it was August 31, I posted an offer for tropical plants and got 30+ responses, and they were picked up on 5PM on Labor Day.

Next: the dining table and chairs.

 

[Goonie]

Has anyone else found they were driven to this sort of thing after retirement? Is this some sort of mental disorder or what?

The saying is "a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind", and since a garage is waaaay bigger than a desk......Well, let me put it this way, my garage looks like Yucca Flats after the blast.......and (IMHO) I don't have any 'mental disorders'! YMMV

 

[Khan]

The saying is "a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind", and since a garage is waaaay bigger than a desk......Well, let me put it this way, my garage looks like Yucca Flats after the blast.......and (IMHO) I don't have any 'mental disorders'! YMMV

"Dull women have immaculate homes."

 

[HFWR]

A pile for everything, and everything in it's pile...

 

[Nords]

Has anyone else found they were driven to this sort of thing after retirement? Is this some sort of mental disorder or what?

Decomplification.

We've cleaned up a lot of projects & honey-dos, but they keep coming as fast as we can finish them.

At least I'm finally beginning to believe that not only do I not need to maintain an inventory the size of Lowes & Home Depot, but that they might actually have better stuff that costs less for them to hold until I need it.

When you finish your house, let me know if you'd like an all-expenses-paid opportunity to practice your craft in our garage... and study... and attic... and the wood-storage rack. And do you sort through two decades of tax returns, too?

 

[Walt34]

When you finish your house, let me know if you'd like an all-expenses-paid opportunity to practice your craft in our garage... and study... and attic... and the wood-storage rack. And do you sort through two decades of tax returns, too?

You live in Hawaii, right? I'll take on the task next February!

 

[Moemg]

I have been doing some cleaning out also . I sold tons of my clothes & china on ebay . I also have a list of remodeling projects that SO & I are working on . The problem is you do one room than another room doesn't look as good and it goes on & on.

 

[HFWR]

Decomplification.

I like that word.

And do you sort through two decades of tax returns, too?

While on practice RE a few months ago, I shredded receipts back to 1986... I've decided to only keep receipts for stuff with a warranty, or at least will have some value down the road. Got rid of a bunch of old Mother Earth News mags I've been carrying around since the 70s. Gave away all but a handful of books. Still have maybe 250 LPs and maybe 300 CDs, though much of that has been ripped to mp3/wma.

My garage is a mess, what with a weight machine, two bicycles, and a nice collection of woodworking tools, but I can still get my pickup in.

 

[haha]

What is that law about work expands to fill the available time? Space is the same. For many of us at least, stuff expands to fill the available space. That isn't necessarily bad, most of us have plenty space, so why not? But if changes dictate a much smaller footprint the adjustment can be hard.

Ha

 

[mn54]

A pile for everything, and everything in it's pile...

You must know my DW. I call it organized chaos.

 

[Ronstar]

I've noticed more of an obsession to organize as well

DW wants more shelves in the basement.
I'm building a rack for my baseball caps
I add more and more shelves, cabinets in my workshop.
I'm consolidating investments
watching TV and internet at same time
honey-do's are getting knocked off at an increasing rate.
I'm organizing my book collection by topic
I'm starting a massive data scanning project to eliminate paper
Getting rid of anything I don't use
and the list goes on and on....