How long would it take to clear all your crap

[CMYKhazi-Dan]

My neighbour spent about 10k on a home office last year from Booth garden studios & it got used for about 4 months before just been a place to store all her crap since then she bought log cabin that's at the end of it to store even more stuff.

I have one of those studios in my garden. Over time it got filled with all sorts of shit. Last summer I made a promise to clear it out and it now only has arcade stuff in, although it may have sunk a bit on one side due to the weight!!! I've not been buying cabs for very long (I only ever thought I wanted one! Now have six 😆)but this year, when it eventually stops raining, I'll be looking to get down to four or three cabs and also see if any of my spare / untested / broken monitors are saveable. After that it's time to sort the house out, spend more time growing my small business properly and enjoy the games I have working. Then reassess the buying and space situation 😅

 

[Body pop]

I have a garage full to the rafters with computer stuff from when i used to do it. I need to list it all but have so much stuff its overwhelming. I have stuck a few bits on ebay but i have literally 1000's of stuff.

Just as a gauge i think i have around 50 brand new laptop chargers, maybe more.

Then there is all my arcade stuff , 300 or so pcb's and not enough room for them. I also need to clear the garage for a few cabs i want.

I need to get my fat lazy ass into gear to be fair. But then again i have so many jobs around the house as well its hard to find time to do everything.

I suppose my new year resolution is to try and do it !!

Dave.

Overwhelmingly is the word

 

[Vamino]

I had a big purge when I moved into the house I'm in now, I pretty much gave things away as I just wanted rid of the stuff. Back then it took less than a month to aggressively shift a load of stuff.

Now I'm faced with having more tat, this time arcade tat. It occupies a lot more space than some boxes full of game systems carts/discs/peripherals. There is a plan, so I'm putting up with the suffocation, but it does piss me off at times and I feel like having another major purge.

Having a proper purge is very liberating. In 2024 I'm pretty sure I'll be moving some spares on. Some of the stuff is pretty bulky so I'm not sure how to tackle selling and posting that stuff just yet. Just got back from Ikea with some new Kallax storage shelves, some are for under the staircase which will help contain some clutter.

2024 will be the year of de-cluttering.....hopefully!

 

[antray84]

Realised about 6 months ago, that most of the physical stuff including cabs just sits unused. I love the idea of physical media and having actual cabs always felt like a dream. But I am lying to myself if I think I am going to dig out my Megadrive and Sonic cartridge when I can play it with save states in bed on my Switch. Arcade side has gone south as it is now almost impossible to sell stuff, and people are still at the same time are asking COVID prices for cabs. The whole market seems to have come to a standstill. The hope is over the summer of 2024 I can restore the cabs I have remaining and sell them off for somewhere near their worth, bar maybe one.

The main reason as others have mentioned is storage. Buying a house and having to think about having a whole room for arcades has become a bit silly. Found myself discounting houses as the garden isn't big enough for a games room that will cost me 15k to build only to store stuff that I never use. My other hobby is Lego, and although that can cost a lot and get out of hand. It is far easier to have a table with some sets on that can be taken apart, than a whole room that has to store several cabs at a good temperature and have all electric etc.

 

[kingtreelo]

im in the opposite direction of some of you, i have only really been properly collecting for about 5years, i have a fair bit of console and home computer stuff, things i didnt really get to play that much growing up and as a grown up with disposable income, have decided to grab stuff i(and my mum) could never afford growing up.

i have a fairly decent collection and its worth a fair bit now, but even if i sold it, i wouldnt know what to do with the cash TBH, i could buy a fancy car i guess, but i work 10 minutes walk away from my home, fancy holidays are nice but ive never been too impressed and we still get to go anywhere we want

 

[patloz]

I have two issues with having stuff all over the place , first if I can never find what I need even though I know I have exactly what I need I have in stock so I end up buying more ( but then normally finding the ones I wanted as soon as I have ordered replacements ) as was the case with some bridge rectifiers recently, think I could have held my breath between ordering some and the brain fog clearing reminding me where I had actually hidden them.

Secondly my family don't give two hoots about the the stuff I have collected over the years and I know they will just give it all away given the chance.
I am seriously considering selling off the more "niche" stuff now before it ends up in a black bag outside our local charity shop who I'm sure would love a NOS Speak and Spell and a Big Trak trailer.

 

[kingtreelo]

Realised about 6 months ago, that most of the physical stuff including cabs just sits unused. I love the idea of physical media and having actual cabs always felt like a dream. But I am lying to myself if I think I am going to dig out my Megadrive and Sonic cartridge when I can play it with save states in bed on my Switch. Arcade side has gone south as it is now almost impossible to sell stuff, and people are still at the same time are asking COVID prices for cabs. The whole market seems to have come to a standstill. The hope is over the summer of 2024 I can restore the cabs I have remaining and sell them off for somewhere near their worth, bar maybe one.

The main reason as others have mentioned is storage. Buying a house and having to think about having a whole room for arcades has become a bit silly. Found myself discounting houses as the garden isn't big enough for a games room that will cost me 15k to build only to store stuff that I never use. My other hobby is Lego, and although that can cost a lot and get out of hand. It is far easier to have a table with some sets on that can be taken apart, than a whole room that has to store several cabs at a good temperature and have all electric etc.

LEGO..i have spent a LOT on LEGO in the past few years, its also a great soother i find when building

 

[Vamino]

This is how aggressive I was.

Just after I moved in (I think) I traded the below lot either in 2012 or 2016 for a Supergun and a Neo Geo joystick. (Memory is hazy regarding the exact date, but it was when I was on the forum and collecting arcade tat so maybe it was the later date in 2016?)

Anyhoo, I ended up giving the supergun back to the guy I offloaded the tat to, and then sold the Joystick for something like 30 quid delivered on the forum

Originally I accumulated the lot from when I did car booting and you could pick up bags and bags of stuff for a few quid, I'd already offloaded all the best stuff years before but this load of tat just lingered for years. I just wanted it gone in the end and I was really relieved when I dropped it off and got the space back.

I also sold my prized collection of X68K stuff for way less than it cost me before I moved in, so probably around 2010/2011. Everything was imported from Japan at great expense. That collection took up loads of space and the money went towards furniture for the house.

Having too much stuff really can make someone sick. The feeling of not knowing where to start sorting it all out just made me put off doing anything! There are times I feel like that with the arcade tat, but somewhere in the future hopefully there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Behold my tat!

 

[L_____E_____T]

Not long at all if my wife had her way - it'd all be skipped and written off!

And Vamino - I am at that stage now. Things really need to be sold if not enjoyed, otherwise it becomes a burden to someone else on your behalf.

I've enjoyed buying items from members on here. I was hoping to get an Astro City recently, but hand on heart I think the sight of that being delivered would really cause upset. It's not ideal, but a Mister setup, two sticks and a PVM is dare I say it almost as good, and very easy to take with you if you're moving house.

 

[Body pop]

it’s those American pickers episodes of possibly a smaller scale .
When theres an old man with about 10 barns full of his collection
When he says I think it’s about time to let stuff go. And them guys buy two signs and a rusted push bike
You think ,how’s this guy getting rid of the rest of this madness

 

[John Bennett]

I need to sell off the consoles at some point, as I have no desire to go back to them (or sell the games and run CDRs on the hardware occasionally etc). I genuinely think I'd rather have the cash for spending on renovating the house and savings.

I've not really ever thought hard about selling the PCBs off - most are my favourites and I have every intention of playing them more, just life gets in the way.
I should formulate a plan for selling them, should I ever take ill or something bad happen to me, so the family can get a bit back from it.

 

[L_____E_____T]

Honestly that is eerily similar to me - I built a huge Famicom collection in storage but ended with a whole load of other consoles as well. That I don't think I have room for. I enjoy them, and I'd rather keep them, but I will enjoy the space and time enjoying that space more.

I only have a few PCB arcade bits but those take up a decent amount of space, CPS2 carts are huge, and it's getting hardy to justofy holding on to.

One of my friends that purged his stuff ages ago summed it up for me when he said 'when we're gone, honestly mate, nobody will care about all our shit'. That resonated. I wouldn't say these things don't bring joy Marie Kondo style - they do, they just bring anxiety as well when you look at the space and funds needed...

 

[Body pop]

I need to sell off the consoles at some point, as I have no desire to go back to them (or sell the games and run CDRs on the hardware occasionally etc). I genuinely think I'd rather have the cash for spending on renovating the house and savings.

I've not really ever thought hard about selling the PCBs off - most are my favourites and I have every intention of playing them more, just life gets in the way.
I should formulate a plan for selling them, should I ever take ill or something bad happen to me, so the family can get a bit back from it.

Maybe put price tags on all your pcbs 😀

 

[Body pop]

Honestly that is eerily similar to me - I built a huge Famicom collection in storage but ended with a whole load of other consoles as well. That I don't think I have room for. I enjoy them, and I'd rather keep them, but I will enjoy the space and time enjoying that space more.

I only have a few PCB arcade bits but those take up a decent amount of space, CPS2 carts are huge, and it's getting hardy to justofy holding on to.

One of my friends that purged his stuff ages ago summed it up for me when he said 'when we're gone, honestly mate, nobody will care about all our shit'. That resonated. I wouldn't say these things don't bring joy Marie Kondo style - they do, they just bring anxiety as well when you look at the space and funds needed...

So true ,no one will care about our shit lol
Even us

 

[Phils Arcade]

I have a storage unit full of mostly inherited crap. Absolutely no idea what to do with it all at the moment. Costing me £140 a month while I decide. 1 year and counting, so far!

That's a good price. Mine was over £380 a month for a unit. Just cleared it out last month after 18 months.

 

[Body pop]

That's a good price. Mine was over £380 a month for a unit. Just cleared it out last month after 18 months.

That’s a mortgage ! I’m sure you’re glad it’s cleared .
Must of been pretty big ?

 

[Mr20to5]

What’s everyone else’s plans ,if they have any to eventually clear your hoard of stuff?
Not just arcade stuff .all your crap lol
Or do you keep it all forever ?

So, this is a really great question, as probably everyone can relate in some way, and a new year is always a good time to take stock and (re)assess your situation..
Personally, I have a very limited space, converted section of a garage, which is currently filled with 7 cabs, leaving just enough space to play cab tetris when I need to get into the back of one.
With the cost of living still biting my ass, I don't really want to go down the rabbit hole of storage, but I hate the idea of not being able to get my hands on another cab, or five....

So what to do?
* Answer - I don't know. [Edit - except I do, really, I just don't want to say the 'sell' word out loud]

But in other areas, I recently completely cleared out the loft, which was joist-saggingly full of everything MrsM and myself had ever owned. It was actually really cathartic, with literally car load after car load taken to rubbish tip, recycling centre or to charity. Never bothered EBaying any of it, because it would have simply never been sorted. The attic is now pleasingly clear of clutter, with what genuinely precious items remaining, now properly categorised, neatly stored and most of all easily accessed.

This then led to a 'whole house' de-clutter, following some tips and tricks from Marie Kondo, and it is really satisfying. Yes, inevitably I've had to then re-buy some things I gave to charity (usually about a day after giving them away), but on the whole, this has freed up loads of space (unfortunately not cab sized spaces), but most importantly allowed me to actually (and easily) find the things I need, when I need them.

But, back to the games room, maybe it is time to se...., you know, that word... some cabs. I know a couple of games I would love to try and hunt out, so, who knows...

 

[Body pop]

So, this is a really great question, as probably everyone can relate in some way, and a new year is always a good time to take stock and (re)assess your situation..
Personally, I have a very limited space, converted section of a garage, which is currently filled with 7 cabs, leaving just enough space to play cab tetris when I need to get into the back of one.
With the cost of living still biting my ass, I don't really want to go down the rabbit hole of storage, but I hate the idea of not being able to get my hands on another cab, or five....

So what to do?
* Answer - I don't know. [Edit - except I do, really, I just don't want to say the 'sell' word out loud]

But in other areas, I recently completely cleared out the loft, which was joist-saggingly full of everything MrsM and myself had ever owned. It was actually really cathartic, with literally car load after car load taken to rubbish tip, recycling centre or to charity. Never bothered EBaying any of it, because it would have simply never been sorted. The attic is now pleasingly clear of clutter, with what genuinely precious items remaining, now properly categorised, neatly stored and most of all easily accessed.

This then led to a 'whole house' de-clutter, following some tips and tricks from Marie Kondo, and it is really satisfying. Yes, inevitably I've had to then re-buy some things I gave to charity (usually about a day after giving them away), but on the whole, this has freed up loads of space (unfortunately not cab sized spaces), but most importantly allowed me to actually (and easily) find the things I need, when I need them.

But, back to the games room, maybe it is time to se...., you know, that word... some cabs. I know a couple of games I would love to try and hunt out, so, who knows...

Wow you wiped the lot !
That takes a lot of doing .fair play !
On a plus note .the space back must be incredible.
It’s not a great time to sell cabs ….
Well depending on what you have .🤣
What you got then 😬

 

[John Bennett]

Maybe put price tags on all your pcbs 😀

I probably do need some indexing thing, if even just to remind myself what I've got (more for the broken stuff than the faves).

I've had a portion of a large garage unit for about 15 years now, at £110 a month, and all I've used it for in the last 10 years is to store a knackered MK1 MX5 . I've been tempted to put a little arcade stuff in there, but always thought better of it - slippery slope ...

 

[Phils Arcade]

That’s a mortgage ! I’m sure you’re glad it’s cleared .
Must of been pretty big ?

Not really, think it was about 18' x 12'. Problem was it was down by the docks in town. Idea being when cabs come in, they can go straight to storage without travelling around Ireland at additional cost. Ended up the shipping across the water was the most expensive part.