How much is too much?

[GeekDragon]

When is it time to say "Holy crap, I have waaay too much stuff. It's time to stop."

 

For me, I don't think that will ever happen, but I have reevaluated my collection(I also collect comics, GIJoe, classic horror/sci-fi, as well as video games), and sold stuff off to thin the collection and make room.

[Killjoyy27]

When I am serious considering a 800 lego set ...

 

 

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[Good_Times]

I'd had enough by my early 30s. Former/rehabilitated hoarder. Thankfully, I wised up BEFORE the market sailed into ridiculous 'dummy prices'; insane shit like $100+ for a friggin NES cart, lol.....

 

[G-type]

when you don't have space for it.

[+save2600]

Some warning signs:

 

1) your collection is so large, you spend more time trying to pick something to play than actually playing

 

2) "need" one particular game that happens to be in a bulk deal, but pass anyway because you know all of your games are in better shape and don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to unload the duplicates

 

3) when you're forced to start stacking things on top of each other, ignoring or not caring about the cosmetic ramifications of doing so

 

4) you find yourself renting storage space and/or keeping things at other peoples homes

 

5) when real life priorities take a back seat to your gaming habits

[GeekDragon]

Some warning signs:

 

1) your collection is so large, you spend more time trying to pick something to play than actually playing

 

2) "need" one particular game that happens to be in a bulk deal, but pass anyway because you know all of your games are in better shape and don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to unload the duplicates

 

3) when you're forced to start stacking things on top of each other, ignoring or not caring about the cosmetic ramifications of doing so

 

4) you find yourself renting storage space and/or keeping things at other peoples homes

 

5) when real life priorities take a back seat to your gaming habits

 

I have done #1 quite a few times.

[Keatah]

Some warning signs:

 

6) When you see something in a store or online and you're not sure if you have it. So you buy it. And 6 months later discover you now have 2 of them.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Keatah

[+Nathan Strum]

When it becomes more of a chore, and less of an enjoyable pastime.

[Video]

When you no longer get enjoyment out of it. I do have way to much crap, but its cheaper than doing drugs all day, and safer than shooting the local cops LOL. buy the right games and you can do all the drugs and kill all the cops you want!

 

People sell their dupes? What if I need one? I'm not selling one of my 200 or so copies of combat, you guys are nuts.

[Swami]

Some warning signs:

 

1) your collection is so large, you spend more time trying to pick something to play than actually playing

 

2) "need" one particular game that happens to be in a bulk deal, but pass anyway because you know all of your games are in better shape and don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to unload the duplicates

 

3) when you're forced to start stacking things on top of each other, ignoring or not caring about the cosmetic ramifications of doing so

 

4) you find yourself renting storage space and/or keeping things at other peoples homes

 

5) when real life priorities take a back seat to your gaming habits

#3 is becoming an issue. Do you hoard those medium size mailer boxes with the fold in tab lids because they are so good for storing small items and stacking?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BT54XJO/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

 

7) You start putting storage units like 4 rack shelf units and 4 drawer units at right angles to your two crts because the units against the wall are full.

[Flojomojo]

When buying is more fun than having, and having is more fun than playing.

 

I mostly think and talk about this stuff, play a little bit, and hardly collect at all nowadays.

[+cvga]

 

6) When you see something in a store or online and you're not sure if you have it. So you buy it. And 6 months later discover you now have 2 of them.

 

Sadly, I've done this. Multiple times.

 

7) You start putting storage units like 4 rack shelf units and 4 drawer units at right angles to your two crts because the units against the wall are full.

 

I've done this also.

[adamchevy]

You want to downsize to a smaller house, but the thought of moving your collection is to daunting. Also, thinking about lugging your giant crt tv up out of the basement makes your back twinge.

Edited September 1, 2017 by adamchevy

[RamrodHare]

I've grappled with this for a long time. My Addiction (besides Atari), is Transformers. I grew up watching the cartoons and playing with the toys in the 80s. Collecting the vintage toys took me back to a better time in my life, like Atari does. Just like any addiction though, it quickly gets out of hand. With Atari, I have managed to get more joysticks than I'll ever need, yet I don't want to sell them. My Transformers addiction grew past just collecting vintage toys. I've still got enough self control to not go crazy and buy every Transformer figure I see. I manage to keep it confined to certain characters or certain toy lines. For example, I don't buy any of the toys related to the live action movies and I try to only buy characters who I have a connection to, from the old cartoons. I've managed to keep my focus on only buying Transformer toys from the "Titans Return" line this year. When it comes to Atari stuff, I don't have quite the same amount of control. If I have money I can spend, I grab anything 2600 or 7800 related, even if I don't want or need it.

 

Most of my hoarding (or collecting) is kept in check by my "ability" to fixate on something new and completely lose interest in everything that came before. By doing that, I am able to sell off entire collections of things, without regret. I almost always make a profit when I do it, but even in the worst cases, I at least break even. Out of all the things I've ever collected, Transformers and video games are the two that seem to always keep me interested. I guess they played a bigger role in my childhood than other things did.

 

I'll tell you what helps me justify hoarding. There have been many cases where I would have something that seemed worthless and I'd decide to throw it away or sell it really cheap, only to discover that I NEEDED the item shortly thereafter or that it became valuable right after I got rid of it. I'm always repairing things or building something, so any little piece of plastic, metal, wood, leather, or anything could be repurposed into something useful or of value.

 

As to the actual topic of this thread, I'm not sure there's a stopping point for me. I've put myself into some bad situations when it comes to having enough money for food, bills, medications, etc. Like any addict, it's sometimes too hard to stop without help.

 

If there's one thing I'm extremely thankful for, it's that I've never been addicted to anything "bad". It's always been toys or collectables of some kind. Drugs, alcohol, smoking, and stuff like that, never interested me. I saw the effects of drinking, drugs and smoking while I was growing up. I lost a lot of my family to cancer, so smoking was just as bad to me as drugs or drinking. I saw friends die from drinking and driving and drug overdoses.

[Keatah]

The hardest thing about downsizing, even if you genuinely really really want to, is deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. Even using the criteria of "what I had when I was a kid" is difficult because there is "feature creep". That means things you acquired after the golden age wiggle their way in and bloat things up again.

 

In the case of common cartridges and some classic consoles it's a no-brainer. Stuff can likely be repurchased without much trouble if you made a mistake. But for more uncommon things like certain Apple II items or anything "rare", it becomes more problematic. Repurchasing in case of error is usually not an option. Not anytime soon.

[toiletunes]

If you're keeping it because you might get around to doing something with it some day, let it go.

[Keatah]

Problem is I sometimes I actually *do* get around to doing some of the things. There's no telling what project is next. Hence the pileup!

[Good_Times]

Wanna know a good cure-all for the compulsive hoarding of pop culture junk? Reality. Cold, unavoidable reality.

 

I can't even FATHOM going without my creature comforts/basic needs for the sake of some cartridges or vinyl monsters from Japan. Insanity. "If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it" springs to mind. Wanna splurge on plastic crap? Make sure you've got the BREAD to do so before putting yourself - and potentially those you care for - in the lurch. There comes a time when we all must grow up and behave responsibly.

I've heard the endless stories of grown 'adults' that have literally and knowingly put themselves in the poor house because they just HAD to have that latest console, classic car, toy collection, etc. These personal stories of (willful) woe don't sadden me, I find them utterly pathetic.

 

I wonder what my WWII-era father would have to say about this - the guy that played with an inflated pig bladder (couldn't afford a ball) as a kid and later built our house by hand with his father? Actually, never mind; I already know.

[GeekDragon]

I always say, there's worse things I can spend my money on. Only problem with me is, I sold a bunch of stuff a few years ago, but I have replaced it all with other stuff. But, luckily, I have refocused and now just concentrate on video games, GIJoe, vintage Star Wars, comics and classic horror/sci-fi. In the 90's, I worked at Toys R Us, I was the storeroom supervisor, so I had access to EVERYTHING that came in. And everything came home and sat in a closet for 15 years. Then I looked at it all and said "All this sat in here for this long and I haven't looked at it since I bought it, I think I can let some of it go." That's when I refocused. Then last year, the video game collecting bug hit me, so I added that. Basically, now, everything I grew up with loving, i collect. If I see something really cool and the price is right, i'll buy it, but the days of buying everything and anything are over.

[Keatah]

I haven't really changed my collecting habits in a long time. I'm in the documentation and archive accumulation mode for Apple II - if you will. I may only spend $100 - $200 a year on odds and ends like parts and fittings, disks and supplies, and printed documentation.

 

Otherwise my collection remains at:

1- Apple II

2- Ti-59 calculator, TRS-80 Pocket Computer 1, 2, and 4

3- Classic 486 DX/2-50 & Pentium III @ 1.5GHz (legacy hardware)

4- Modern-day PC and emulation

[Good_Times]

I always say, there's worse things I can spend my money on. Only problem with me is, I sold a bunch of stuff a few years ago, but I have replaced it all with other stuff. But, luckily, I have refocused and now just concentrate on video games, GIJoe, vintage Star Wars, comics and classic horror/sci-fi. In the 90's, I worked at Toys R Us, I was the storeroom supervisor, so I had access to EVERYTHING that came in. And everything came home and sat in a closet for 15 years. Then I looked at it all and said "All this sat in here for this long and I haven't looked at it since I bought it, I think I can let some of it go." That's when I refocused. Then last year, the video game collecting bug hit me, so I added that. Basically, now, everything I grew up with loving, i collect. If I see something really cool and the price is right, i'll buy it, but the days of buying everything and anything are over.

 

Speaking of, a neat find a few days ago.....was going through some random junk I'd not touched in years, and found this tiny tote filled with (what I assumed to be) small paperbacks.....

 

 

...But look at what was beneath them - old friends I'd not seen in ages! I see my original Wampa, Yoda, Greedo, DIANOGA, and more! Even some funky knockoffs, including a strange horse-headed guy!

Wonder what would have prompted me to pack unrelated books on top of them in the first place? Early senility setting in?

 

 

You know what Ackbar said when I questioned why there were books placed on top of them, right?

 

 

[leech]

At least my Steam Collection only takes space on my hard drive

 

But yes I've done the stacking of Atari stuff, and really need to move so I can have a proper 'Retro-room' set up.

[Keatah]

When buying is more fun than having, and having is more fun than playing.

 

I mostly think and talk about this stuff, play a little bit, and hardly collect at all nowadays.

 

That comes about because we've outgrown the games themselves. There's only so many times one can work through a Basic Math session. And collecting and accumulating can be tedious and costly in terms of petty cash and space consumed - to what end?

 

So the politics of videogames is what's left. A last spasmodic jerk to hold on to the good times. When that goes away, then the course is complete. Nothing comes after.

[Flojomojo]

Hurricane Harvey wrecking Houston has given me focus and perspective.

 

GoodTimess ass-up Walrus Man figure in his stupid little orange vest made me smile.

[onemoretime]

When you ve got ten bucks left, and buy a spend it on a fleamarket game instead of eating that day.