Thank Grog It’s Firday!
Well…as you may or may not remember, a year ago I started a massive remodel of our house, with almost top to bottom remaking of the kitchen, two bathrooms, and flooring throughout the entire first floor main living area (family room, kitchen, bathroom, dining room, living room, stairs).
I have done all of the work myself…and with everything that has gone on during that year, find myself a bit awe-struck that I am not actually done yet (I still have an entire back deck tear apart and rebuild). But, then again, as I have also found out, once you start remodeling, and your wife is the primary “contractor” and you are “the worker,” you are never really done. All of the new, makes any of the old look shabby by comparison. And, even worse, that damn HGTV channel is still on the air, giving “the contractor” more ideas.
But, absolutely the worst part…is the massive land fill that now must be hauled off in a dumpster, along with decisions on what to do with the rest. Clutter…thy name is Patric. I admit it. I hate to throw away anything.
AND, to the point of this post…WE FACE THE SAME DECISIONS IN TSTO. “Keep…store…or sell.”
Not unlike TSTO, owning a home presents very real limitations of size, which at the end of the day are hampered by area and Item Limits. There are days when I wish we had some sort of extraterrestrial governor that placed such limits on our home. But that is not the American way. We are free to gather, collect, and hoard to our heart’s content. It is very much a “First World Problem.”
And so we create entire businesses based on adding storage units, expanding closets, building sheds, and adding on carports (when we have converted our garages to more places to harbor our junk). I am not exempt from this concept. I have built a large shed, that is bigger than the average family living structure in most third world countries. Our “middle storage room” is twice that size, and was born out of the need to store all of the kid’s crap when they went to college. They have all long since graduated…but their crap has seemingly taken semi-permanent root as an homage to an excess of “important” memorabilia.
We Millers are sentimental. We Millers are collectors. It is a vicious, nasty combination that we come by honestly.
It’s pretty much based on the premise that “this could be valuable someday!” My 88-year-old mother has spent years keeping a notebook of all of the “valuables” she is going to pass down…and who is to have them. Of course, the only real problem is, we really don’t want about 99.9% of the stuff. We are trying to get rid of our OWN stuff.
This cartoon really hit home on a few levels. First…while I inherited my Grandfather’s pocket watch when I was 13, my Mom didn’t let me actually take it until I was 55. It sat in a lock-box in the bank. I on the other hand, gave it to my oldest grandson when he was 13, and it is proudly displayed in a case in his bedroom.
But, he has also made it very clear (as have all of my kids and my other grandkids) that there is very little of my myriad collections of “very cool stuff” that they want when I die. I get it. It’s old…and maybe a little weird…just like me.
But, I get it. This kind of obsession is driven by stories like the recent auction of a Mike Trout Rookie Card…HOLYFREAKINSHIRT!
But back to the game…kinda.
As I said, making decisions to unclutter, actually come about when you DO unclutter, and the result is so pleasing. Like the before and after pics of our living room, which while we were doing the remodel, became a storage unit.
Gone is the ancient Berber carpet…the piano moved into a far better location, and collections neatly displayed.
The problem of course, is that what we took out of the room (after the kitchen cabs were installed), was taken down to the “guest room,” which is now the “staging area” for sorting, where everything we have deemed to be “less than,” goes into four basic categories.
FOUR CATEGORIES
1. Save It (We aren’t REALLY ready to get rid of that Beatles poster from 1969)
2. Donate/Give It Away (Kids get first crack…then it goes to St Vinny’s)
3. Sell It (You REALLY have to care enough to deal with packaging, shipping, or having people show up at your house to haggle…even after they have agreed to a price online)
4. To the Dump ( a necessary sin…which is why we are getting a dumpster…and will go to hell when God starts checking our “carbon footprint”).
AS IT PERTAINS TO TSTO
1. Display-Decorate- Is it something I WANT in my town? And is it worthy of a click on the Item Limit tally?
2. Sell (if you can) – (It’s one great way to reduce clutter…and who the hell needs 20 Beast Toilets and 31 Bomb Shelters?)
3. Store It (the GREAT news about TSTO storage for hoarders, is that it is unlimited).
4. NUKE IT (in the case of TSTO It is a VERY Drastic Move.
There are days when I actually envy our next door neighbors…whose house burned down a few years back. Harsh. But true. It made the decision of “what to keep” so much easier.
Shortly after the fire, my wife and I used to play the game, “what would you grab if you had to leave the house really quickly.” Unfortunately, it’s a reality for loads of people in California and Louisiana almost every year. My list became large enough that I realized I needed a car, and a crew to move it…and would likely perish, trying to save it all. FAIL.
Here’s my overly revised list of “essentials” that I would try to pack into the back of the car, on the run…
1. 3 guitars (my ’59 Danelectro electric, with a practice amp, my 1991 Taylor acoustic, and grandfather’s 1922 Gibson L1 acoustic).
2. A pillowcase full of my antique lead soldiers
3. The painting of my Dad and I when I was 2
4. The hard drive with all of the family videos and pictures on it
Of course…in a pinch…it would be the hard drive, my grandpa’s guitar, and the painting. The other guitars and the soldiers are insured…and I’m pretty sure none of my daughters wants them.
SOLUTION FOR THE REST… Digital ownership. Just take pictures that you would save on “the cloud” (the ultimate storage room that requires unending updates, renewals, and passwords, in order to view your stuff).
George Carlin, had the perfect bit on “stuff.” It has never been more true. (be warned, he does use a word for “stuff” once in a while that is a more common vernacular for excrement, which is actually less offensive sounding than the word “excrement”).
In the meantime…we will battle with 60+ years of accumulated “stuff.” Wish us luck. It’s going to be great having all of that free space, so we can have more room to display our stuff.
What would YOU take with you? Remember…you only have a few minutes to survive. What would be “irreplaceable” and worth the risk of losing it all?
To bad the game doesn’t have a trade in program.
(Yeah you can sell some items)
Like how about trade in all those unused toilets for “the Biggest Toilet in the world” ? Or is that trapped on the original servers that “Bob” can’t get to?
😆😂🤣🤣😂. Your article hits so close to home for me! Decluttering is something I’ve been thinking about for quite awhile, and the idea is daunting! Our “staging area” is the unfinished basement that hold many boxes of old #$@&%; some boxes were moved several times, across many states, but after 20-yrs in one place still remain mostly unopened 🤔😆. Sadly many of my TSTO areas are not much better off either. Someday….
It is a weird American phenomenon for sure. We have too much space for our own good!
I didn’t even mention the attic space where we found several generations (including mine)boxes of baby clothes and toys. None of them are reusable…unless you want to grab some DNA and clone me.
What I find most annoying is the Springfield Heights items that we are forced to store as they can not be sold and there has been no expansion of this area. The fact that the daily challenges frequently require making furniture, coffee etc. means having to purchase pointless items with these ‘currencies’ and then store them all just to complete a daily challenge. The creators should stop this part of the game as it is VERY frustrating and between that and little interesting updates makes me consider blowing up the game.
Agreed. I long ago began skipping the SH daily tasks. The are annoying, and always seem to require multiple characters. So…SKIP.
Ok this is so confusing someone please explain to me who Bob is???
I replied to the Wrong comment..
1: How do you only have ONE bonsai?
2: Google Photo – Cloud source it.
3: Google Music – Cloud Source it.
4: Flash Drive – Quickly grab and run photos, music and financial
5: Come next Wednesday, the last of STUFF is gone. Already donated all the stuff, grandparents, parents and ours including my 60 year old comic books – some worn, some in very good condition
If only I had listened to my buddy back in 1968 and NEVER read my first edition Silver Surfer, but placed it in a cover. It would have been worth. $42,000 – I think that was what I saw. Was probably worth several hundred and I’m certain the starving COVID-19 store was thrilled.
I’m thrilled. My house, my garage my storage shed is empty of a EVERYTHING UNNECESSARY. And I can find stuff. IMMEDIATELY.
You…are a freak of nature. Nothing short. I admire you…and hope to be like you someday.
I bought my family home from my father….
Who simply moved to Canby, Oregon and left behind tons of crap that I had to deal with. He’d come through and ask if I still had an item. He’s dead, I can get rid of it.
My wife’s parents moved across country and left 75% of their crap behind for us to dispose of before we could sell that house.
Ain’t no way I’m going to foist that nonsense onto my family.
Besides, I can’t go out anywhere. I can only stare at an item that I haven’t used in years, if ever, but I kept it because one day I might. So get rid of it.
I’m tired of it, no more.
Wow…yes. Sounds like you have more than earned the right to be cranky clutter free!
I’d love to clear out lots of unwanted items in my inventory, but EA in their wisdom have decided I need to keep those unwanted Beast Toilets, Spooky Walls and other assorted crap by making them unsellable. C’mon EA, should’nt I get to decide what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of?
Well…maybe EA knows their real value. Nothing.
If I had been asked this question a few years ago I would have said that I would save my photos, but now copies of these are all retrievable from the cloud.
Given the situation of my house being on fire and only being able to take my most important possessions I would make sure that my husband was safe and nothing else would really matter to me as most other things would be replaceable.
I have never been a person that feels material possessions are important and feel more that the importance in my life is having a husband who loves me as much as I do him. I would give every possession and penny I own if it meant we would both be safe together.
Is there any news on how things are going in Buyijja as I have a small amount of money to spare that is in danger of being spent on booze if I don’t give it away to a better cause!
Watch for a post tomorrow, Jack!
And no way did I mean to imply that my wife was less important to me than my guitars.
However, when we play “the game“ she has her own list of stuff she would grab. We would both make sure we got out OK… At least I’m pretty sure she would care if I got out OK.… Unless I was stupid enough to go back in for my mandolin.
Went through kitchen remodel myself of course had to do liv room cause was open to kitchen 😂… As far as stuff I recently lost my brother who was a veteran. going through 2 homes since he lost his wife of 50 yrs 2 yrs prior they had a lot of stuff. sad seeing there whole life basically thrown in dumpster basically. yes some items was kept. however like one person told us it’s a cycle there are items stored from there grand parents/parents which there kids will hold onto and probably pass onto there kids a lot never open the boxes. it’s a cycle. so true. I have attic of my kids toys and there grown 😬🙄
The remodeling game seemingly has no end. Being a homeowner is just “the next project.“
It is odd to think that when we are gone, our “stuff“ has a little meaning to anyone else. But I have come to the conclusion that collections are for the collector, and give pleasure throughout one’s life. So there’s that…
P.S.
Wow! the both of you are like a machine working overtime …. Patric, it’s all for the best, but hopefully this will be the last of it (there has to be recreational pursuits to look forward to once covid-19 it’s no longer an obstacle) ☺️
Totally agree!
New bucket lists to be made!
Well, enough was done downstairs this year ….. kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, garage …. that we are holding off on the backyard (because this summer has been the hottest on record – at least 10° hotter than it should be – and smoke from the California 🔥’s has descended on Southern Nevada making it unsafe to do anything outside) …. an I will honestly say I’m not looking forward to doing upstairs (I am fine dealing with concrete 1st floor, I hate dealing with 2nd floor wooden subfloor) next year.
Last year, that was when we did the 4 Piles –
Save To Display
Donate (Shady Tree Women’s Shelter)
Throw away (what can’t be sold)
Sell (Etsy eBay Mercari Poshmark)
I will say the last one is not as rewarding as it used to be (in fact? it can make you want to give up when you figure out how little you earn after paying all these fees to list items online for sale, shipping and handling, postage – Craigslist is so unsafe to use!).
That “not so rewarding feeling” is exactly how I feel about what I have Stored in Game App (what a mess of Dumb Content that I wish we could sell it all, or just Delete it all permanently).
I don’t know how I could answer “only take 3 items if we had to evacuate” (Wife, 2 🐈’s , Myself – that’s technically 4 and it’s a given these are top priority), but I’m glad the Condo was fitted with sprinkler tamper valves (of course, there’s no protection against Earthquakes!)
I do know to appreciate what I can, and covid-19 has emphasized on that .,.. as everyday l safely come home is a blessing. Maybe I need to apply that to this Game App (ie be happy one is still getting some Content worthwhile, because eventually that will come to an end).
Stay Safe Everyone … I believe there is a 2nd wave of covid-19 (it obviously happened here when the Casinos reopened) and I will stop here before I can become too political 😉👆🏻
Odd… I feel exactly the opposite as you do about floors. Wood is so easy to work with. My experience downstairs with a concrete floor in the bathrooms was not nearly as easy… a Jackhammer was involved.
Stay safe!
Fire safe which contains passport, cash, important documents, flash drives of photos and links to important sites. Phone (again photos and links to important sites like banks), wallet (ids, credit cards, cash), car/keys if I could get it out of the garage in time. External hard drives to computers for the latest data.
I have been getting rid of hidden bonus items in my games. Testing buying and selling large items (3 day builds) to see how many donuts they will produce before and after bonus items are put away. Found that the screens move a lot faster without all the hidden bonus items.
Nice! Spoken like a prepper!
Photos photos photos. My stuffed animal cat that I’ve slept with for almost 40yrs. Pets….and past pets’ ashes. My phone.
Id probably start chucking stuff out a window and hope for the best.
Or go down with the cluttered ship. Lol
It is funny how many scenarios started with throwing stuff out the window…but then what? Spend the next hour picking it up and hoping you don’t singe while the house burns?
Trust me. When my neighbors house burned it was kids, dog, cat. That was it.
Do track pieces for the monorail contribute to the item limit, and what is the actual item limit? I know I’m far from hitting it only being level 103, but I’d like to know…. for…. future hoarding purposes 😬😆
Yes they do. But only the ones placed.
I believe the hard limit is 13,000
One thing that helped us was that when the kids had their own place to live, they were presented with all of their stuff! Then that burden was lifted from us and put onto them to sort through. What a difference it made in our house. They had the pleasure of sorting their stuff and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. One thing solved!! 😅
That works when the kids live close. Ours are scattered across country. We’ve done some delivery runs- but shipping is out of the question. Gonna be some hard decisions for the kids. Add to that the “maybe we’ll save it for the grandkids” and the whole cycle starts again.
Hahaha that was so funny, am decorating my living room in a house my wife and I have lived in for 24 years and the amount of stuff I had to move just to wallpaper a wall, to much stuff I couldn’t find anything I know I have more than one off, real time, as for tsto to much stuff and glad it’s virtual, as for your question I would need my car keys, wallet bank cards and like yourself a hard drive with loads of photo’s on.
Great post cheered me up big time 😁😂😉
Happy to do so!