I'm feeling overwhelmed by things

[historicfirearms]

Maybe it's my midlife crisis. Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by all the things I own. Motorcycle, cars, truck, boat, camper, more guns than I could possibly ever master, reloading gear, hunting gear, not to mention the house...

They all want some of my time. It's gotten to the point that I can't relax and enjoy them because I'm always thinking about what else needs attention. I think it's time to simplify.

The old Hank Williams Jr. song keeps going through my mind, "a shotgun, a rifle, and a four wheel drive". I have always been a sort of minimalist anyway. I'm thinking about selling most things that I own. Clarity, realness, and freedom are what I desire. This country boy will survive.

Who here has gone through this stage in their lives? How did things turn out?

[Traffer]

Funny you mention that. I have had a similar problem. I just reached retirement age. All my life I never "felt busy" or overwhelmed by stuff I had to do. Until now. Wait a minute. Now that I can officially retire I am so busy I can't turn around. Got so many things to do I don't know where to start. Feeling overwhelmed and starting to resent having to do THINGS I LIKE TO DO because they keep me from doing other things I would like to do. Ugh.
For me I am sure it is a spiritual problem. I know that when I am dedicated to doing things for God or others and indirectly God, I never feel overwhelmed. It is the damned selfishness in me that can't wait to "do the fun stuff". I know better yet still fall into this. I know that eventually I will overcome. Hoping you will too. I used to tell people about "stuff"..."it is all going to get burned up in the big fire anyway". "What big fire" they would reply. "The big fire when God burns everything up, that's what big fire" ..."Set your minds on things above not on earthly things"..."where your treasure is, there your heart is also". God gives me peace. "Stuff gives me strife" And "strife is exactly the right term for this".

[Traffer]

Funny you mention that. I have had a similar problem. I just reached retirement age. All my life I never "felt busy" or overwhelmed by stuff I had to do. Until now. Wait a minute. Now that I can officially retire I am so busy I can't turn around. Got so many things to do I don't know where to start. Feeling overwhelmed and starting to resent having to do THINGS I LIKE TO DO because they keep me from doing other things I would like to do. Ugh.
For me I am sure it is a spiritual problem. I know that when I am dedicated to doing things for God or others and indirectly God, I never feel overwhelmed. It is the damned selfishness in me that can't wait to "do the fun stuff". I know better yet still fall into this. I know that eventually I will overcome. Hoping you will too. I used to tell people about "stuff"..."it is all going to get burned up in the big fire anyway". "What big fire" they would reply. "The big fire when God burns everything up, that's what big fire" ..."Set your minds on things above not on earthly things"..."where your treasure is, there your heart is also". God gives me peace. "Stuff gives me strife" And "strife is exactly the right term for this".
On a side note "Lothlorien" is the name I gave to a place where I used to go to pray. I will never forget that place. A park in Waltham MA.

[rancher1913]

try running a ranch and working full time, every time I turn around there is a flat tire or a dead battery, and the fences always need mending.

[dtknowles]

I am in a bit of a funk and my shop is a mess, I have half cleaned out the garage. A while back I stopped collecting range brass. Don't know where I want to focus with my loading and shooting.

In the past, I would have just bought a new toy and made that the new focus. I don't want new toys anymore. I just don't know what I want instead. It will sort its self out.

Tim

[jaysouth]

When I was a teenager, I was in the Army in Germany. A member of my platoon was about to retire. He was a pitiable fellow, about 50, who had just got his 20 years in after a couple of breaks in service. He was a Spec-5. A low rank given his length of service, but understandable because of his acute alcoholism.

When he got ready to go back to the states for separation, his entire world possessions were contained in 2 duffel bags.

At the time, I felt sorry for him because every earthly possession he had was in two bags.

Not anymore.

[runfiverun]

I thought about minimizing things and simplifying too.

so I went and bought another gun to work at.
then I put it away and got the shot gun out [18 years since it had seen daylight other than to open the case and make sure the foam hadn't disintegrated]
then I went fishing.
then I picked the shot gun up again.
i'll be back on rifles next month for a while..
I just got to the point of,,,,,, since I got it I might as well try to wear it out.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

A couple years ago, I decided my gun collection had outgrown me, and seemed more of a liability then an asset. So in April 2015, I sold about 75% of the collection at a auction. It was one of the best decisions I've made. I tried my best to eliminate calibers, so I could sell some Dies/Brass/J-words too...but that proved to be more difficult than said.

[dverna]

Just turned 66 today. I have started selling off stuff I no longer need. KISS

I wish I had grandkids to take shooting.

I will never use up all the ammo and components acquired over the years. At least a dozen guns to get rid of.

[waksupi]

I've been getting rid of things the past couple years. Probably sold at least twenty guns, dozens of knives, nearly all of my Indian artifact collection. The cabin is still cluttered. I want to get to the point where some winter when it goes to minus 45 for a couple weeks, I can say to hell with it, throw everything in the back of the pickup, and look for warmer pastures.

[snowwolfe]

Made a serious effort to consolidate my gun collection, mainly rifles, last year. This year have 6 more than what I started with. I give up.

[fatelk]

You all are saying what I've been feeling. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

[Lead Fred]

try running a ranch and working full time, every time I turn around there is a flat tire or a dead battery, and the fences always need mending.

I want to work for you. Im betting there isnt a libtard for miles

[Taylor]

When I was a teenager, I was in the Army in Germany. A member of my platoon was about to retire. He was a pitiable fellow, about 50, who had just got his 20 years in after a couple of breaks in service. He was a Spec-5. A low rank given his length of service, but understandable because of his acute alcoholism.

When he got ready to go back to the states for separation, his entire world possessions were contained in 2 duffel bags.

At the time, I felt sorry for him because every earthly possession he had was in two bags.

Not anymore.

I remember a 1971 Chevy PU,a Harley,a duffle bag.Everything fit in the bag and truck,that was all I owned.PCS from one post to another,it didn't take long to pack.And 2 45's and a 357 always went too.

No...it ain't all bad.

[Wayne Smith]

Traffer said it well. It's not what I have or don't have, it's where my focus is and where my desire is. I'm convinced God has given me 'the desires of my heart' simply to prove to me that they are not - He is. The more He is my focus the calmer I am and the more I get accomplished. The more things or me are my focus the more I go around in circles and get nothing done.

[Nazgul]

I got to retire 5 weeks ago......finally. Employed without break for 51 years. Raised 3 great daughters and a son.

I have fired exactly 27 rounds since leaving work. Do all the house and yard work. Keep up with 25 acres of timber and 3 grandkids.

Still figuring out the schedule.

Don

[Preacher Jim]

The closer I get to heaven the more I realize all i need is Jesus. This stuff is just a diversion from where I need to focus.

[smokeywolf]

Try being retired, 6? yo, busy trying to undo 30 years of neglect on the house so I can sell it and move, while still raising 2 teenagers AND trying to have a little fun here and there.

Saw a review of the new Harley Davidsons recently. Been wanting another motorcycle for decades.

[Bookworm]

I realize now what my Mother was saying years ago. She told me that the difficult part was keeping things OUT of the house.
She was/still is absolutely brutal in the culling of "stuff" that stays in her house. As a result, her house is neat and organized, not a pile of "carp", as is the case in so many places I see.
I was working in an upscale neighborhood - gated, $600k+ homes to start - all the houses have at least 4-car garages. Many places have the $60K cars sitting out in the driveway, and the garages are stuffed with, well, junk !

In my place (Mrs Bookworms' place really - she just lets me stay here...), the house is fairly clutter-free.

The outbuildings, on the other hand.....

[sundog]

Retired for a second time in April. First summer I've had off since I was 13 - well over 50 years ago. Pickin' up where I left off and havin' a ball. Of course, have big people responsibilities now, but the play time is great. Every day is Saturday. Except Sunday.

[Handloader109]

I'll be 58 tomorrow. Lost my job back in June. Really wanted to work at least 5 more years to get my house paid for. We were and I guess still are in a decent place financially, but this change came at a good time in our lives. Way too much stress at work, and the Good Lord eliminated that from my life. Now we go forward and work more for Him. I believe that we all put "things" ahead of what is really important. It has been so Great to spend time with my family. Go forward each day, reduce the noise as much as possible and live life.

[castalott]

It all depends....Do you own the stuff ... or does the stuff own you? I,too , feel a need to downsize.... I have over 10 great reloading presses and am looking at a Redding t7...????? Makes no sense....


(This is not advice--- I have got rid of stuff I really wanted back...)

Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify. Henry David Thoreau

[375supermag]

Hi...

I have exactly the opposite problem, or at least a variation of your problem.


I am currently on short term disability (illness) and hope to retire when I turn 62 this November, or sometime next year.

At any rate....I spend most days planning how to best use all of the stuff I have accumulated after working for 44-45 years. I have spent a fair amount of time and effort completely remodeling my den so I have a proper place to study military history and paleontology. I have an enormous amount of books in my library and continue to expand that number.

I also have over 50 firearms...rifles, shotguns and handguns. I fully intend to spend at least 2-3 days a week at my gun club when I retire. I am searching for a few more firearms I want to acquire before I retire. No worries about what happens to them when I die...my son is a very active shooter and hunter and already looks on my guns as his.


No plans to cut back on my interests or sell any of my possessions. FWIW, my wife never questions me when I buy a new gun or have some new books delivered to the estate. She rarely uses the den and never goes in my hobby room where I reload ammunition or work on guns.

[gray wolf]

I guess my problem is a little different.
I'm 74 years old, I have a wife and two dogs, a few left over guns,
A truck that can't past inspection, half my food comes from the food pantry, most of my cloths from the church,
Two sets of boots, Winter wood I need help to split and some friends just came and mowed the lawn that Julie and I couldn't mow, My house is 16 feet wide and 26 feet long, My brother called me a week ago and told me he had Cancer.

My problem is not what to get rid of, but more like, how do I keep the few things I have.

Sam

[Freightman]

I have retired four times went back to work part time in August, I shoot less and less but I sold most of my guns years ago. Retirement sucks IMHO. Turned 77 in June not ready to rust out yet.

[jonp]

Done it a couple of times. Twice I've sold the house and everything in it except my tools and guns. I mean everything in it including the dishes and the food in the fridge. It's quite liberating to move into a one room hunting camp and realize you don't need all of that junk you had. I was a bunch happier, too. No more worrying about a mortgage, electricity, cable, repairing the house, mowing the lawn..

I'm starting to get a little edgy now with the current house and after I finish remodeling I'm putting it up for sale and doing the same thing again although this time we have a dog.

[lightman]

Well, I'm 59, and retired last October. We've cleaned out the attic, which involved throwing out lots of stuff. We had 3 large contractor trash bags of tax and medical records to shred. We cleaned out the garage. Same thing, more stuff for the dumpster. I sold my work truck and most of my electrical inventory that was in my shop. After hunting season we started on the closets. Me and 2 buddies rented a table (2 tables) at a local gun show where I sold a ton of belt buckles and knives. I thought I wanted to collect both at one time. I sold a bunch of brass that I did not have guns for or that I felt was surplus. We cleaned off the back porch this year, so far. How do we end up with so much stuff?

[Oyeboten]

Maybe it's my midlife crisis. Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by all the things I own. Motorcycle, cars, truck, boat, camper, more guns than I could possibly ever master, reloading gear, hunting gear, not to mention the house...

They all want some of my time. It's gotten to the point that I can't relax and enjoy them because I'm always thinking about what else needs attention. I think it's time to simplify.

The old Hank Williams Jr. song keeps going through my mind, "a shotgun, a rifle, and a four wheel drive". I have always been a sort of minimalist anyway. I'm thinking about selling most things that I own. Clarity, realness, and freedom are what I desire. This country boy will survive.

Who here has gone through this stage in their lives? How did things turn out?


Sell 3/4rs of it...

Put the money in a Coffee Can...

This will really put some fresh Wind in your Sails, and remove the 'overwhelm' feeling and reduce the clutter inside and out.

Trust me on this, I have done it and it works great!

One then enoys the things one has all the more, and one might even do the "get rid of 3/4rs" of it again with the 1/4th one had ended up with from the last round and pare it on down...and then one has a nice pile of cash if one wants to buy some new thing or other, or take a travel trip, or get some repairs done on the Homestead...or just leave it in the Coffee Can, which is a nice feelig in itself.

It clears the Head, and the Garage and where ever else!

[FISH4BUGS]

I don't have a clue as to what you guys are talking about. I LOVE what i do and my spare time. I have been self-employed for 33 years, turned 68 this summer, and work from home most of the time. I sell software to lawyers, and customize the software and train their staff and help them get the most from it.
I can be working away until 5:00 and at 5:05 I can be casting or reloading or in the garden or working in the yard. If I retired I would not know what to do.
I can often do day trips to clients in New England and occasionally travel for overnighters. I have my office with the gun safe and the Hammond organ and Leslie 251 right there.
My life is on autopilot and about as carefree as I can make it. Good clients that pay their bills, plenty of work (but can always use more) and not all that much pressure.
Retirement? Who needs it. I love what I do.
No need to simplify whatsoever.

[Big Boomer]

Nothing will help a fella get a clear view on what life is really all about like losing a spouse after 43 years. That happened to me at the age of 63. I felt like a lost ball in high weeds, a spare wheel at all social gatherings of any sort, and we had a lot of them at the church where I served. And that's saying something, me being a Minister of the Gospel. However, my passion for God and guns (and all things associated) helped me retain what sanity I possessed. I don't worry much about what I've accumulated because I have a son who is exactly 21 years younger than I am and I am going on 77. He is a very busy man, plant superintendent for a major corporation. This past year I have bought three new guns I never had before. Son will get it all when I'm gone plus everything else I've accumulated. Just hope he doesn't fall heir to some of the health problems I've had in the past few years (3 bouts with cancer - which also took his mother). God always got his 10% - plus first and we did quite well with His blessings on what was left. Whatever happens ... He is in control. I'm not! Big Boomer

[Blackwater]

I'm with Wayne and all the others here who've put God first. And it's funny, but when you do that, the "toys" we have mean less to us, but simultaneously become more fun, even when we're not actually using them. Sounds contradictory, but it's not. A proper perspective solves a lot more than just the problem you were aiming at.

[DerekP Houston]

Just turned 66 today. I have started selling off stuff I no longer need. KISS

I wish I had grandkids to take shooting.

I will never use up all the ammo and components acquired over the years. At least a dozen guns to get rid of.

I apparently need more children =/ not a thought I would've thunk on my own.

33, 1 kiddo 2 1/2. Looking to do something other than sit on my butt and pay bills, perhaps volunteering will help. I go through phases of wanting more stuff and being sick of all the stuff I currently have. I change hobbies quite frequently once I "master" the task I was learning.

[DerekP Houston]

I guess my problem is a little different.
I'm 74 years old, I have a wife and two dogs, a few left over guns,
A truck that can't past inspection, half my food comes from the food pantry, most of my cloths from the church,
Two sets of boots, Winter wood I need help to split and some friends just came and mowed the lawn that Julie and I couldn't mow, My house is 16 feet wide and 26 feet long, My brother called me a week ago and told me he had Cancer.

My problem is not what to get rid of, but more like, how do I keep the few things I have.

Sam

Dang I wish you were closer to Texas =/

[GhostHawk]

IMO if you are feeling dragged down by stuff, it is time to take a vacation from it.

If it was me I'd take a fishing rod, minimal kit, no more than book sized. A hawk or axe, small saw, knife, fire steel and a canoe or kayak. Go live in the woods for a week with only what you can carry comfortably on your back.

Then let your experience of that week guide your choices. Maybe you want to keep all that stuff and just spend more time living outside? Maybe there were things you realized you missed when you did not have them.

Small and simple is easy to get to but I don't think I could ever sell my guns, my tools, reloading, casting gear. If I don't want to use it today I know the day will come when I do want it near.

Go remind yourself of what is important to you. Sit down at the base of a tree and plant some roots for an afternoon. Don't think, just "BE"then think about what would make life easier, more interesting, more fun. What is worth the work and what isn't.

I think most people could figure it out in a weekend camping trip.
Me when I had serious thinking to do I wanted to be alone, quiet, secluded, near water, near trees.
Drink a cup of something warm and good at sundown and see what floats to the surface.

And remember, you don't have to live in a cave at the top of a mountain to be a hermit.
My basement works fine, leave the phone upstairs, put the dog out to warn of incoming people, and go do my thing.

Of all the things you have, if you could only have 3 which would it be? Why?

[bedbugbilly]

At some point, I think everyone goes thought this. I cleaned my shop out of my collection of stuff that I have assembled int he last fifty years . . . you know, things "that I might need some day" but never do. The same for other possessions. I have slowly worked at selling my 50 plus year collection military items - as my wife pointed out - "if something happened to you, I'd have no idea of what it is or what it is worth". Hard to part with some things but I also realize that I've enjoyed the things and now it's time for them to move on to somebody else who will enjoy them. I got in to reloading after shooting BP for 50 plus years. I finally realized that I didn't have to reload every single caliber of have a gun to shoot them in. So, I've worked at downsizing at that as well. In the end, it's not about the "material" things we gather and collect . . . it's about finding inner peace with ourselves and what we want to pursue as far as hobbies or interests. I'd rather have one toy to play with than a dozen toys that I never have enough time to play with each one. I think that if you start to sell some of those toys off, you'll soon discover that a lot of pressure is off as well as far as not being able to devote the time you need to, to each one. Life can be very enjoyable if kept simple . . . if you end up with a spare moment, get together with a friend and have a cup of coffee or help somebody else out who needs some help doing something. As they often say . . . "less is more". Good luck on your journey!

[PerpetualStudent]

I'm a young'n on this forum, only 28, but I've got a 2 year old another on the way.

I've recently been thinking about how much more stuff I have than I did 4 years ago, but I still find myself thinking "oh if only I can get x, then I can finally start doing y" instead of working with what I have. So many things I want to do, so many things I need to do. But then yesterday my daughter made me just spend some time outside. Didn't try to read or do something while watching her, we just sat in the grass. Listened to the wildlife, watched the river. And I realized I really need that in my life more than more range time or completed projects. Just some time outside doing nothing.

[Ickisrulz]

As my wife and I both retired from the USAF we had to clear out excess stuff every 3-4 years in preparation for moves. This helped quite a bit.

Our boys don't ever want to part with toys and we allow them to place them in storage rather than selling them. My wife and I realize that grandchildren aren't too far off in the grand scheme of things so the toys will go to them.

I have often wondered how some of the posters on this site can actually enjoy and use all the guns, molds and reloading equipment they say they have. I shoot almost every day and am far from using the 2 dozen firearms I own on a regular basis.

I figure having all the essentials paid for (i.e., owing nothing) and having a place to put everything should dictate what you allow yourself to acquire when it comes to extras. There's the retirement years to consider also.

[historicfirearms]

Wow, thanks everyone for all the great advice. After reading everything posted here, I think my problem really is a spiritual thing. For years, I have felt that my gun hobby was "wrong" for some reason. It took up too much of my time and thought. I just wasn't devoting enough time to family and making myself a better person. Now that I am back to regularly going to church and getting inspired to serve God more, I have really been feeling held back by my possessions.

So, here is my plan. I am going to make of list of things, starting with my guns, categorizing things that I can live without and things that I need or really mean something to me. Everything that I can do without is getting sold off. My list of things that I need is pretty short, including guns that my grandfather gave me, a self defense pistol, and a good deer rifle, along with the necessary reloading equipment. I will also let my kids keep a gun or two that they really like. The rest can go. I'm done being distracted by things and I'm ready to get my life back in order.

Now the question comes up. What is the best way to sell off a lifetime of guns and reloading equipment? Auction, here, ebay, consignment? I'm thinking a lot of guns would be of interest here but I dread shipping and packing that many guns. Maybe a live auction or consignment would be best, just get it over with.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP...

Now the question comes up. What is the best way to sell off a lifetime of guns and reloading equipment? Auction, here, ebay, consignment? I'm thinking a lot of guns would be of interest here but I dread shipping and packing that many guns. Maybe a live auction or consignment would be best, just get it over with.
I'm thinking, that you have to answer that question yourself. But I'll post my opinion (and I'm betting others will post there opinion also) to give you somethings to thing about.

When I started thinking about doing that, I dreaded the thought of all the work of hitting the gunshow circuit and/or trying to sell them online myself...and I chose a Live (only) Auction. I was lucky to have known a good auctioneer (who does gun auctions)for almost 10 years and consider him a friend.

The Fees for having a online auction (or live and online) are steep, as well as the advertising. So my Auctioneer and I negotiated a deal with minimal advertising for that live auction...and I hit every gunshow for two months prior and handed out auction fliers and talked about the guns to anyone who'd take a flier and listen.

I had enough collectible type guns (not the $5000 each variety though), that I felt, if I could get the dealers and the collectors that are at the local gunshows to show up, I'd have a successful auction. The auction was large enough to be exclusively my stuff, but small enough to be held on a thursday evening...the thursday evening before Easter (FYI, March is probably the best month for a gun auction, at least in MN anyway).

The auction lasted about 2.5 hours, I recall there being about 180 people there, it would have been nice if there were more people, but it was 180 "gun" people. Anyway, for the most part, the expensive guns brought more than I thought they would, and the cheap guns went cheaper than I thought they would...which isn't a real bad thing, I considered the auction a success. I had a two numbers in my head, High and Low total money targets. The final total money bid was 10% more than my high guess, but after the auctioneer got his commission, the money I got was right in the middle of the two target numbers.

here is a small bit of castboolit chatter about the auction.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?273911-My-gun-Auction-this-week&highlight=

[Blackwater]

Historic, if time's no problem, hunting season is coming up and it ought to be pretty easy to let the LGS sell them for you. Just pick the least needed ones go there, and then just wait until you get a call to go pick up your $$$. They'll charge something, of course, but it's what I'd do.

And one other idea. If you know any young fellows who seem to like to hunt and shoot, talk to their parents, and if they OK it, you might want to just give the kid a rifle to hunt with. It's amazing how much a kid in that situation would see such a boon in his life. And too, kids that spend a lot of time in the woods tend to grow up to become better people, usually, than those who don't. The young who spend more time in the woods get to see how things REALLY work in this world, and develop a much deeper sense of awe and wonder at it all, which are very valuable perspectives. I think this may go doubly for the young growing up today in this world, with all the evil that surrounds them so thoroughly these days. Just something you might want to think about doing with one or more of them? And if it's a really nice gun, you probably can't even imagine how much they'd get out of such a token of respect.

Of course, then you'd likely have to teach them how to use it, load for it, etc., but that's one of the most pleasurable things you'll ever do in this life. Kids and older guys working together toward a single goal really make a difference in both lives. If you need or can really use the $$$, that may not be possible, but it's at least something to think about.

[johnson1942]

this is from a native americans point of view. white men load their wagon too full and when they get old it get hard to pull. that about sums it all up. i also have sold a lot of stuff off.

[mold maker]

Feeling overwhelmed is just forgetting to count your blessings and realizing where they came from.
Sometimes God gives us what we ask for, even if it's not what we need.
He leaves it up to us, to see the obvious.

[opos]

In a couple of weeks I'll hit 79...I'm a guy that has always kept busy and had hobbies that included interaction with some great people....besides guns and reloading (I don't hunt...grew up hunting in Colorado but none for many years)...I've sport fished in the oceans of the world...it became an addiction and I loved and lived it...had a dandy marlin boat and we did really well..had lots of active friends...I also spent years collecting, restoring and displaying (we have a museum near me with shows 4 times a year) the old antique big flywheel farm engines (called poppin Jonnies)....great older folks mostly....honest, fun, helping each other ...been great...finally I'm a sober member of AA for almost 36 years and my relation with the fellowship and my contact with a "higher power" has been the basis of my life. My Wife is 42 years sober so we have a great relationship and many friends that we enjoy.

But I am at a point I'm pretty low right now...my health is shot..I have one lung not working, stage 3 COPD. Asthma, one artificial knee that works ok but won't take straining and because of age related things I have lost the "man strength" I so prided myself in for so many years....I'm awkard, not very strong any more and hard of hearing....I shoot both handguns and rifles at local ranges and can usually beat the crowds...but it's getting difficult to get up, get ready, get there, shoot for an hour or so and come home and clean up....I seldom mess with the old engines..I have some and run them now and then but no more loading trailers and going to shows...most of the old folks have died or just quit...that stuff is really heavy and dangerous to operate. We have a classic car (had a hotrod truck but it was really not appropriate for a septagenarian as it was really quick and a handful....so we got an Olds cutlass to go to the shows and take for ice cream on Sundays...we still go to 3 or 4 AA meetings a week so stay connected...but dammit I want to go fishing and hunting and crawling around in the mountains...I want to travel but my lungs won't let me fly....

We get old...we have a lifetime of memories...some of us have that insanity that says "I can still do that" and then we try to lift 20# where we used to handle 100# easilly and have to call for help...

I guess the word is acceptance....I have some of the old things...I can still go to an engine or car show without "showing"....I can take a nap when I want and not worry that I'm supposed to be "productive" and I now have small toy steam engines instead of the 500# cast iron gas engines..fun to play with and starting to meet some other old duffers that like them too...

Just keep on keeping on...My Mom lived to be 97 and lived in her own home...she kept a good contact with her God....had a "boy friend" and loved people...she was sort of my idol...

Pics are the old stuff so we've had a really fun run...got to be happy with what we could do for a lifetime and sort of accept smaller, slower and quieter is probably where we will be from now on....

Happy happy's

176567176568176569176570176571

[WILCO]

Maybe it's my midlife crisis. Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by all the things I own. Motorcycle, cars, truck, boat, camper, more guns than I could possibly ever master, reloading gear, hunting gear, not to mention the house...

Sounds like your symptoms are problematic to underlying issues.
Downsizing one's possessions blindly is no different than running away from problems.
Take time to reevaluate yourself. Figure out what makes you tick. It may take a year, but with hard work comes progress.

[PerpetualStudent]

I ran across this bit of advice for downsizing kitchen stuff but I've applied it to other things too.

1. Find out what you use. Either gather all the things that need downsizing and put them in one area, or mark everything.

2.When you actually use something you remove the marker or take it out of the area and put it in a home. After 6 months or a year (your choice), if you haven't used it, you don't use it. Then it's time decide what to do with all the things marked or in the area.

For casting equipment and oddball calibers, I'd lean towards selling here. Casters aren't as common as they used to be, more likely to find it a good home for a good price here. Certainly consider blessing a young enthusiast who would actually appreciate it. Or maybe a gun club would like some communal reloading presses. For common calibers I see a lot of them sold in the local paper or take them to a gun show. Also worth considering if a gun store would sell it on consignment with you.

[justashooter]

Now the question comes up. What is the best way to sell off a lifetime of guns and reloading equipment? Auction, here, ebay, consignment? I'm thinking a lot of guns would be of interest here but I dread shipping and packing that many guns. Maybe a live auction or consignment would be best, just get it over with.

at 52, I am nearly mortgage free. two years to go. my brother, who is very affluent, but accident disabled, has minimalized his life and is living for the moment. he is constantly advising me, a lifetime collector with more gun related stuff than Carter has liver pills, to downsize, sell my inventory, the spare boats, the farmhouse, and all the complications that go with it, in trade for a smaller place and time to go scuba diving with him.

trouble is, I like being able to pizz off my front porch, and shoot machine guns out the kitchen door for testing purposes. I like having 3 boats in the yard, and gun projects/stuff on the dining room table. I just don't have the same priorities my brother has, just yet.

I did sell some cool stuff off a few years ago to buy my hotty second wife new boobs and Lasix (a good investment, even if of short return), and I did sell off a ton of surp ammo at stupid profit during the layoffs of the depression a few years ago, but I still have so much stuff it takes up 800 square feet of storage, and lots of it is esoteric stuff that an auction house would never realize value for.

local auction houses have lots of live sales here in PA, usually for about 20% commission on guns and 30% on box lots. I can do better combining this board for reloading stuff, gunbroker for common guns, gun-building boards for mil-surp parts kits, then there is a bunch of oddball stuff like current generation GI gas masks, beer can launchers, bullet traps, gunsmithing tools, rifle stocks, spare barrels, half built elephant guns, and everything in between that I will just have to take my chances on.

in any case, why give up 30% of the value of my "slush fund safety net"? it seems smarter to maximize it in my spare time, so you guys will begin to see some of it in the near future, despite the fact that I am keeping most of the reloading stuff to feed the estimated 20% of the guns that I plan to keep long term. sure, it would be nice to have some auction house come pick all of this stuff up, haul it away, and give me a fat check in return, but it seems smarter to dribble and drabble it away at fair but good prices that leave everybody happy.

maybe this is because I seem to have a few more years left to deal with it than some other posters. I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.

[B. Lumpkin]

About 10 years back I had hit pretty rough patch in life. I sold 99% of what I had, and bought a small camper with a shower and a crapper. Then I spent the next 2 years traveling the western states seeing things I wanted to see. Sleeping in the outdoors miles and miles away from anything. How long I stayed in a place depended on how interesting it was. Even though I had a big nest egg from my sale, I still found odd jobs where ever I stayed for any period of time.

I learned a lot about myself and life. I saw and experienced a lot, and I am very happy I did it. One day I had a Forrest Gump moment and just got tired. So I picked a place I really liked, and moved there. Been living it up ever since!

If you do what I did, I would recommend starting in Utah. It's truly a stunning state with more to see than you can see in a lifetime.

[Huskerguy]

I haven't read every post in this thread but some are pretty good. Mine is a big different.

I had a pretty rotten childhood, parents divorced, lived with a mom who didn't know much about raising 4 kids and couldn't do much for a job. So things like food and clothes and basic shelter were a bit scarce at times. I think around my junior year one summer I got so stinking mad living like that I had a friend who was going to get me to a bus station and I was going to leave and live with my father (he didn't really want me either) so I gathered up my things and I could put them all under my arms. I had just purchased a really cheap stereo record player from Montgomery Wards. That was it, hardly had any clothes worth much, a couple pair of underwear, shirts, etc. That was in the very early 70's. Fast forward to now, I just retired last June although I am still working full time to help a non-profit out for a while longer. My wife and I have celebrated 43 years and we live conservatively but now we are concerned we have too much stuff!! The problem is I always wanted to buy and do things and never had the money and now I do and I don't want to accumulate stuff that someone else is going to have to get rid of. I worry that my wife will get stuck with the stuff and not know what to do. Everything is labeled for what it goes with - which press, etc. Funny how life works.

[Ed K]

more guns than I could possibly ever master

This is key... nothing wrong with owning a boatload but certainly one risks becoming the complete opposite of the "beware of the man with one gun" type. Have to ask yourself "Who do I want to be?"

[Wayne Smith]

Think through all your options. I am in the process of setting up a shooting day for my Church - If enough people sign up. It will include an orientation to firearms for those who have no experience, a range orientation for all attending, and guns and ammo and a day rented at a local range. We'll see if it flies.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP...
more guns than I could possibly ever master


This is key... nothing wrong with owning a boatload but certainly one risks becoming the complete opposite of the "beware of the man with one gun" type. Have to ask yourself "Who do I want to be?"

Yep, I agree 100% ...and to paraphrase...

When people asked me why I was having my firearms auction last year, the reason I told most of them, that I was becoming a collector instead of a shooter. When I started in the firearms hobby, I was a shooter, I'd go shooting every weekend.

Back then, at gunshows, I'd meet lots of people who were collectors that use to be shooters and were told many great stories by them. I thought to myself back then, "I didn't want to become that" (no offense to them) ...well guess what, last year, before my auction, I realized I was solidly on that path...nearly there. So I chose to lighten my load and sell 75% of them, keeping the ones I like to shoot the most. I still don't shoot enough, I'm still working on that.

[OS OK]

Think through all your options. I am in the process of setting up a shooting day for my Church - If enough people sign up. It will include an orientation to firearms for those who have no experience, a range orientation for all attending, and guns and ammo and a day rented at a local range. We'll see if it flies.

Pretty dang good idea, we did this at our Calvary Church about 10 years back, a huge success. We shot at one of the ranchers private ranges and had a line-up of about 20 rifles across the line.
We spent time to do the education and safety part for those unaccustomed and let the kids and wives start at the .22 end and work their way up to the hi-vel, scoped .30 cal's on the far end...it was a Church event not soon forgotten and asked for many times after.
The ladies provided a smorgasbord of tasty treats and samiches all day and it lasted about 6 hours before everyone had enough.

[Blackwater]

Lots of good advice and comment here. If I had to pick a single one to concentrate on, it'd be Wilco's, and Opus's story gives you the opportunity for some great insights into your own situation and attitude. Charles Swindoll once wrote a short commentary on attitude. If you google it, "Charles Swindoll attitude," it should come up. Run a hard copy off if it and post it on your refrigerator with some magnets, and I suspect it'll bring about a transformation within you that you'll be ever grateful for. Attitude kind'a serves as the "gate" through which we determine what we'll allow into our lives and what we close out of it. I think most folks' problems are derived from the wrong attitude.

I had a very close call a while back, and nearly left this world. That's a big "attitude adjuster." No more do I look at any sort of things as being something I'm "entitled" to. It's ALL a gift, and a wonderful one if we just look at the things that mean something positive to us, and don't let our haughty desires control us. I've found great wisdom and satisfaction in NOT being in control of everything around me. It may seem paradoxical, but if it does, it's because the one so viewing it just doesn't have the right attitude needed to honestly understand it.

Life is a gift, from the beginning to the end, and all in it is designed to make us satisfied and humble, if we'll just let it. It's the letting it that we usually have trouble with, and that our desires interfere with. That's my take on it all, anyway.