I’m not sure if it’s really a storage business per say, all though two complete bedrooms in my house are used for that purpose, and not by me. It seems that when our oldest girl got married 9 years ago she never really moved out of our house. Her old bedroom is packed to the ceiling with her stuff and she adds items monthly. 50% of my granddaughter’s toys and old clothes are stored there, and all my daughter’s stuff, from her high school/college days is still there gaining value every year. It sort of reminds me of a museum, bringing me back to the days when she was a gangly little girl. And now she has a daughter of her own, to help the pile grow.
Ymir Thea who has been in Singapore for a couple of years now, and her bedroom is like a shrine, it is maintained daily and is reminiscent of when she still was living here. With everything in the same place she left it. All will be on displayed as if she was coming home every night to sleep.
I’ve foolishly suggested that the items that have not been touched in a while, be donated to someone who needs them. My wife and both girls looked at me as if I’d suggested that the Queen give away the Crown Jewels. Hands leap to their heads and major scratching ensues. I’ll move quickly out the door to my man cave, and not dare broach that subject again. From the Little Red Book, “The Art of War”, General Sun Tzu said; Retreat is off times the wisest decision!
But whether it’s called “Storage” or “Stowage” it still means junk piling up until it spills over into the dining room. I laugh when on the TV they have those hording people shows on, who’ll save garbage in their house until you can’t find the floor. The situation has not come close to that point yet. (Note the word yet.) But I wonder why people want to hang on to all that stuff.
Every year I go through my tiny section of the closet and pull out anything I’ve not worn in the last six months, and my chest of drawers for any t-shirts shorts and such that fall under that same rule, and out it goes. I’ll see the family wearing those items up and down the road. I had four brothers, I understand hand-me-downs. Or as we used to say when we were younger; “The first one up, was always the best one dressed.”
Remember “The Boxes” that your appliances came in? You still might have them if you’re renting here in the Philippines, those boxes will be kept or display by your wife/girlfriend for two reasons. The first reason being, if you move again, they can be used to repack all your equipment. Second reason being, to display the boxes and make jealous all of the visiting ladies to her house.
Now I’ll repeat a story about my experience with “The Boxes”, our house was just built and moved into. I returned from sea, and was pleased, until I found the extra bedroom full of “The Boxes”. I smiled and asked my wife if she had a plan to divorce me and move again. She responded: No Mahal.” Then I asked; “So, what is the reason we are you keeping “The Boxes”? They were gone the next day.
Now for my dirty little secret: I keep a “Gold Locker”, now that’s a shipboard thing, meaning spare parts stowage, things like nails, screws, washers’ nuts and bolts, plumbing fixtures, pipe and other stuff. You know; Items that are just too good to throw away. My family, friends and neighbors all know I have it, and will check with me first, before going to the hardware store.
So if it’s called storage or stowage, we’re all guilty of it in some way. Did I really think for one second that I’d convince my wife and daughters to get rid of all their collected treasures? Not even if I was granted a second lifetime. But the one tiny victory I’ll cling to; is “The appliance boxes are gone!” That’s going to have to be good enough for this lifetime. I’ve chosen to live here; I just hope they don’t store all the stuff I’ve collected when I’m gone, e-bay was invented to take care of that!
Paul- Ha ha. And we have storage room here! full of junk. LP records, 45’s , mom and dad’s crap school stuff from elementary to College.. not touched- sentimental value most of them. So yeah, it’s understandle they will not let you move or throw away stuff. It is nice to look back at old memories… he he.
Oh but anyway, sad thing about our stuff and treasured memories .. everything was washed away by the floods of typhoon Ondoy. a lifetime of photos and books and others…gone.
Sugar;
Photo’s hurt when you lose them, but I lost more because of my ex-wife than all of the hurricanes and typhoons combined. But I thank you for that fine idea, the next typhoon, I’ll secretly be throwing stuff out the back door.
But I am sorry that it happened to your family.
Paul T., Sugar
Good post as usual. You always want to keep momentos of your childhood and younger days, to remind you of the good times. I think eventually your daughters will start parting with some of the cherished items, but only when they are ready. It’s like when a family member passes away and you want to keep there memories around as long as possible. Also the room will get filled up one day and than action will have to be taken. Sugar, so sorry you lost all those treasured items and photos, but at least you still have all the good memories of them. Be safe brother.
Papa Duck;
Most of the stuff they store is clothing they will never wear again, or can’t wear again. Toys that my granddaughter has out grown. I’m thinking with all the new kids much younger, that it should be passed on.
Paul – Well, uhm, maybe you’ll have another grand daughter? then you don’t need to buy much more toys or clothing then.. but if it’s not that good anymore but still can be use, maybe give to to kids of helpers or houseboy. If it’s grandson, you’ll need to buy new toys.. he he.
Sugar;
The cloths and toys are all in good serviceable condition, but I’m not involved in the decision as to if it stays or goes. I’ll be out back in the Man Cave, where it’s safe and warm.
Paul
This was a timely article, as our house is sold (closing May 6) We have been in this house for 21 years and we have been packing stuff scrapping stuff and donating stuff to the Salvation Army for the past 2 weeks.
I will say it is very hard to throw stuff away because every little item in your house makes you relive a special moment with your family. My Wife is very emotional about the old sentimental stuff that we are throwing away, I am not gonna bull_ _it you and say It does not bother me but I just can deal with it better than her.
MY problem is throwing anything away that may have any type of use in the future, and when I was cleaning out my Garage I realized how much of a hoarder I was. I must have had 30lbs of screws nuts bolts etc, 20 sets of hinges 5 sets of jackstands 6 bottle jacks and the list goes on and on. I have had to come to grips with the fact that I will not be doing alot welding fabricating as I move to the next phase of our lives.
BUT I have set aside appx 4 Balikbayan boxes full of essential tools that are in storage and will follow me to the RP just name a few, chainsaw, sawzall, drill, miter saw, grinder, wire feed welder snap on,husky, sears sockets wrenches and the list goes on and I will continue to compile the NEEDED tools for the eventual move to RP.
Neal;
I know it’s not easy, when I lost my house cars, condo and bars in Puerto Rico, luckily I had not started collecting that much again before I went back out to sea. All my Navy stuff and things like that and a few photo albums had sat for thirty years in my dad’s cellar on Cape Cod, I shipped it all here. So I had a few items left thanks to my folks. Everything else I’ve collected here. It is amazing what you can collect in just 20 years.
Amen Neal;
I sold my house in March and moved into a three bedroom apartment. I had to go through the same emotional rollercoaster as you did when it came to my garage. Son got 3/4 of everything we had. But if you broke it down into ownership. It was household appliances 100%, unusable items 95%, My items 85%, Her items 5%. OH YEA we have a storage roomin the apartment marked hers. I wonder how she is going to deal with it when we leave for the Philippines? I believe Paul gave me the answer awhile back SHOPPING she can have everything new again. Well that prbably breaks her BB Box count down from 15 to 10. My BB Boxes will probably number about 4. Filled with goodies, My I love me wall and clothes.
Bruce
I am kind of a hands on junkie as I like welding fabricating and such, my Son is not so much a hands on guy but rather very smart and makes his living as a Organic Chemist. So he didn’t want much of my stuff but some guys that came to my garage sale left with some good deals.
We are moving into a 2 bed apt that we only signed a 6mo lease so when I get all my shi_ together we wont have to stay here for a full year before heading to the RP.
Off topic but did I read before that you work for the dept of corrections?
Whack a HACK a buck a whack do you remember that term. Oh I served my time as a HACK for the RI Dept of Corrections as soon as I got out of the Corps.
I think it is illegal to import a chain saw into the Philippines. (Republic Act No. 9175)
Rob
I dont know about that. I figure a dry chainsaw is a tool so I dont know what the big deal would be. Its not hazardous nor does it contain any flamable fluids.
Rob
I researched it and you are indeed correct. I am sure I could get it to the RP in a BBox if I listed it as tools but after reading the 9174 act I may want to give it another thought. Each chainsaw has to be registered and there is a reward for anyone that rats you out to the authorities for a un-registered chainsaw.
So much for the idea of having tools that could be useful to help out your barangay in the event a typhoon hit and downed some trees needed to be cleaned up. On the other hand if I was friendly with the Barangay Captain I probably could get away with owning it but he may call upon me often if the saw was needed.
I guess bringing my “GLOCK 21” .45 is totally out of the question then.
Rob is right… it is illegal to bring a chain saw to the Philippines. You can find the law here.
Bob;
Find the law? I can’t even find the guy that took my chain saw. (lol)
Rob;
You are correct, the one I had was sent by LBC, and I was shocked when I opened the box. Oh wait, I sent that box!
Paul
Are you saying you had a chainsaw sent to yourself via lbc and it made it there of did it get confiscated.??
Neal;
A friend borrowed it a year later and I never saw it again! But I sent it with no trouble, but then I had no idea it was against the law.
Paul
So that is a lesson you learned that I can benefit from, when in the RP don’t lend out tools and expect to get them back.
“Go Bruins”
Neal;
A couple of times my tools were returned, in such a bad condition that I had to replace them. So yes, the rule should be, “Hell no I won’t lend it!” Unles you really wanted that new one.
The condo I am renting is a 3 bedroom, however I only see 2. The 3rd is stuffed with the owners “things”… I finally found a nice home by the ocean that I wanted to lease, however the MASTER BEDROOM …was not included…(unbelievable) for the same reason….storage.. Well of course I don’t want it… Asked them to take one of the bedrooms upstairs and put their things there…answer was no……. But nevertheless , A good funny article…
Lenny;
You are the first I’ve ever heard that someone rents you a condo/house and requires you to store their junk? Unbelieveable (Although I beleve you!) what a nerve. Are you allowed to use the bathroom? (lol)
Paul and Lenny,
The little house rented by my wife while waiting to move in to our house in the Philippines was the same way!!! One of the bedrooms was blocked off and boarded up as a storage room for the owner! I could not believe it either! We were allowed to use the bathroom there! LOL
Steve;
This was a first for me, something I’d never heard of before. I’m never to old to learn something new, but understanding it…
We were waiting to pickup a ship out of San Francisco, as we were going to be there a while, my friend bought an 1988 Cadillac from a Pinay, see sold him the car, asked if she could keep 3 boxes in the trunk, and she came by the hotel we were staying and borrowed the car all the time. And to answer the next question. “No he was not in any kind of a relationship with her. (lol)
Lenny
Did they give you a discount in the rent for not having a bedroon available for your use. lol
Papa Duck;
LOL,LOL,LOL,LOL!!!
Paul, judging from some of the things that I hang on to, I guess you can say I’m just a sentimentalist at heart, but when it comes to preserving personal mementos for posterity, my all-time favorite has to be my flip-page desktop calendars which I have been saving yearly for the past 25 years or so. At the top of each page of the annual calendars, I have dutifully recorded the day’s weather and temperature. I’ve also recorded significant activities and major events that occured, including the time, on each particular day. The annotations are so meticulous that the calendars have become some sort of a reference source for me when it comes to verifying some facts that have occured in the past. I can tell, for example, when exactly I had the thermostat replaced in my car, or when exactly the Marine barracks in Lebanon were bombed. Further, I can tell at a glance at what time I came home from work on any given day in the last 25 years! LOL The calendars have served me so well, it would be unthinkable to part with them.
Ricardo;
I see your point, but I was speaking to cloths that will never be worn again, and items that are not ever used, that should be recycled to someone they would have value to. I understand why those calendars mean so much to you, as they document your past. I say hang on to them!
Ricardo
Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful vacation and not spent to much for gas hahaha. Thats something keeping all those desktop calenders, first time i ever heard of that, but great idea to reference back for something. Ricardo was that you i saw celebrating Osama’s death outside the Whitehouse last night lol. have a nice day!
A huge chunk of the vacation money was spent on gas, but it was well worth it, Papa Duck. It’s an exhilirating feeling to be out on the open road and enjoy the scenery, taste the variations of regional cooking at roadside diners, and hear on the radio the yankee twang one day, the southern drawl the next. Yep, I saw the celebration outside the Whitehouse last night, Papa Duck – first thing I did, I went to my desktop calendar and recorded the event! LOL
It certainly seems that things acumilate faster than we sometimes realize. I have had to have several major clean-outs here in the past couple of decades and it seems all of the space I gained from those clean-outs have filled back in again. I think I am finally getting to a stage in my life where I can realize that I will probably never need or use this item or that item which I have been holding onto for decades. For the first decade after I bought my house I used part of the house as a workshop for repair of commercial electronic equipment. Those days are long gone but I still held on to boxes and boxes of service parts. Fortunately I was able to sell off a lot of it on Ebay, sometimes with surprising results.
In parting with things I have had since I was a kid, I have finally come to the conclusion that the actual item may only serve as a reminder of past times. In things I have parted with I have not missed any of those things as the memories remain in my head to be thought of when ever I want to. I still have to convince myself of that as it is time for another clean-out here.
Bob;
As I’ve been down to just a suitcase a few times, thanks to hurricanes and divorce. The few things that have any value to me I’ve been lucky enought to hang on to. The rest is just stuff, and I have no trouble getting rid of it.
Paul…fun read as all of your posts are….One thing no body mentioned yet is murphy’s law ……what I call “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”.This seems to be the case when every time I throw out any thing that has been collecting dust for 10 years ,but what ever it was I just had to have for some reason ( and forgot the reason why I just had to have that item, so throwed it out ) well..thats when murphy’s law comes around and reminds you that,,,why did you throw out that what ever it was you threw out, you sure could use that item right now!!!!!
Dan;
At best Murphy was an optimist. There have been things I’ve given away, that later I found I needed, but then that could be the reason they built malls? (lol)
Hi Paul,
Possessions=Stress, mate!
I am the same as yourself and all my clothes fit into quite a small area. I do have quite a lot of tools which are used a fair bit. I don’t attach a lot of sentimentality to possessions but, even if you do, once disposed of, you will have forgotten all about it all 6 months down the track. I have a female friend who collects that much stuff you wouldn’t believe it. What’s worse is, there is always some sort of heartfelt story attached to each item. Just as well she has a 4 bedroom home. The ONLY hesitation I have in tossing stuff out, or giving it away, is that I will need it the next day. Hence the lots of tools and fittings and spares but little personal or household stuff. Although, now I think about it, I do still have that empty bottle of Red Horse on the bar wall. . . .
Lee;
Tools are a requirement, I think they could never be considered excess items. Now that broken printer that crapped out 6 years ago, that’s junk. My wife has every stitch of clothing from the time we were married until now. That could explain why men get just the edge of the cabinet to store our jeans & shirts. The Red Horse bottle has a deposit on it, so it has value. (lol)
paul,
I am a big fan of George Carlin and in one of his act, he talked about house and “stuff”, basically, he said that our house is not made for people to live in, we build our house so that we can put our “stuff” in, the more stuff we got, the bigger house we need!.
here’s the video link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac
Dans;
I’m also a Carlin fan, I can’t count how many shows of his I’ve gone to. Along with “Stuff” my other favorite was “The Hippie Dippy Weatherman” You sir, have good taste in humor!
Senior;
Great article had me laughing till I almost fell out of my chair!! 🙂
I think all men at one point in life try to cross those ragging rapids of stuff and storage with their wife. Just to be sweeped away in the current and braving never to cross them again.
I remember you box story well and remember when I told you how I gave 4 BB boxes to the Salvation army when I cleaned out the storage. Thinking that that would be my salvation only to be a timed delayed bomb. Guess you can teach a dog new tricks when it comes to survival.
Remember? What hers is hers and what yours is hers.
I reckon Shopping, Stuff, and Storage are dominate female genes that most me don’t understand. Even though men save important stuff like screws,nuts and bolts so we don’t have to by them latter. We just don’t store Stuff.
Just be thankful your wife doesn’t store stuff in your man cave. YET!! 🙂
Mike;
Many items are stored in the “Man Cave” but in the small room off to the side. I knew I’d not escape that happening to me. So I just sucked it up, and took the hit.
In the MSC Fleet, all snipes had a Gold Locker with spare parts and nuts & bolts. I don’t remember if it was done Navy side?
Senior;
Believe me being an old BT we had two lockers full of parts to perform miracles with like Scotty on the Enterprise. Had to pass OPPR by hook or crook. Oh yea had one void that we had sealed and covered with water , but that held our coffee can hams raviolli and other treasures reaped from the on loading of stores. MAA’s never found it 🙂
Mike;
The “Gold Locker” lives on!
Senior;
Just a passing thought though this grey matter of mine. Ever try to start a Ukay-Ukay store with all of the things you have in storage. She might go with it more money for shopping.
OOPS Thought is gone I forgot about what I just read. Short term memory is shot need to reboot.
Mike;
Look at the fun you’ll have when you get here, refilling your house with stuff!
Paul,
I feel your pain! All that stuff that was so dearly needed from our house here in Kuwait got shipped to the Philippines! Now all that dearly needed stuff is still packed in the same boxes 1 year almost later! I keep asking about it but I get the same answer each time. “I will need it one day!”
Steve;
We’ll broach this subject in a couple of years, I’ll wager those boxes are still there. It’s the price we pay to be happy! On the ship’s I had to step around cargo to get to my office. I’ll do it at home too, I just noticed a couple of new items right here in my computer room. Hmmm?
Senior and everyone else!
Please be carefull over there right now with the big news flash of BIN LADEN’S death I’m
certian some crap is going to hit the fan. So please lay low and be smart. Don’t want to see any of my friends and their families hurt.
They already have us at the Sheriff Office preparing.
Mike;
The pirated movie sales will be shut off at the market, due to Bin Laden’s timely death.
Paul T.
Thats a good one hahaha!
Bruce
They have you guys on special alert. Our status hasn’t changed. Have a nice day
Another fine article. Actually sheds some light on why my in laws house looked like a display center for appliances with all those boxes prominently displayed on the top shelf for all to see. Also suppose I need to remove the chainsaw from my packing list. Was planning on sending the bar/chain in one box and the engine assembly in another, now not sure. Hate to be arrested upon arrival.
I do have to admit, I am the pack rat and not the asawa in our family. I always save old fixtures, plumbing parts, etc knowing that one day I WILL find a use for them….. or make a use for them to the better halfs disbelieve. lol
Keith
Just the way I was going to go about doing it. You cant have a chainsaw without the blade.
That is what I was figuring. In separate BB boxes, maybe it can get through. Have to worry about being turned in for contraband once reassembled though. lol
Keith;
I’ll leave the chain saw subject alone, as I said above, I shipped one, but as they say, ignorance of the law is no excuse. I was just plum lucky.
If your in-laws, own their house, they fall under the make jealous rule. Or the pawn shop requires the box?
What you save is repair parts, things that you need, and can not be considered as “STUFF”, I’m on your side with that.
Once enclosed an outside porch and made an extra room on my house using only my saved pieces from by gone projects. Never know when I may find a use for them…..at least that is what I keep telling her as she complains about them.
Keith;
Now that’s adding more storage room! I’m going to start putting those storage sheds you can buy at ACE Hardware, in my backyard, until it looks like a small village. Just my luck squarters would move in, but then that would make me the village chief!
Hi Paul – Your not alone, we also have a bedroom full of c**p well thats not entirely true as its full of boxes which are full of stuff that almost three years since arriving here we have never opened. One day hopefully soon we will take out the boxes and open them and either decide to keep, give away or destroy the contents. When we decided to move to the Philippines and emptied our family home in the UK we made a vow after surveying the junk we had collected over the years at a tremendous cost I may add we said from now on if we cannot wear it, eat it or drink it we would not buy it.
For the most part we have kept our promise but the residue remains to haunt us.
Regards.
Jim.
Jim;
Four years after I retired, I found a LBC box that I’d sent from my folks house on Cape Cod, I found some things that I’d not been looking for, and had not missed. So it proved that if I’d not found the box ever, my life would’ve remained unchanged. I should have waited until Christmas and opened it then. I still have a new complete above ground swimming pool stored out back. I guess after four years of looking at the boxes I should sell it. I think I start following your rule; “If we cannot wear it, eat it or drink it, we would not buy it.”
A wise rule indeed!
Whew, Paul, you touched a nerve,
After my divorce in ’02 I had to consolidate my workshop from my original house into my present home. 20 years of carefully assembled workshop in my 28′ x 12’garage got thrown into my present garage in 4 days, after 8 years all is where I threw it at that time, a complete cabinet shop, planer, jointer, shaper, table saw – the works. I still can’t find anything. Would like to stuff it into a container and ship to RP. But the cost of KW would be prohibitive in RP.
What to do…
In RP I have set up a circular saw upside down in a bamboo table which works well as a table saw. Built an excellent console for Daisy’s computer and vanity.
So I don’t need so much stuff anymore.
Jade
Jade;
I’ve been watching how they do it here for many many years. For example, you don’t need any of the varied types of power sanding machines. There is a kid up the street who needs a job, and will sand all day with no electricity, just lunch, cold drinks, and pay at the end of the day. Also he puts himself away when your done. So, go on eBay and sell that “Stuff”, you’ll have enought money for beer and employees to last a long time. (lol)
Paul.
I have a kid up the street also. He is excellent. His name is Chris. He is 11 years old. He came over a few weeks ago asking to mow the lawn,… well my lawn is too deteriorated to mow. But I had other tasks for him, and he readily accepted these. He has cut cut brush., filled the the trash cans, raked, trimmed some bushes. Tonight we burned a lot of ‘detrius’ from the wood pile in the huge 6′ bbq, he really loved that, what a fire bug he is, but weren’t we all, put the air hose on the old wood to make it really flare up,… I watched him carefully,… then we roasted some hot dogs on the fire.
For my son who is now 26 now, I bought a trick bike, the pegs tires, etc, but was 14 and soon outgrew it with BD 16 and DL approaching. I refurbished it and gave it to Chris. He loves it. I have met his parents and they are happy that he can be a helper at my house. When I get stuck on a ship again he will be the official lawn guy.
Daisy and I have a special nephew, the son of her sister Christina who is great to have around, he is only 8 but he is a good helper too, we treat him well. His name is ‘JJ’.
Jade
Hi Jade;
Little guys like JJ are a rare find, a kid that wants to work, where is this world going to. Here they are everywhere if I’m washing the car and get lazy wiping down, I’ll step out the gate and wave over a couple of teenagers, who are happy to help, and pick up a few pesos. BTW, it sounded like you were an equal partner to the wood burning fun. So who’s the real fire bug roasting those hot dogs? (lol)
Hi Paul-
I know exactly what you’re talking about. My daughter keeps about half of her stuff here at my house, even though she has her own place. She once told me that if she took the rest of her stuff to her house, her house would be too cluttered up! (I just walked away without saying a word as I like to choose my battles wisely).
Since my Granddaughter came along 3 years ago, I’ve given up the idea of having a tidy, clutter-free home. Both my shins are bruised from my ankles to my knee caps from meeting up with her toys where I didn’t expect them to be. But I guess I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Billy Mac
Buddy, it sounds like you should have been the one to write this article. A lot of my granddaughters toys that are here, such as her bicycle, the bike is here because most of my yard is paved and the planted areas are walled in. so she can zoom around and enjoy herself and scatter my dogs in every direction. It’s funny to see her round a corner with 18 dogs running after her, wanting to play. On rainy days she can ride it inside. Her granddad just doesn’t care as long as she’s safe and happy. So I will happily endorse your quote; “But I guess I wouldn’t want it any other way.” I couldn’t have said it any better!