I'm a city slicker and I just moved to a F150 from a Toyota Land Cruiser because:

3 kids in car seats leaves VERY little room for anything else, even basic grocery shopping for 5 people and 2 dogs becomes an ordeal. Once you start trying to throw in 5 bikes, a kayak or two, hockey sticks, coolers or anything like that, it really starts to make sense to be in a truck. I currently have a sliding bed cover to keep things tidy and locked but I think I'll move to a camper shell soon. Will make a great place to sleep before races and hunting trips.

My truck was $50k vs the $75k+ for a similarly equipped suburban or expedition, or hell, Sprinter van. My truck is a V6 diesel and gets around 24mpg, the 2nd row leg room is also bigger than any SUV on the market and if you've had three car seats in a row you know how valuable that space is as a passing lane and for school bags.

This thread reminded me of an SUV review I read last year which I was able to hunt down to link:

Driving the 2021 Cadillac Escalade was one of the most stressful experiences of my life (https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/19/21522959/cadillac-escalade-2021-first-drive-safety-oversized)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EkOBjOeXsAQfvTG?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

It's not just the big trucks that are stupidly and dangerously oversized.


There is a clear correlation between vehicle design and the recent spike in pedestrian deaths. While the people driving SUVs are slightly safer (1.6 percent decrease in SUV occupant deaths in 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the number of pedestrians killed by those drivers has skyrocketed by 81 percent in the last decade, according to a report released last year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

That’s mostly because of the way SUVs are designed: larger bodies and higher carriages mean pedestrians are more likely to suffer deadly blows to the head and torso. Higher clearances mean victims are more likely to get trapped underneath a speeding SUV instead of pushed onto the hood or off to the side. Speed is also a factor because SUVs have more horsepower than a typical sedan. A recent investigation by USA Today and the Detroit Free Press found that the growing popularity of SUVs accounts for the alarming rise in pedestrian deaths.

I imagine the same holds true for the giant trucks too.

Is it really an investment though?

Short of buying a classic car, it will never increase in value and it will never hold value. It is a purchase that loses value every day. Every time you turn it on and drive it it loses value. "Investing" money in repairs and maintenance only adds to the sunk cost as a used car is always a used car. A $1000 repair may only add a few hundred bucks to resale value.

My cars are tools. I use them to get me to work to bring home dollars that can be invested in areas that make me money, my mortgage and 401k. I use them for recreation. The cost of ownership of a vehicle is a fee I pay for convenience and the ability to earn a living. Now - you should always take care of your tools and your assets, even if they are depreciating. But I would not do so under the guise of protecting an investment - because it is not an investment. It is an expense that loses value year over year, and usage after usage.

I used the term "investment" as the exchange of money for a product. I realize that autos are generally a depreciating asset. That being said is why my last car purchase was a 3 year old Accord that was a lease return. Generally the depreciation is greater in the first three years and than it depreciates less. By garaging my cars I will not be paying for any hail damage that would occur when I'm home, minimizing sun and storm damage to the body, as well as keeping the "midnight shoppers" at bay.
If i can extend the service life of my car by garaging it as well as protecting the appearance I consider those actions to be protecting my investment.

You need a larger truck if you pull a horse trailer, flat bed trailer with any weight, or pull a travel trailer on vacation or on long weekends.

Surprising that I haven't seen it mentioned in this thread. A lot of small business owners buy big 'ol pickups because vehicles over 6,000 pounds are able to be depreciated 100% in the first year. So buy a $60,000 pickup? You get to decrease your taxable income by $60,000 in the first year. If you're above the 24% tax bracket, that's a tax savings of $14,400. Heck of a deal.

https://www.gettaxhub.com/tax-deductions-for-vehicles-over-6000lbs/
Deduction is for small business owners.
Acquired for business use
Acquired by purchase (not gifts)
Outside of the $25,000 allowed for Section 179 depreciation of vehicles over 6,000 pounds, the IRS also permits something known as bonus depreciation. Unlike Section 179, it only applies to assets that were purchased new. Anything that you buy used or pre-owned will not be eligible. Also, unlike most deductions, this one does not carry a dollar-based limit. On the contrary, you are eligible for a tax benefit amounting to 50% of the purchase price. If you buy a $100,000 truck, that means that $50,000 can be immediately expensed under bonus depreciation in the first year, so long as it was solely used for business.

You need a larger truck if you pull a horse trailer, flat bed trailer with any weight, or pull a travel trailer on vacation or on long weekends.
I'm pretty sure we all know that. But the point of this discussion is the number of people that I, and I'm sure many others, know that have full size trucks that don't own a trailer or haul anything heavier than groceries.

^

In the driveways because they can't fit in a garage, which in my mind is massive drawback.

A car is the second most expensive physical asset in any household, yet people park them outside because they either can't fit in a garage or the garage is jammed with generally useless junk while you leave a $50K truck/car sitting outside.

This is my pet peeve. I live in a neighborhood of typically starter homes but they all have two car garages but yet half of my neighborhood cannot get even one car in garage because they have so much junk in the garage. Yet they panic when hail storms come and try to put things on top of their car to protect it.
I just sit and laugh and wonder if they know the garage is meant for their car.

^

And only in America do we all have homes far bigger than we would ever need and still have mini-storage complexes on every corner.

So, so much stuff.

^

And only in America do we all have homes far bigger than we would ever need and still have mini-storage complexes on every corner.

So, so much stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

Not to get sidetracked, but I've been going through a major purge and am trying very hard to move more towards minimalism.


One of my favorite stories involves one of my good friends who was moving from London to Sydney, for good.

I went over to see him and enjoy a full week of farewell activities, and honest to goodness, I brought more stuff with me on the trip than he was taking with him to live on the other side of the world, forever.

I went to go visit him in Oz about a year later and he had a futon, a small tv, a bed, a chest of drawers and a small table and 2 chairs; I believe all was bought from the Sydney Target. What else do you need?? Turns out, nothing.

^ we have a tendency to fill space. I have been buying smaller and smaller bags for camping. Turns out I don't need 80% of what I bring, and I already bring a pretty small setup as it is usually whatever can fit in a backpack on my motorbike.

Pack half of what you plan to take, and then cut that in half. I think that camping lesson can be applied to everyday society. I know I have a ton of crap I don't use, taking up space likely to only next be seen when I pass away and my relatives are hiring a roll-off dumpster.

^

I used to camp a bunch with a buddy who was a former Eagle Scout.

Every time before we broke camp to leave, he'd take a few minutes and write down what he didn't bring that he needed, and what he brought but didn't use. I picked up the same habit.

It really should be the same in life. There is this fear of getting rid of something you might need, but that's a completely backward way of looking at things. Especially because if you actually do need something -- and really need it -- it's super easy just to get it next day on Amazon, let alone making a quick run to a store.

It's the same way of thinking with a truck. I MIGHT have to tow something or haul something, so I'm going to buy something I don't need for 99.9% of the time. It's the American Way.

Interestingly, GM just announced plans to completely phase out gas and diesel engines by 2,035.

That's only 14 years away.

Interestingly, GM just announced plans to completely phase out gas and diesel engines by 2,035.

That's only 14 years away.

They can plan for that but ultimately it will be up to the market and consumers to make the switch. Lots of things need to happen for this be even remotely an option for people to consider this. More stations and longer batteries and faster charging.

Middle America is going to have hardest time because we drive further distances and need to be able charge more for trips and I don’t think people want to stop for a long recharge time on a cross country vacation for example. I’m sure there will be substantial developments in this time frame but ultimately it is up to consumers to choose electric.

This thread reminded me of an SUV review I read last year which I was able to hunt down to link:

Driving the 2021 Cadillac Escalade was one of the most stressful experiences of my life (https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/19/21522959/cadillac-escalade-2021-first-drive-safety-oversized)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EkOBjOeXsAQfvTG?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

It's not just the big trucks that are stupidly and dangerously oversized.



I imagine the same holds true for the giant trucks too.

How is this happening? Most new cars/trucks have sonar don't they? Both my car and my wife's SUV do.

Interestingly, GM just announced plans to completely phase out gas and diesel engines by 2,035.

That's only 14 years away.

Yet in tonight's news...
GM unveils Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing performance sedans
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/02/gm-unveils-cadillac-ct4-v-and-ct5-v-blackwing-performance-sedans.html

I would argue that it is better to set a goal and miss, than never set a goal at all. The company I work for, United, set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. Probably won't happen, but it's better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all. Besides, companies putting these goals out there continually are shifting the conversation from "it can't be done" to "that's just very ambitious". The latter allows the mindset to become that it can be done.

Not to get sidetracked, but I've been going through a major purge and am trying very hard to move more towards minimalism.

Started doing this myself after my first divorce.... I've found the less I have the happier I am.

I've never been happier at any time in my life since the first day I've been able to maintain 6-12 months of living expenses in a savings account instead of paying interest to credit card companies for a bunch of crap I didn't need.

I'm moving to the farm some time this year and my final goal is to make that place self sufficient enough that I rarely even have to go to a grocery store.

How is this happening? Most new cars/trucks have sonar don't they? Both my car and my wife's SUV do.
I believe that story is a classic “hit piece”. Author clearly states that he drove the Escalade for one day only, and he was looking for a different story angle than the two other co-workers had written about Escalade in the past few months.

Complaining about a “13 kindergartners deep” front blind spot means nothing, except good fear mongering. Anyone driving at speed over 5mph isn’t going to notice any difference in front height, and anyone driving slow enough to notice is going to be alerted by parking sensors and surround view enough that hitting anything in front of them is pure, drunken dumbassery.

People have complained about big vehicles as long as there have been vehicles. Big has always been equated with wealth. When I was younger it was 1959 Cadillacs and Oldsmobile 98s. Today is is F-150 and F-250 pick ups.

Started doing this myself after my first divorce.... I've found the less I have the happier I am.


Our culture has become so mired in excess that there is now a big swing back the other way, particularly by younger people.

A recent study showed that people today have 3x as much living space per person as they did in the '60s. And I guarantee you that number in Oklahoma is more like 5x. Families are way smaller and homes are way bigger.

At some point, that trend can't continue and I think we've reached it. So many people with 5,000 square foot homes for 2-4 people, filled to the brim with all kinds of things they don't need (no space or closet can go unstuffed) and more vehicles than drivers.

The new thing is having experiences instead of a bunch of possessions that do nothing but weigh you down. I think that will hold for big trucks and SUV's down the road.

I still have way more than I need, but am working on it. There are some things I really value, and I have tried to organize them in a way that I will frequently see and use them. Everything else is being sold or donated. In fact, I am looking forward to the Covid situation improving because there are loads of things I want to get rid of on Craigslist but don't want to deal with people coming to my house.

I have closets and cabinets that are completely empty. It's a great feeling for lots of reasons but keeping piles of crap is a really lousy thing to do to your loved ones because when something happens to you, a massive, horrible burden is left behind.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/stuff.png

The new thing is having experiences instead of a bunch of possessions that do nothing but weigh you down.

Bingo!!! ..... I've always said my home is just a place where I keep my stuff and sleep.

Something else I've never understood is people that take a vacation and you ask them what they did and the answer is "Oh I just sat around the house and slept." ...... That's not a vacation that's more like death.

I doubt many people know this; I sure didn't.

But it would also apply to a huge SUV, not just trucks.

Pete, Midtowner is correct. Many of the lawyers and doctors I know drive large trucks specifically for the tax rebate. In many circles this is known as the "Hummer Deduction" and it's very much part of the equation. Every solo lawyer I know is cashing in on this deduction with a large truck or a very large SUV.

Our culture has become so mired in excess that there is now a big swing back the other way, particularly by younger people.

A recent study showed that people today have 3x as much living space per person as they did in the '60s. And I guarantee you that number in Oklahoma is more like 5x. Families are way smaller and homes are way bigger.

At some point, that trend can't continue and I think we've reached it. So many people with 5,000 square foot homes for 2-4 people, filled to the brim with all kinds of things they don't need (no space or closet can go unstuffed) and more vehicles than drivers.

The new thing is having experiences instead of a bunch of possessions that do nothing but weigh you down. I think that will hold for big trucks and SUV's down the road.

I still have way more than I need, but am working on it. There are some things I really value, and I have tried to organize them in a way that I will frequently see and use them. Everything else is being sold or donated. In fact, I am looking forward to the Covid situation improving because there are loads of things I want to get rid of on Craigslist but don't want to deal with people coming to my house.

I have closets and cabinets that are completely empty. It's a great feeling for lots of reasons but keeping piles of crap is a really lousy thing to do to your loved ones because when something happens to you, a massive, horrible burden is left behind.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/stuff.png

Let me get all deep and sociologicalizationized and suggest that "we" are primarily the children of people who lived through the Depression and WWII. We have been raised on the belief that accumulation of material goods is protection from losing "everything".

I have cubic crap. I own over 60 cars, many of which run! I am the world's worst. I turned 60 a couple years ago and decided that I needed to clear up my stuff by age 70, so my wife won't be burdened with getting rid of it after I die.

Pete, Midtowner is correct. Many of the lawyers and doctors I know drive large trucks specifically for the tax rebate. In many circles this is known as the "Hummer Deduction" and it's very much part of the equation. Every solo lawyer I know is cashing in on this deduction with a large truck or a very large SUV.

But it's not like this is a net gain in cash, the choice to do this is still an image thing. "I got to have the big vehicle with the biggest bling, even though my bottom line would be better served if I bought the modest sedan that fits my means..."

Small male genitalia

But it's not like this is a net gain in cash, the choice to do this is still an image thing. "I got to have the big vehicle with the biggest bling, even though my bottom line would be better served if I bought the modest sedan that fits my means..."

And, you could still buy an SUV rather than a pickup.

Let me get all deep and sociologicalizationized and suggest that "we" are primarily the children of people who lived through the Depression and WWII. We have been raised on the belief that accumulation of material goods is protection from losing "everything".

I have cubic crap. I own over 60 cars, many of which run! I am the world's worst. I turned 60 a couple years ago and decided that I needed to clear up my stuff by age 70, so my wife won't be burdened with getting rid of it after I die.

I know a few years back I went through a pretty significant health scare (the type where the consensus was I wasn't going to be around in 90 days). One of the biggest panics I had during all of this is what my family would have to go through with all the stuff I've acquired over the years. IT guys are the worst about hording because you always think you might be able to use that cable or piece of equipment again at some point (and I often do!). One of the silver linings of the past year is I've been able to make a sizable dent on clearing out a lot of the clutter. But yeah, I really understand the concern about leaving this stuff for your wife to deal with. I still don't have the garage cleared, so hopefully that will be completed this summer.

IT guys are the worst about hording because you always think you might be able to use that cable or piece of equipment again at some point (and I often do!).

i was cleaning my garage the other day and came across my ammo box full of nothing but standard computer power cables. lol. like 15 of them in there. but hey, i actually had been needing one, so i took out three and replaced some that were starting to bend and crack

You guys are funny. Why do you all care what people drive?

I own a ram 1500, and I have driven a truck for most of my life (I had a mazda 3 for a while that was a fun little car to drive). They are, imo, the most versatile vehicle you can own. That old chevy shortwide i used to drive as a teen rode rough, but it was easy to work on. You had that nice bench seat in the middle which allowed for a little extra closeness with the girlfriend. The trucks today are NOTHING like that old truck. My ram rides smoother than any car I have been in. I mean it too. You have to be careful because it's easy to go a little to fast down those old dirt roads cause you don't feel every bump.

The reasons I love owning a truck:
1. Great for Road Trips = The cab is very roomy and I have a cover on the bed which gives me all the room I need hauling luggage/whatever we need for the trip
2. I haul a kayak in the back
3. Nice setup for hauling fishing gear when I'm heading to the lake
4. I can tow our pontoon boat - don't much these days though
5. I can throw just about anything I need in the back from appliances to furniture to hardware for home improvement projects
6. High clearance for those offroad areas
7. 4 wheel drive which helps with the above and inclement weather
8. Good visibility/high stature in traffic
9. Can easily haul all of our camping gear - with kids this is really important not to forget anything lol
10. Tailgate dinners at the lake are really nice especially during the pandemic
11. Fun to drive

I can go on, but I'll leave it there. I still don't understand why people worry so much about this stuff. So what if people park their cars in their driveways. Isn't that the point of a driveway? Who cares that some dude spent 60% of his gross income on an overpriced truck. Does that make the dude happy? Probably so. Why bother yourself with it?

Fat people fit in a truck better than a small car.

You guys are funny. Why do you all care what people drive?

I own a ram 1500, and I have driven a truck for most of my life (I had a mazda 3 for a while that was a fun little car to drive). They are, imo, the most versatile vehicle you can own. That old chevy shortwide i used to drive as a teen rode rough, but it was easy to work on. You had that nice bench seat in the middle which allowed for a little extra closeness with the girlfriend. The trucks today are NOTHING like that old truck. My ram rides smoother than any car I have been in. I mean it too. You have to be careful because it's easy to go a little to fast down those old dirt roads cause you don't feel every bump.

The reasons I love owning a truck:
1. Great for Road Trips = The cab is very roomy and I have a cover on the bed which gives me all the room I need hauling luggage/whatever we need for the trip
2. I haul a kayak in the back
3. Nice setup for hauling fishing gear when I'm heading to the lake
4. I can tow our pontoon boat - don't much these days though
5. I can throw just about anything I need in the back from appliances to furniture to hardware for home improvement projects
6. High clearance for those offroad areas
7. 4 wheel drive which helps with the above and inclement weather
8. Good visibility/high stature in traffic
9. Can easily haul all of our camping gear - with kids this is really important not to forget anything lol
10. Tailgate dinners at the lake are really nice especially during the pandemic
11. Fun to drive

I can go on, but I'll leave it there. I still don't understand why people worry so much about this stuff. So what if people park their cars in their driveways. Isn't that the point of a driveway? Who cares that some dude spent 60% of his gross income on an overpriced truck. Does that make the dude happy? Probably so. Why bother yourself with it?
We have to have something other than COVID to talk about! ;):):)

We have to have something other than COVID to talk about! ;):):)

Ha! I feel like I'm going to have to relearn what else I'm interested in on this board when covid starts to diminish (hopefully!)!

IT guys are the worst about hording because you always think you might be able to use that cable or piece of equipment again at some point (and I often do!).

HAHA.... Yep! I have about a 1 ton box of old VGA cables I've hoarded over the years... I do still use a few of them around the office.... I have finally been able convince myself I can safely throw away all of my RJ11 cords at this point.

I love pickups. As I said I only owned a car for a month, totally wrong vehicle for me and I hated it. Never again. My only real complaint about the new ones is not being able to get a stick shift in the new ones. That is one reason I bought my Tacoma 4 cy manual, SR5. I keep looking at the full size but no stick shifts. Humm not an automatic trans driver.

So, I got laid off in October of last year. Plus our last of 3 kids went to college last year as well. So, we just did a downsize by selling our 3,400 square foot house and moving into an 1,800 square foot house, without a garage. We also sold our garage baby convertible since we live with on-street parking now. So, going through that experience I can attest to the stress reduction the downsize has created. Our problem is my folks have a 4,200 square foot house that they only use about 1,200 square feet of so we ended up using their place as "storage" so we didn't exactly purge as much as we had hoped. My wife has a rather large collection of year round holiday decorations including almost exclusively handmade nutcrackers, smokers, and other decorations all purchased in Europe while she lived there. None of that is going away so I didn't even try to push it. She also developed an obsession with Polish Pottery while there and she has holiday pottery and dishes for just about every season and holiday. We have A LOT of stuff. lol

But, having done the downsizing for our day-to-day living has most definitely been a good experience. In the new house I have a room that I call the study that I get to use for all my stuff and my office. It's a 10x12 bedroom with a decent closet. So, it's actually been fun finding ways to multipurpose things and organize things to have what I need and still make the space available as useful as possible.

We also have scaled back our spending/budgeting to match our lower income with me still not working and having paid off a bunch of debt and bills has been very liberating. We're now living on only my wife's salary which puts us in a position that once I'm working again we are in a much better position to live life debt free and build our wealth rather than running so close to net zero. We always saw the value in making memories with the kids and enjoying life through those experiences, but it was definitely a bit of a tail chase at times financially to make it happen. Now, we can get ahead of it better with our leaner habits and it is not a bad feeling at all. And, after 2020 we definitely see the value in being able to drop back to a minimal level of living when necessary.

So, to bring it back to topic... Unfortunately I don't see myself buying any large trucks or even one of those awesome caddy sedans anytime soon. lol Although we ARE going to get a new camper as our last teardrop camper opened our eyes to the RV travel world and how great it can be. We sold the teardrop right at the beginning of the pandemic so we could upgrade to one with a bathroom and that was more conducive to travelling with dogs. Plus with the possibility we could both be teleworking soon, it would mean we could long-term travel. Another result we came up with because of the pandemic.

HAHA.... Yep! I have about a 1 ton box of old VGA cables I've hoarded over the years... I do still use a few of them around the office.... I have finally been able convince myself I can safely throw away all of my RJ11 cords at this point.

hahahaha. i actually needed an RJ11 just the other day, well my parents did, and luckily i still had one. now i don't have any. guess it means i can finally get rid of the RJ11 crimper, and just keep the RJ45.

hahahaha. i actually needed an RJ11 just the other day, well my parents did, and luckily i still had one. now i don't have any. guess it means i can finally get rid of the RJ11 crimper, and just keep the RJ45.

I was going through my tool bag this weekend and came across my nice punch down tool which I'm still carrying around for some reason even though I haven't had a need for it for 20 years or so.... and I still didn't throw it out.

Moving 9 times in the past 25 years helps cull things, I've found, although I still have about 40-50 small moving boxes of books, CDs, LPs, and DVDs to go through and divide between "sell" and "keep", but after that I'll be pretty much done, and everything will fit nicely into our house with not a lot of empty space left (we have a 1 1/2 car garage, no shed/attic/basement, so the 1/2 garage is where our lawnmower/etc. is kept, along with all those boxes stacked up against one wall).

Does this item spark joy?

Does this item spark joy?
lol, thanks Marie!

One thing about the modern era is that I now have all my music, books, movies, photos, writings and documents (and I have a ton of all that) in electronic form in the cloud that takes exactly zero space.

I have some hardcover books that have special meaning, but not many. And I need to just donate my DVD collection as I already did with hundreds of CD's after they were digitized.

I actually use all that media more in electronic form because I have easy access anywhere, any time. And it's all more organized as well.

I have a ton of tools, but I use them and they are all neatly organized and put away in very nice garage cabinets. (The tile stacked up in the left foreground is one of the items going on Craigslist)

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/garage99.jpg


And because I love to entertain, I have tons of dinnerware and glassware. One of my Covid projects was to install a big hutch in my dining room and get it all on display, so I know exactly what I have -- and it encourages me to use it.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/diningbeforeandafter2.jpg
(before on top and after on bottom; and yes, that's the wallpaper I was groaning about installing in another thread)

I love my things but there is a way to have them and not have clutter and excess. People think I'm already a minimalist but I'm so organized that it's all tucked away while knowing exactly where everything is.

To be fair, I live alone so I have things exactly the way I want without battles over what should stay and go. :)


(BTW, I find this meandering thread one of the most interesting we've had in a while.)

Insane angle on that treadmill, are you into parkour?

Looks great - come to Colorado and clear out my house! Will provide beer!

^

I've thought about offering my org skills to others.

I've learned a lot and those projects are very satisfying.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/garage100.jpg


I also built a shed (using a kit; another Covid project) to hold my lawn equipment and a bunch of other stuff, mainly Christmas items. But it's only about 25% full and I'll be purging a bunch from there and then using it to store my outdoor furniture in the winter.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/shed1.jpg

A shed is on my list for this year - after I financially digest the expensive install of central AC later this month (pretty common for older houses here to not have it). I plan on making it large enough to store both of my motorbikes, as well as comfortably store some of my larger items (lawnmower, outdoor furniture, etc.) so I can get the car into my single car garage. (what was discussed upthread). My only regret with my house purchase was not getting a 2-car garage, but the market was so hot I had to take pretty much whatever I could get a deal signed for that wasn't in a bad neighborhood or in disrepair. I looked at dozens of houses, and every single one of them was under contract within hours of it being listed. Most of the houses on the list my realtor and I didn't even make it to as they were under contract within minutes of her getting the code from the seller's realtor. If I had waited another month or two I would not have been able to get anything. My house has gained $70k in market equity in less than 2 years. So, in hindsight, it would have been nice to score a larger garage, but it was just a luck of the draw on what I could actually even see, much less offer on.

Pete, was that a kit (a la Home Depot, Lowes's) or did you just gather the materials yourself and go for it? nvm - reread your post I see it was a kit. Looks great!

One thing about the modern era is that I now have all my music, books, movies, photos, writings and documents (and I have a ton of all that) in electronic form in the cloud that takes exactly zero space.

I have some hardcover books that have special meaning, but not many. And I need to just donate my DVD collection as I already did with hundreds of CD's after they were digitized.

I actually use all that media more in electronic form because I have easy access anywhere, any time. And it's all more organized as well.

I have a ton of tools, but I use them and they are all neatly organized and put away in very nice garage cabinets. (The tile stacked up in the left foreground is one of the items going on Craigslist)

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/garage99.jpg


And because I love to entertain, I have tons of dinnerware and glassware. One of my Covid projects was to install a big hutch in my dining room and get it all on display, so I know exactly what I have -- and it encourages me to use it.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/diningbeforeandafter2.jpg
(before on top and after on bottom; and yes, that's the wallpaper I was groaning about installing in another thread)

I love my things but there is a way to have them and not have clutter and excess. People think I'm already a minimalist but I'm so organized that it's all tucked away while knowing exactly where everything is.

To be fair, I live alone so I have things exactly the way I want without battles over what should stay and go. :)


(BTW, I find this meandering thread one of the most interesting we've had in a while.)

Lol. I'm finding it very interesting as well.

It would all certainly be easier if it were just me. I could live full time in a camper/RV.

Pete, was that a kit (a la Home Depot, Lowes's) or did you just gather the materials yourself and go for it? nvm - reread your post I see it was a kit. Looks great!

It's a Keter shed that I bought through Sam's.

The material is a blend of wood and plastic fibers and you can actually paint it (black/gray was the way it comes) and drill holes and hang things.

It was a bitch of a project but I took my time and did it without any help; including the base it took 3 days. I have adjustable shelving inside and a slick rail system for hanging things.

And as soon as I moved everything in there, I have systematically starting to cull stuff just because now everything is organized and I can see it. And as I'm undertaking various projects, I can store materials and work-in-progress in there and keep my garage squeaky clean.

I wasn't going to keep the off track going but Pete has so what the hell. LOL! About 6 or 7 years ago when Bikini's was open my wife and I were there one night for dinner. A very common happening. My son-in-law showed up and he and I and a couple other guys shot pool for a couple hours. All this time unknown to us a horrible coincidence was going on at home. The hall bath toilet had 1) clogged and 2) the flush valve had stuck open. So about 3/4 of our house had water soaked carpet and wood flooring when we got home. When we had to move all the stuff we had in closets and stored in the two bedrooms we don't really use we decided to get rid of everything we don't regularly use. It was eye opening how much stuff we got rid of and have never missed. The only semi-hoarding thing we've done since is staying stocked or over stocked on the things that were hard to get last March/April/May. But we had lots of room to store the TP, paper towels and such!

It's a Keter shed that I bought through Sam's.

The material is a blend of wood and plastic fibers and you can actually paint it (black/gray was the way it comes) and drill holes and hang things.

It was a bitch of a project but I took my time and did it without any help; including the base it took 3 days. I have adjustable shelving inside and a slick rail system for hanging things.

And as soon as I moved everything in there, I have systematically starting to cull stuff just because now everything is organized and I can see it. And as I'm undertaking various projects, I can store materials and work-in-progress in there and keep my garage squeaky clean.

Fantastic. I need to adopt your mindset. I have OCD to some degree - but I also have some form of executive dysfunction. So finding the motivation to stay organized is a chore, and when I do I eventually run out of steam; the result is tons of wasted dollars on storage solutions or a mess in the garage because I was in mid-sort when the dysfunction kicked in. Really I need to just go away for the weekend and pay someone to do an "estate sale" while I am gone and get rid of a bunch of stuff, then pay you to organize whatever is leftover with the proceeds. Lol.

Maybe I just need a huge ass truck.

I was talking to a friend who has a great job, doesn't get his hands dirty or is out in the weather.

With a mess of kids, he said they can all get in the truck, luggage too, and just go.

He said we just don't have big American cars anymore and the 4 door pickup has taken up that slot.

I found that to be a rather interesting point.

Works for him.

Pete, do you like the flooring in your garage? Has it held up well to the vehicle weight?

Pete, do you like the flooring in your garage? Has it held up well to the vehicle weight?

Yes.

Just hard to keep clean so that why I bought the mat that my car sits on.

That combination works really well. The floor has been installed for a couple of years and still looks like new.

^

Here are reasons to be bothered by people buying them for no practical reason:

1. Very bad for the environment
2. The weight and bumper height means any sort of collision with a non-monster truck can result in serious damage/injury to the other party
3. They block views of the road and parking lots
4. Most don't fit in garages so they litter driveways and streets
5. They can be viewed as the ultimate expression of excess

I park in my driveway, that’s a problem?

When I lived in California I visited a friend in Oceanside who created an office in their garage and so they parked their car in their driveway. Well, the HOA got wind of this and that wouldn’t stand so they made them park in their garage. Oh, they also couldn’t hang clothes outside to dry either.

When you say massive trucks are you talking about 1/2ton (150s, 1500s) or 3/4 tons (250s, 2500s)?

If you're not using it for work there is 0 need for a F-250. Sure you get those guys who love that diesel and it is 'murica so more power to them. But with you on the F-250 like in the original picture, you don't need it. Just an ego thing.

The F-150s and 1500 Silverado's I 100% understand why having a truck bed is awesome. I do lots of woodworking, golfing, facebook marketplace trading. Truck beds are fantastic for that.

Well one of the nice things about living in the county is no one telling you where you can and cannot park. i could not park my pickup in the garage, why? I dont have one.

Speaking from personal experience, from back in a time period where I walked around a fairly suburban neighborhood a lot the driveway parkers would really only annoy me if they parked down at the bottom of the driveway and blocked the pass through of people going by on the sidewalk.

Speaking from personal experience, from back in a time period where I walked around a fairly suburban neighborhood a lot the driveway parkers would really only annoy me if they parked down at the bottom of the driveway and blocked the pass through of people going by on the sidewalk.

It annoys me to death when the sidewalk is blocked.

Would you like to look our your front door and see 20 cars and trucks or have them all inside garages?

Kids and animals bolt out from behind cars; they also attract thieves to the neighborhood.

When visitors come over, they can park on your driveway instead of the street.


Garages are for vechiles.

I swear, if most people lived in a neighborhood with aircraft hangers attached to their house, they'd fill it with a bunch of junk and park their planes on the street.

Not much to add what everyone else added. Keeping up with the Joneses. And you have those people who think their going to haul stuff but never do. The few times they do adds up to no where near they would spend if you just rented a uhaul a few times a year(and you can get any size truck you want).

Would you like to look our your front door and see 20 cars and trucks or have them all inside garages?

Kids and animals bolt out from behind cars; they also attract thieves to the neighborhood.

When visitors come over, they can park on your driveway instead of the street.


Garages are for vechiles.

I swear, if most people lived in a neighborhood with aircraft hangers attached to their house, they'd fill it with a bunch of junk and park their planes on the street.

And some of those people are also paying for external storage in addition to using their garage as storage.