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Post by Handy on Oct 27, 2018 14:14:07 GMT -5
I have owned a one man repair business (me only) for several years and have done a lot of low priced repairs to office equipment. To help keep prices low and have parts on hand, I have saved old equipment to salvage usable parts. I also has a decent, in the beginning, supply of new parts and supplies when I started my business. Back in the "good old days" there weren't that many different machines so I could fix or service devices in a short time. Fast forward 15 years from me starting my business, the variety/model numbers of devices grew so fast I couldn't stock enough parts and supplies except for the top 1/3 rd of the popular devices. What is left is going to the recycler's.
If or when I say I am done, at least I won't have the additional burden of sorting out the junk from what might have some value or be usable.
Most of the machines I took to the recycler still work if there weren't parts missing, but no one wants the machines if they were whole. I got them for free or paid very little for them. I sold lots of parts many years ago so it was a good move at the time but not anymore.
I am mostly posting this to say I need to have my side of the street clean before I can feel free enough to think/do something about ending my marriage. It took me over years to collect enough to make the used parts of the business to pay off so I have a lot of time and emotions in most of the junk I am getting rid of.
I also got a name of a divorce attorney from a business associate.
I realize I am being overly cautious about all of this.
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Post by shamwow on Oct 27, 2018 14:44:51 GMT -5
Over cautious is something only you can determine.
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Post by greatcoastal on Oct 27, 2018 14:48:15 GMT -5
Some of this has been talked about before on here, but it is helpful to bring it up again! You have my empathy when it comes to letting go of so many things, and for what? Going into the unknown? Taking a risk? Reaching a tipping point where anything is going to be better. Maybe even prison?
Myself and others, have stated what it's like to "let it go, and start over". You find yourself looking around the house, and at the children, thinking: I built that, I planted those, I designed that, I purchased those, I picked all of that, I supported all of that, I helped form all of that.
Then you open up closets, look around the garage, the storage shed, the attic, the shared closet, and realize, " It's not worth it, it's all material items, (with sentimental value) I hardly remember most of it, and would do just fine without it. Similar to my spouse and my SM.
[Have you ever had to clear out a parents house after they passed away? All the sentimental things that no one wants anymore? The things that may have had value at one time but now ,no one wants? A lot of it got thrown away, and/or donated.]
Then there where times when ,thinking about it all seemed like a crutch, an excuse, a deterrent towards my own self improvement. Heck, one of the hardest things was thinking about the dog!! All that reverent undivided, selfless love and physical attention! And knowing who looks after the dog the most! Honestly, even that held me back a while. Now the dog is with me and the children, every other week. It's manageable and doable.
You are going through the process, of evaluating in your own mind, what is most important, and finally considering your own joy and putting yourself first for once without feeling the FOG.
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Post by Handy on Oct 27, 2018 18:03:43 GMT -5
GC Myself and others, have stated what it's like to "let it go, and start over". You find yourself looking around the house, and at the children, thinking: I built that, I planted those, I designed that, I purchased those, I picked all of that, I supported all of that, I helped form all of that.That is so true and I think back about how much I worked to get those things and how much labor I put into caring for some things. It mostly seems like a waste of time and money but at the time I got the stuff it seemed like a really good choice.
One time I got $20 for a load of steel but I cut myself fairly long that needed stiches. Well, $258 down the drain and the stiches were only super-glue that only held for 18 hours. I went to the hardware store, bought tape with string filament in it and that held for 2 or 3 days. I do most of my stuff on the cheap so it takes me a long time to get things where I want them. [Have you ever had to clear out a parents house after they passed away?I never cleaned out a parents place but saw one old guy that kept so much interesting stuff there was barely room to sit down. His stuff was not junk but most of it want in a big commercial dumpster. My next project is to find a decently fix=er-upper priced place to live. I can do all of the "fix-it-up" work but I now have a lot of competition, thanks to the TV shows about "flipping houses." One think that is helping me emotionally is I don't get upset about what the W does or doesn't do or say. Am I unplugge? Mostly yes but I am still civil like I would be towards a neighbor.
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Post by saarinista on Nov 23, 2018 2:51:24 GMT -5
Handy, can I just say I'm as impressed as all get out at your ingenuity, thriftiness, resourcefullness and work ethic? Also I think it's wonderful that you're not just throwing everything in a dumpster. I mean from what I understand there are some precious metals in computer and printer Hardware . There is no sense selling copper or gold for for. 04 pound or whatever it is . I imagine a lot of what you have is plastic , but still even that should be recycled safely as well as the CRT displays to avoid polluting our environment . So many people are just wasteful and lazy! It's kind of gross . Thankfully that does not describe you . Witb your knowledge of home repairs, have you thought about flipping houses YOURSELF? I'm not sure where you live, but here in Atlanta, there is a tremendous shortage of decent contractors. I'm sure this isn't the only place where that's the case. You might be able to make some serious money as a flipper. if nothing else, you can accrue equity by getting a fixer upper in a transitioni g neighborhood and dling enhancements as you live there. With all due respect, I think you deserve to have a whole lot more fun than you've been having, my friend. i dont think your wife understands your worth or value from what I've read. Please , don't sell yoursef short. shamwow and greatcoastal, you guys are great too.
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Post by h on Nov 23, 2018 7:52:29 GMT -5
You're not being too cautious. You're being just cautious enough. You're taking steps forward and have started a plan. Great work!
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Post by Handy on Nov 23, 2018 12:09:10 GMT -5
Saarinista, I would like to flip houses but more importantly I would like to buy a flipabale house for MYSELF to live in. I did one house about 8 years ago and my daughter and grand-kids live in it.
I think my best bet now is to keep on scraping my business inventory first, get this house ready to sell and then spend more on looking for my own place. Yes, I can do the work but I am not the most efficient person time wise. It tends to take a long time for me to get things done properly.
If I ever came across another deal like I did when I bought the place where my daughter is living I would jump on it in a nano-second. My childhood sucked and I wanted something better for the grand-kids, so that is why I helped her so much.
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Post by Handy on Nov 23, 2018 14:27:10 GMT -5
Saarinista, I was outside gathering leaves and thought about your recoverable copper and gold comments. Back in the 1980 ans 1990 there might have been more gold on connectors but I don't have enough recyclable material to try to recover the gold. I am guessing the actual gold on connectors is less than it used to be and I think the chemicals and equipment might be something I don't want to deal with money and hazardous material wise. Really old equipment has aluminum heat sinks that are worth salvaging and I have done some of that. Electric motors and transformers have steel and copper in them but the salvage price in my area is $0.07 a pound due to the large amount of steel in each component. Copper wiring has more weight in insulation than the weight of copper but the salvage value varies due to the insulation on the copper wire. Right now I have over 50lbs of insulated copper wire and I am hoping the guy that weighs it will treat me fairly. My personal goals are to reduce consumption reuse itens or recycle items. There is a small segment of society that subscribes to the notion some people are wasteful and using up resources the people in the future will need but be in short supply. The term 'Affluenza' Affluenza, a combination of the words "affluence" and "influenza," is symptomatic of a culture with strong materialistic values, which holds up the accumulation of riches or things as one of the highest achievements. People said to be affected by the condition typically find the very economic success they have been so vigorously chasing ends up leaving them feeling unfulfilled and wishing for yet more – living in a constant state of needing to "keep up with the Joneses." I am not a member of the following organization, but I read some of their information and try to do my "LITTLE" part trying to make things better for the future society.
Edit There is a "Affluenza" book I read.
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Post by saarinista on Nov 24, 2018 1:26:03 GMT -5
Again, Handy , just props to you for your values. If we all lived like you, there wouldn't be a gigantic island of plastic and garbage swirling about the Pacific, etc. Materialism can be a very destructive thing, IMHO. It can destroy the environment and even marriages. Especially when you meet the Jones and find out that they are jerks not worth keeping up with anyway. :-(
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Post by Handy on Nov 24, 2018 20:41:32 GMT -5
I read some place there might be 2 plastic swirls in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic oceans. I was outside Philadelphia and saw a hill that seemed out of place. Well it was a dump, covered with dirt. The area ran out of old land-fill sites so they just piled the trash higher and higher. I really dislike the cities that put trash on a barge and take it out to sea.
I read about personal finance and an appalled at the amount of money some people owe. Student loans are another big problem. I also read about Wall-Street banks and derivatives, credit default swaps, and how banks operate outside the rules-get fined and about the "Federal Reserve, which isn't "Federal" it is a group of private banks, US companies claiming legal status in low tax countries to avoid paying taxes, and how some large companies pay very little tax.
The Canadian "oil tar Sands" situation is a nightmare for the environment.
Maybe I shouldn't worry so much. The Earth is doomed anyway. About 7.6 billion years from now, the sun will reach its maximum size as a red giant: its surface will extend beyond Earth’s orbit today by 20 percent and will shine 3,000 times brighter than it does now.
BTW, the correlation of astro physic and the periodic table is an interesting subject. Those super giant stars when they implode and go "super nova" is the source for all of the gold and the higher atomic weight elements in the universe. Everything started out as hydrogen and helium after the "Big Bang."
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Post by ironhamster on Nov 24, 2018 20:52:02 GMT -5
As I was reading through that I got a bit panicky. I read that as 7.6 million years, not 7.6 billion. Big difference. I'll probably be dead by then.
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Post by greatcoastal on Nov 24, 2018 21:26:39 GMT -5
Am I unplugged? The word you are looking for is 'detached or detachment'. If you google it you can find several helpful articles about detaching yourself from a toxic /dead relationship.
A very important step in moving forward. You may also discover that your W has already begun to detach herself. I hope not, for your sake.( Mine did and was quite proud of it. She was totally oblivious ,to how very little she gave back to THE RELATIONSHIP in the first place.)
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Post by Handy on Nov 24, 2018 21:57:58 GMT -5
GC, my W takes and rarely gives back, so no loss if she detaches more. I long ago gave up on the idea of thinking what the neighbors have or don't have in general. If I have something I think they could use (bike for the young kids)I offer it. If I need help with changing a light bulb on a 20 ft pole I ask for help. When my income tanked, it was my W that was feeling left behind. Me? I knew the neighbors were in debt and they had 2 incomes to our 1 income. ironhamster, read about star formation, the cycles a star goes through, based on its size and during its life. Star size greatly influences what happens to it. As I read, I am told everything other than hydrogen ~75% and helium~25% (Big Bang ratios) comes from stars up to iron, or stars when they die. It is about the conversion of everything around us that started out as hydrogen or helium. I won't say everything about the Big Bang theory is correct but things get more accurate as time marches on.
I now have an opposite situation, how to get rid of some salvaged things from the trash, effectively.
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