Thread Number: 21391
Does anyone else ever get really depressed about their collections? |
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Post# 239370   7/8/2013 at 14:57 (3,916 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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I'm feeling very out of sorts about collecting at the moment. I was in the cellar earlier on putting the dryer on and looked around at all these vacuums and just thought "...urgh!". They're taking up so much room, expense and time when I could be doing something far more productive. I am THIS close to selling any of any value and giving any less valuable but in full working order to charity. The thing is, I've felt like this before and it's gone, but never so strongly.
Does anyone else ever feel like this? If so, what do you do? I don't want to do anything I'm going to regret later. Any advice is greatly appreciated. |
Post# 239373 , Reply# 1   7/8/2013 at 15:10 (3,916 days old) by kenkart ()   |   | |
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Sorry, everything ive ever got rid of I wish I had back, and i have been collecting a long time. |
Post# 239375 , Reply# 2   7/8/2013 at 15:22 (3,916 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa)   |   | |
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I get a bit down about the fact that I have so many in poor condition that I simply do not have the time to overhaul.
Thats all changing. I have been spending so much time getting our new shop setup and running smoothly that its all been put on the back burner. I Just finished building a workshop at home again just for overhauling and rebuilding my collection. I enjoy working on my collection and its a nice stress reliever |
Post# 239377 , Reply# 3   7/8/2013 at 15:24 (3,916 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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wonder 'how it all got here'. I want to/nee to/ have to organize it all. I' know there ias a lot I 'll sell as there are a lot of "multiples". I think about if something were to happen to me. My family would go nuts.
But, I nerver thought I'd ever have these machines, so, I am VERY GLAD to actually have them. So, no, I'm not "out of sorts". Maybe just a tad overwhelmed at times. When it's all documented and displayed, I'll mentally be a lot better. Be careful: everyone is RIGHT when they say, 'You'll regret it later', if you get rid of them. |
Post# 239386 , Reply# 4   7/8/2013 at 15:45 (3,916 days old) by thekirbylover (Warrington, cheshire )   |   | |
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Post# 239388 , Reply# 5   7/8/2013 at 15:57 (3,916 days old) by Ultimatevacman ( Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Hi Chris,
I know how you feel, I was having one of those days a few weeks ago, and it's no so easy to get over when the only place you are allowed to keep you vacuums is in your room, staring at you all the the time. What I did, was think about where those vacuums came from, and all the memories they bring back. Also think, "today, I don't like my vacuums, but tomorrow, I'll love them!". Just make sure you don't get rid of your collection, as you will really regret it if you do. Joe |
Post# 239393 , Reply# 7   7/8/2013 at 16:03 (3,916 days old) by AlexHoovers94 (Manchester UK)   |   | |
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I don't really hate having an "obsession" I have felt a strong interest towards vacuums since I can remember so I don't question it, and if I did question it, it would just lead to more questions!
I know that if I didn't spend my money on vacuum cleaners I would have more money for other things. If my money wasn't spent on vacuums it would just be something else that I would spend the same or more money on...There are far more worse things to spend your money on than vacuum cleaners I.E something that might kill you, like drugs, sex, alcohol, cigarettes. If I normally loose interest in them I get them all out my way (I put them in the loft, shed or garage) so I can forget about them, I could NEVER sell them because if I were (which I knew I would) to get back into them I would regret it, very much! I will leave you with this...You know what they say, you do what is right for you at that time. Good luck! Alex. |
Post# 239400 , Reply# 9   7/8/2013 at 16:47 (3,916 days old) by anthony (leeds uk)   |   | |
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tend to loose interest once i have repaired a machine and am always looking for the next challenge i dont spend a lot just a fiew pounds here and there i do like old vacuums better than new ones its like looking at a modern state of the art telly and then looking at one from say the 50s in a nice walnut cabinet with bakelite knobs no competition for me
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Post# 239411 , Reply# 10   7/8/2013 at 17:47 (3,916 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)   |   | |
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When it got to the point that my parents garage and loft became so chocka with many vacuums I had to draw the line. It is difficult trying to pick your favourites but at the same time, unless you are willing to sell your collection off bit by bit, if I had the chance to do it all again, I wouldn't because I learnt from my experience. I think something changed in me because as I sold off most of my collections, not always at profit I started to collect appliance brochures and vacuum cleaner paraphernalia instead. A couple of magazines is nothing to what I had before when it came to the 100s of vacuums I once owned.
Much more space now and little to fall over! |
Post# 239415 , Reply# 11   7/8/2013 at 18:56 (3,916 days old) by starryblues4u (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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Post# 239431 , Reply# 12   7/8/2013 at 22:05 (3,916 days old) by NYCWriter (New York City)   |   | |
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... let me pose a few questions for you.
Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from life responsibilities? (Work, family, etc.) Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from other activities that you think you might enjoy more? Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from being a more social person? Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from reaching your full potential (starting a business, writing a book, going back to school, etc.) And finally, is the angst you feel about your collection generated externally, or internally? Is it something someone has told you? Are you framing your hobby -- something you love -- in the context of what OTHERS think and expect of you? If you answered "no" to the first four questions, and "yes" to the final question, I believe I can safely assume that your difficulty is worrying too much about what other people think. Enjoy your collection! :) |
Post# 239434 , Reply# 13   7/8/2013 at 22:42 (3,916 days old) by kirbyvertibles (Independence, KS)   |   | |
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Post# 239461 , Reply# 14   7/9/2013 at 09:54 (3,915 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 239474 , Reply# 16   7/9/2013 at 10:59 (3,915 days old) by dysondestijl (east midlands, UK)   |   | |
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I really think I should just get a life but then I realise the joy of finding something in its box with all it's original tools is wonderfull! If you do end up giving a few away then let me know:) |
Post# 239478 , Reply# 17   7/9/2013 at 11:19 (3,915 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Ok, here goes...
Q. Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from life responsibilities? (Work, family, etc.) A. Not necessarilly, but it is something I have to consider a lot. One of the things I want to do in the near future is move house so I'd have to pay more to find someone to keep them all. Q. Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from other activities that you think you might enjoy more? A. Yes. IT's expensive. And rather than spending Ģ30 or Ģ40 on an old vacuum, I could be out doing something far more productive or at the very least, paying off things like my overdraft, credit card etc. I'm also in desperate need of new furniture and could be spending money on that. Q. Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from being a more social person? A. No. Quite the opposite. I've met some of the best people I know through this. Q. Do you think your vacuum hobby is keeping you from reaching your full potential (starting a business, writing a book, going back to school, etc.) A. No. Although my work colleagues do seem to find it hilarious and that can be very distracting/annoying/upsetting at times. Q. And finally, is the angst you feel about your collection generated externally, or internally? Is it something someone has told you? Are you framing your hobby -- something you love -- in the context of what OTHERS think and expect of you? A. Difficult questions. I've had both positive and negative reactions to collecting. I'm not a person who really cares what others think of me. I've firmly accepted my flaws and my positives, and if somebody doesn't like me for it, then I can't really done anything about that. If someone didn't like me for something that wasn't true, then I would be upset about it. But overall, no, I don't think this is a feeling that has been brought on by others. I'm actually feeling a lot better about it today. I'm going down to visit Jon & Jack in the not so distant future. I think being around my close collector friends will do me some good and help me make a decision about whether to carry on collecting or part with the collection. Thanks everyone for all your comments, really appreciate it. |
Post# 239493 , Reply# 20   7/9/2013 at 14:04 (3,915 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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my home. I TRULY enjoy enjoying them with my friends whom I invite here often. I liked so many of them as a child, that know, it;'s great to look around them and see so many of them . I just really need to store and display them properly. Long gone is the need/plan to hide them from public view. My family and friends all know about them. It certainly has invoked quite interesting discussions .To those who don't understand, appreciate them OR "ME", for that matter, can simply "Go and fry ice".
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Post# 239495 , Reply# 21   7/9/2013 at 14:30 (3,915 days old) by Ultimatevacman ( Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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I've had a few surprised reactions from my friends at school about me collecting vacuums, I don't tell them, only when thy come to my house and ask "what are they doing here?" I just explain. Some of them find it weird, which if I'm honest, it is, but that's not going to stop me collecting, as I enjoy my vacuums, and I'm looking forward to my collection growing and getting bigger.
Joe |
Post# 239504 , Reply# 22   7/9/2013 at 15:05 (3,915 days old) by AlexHoovers94 (Manchester UK)   |   | |
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Well, to quote Norman Bates from Psycho..."We all go a little mad sometimes!"
Maybe we are all mad on here, all the time! Haha. I don't really think it should be something to dwell on, otherwise it will make you feel more depressed. You just need to think to yourself that it is your hobby and accept it and don't question it. Alex. |
Post# 239507 , Reply# 23   7/9/2013 at 15:20 (3,915 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland)   |   | |
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Post# 239531 , Reply# 24   7/9/2013 at 18:57 (3,915 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)   |   | |
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Turbo 500 -
I think everyone has contributed excellent input about this. Matt's questions to you seem really helpful, primarily because they isolate the issue to how you relate to this hobby and to the world at large, and how you see your collecting.
Long ago, I made the decision to limit my collection, first because of practicality, and later because I LIKED the freedom and room that a smaller collection gave me. Much like Whirlpolf, I liked the results of having a smaller collection, and I USE what I have left of my collection. Though I admire others' collections, I would not want to be saddled with finding the space it takes to house them all. I have seen other collectors go through agony and misery when they HAD to downsize. I made the decision to keep most of my paper collection, which takes up far less room. However, I do get seized by the "bug" now and then and just can't pass up a vacuum that calls my name. Those times are far fewer than they used to be.
I wish you best of luck in deciding what you will do (or IF you will do anything about it). Sounds like you are feeling better about it, anyway. |
Post# 239565 , Reply# 27   7/10/2013 at 02:15 (3,915 days old) by cb123 (Mobile, Al.)   |   | |
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If it helps to keep a muzzle out of your mouth, perhaps all out collecting may consequently be cheaper than a funeral. But on the other hand if it makes you want to drop the boom on yourself, then by all means rid yourself of the temptation at once. Don't be rash, nor hasty in your reasoning, for what done is done as sure as a chainsaw accident. Molder over it a while longer and just maybe the sun will be all the brighter tomorrow. You'll make it somehow, you always do. Good luck!
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Post# 239570 , Reply# 28   7/10/2013 at 04:17 (3,915 days old) by mjm0424 (Chicago suburbs)   |   | |
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Do you enjoy working on them,fixing the broken ones,with parts you come across? It's no different than people who collect stamps,dolls,jewelry,etc. Jay Leno has a warehouse full of classic cars.Keep them if you enjoy them.If you want to sell certain ones,sell them,& buy something else you want.I use mine in my business,& the older ones;are better than any of that plastic that they make today. I keep the repair parts in the basement,so the house isn't cluttered. Don't get rid of something because someone else's opinion. My best friend constantly tells me my basement is cluttered,my mid-century furniture,& appliances,are outdated.I tell him "you're Hyacinth,& I'm Daisy".We'll never agree on this subject,but he doesn't live here I do, & as long as I'm happy that's what matters.
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Post# 239575 , Reply# 29   7/10/2013 at 05:42 (3,915 days old) by NYCWriter (New York City)   |   | |
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... just remember this: it's a very narrow line between being a collection enthusiast and a hoarder.
My list of questions above assumes that the collection itself is not an issue, but rather how it may impact YOUR daily life. It is entirely possible, however, for the collection to get out of hand and take over your life. I'm sure we've all seen "Hoarders" on HGTV (or one of those cable channels). If you haven't, watch an episode or two. If you see yourself in the screen -- or even glimmers of yourself, sharing the same psychological traits -- now is the time to take a serious self-examination. I was just having a conversation with a new guy I'm dating (***smile***). We discussed our mutual love of old things, and he accurately put a name to something that I know I've had for quite a long time: "separation anxiety". It's when we cannot bear to part with anything because it feels too much of an extension of ourselves. Now, I don't have collections per se, but I was starting to see myself going down a bad path. I'm a huge audio aficionado. Ebay has given me the opportunity to own the very esoteric stereo equipment of my youth that I was never able to afford when it was new. I never got too far, but at one point in my smallish 2-bedroom Brooklyn Heights apartment, I had two receivers, two amplifiers, a tuner, 2 tape decks, 6 speakers, and four turntables. One receiver I bought back when I was only 14 years old -- brand new -- and it took me an entire summer's worth of grass cutting to save up for it. That I will never part with. I settled on a Kenwood amp, tuner, and tape deck ... kept my circa-'90s Yamaha CD player ... and selected ONE turntable to keep (a 1967 Garrard) ... and gave everything else away to good homes. One of the turntables was hard to part with; it had been a birthday present from my parents. It was a top-of-the-line BSR (as top of the line as BSR ever could get -- sort of like a top-of-the-line Chevrolet) that was rebadged as a "Zenith". I accidentally broke the dust cover in the back by hyper-extending the hinges (it was actually quite well-built with high-quality metal hinges, but a critical design flaw was that the metal was screwed into a weak area of the plastic). Anyway, my dad, the consummate woodworker, fixed it up by installing a thin piece of wood along the entire back end, staining it to match the rest of the cabinet, and re-installing the hinge. To this day, I feel a slight pang of guilt for giving it away. It was a gift from my parents -- and my dad even put his own work into it. But I had no room or use for it. Should I have given it away? Probably not. But what's done is done. That was 10 years ago, and it still bothers me. Maybe I have more of a problem in my head than I'm letting on, if such a small thing is still bothering me after a decade. But I do know this: I have a tendency to attach too much importance to things people give me; it's really a misplaced channelling of my affection for them. I feel like discarding something I've been given by someone who loves me is like throwing away a piece of THEM. It's not healthy. But the fact that I recognize it, I think, means I've got it in check. Living in an apartment in New York precludes me from getting too far along in accumulating stuff; I have a small-ish "walk-in" closet in my back hallway (I call it more of a "step-in" than a "walk-in") that is crammed to the gills (but exceedingly organized, in those nice colored boxes from The Container Store). I don't have a basement, attic, spare room, or 3-car garage to keep stuff. Hell, I can barely keep Christmas decorations from year to year; this is why New Yorkers are so big on REAL Christmas trees (and wreaths and garland); we have nowhere to store artificial ones. Anyway, back to "separation anxiety". I believe it's more common among single gay men than in everyone else, for obvious reasons. We all, to some degree, like to hang on to something from our past, if not as a security blanket, but for continuity's sake. Straight married people have their spouses and children to take them through their life's journey. Single guys like me ... not so much. It's just me and my kitty, alone in the world. And if that swing-arm lamp from my childhood bedroom that I'm now using in my kitchen brings me comfort and keeps me grounded, so be it. Just a few thoughts ... |
Post# 239761 , Reply# 31   7/11/2013 at 06:41 (3,914 days old) by midcenturyfan (Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England)   |   | |
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I find that having more than one hobby helps. I collect classic cars as well as vacuum cleaners. If I get sick of one hobby for a while, then I can think about the other.
I have twelve classic cars and approximately eighty five vacuums. I think that is a good start, but there are plenty more that I would like. One thing about being a collector is that it is not what you have that is the most interesting, it is the thing that you hope to find. At least vacuum cleaners are not like animals. You can leave them unattended until you want to look at them again and they don't come to any harm. |
Post# 239784 , Reply# 33   7/11/2013 at 13:33 (3,913 days old) by ultraperformer (Derbyshire, UK, Europe)   |   | |
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Chris, first off I'm glad you say you're feeling better, personally when the weather is nice I can't be bothered with any of my vacuums I'd rather be outside. I still like to come on here and look what's new. My vacuums are all in the loft apart from one that I'm using daily, I think this helps as I don't have to look at them at all unless I want to, could you move yours to the loft? Come winter (shudders at the thought) I get more into it again. At least you know the money is invested in them and not blown on alcohol/drugs etc that you'll never get back maybe you could sell your least favourite vacuum and see how you feel that's what I do when I get a new one and feel that I'm amassing too many,
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