Free at last

[tosh]

I've not been around much lately
Various reasons, but the break has cleared my head.

I can confirm I'm no longer an obsessive collector and it feels fantastic.

Today I bought myself a pair of shoes (boots actually) now that's nothing special I agree, however in almost 3yrs I've virtually never spent money, spare money on anything other than MTs/SAKs and it feels great. I feel so liberated. I can only imagine what a smoker feels like when he kicks the habit, well I feel better than that!!

The boots in question were £45 reduced from £110... Bargain! (Clarks Gore-tex) I actually saw them last night when we took my son for new school shoes, I baulked at the price and left them. But I couldn't get them out of my head, so this morning I was at the store first thing......5 minutes later I left the store feeling a real trendy dude.

The bizarre thing is that when I was hooked on MTs and SAKs I wouldn't even blink, not even the slightest hesitation -  just click and pay either cash or overdraft I didn't care. Yet buying anything else seemed utterly wasteful....tragic huh 

I'm really really looking forward to 2015, instead of constantly searching for my next fix I now go for walks, I'm planning a holiday, hoping to decorate our house etc etc all these things just seemed unimportant a few months ago, then all I wanted was more and more MTs and SAKs!!

I'm still interested, looking forward to the new LM Signal and hoping to grab the bladeless MP600 too. But there's no rush if it doesn't happen this year.....well then there's always next year!

 

[Ashley]

Wow!


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[derekmac]

Good on ya tosh!


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[detron]

welcome back, and congrats on the change of view.
after going completely crazy after I got here, I too have tried to quell my obsession.  I still love MTs and SAKs,  but I want to be a well stocked user, not a collector.

I am slimming the collection some, and that actually has made me happier with what I have.

Good luck going forward

[NKlamerus]

Welcome (back) and glad too see you broke the binge. I do the same thing but it's monthly. Tools, screwdrivers, then ratchets, then boots, then truck parts, it never ends!

[tosh]

Cheers for the comments.

@ Detron - Obviosly each to their own, but I've absolutely no intention of getting rid of any of mine. Otherwise the past 3yrs searching/spending will have been totally wasted. Indeed the collection actually provides a very real stark reminder as to how seemingly small interests can very quickly get out of hand.

Besides, it's a hell of a collection for my son when he's older 

[Pacu]

My first year on here i racked up the PSTs. Like Pokemon..gotta get em all. 
Then i got a Blue Farmer...    that beautiful blue alox....

now i only collect when it's a bargain here and there.

[Higgins617]

My first year on here i racked up the PSTs. Like Pokemon..gotta get em all. 
Then i got a Blue Farmer...    that beautiful blue alox....

now i only collect when it's a bargain here and there.

This is me, I don't spend often, but if I see something cheap I really can't help but jump on it. The Bucktool and two Schrades were nothing other than impulse buys thanks to the low prices.

I'm glad to hear you feel better tosh, that's wonderful. And it's great to have you back as well

[kirk13]

Glad to hear you've joined the 12step program

Still nothing wrong with getting a new piece of pocket jewellery,but after a point,that's all they are.

[kkokkolis]

Glad you are in a new phase of your life. Just don't spoil Chako, if we don't buy all the tools, we need someone who does and shares those pics and impressions.

[Steinar]

A hobby should enrich life, not screw with it. 

[tosh]

A hobby should enrich life, not screw with it. 

Very true, but sometimes the hobby is merely a smokescreen to hide other problems, a way of blocking out things in our life that either frustrate or depress us. Depending on how we feel goes someway to how far we take that hobby when things get tough.

I'm no shrink but I think there are parallels between a hobby and an addiction. Its the addiction that can take us away from everyday burdens. In my case I now realise it was an addiction, the signs were there but I couldn't see them.

I don't actually know what the single event was that "woke" me up and snapped me out of it, nor do I want to start analysing to deep. But looking back the patterns were there. The obssesion with photography, then scopes, binoculars, monoculars, tools, power tools and finally MT's & SAK's. Yet looking back at it all each new addition didn't actually get used, nor did it solve anything if that makes sense.

I sincerely hope I never drift back into it. I'm making a very conscientious effort to sample and enjoy the simple things that I've always took for granted.

Wish me luck!   

[Chako]

Sounds like you have a good grasp on your collecting habits, and I am very happy for you Tosh. 

[THE_LONGBOW]

For me I think it is the thrill of the hunt. After finding a tool it goes to hide and I am after the next. It become addictive. I have slowed down my buying the last year also.
Good luck with your will power tosh. Sometimes it is hard to see life beyond the multitool glasses.

[eamo]

it is scary how things can escalate - since joining this forum i can see the allure of collecting MT's, and I have made purchases based on things i've read and seen here. However, I view mine only as tools rather then something "bigger" - still i enjoy possessing the couple i have and I think your story serves as a warning

Well done to you Tosh for seeing the bigger picture, and as you say, you have a legacy for your son which will likely be worth a lot to him, either sentimentally or as an asset.

[Ray S]

Breaking free is all well and good but please do not become the "Imelda Marcos" of the forum!!
Seriously it can become an addiction that is extremely hard to break free of. After over 60 years of acquiring "edged tools" I find it hard to resist one that I come upon.
I've found that it is beneficial to avoid any envoronment that will lead to the acquisition of more; such as antique shops or flea markets or worse:yard sales!
Thinning out is not a good idea in my opinion;it only leads to finding more to replace the culls.There is no cure so my advice would be to learn to live with your addiction.

[pfrsantos]

He turned into a girl, he'll start collecting shoes now!...

 

 

[Monrogue]

Good for you Tosh, and I'm happy you seem to be in a better place in your mind/life   I'm by no means a collector as far as I'm concerned, as I don't think I have enough to really qualify as such.  However, I do have more than the "normal" person who would simply have one or two to use and that's it.  I'm more of a well stocked user as Detron put it. 

However, if I had the funds consistently burning a hole in my pocket, I can bet I'd have considerably more   I used to get movies and video games really, and once discovering MTs/SAKs, I switched to them.  So I kind of get what you mean about the addiction side, and how one can just go from one type of item to the next, and not get much use out of them.  I would like to thin mine out at some point, but it's hard to decide on letting many of them go, even though I'd be fine with a very few of them.  I have significantly slowed down though, and have little desire for much else, unless something new tickles my fancy of course

[gardenvalley]

You can check out any time you like..........

[kirk13]

You can check out any time you like..........

I can see the mirror on the ceiling,but I'm still waiting for my pink champagne on ice

[SAK Guy]

Your situation sounds familiar...
I recently realized that I had 70lbs of SAKs and 12 year old tennis shoes.

Thanks and congrats on your breakthrough!! 

[Higgins617]

You can check out any time you like..........

I can see the mirror on the ceiling,but I'm still waiting for my pink champagne on ice

We are all just prisoners here of our own device?

[Aloha]

Good to hear Tosh that you have moved past that.  It's tough when hobbies become the very ball and chain that brings one down or prohibits one from enjoyment.

I do hope that you will continue to enjoy many things you are interested in and not let them bog you down.  I always enjoy your honesty and contributions thank you for posting this as this may very well help someone else who struggles.   

[kirk13]

You can check out any time you like..........

I can see the mirror on the ceiling,but I'm still waiting for my pink champagne on ice

We are all just prisoners here of our own device?

Unless we're in Bmot's basement

Your situation sounds familiar...
I recently realized that I had 70lbs of SAKs and 12 year old tennis shoes.

But they were comfortable tennis shoes?

[pfrsantos]

Your situation sounds familiar...
I recently realized that I had 70lbs of SAKs and 12 year old tennis shoes.

But they were comfortable tennis shoes?

I want one of those. Mine usually last only 2 years...

[tosh]

I'm not leaving!!
I'm just cutting back......ok stopping

For me it was always the early MTs that drew me in. Along the way I got sidetracked a little 

I'm hoping to get the LM signal and bladeless mp600
Plus I realised I'm missing the Juice SX (original) and camo surge.

If they become available I will buy without hesitation. But I'm not searching for them. 2 reasons really 1) shipping and import duty + Royal Mail  fee's are taking their toll and 2) I always found something else I "needed" when looking for something, and of course had to have it too!!

My finances are a mess at the minute, not surprising - lol, so keeping off ebay.com will save me a fortune.
Hopefully this year I'll start an inventory of what I have, I keep toying with the idea of making myself a book ( real book) adding prices paid etc etc

It's more to back up the collection otherwise my son will wonder what the bloody hell dad was doing.

Your situation sounds familiar...
I recently realized that I had 70lbs of SAKs and 12 year old tennis shoes.

But they were comfortable tennis shoes?

I want one of those. Mine usually last only 2 years...

One?? I think you'll find two is easier 

[pfrsantos]

I'll start with one. If it holds out, I'll get the other.

 

[SAK Guy]

Your situation sounds familiar...
I recently realized that I had 70lbs of SAKs and 12 year old tennis shoes.

But they were comfortable tennis shoes?

I want one of those. Mine usually last only 2 years...

They're Nikes (I'm old so all of 'em are "tennis shoes") and have had parts of their their soles glued back on a bunch of times. The rubber is old and hard as leather which is probably why I slipped on the ice and hyper-extended my knee New Year's day. They look like hell and feel like heaven on my feet.

  Tosh, you're smarter/stronger than I am!

[Monrogue]

You can check out any time you like..........

I can see the mirror on the ceiling,but I'm still waiting for my pink champagne on ice

We are all just prisoners here of our own device?

Unless we're in Bmot's basement

Oh sweet crap, not bmot's basement again

Come to think of it, he has been absent lately hasn't he?  That's gotta mean trouble for some poor fool who ended up in his basement....

[derekmac]

You can check out any time you like..........

I can see the mirror on the ceiling,but I'm still waiting for my pink champagne on ice

We are all just prisoners here of our own device?

Unless we're in Bmot's basement

Oh sweet crap, not bmot's basement again

Come to think of it, he has been absent lately hasn't he?  That's gotta mean trouble for some poor fool who ended up in his basement....

Yer tellin me!  The other bodies are really starting to stink the place up!