can you have "too much stuff"?

A

AdrianStewart

New member
I'm sure this is the "WRONG" place to post this question ...



but I honestly think I have too much stuff!



I found the site last spring, in a year I've got enough stuff to run a small shop ... I do our cars plus 2 or 3 family members since finding this site.



I have a full cabinet full of PoorBoys, I have Optimum stuff, I have SONUS stuff, I have 4 different waxes, I have a full set of pads for both cars, I have NEW pads coming with a 3.5" backin plate, I also have PBs suds and bold-n-bright coming ...



I bought this really cool lil shop vac, I bought the 6pack of stoners, I bought the 100pack of MFs, I also have enough tire gel to shine the entire city police dept, I bought all the megs interior ...



Do I really need a "rotary"? :think2
 
AdrianStewart said:
I honestly think I have too much stuff!
Click to expand...



This is easy, even I know this: No.



If ever you think you've got it bad, check out the pics thread of supplies on a regular basis and you'll think you're normal.
 
Wax alone, I have 24 different types of Carnuaba wax... And I will still buy more, as I really like carnuaba waxes and the different nuances you get from the different waxes. So, even at that, I dont think I have "too much" - my family and friends would disagree though, I think they are looking into getting the men in the white coats to come and take me away! LOL



When I heard the Menzerna stocks were running low, I stock piled my polish and now have easily a couple of litres of each of the Menzernas... And best not get me started on how many gallons of Shampoo Plus and Last Touch I have...



Do folk think I'm nuts? Probably... Do I care? Nope. I'm happy, its my hobby and I'm really enjoying it and I enjoy collecting up my detailing products, especially waxes - if it makes you happy, thats all that counts. :bigups
 
I say YES.



What do you do when all of the chemicals have dried up and wasted because you over-bought?



I dont think anyone here, including myself, cares about this scenario. I know I have "too much stuff".
 
Waxes have a long enough shelf life for me, and the Menz polish which makes up the majority of my polishes has a two year shelf life, and I'll have used up several litres in that time. I do see what you mean in that regard though.
 
Since I've discovered this site, my wallet has been lighter but at the same time I haven't gone crazy with my purchases and I like to plan out what I'm buying to save on shipping. On the other hand, some of the people on here seem to go out and buy something new every time someone gives it a thumbs up. IMO that's how women shop. Most buy on impulse, whereas men tend to think their purchases through. In the end, women get ripped off so badly on everything they buy. If you think some of our car care products are expensive, just go look at the cost of women's cosmetics or any women's products in general.



If you gave a man $500 and the choice of 1 pair of expensive dress shoes or 5 pairs of Nike, the majority would probably go for the Nike's. If you gave a woman $500 and the choice of 1 pair of Monolo Blahniks or 5 pair of Nike's, most would get the Monolo's just for the name brand. Their shopping mentality allows for that kind of designer market to exist. I'm not saying that market doesn't exist for men, but it's on a much smaller scale and prices are nowhere near as over-inflated.
 
I agree, car care products are similar to clothing, but I wouldn't call it impulse buying. Women spend lots of money on clothes I think generally because most women don't have the kinds of hobbies that guys do, and to them the most important thing is looking good, so they will spend more to do it. On the other hand, for us that are here we are car guys and love automobiles. So we use all the various products to make our cars look good because that is important to us. So I think for those people that spend hundreds every year on all the different waxes or polishes feel it's important to them to find the very best product.



That being said, I'm like you, I've done lots of reading on different products and have made my own modest collection of basics that I need. As time goes on I'll try new things every so often, but I'm not going to break the bank buying everything because I feel that what I have is good enough, and I'd rather use my money on other things.
 
This is an intriguing question. After buying a bottle of ICE in November to polish my new Yaris, I stumbled on this forum by happenstance. I joined the forum and posted a question about it. The resulting answers made me consider using something else. I decided to try some NXT based on the reviews and the fact that it was OTC accessbile. I then bought a tin of GC. From there, I bought a tin of #26. I then bought a PC and received a some #80, #83 and #21 as samples. I now use the complete detailer line of Meguairs, purchased by the gallon due to the cost-effectiveness of doing it this way and the consistency of the results. I thought I purchased a few to many microfiber towels until I saw the collection of some of the pics of other of our brethren. I have purchased brushes and various other detailing bits to make the job so much easier. In short, this went from a simple bottle of ICE to polish my new car, to a professional detail center in my garage. Both my and my wife's cars are totally immaculate and she appreciates riding in her clean S60 Volvo. The one down-side is that the neighbors wives are now giving their husbands grief. My popularity suddenly declined with the fellas. I have to admit that I do find myself eyeing other tins of wax; for just as the Scotsman said, "I just like carnuba" and its just a hobby. I find myself rotating among them. When will it ever end? :hm
 
Well, with a user-name like "Accumulator" you can guess where I stand on this one... :o



Oh, and shelf-life isn't much of a concern. I still use products from the 1980s that are fine. Last year I finally finished off a can of #16 that I first opened in the early-mid '90s. I stockpile products that I like as they are often discontinued or "improved" in ways that I don't like.



OTOH...I don't try the latest product-of-the-moment very often and I still use and recommend mostly the same old stuff that I've used for years :nixweiss



BlackElantraGT said:
If you gave a man $500 and the choice of 1 pair of expensive dress shoes or 5 pairs of Nike, the majority would probably go for the Nike's...
Click to expand...



Heh heh, not me! Guess I'm, uhm, different :o Sure not an impulsive sort of buying though...and I like getting decades of wear out of my dress shoes and I'm like that about most of my clothes. Sorry, sorry, it was just one of those analogies that I had to jump on ;)
 
At first I purchased a lot of products looking for 'my' holy grail. At the present time I have found the products that work great for me and as you know most last quite a long time.

The last few years I perferred to 'perfect' the usage of the products I use rather than jump around looking for something better.



Discovering a place like Autopia does give you the 'kid-in-the Candy Store' phenomena. ;)





Money I have saved has gone into my 'go faster' fund. :D
 
Accumulator said:
Well, with a user-name like "Accumulator" you can guess where I stand on this one... :o
Click to expand...

So that's where that comes from!



I occasionally get the impulse to try new products, but try not to go too overboard. If I don't like something I get rid of it at next year's garage sale. I still have a can of #26 from 15-20 years ago, and I'll revisit it this summer!
 
itb76- Heh heh, people always ask if I "collect" cars and other stuff, but as it seldom seems like a deliberate, planned intent I always say "nah, I just *accumulate* them" ;) Guess it goes back to how I was raised, both sides of the family were always like that (I'm *still* using up my late father's detailing stuff and other shop supplies and he's been gone for a long time).
 
i have TOOOO MUCH stuff....



a big 20x20 box full of bottle of stuff I will never use again sits on a shelf, yet I cant bring myself to throw it out...stuff like megs deep crystal system, nano wax, etc - the over the counter stuff....I really need to throw it out
 
Yeah, it's possible to have too much stuff. I know I have too much. And the cost goes beyond how many $ have been spent because all that stuff has to be stored somewhere for who knows how long until it all gets used up. Clutter has the potential to create a mental load that is also "costly." In addition, that space is no longer available for anything else or for any other usage.



For this reason, I've tried to get into the habit of only buying gallon sizes if I really need it and not just because it's cheaper dollars-wise. It's also the reason I'm careful with what I buy at places like Costco.
 
The hard part for me has been switching from a pro to an amateur. For years I made my living doing custom finishes on furniture and architectural ornament. Didn't build it, just lacquered it or faux finished it or gold-leafed it, and had a great excuse to buy any finishing products that caught my eye. Spray guns, every hand sander, a rotary long before PC's were heard of. Mostly used Meg. pro stuff, but would give somebody's recommendation a try, so the products accumulated.



No longer do that, have a ton of stuff left over that I use on Wifey's leased car or her daughter's beater, and use a basic system of minimal products. So I read here of some great something or another, and am tempted...but as a hobby must now be more considerate of the dollars, which is a pain in the neck :)
 
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