Most of the stuff that I am getting rid of is just parts, but they are the hard to find ones. <snip>
I use the same shelving and totes method! I love those shelves. Best bang for the buck I've found. I'm going to be getting a couple of 24" or 30" deep racks and use the 4' beams to make a rack for my motorcycle engines. I actually have a 4' section in my basement that will probably be coming out to make room for a bigger safe, but I don't have the room for the stuff on that section or the funds for the safe yet, so I'll probably end up with six 4' beams that I won't need after it finally happens because I can't wait that long to put the big rack up in the garage.
We got rid of our 2600 several years ago when it became a pain t hook it up to modern TVs. The only vintage gaming system I still have is a Sega Dreamcast with a half dozen games. I get it out every now and then and play it since I have the S-video cable for it. My folks still have our old NES and have asked if I wanted it a few times. We still have our Nintendo Wii as well, but it at least works with our big TV in the basement. No plans to get rid of it yet since there are several games we love to play on it.
Regarding all of the other projects, get rid of the ones that aren't absolutely must do projects. I'm still purging motorcycle parts. I decided to purge everything I could. I had to step back and really evaluate the bikes. Out of the 11 I had, I really only wanted to build six of them and two are getting major customizing so almost all of the parts I was keeping for those bikes could be traded off.
I have to tackle all of my parts and pieces for DIY audio this winter. I'm going to kit together parts for the projects I've decided I'm not going to build and just sell them off on the DIY audio forums. I might recoup $0.75-$0.95 cents on the dollar or break even... I don't really care at this point, I just need the parts out of my totes so the stress is gone.
I sold off a transmission, crank, rods, and heads that I was sitting on. I've also given away parts for other projects, including a set of electric actuator legs to my neighbor so he could build a new desk for his PC. His old desk was rickety and sad. I helped him design his new desk and taught him how to build it. Now he has a really nice, simple desk that is super sturdy and safe. It felt great to help him out and get those things out of my house.
I know it's hard at first, but once you
REALLY look at all the stuff for all those projects, then decide which ones will truly make you happy to finish and enjoy, it's easier to get rid of the rest. It's hard to let the first one go, but once you do, the others are much easier to say goodbye to. The hardest part for me was thinking about the money they might be worth. Then I thought about the hassle of selling them and I put a value on my time and the stress reduction; after that most of it became a loss to sell. I traded off several for things I would enjoy like the vintage Pioneer SX3900 receiver. If I couldn't find a trade, I just got rid of them. I'm still purging, but it's much easier now.