For me it's not the cost that bugs me when I don't have a part, but rather the disruption to my flow. If I can't get a project done all at once I'm much less likely to ever get it done.
replyNo, this method does not work. I tried, got rid of all those stuff because why would I need it ever again. And of course a month later I needed that one stupid thing right there and then. And I remember throwing away... Not again, I keep at least one cable of each in a separate box to find immediately, the rest is stored, it is not asking for any money.
replyYou’re not replying to the comment.
replyIf you’re using 20 year old hardware, okay - keep 20 year old wires and accessories.
Most are not.
Put an expiration date on your neuroticism. Old dirty stuff can literally consume you.
Ask me how I know!
Yeah, what happens to me is I need a thing, go to Amazon to order it, see that I already bought it 4 years ago, spend 30 minutes trying to find it, then let out a big sigh and order it again.
replyMost recently: a USB to TTL serial adapter.
I have a bin of cables marked "Obsolete". A cable only goes in there if there's absolutely no possibility of it being used for any reason ever again.
replyI use cables from it once every few years.
And whoever needs something else, I give you permission to ignore this fool and keep your box(es) of cables. I don't regret a single thing about my ~8 boxes of cables.
replyFor me, the hardest part is actually figuring out what the cable is called in order to find a replacement.
replyGoogle Lens
replyhardest part was
replyThrowing away proprietary cables is a sin. Throwing away standard commodity USB cables is not so much
replyGive them away to a thrift shop instead. Then you've helped somebody else who will find that cable in the thrift shop. So they can put it on ebay and sell it back to you when you need it two months later.
replyYeah its hard enough when you need a Mini USB cable. When you need the proprietary RS232 cable for an old piece of hardware, at short notice, that stings.
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