Key for me is to "group" cables. For example, I have a bag of USB-C cables, a bag of USB-A cables, etc.
Grouping them is key to deduplicating.
It's easy to look at a single legacy USB A-to-B "printer" cable in isolation and think "I might need this someday!" Because you really might need it someday. However, if you group them you might see that you have ten of them. And then you can get rid of... maybe 8 of them.
I also (mostly) put individual cables into baggies. You can get clear 2mil generic ziploc style baggies for super cheap on Amazon or elsewhere. $15 for 200 or something. Prvents tangles and way less effort than wrapping or tying them.
booty
Recently, I was screwed by my big box of cables, when I pulled out a SATA power connector for my modular power supply, and learned very quickly that though the ports universally fit across modular PSUs, the pinouts are not actually intercompatible, and you can and will fry your hard drives.
I didn't know this; I had foolishly assumed that SATA power connectors were standardized on both ends.
SmasherEpilepti
I wish the old cables, gear, etc. I have squirreled-away stopped saving Customers' and friends' asses because I could feel good about getting rid of it.
We've been unspooling the stash of wood off-cuts, bits of copper pipe, and misc. broken or trash-picked parts from my late grandfather's workshop for the last few years. He always seemed to have materials at-hand to fix anything and, as a kid, I was in awe of that. Now I understand why.
I hope I can leave less stuff for my daughter to poke thru, but at the same time I want to be like my grandfather, seemingly being able to fix anything immediately.
EvanAnderson
> They've been in the bottom for 10+ years. So, "when are you ever gonna use these?" was today. Don't ever let anyone take your Big Box of Cables away.
The fact that you haven't used those cables in 10+ years doesn't mean that you haven't used the Big Box of Cables in 10+ years. "Declutter" advice doesn't work for needs like cables, auto maintenance, or cooking where doing the thing means you need a huge variety of tools/supplies on hand. Maybe you haven't used a USB 3.0 micro cable in years, but you use some cable every day.
If you pull some cable from the big box (multiple drawers labeled separately as USB, network, display, audio/RF, serial, AC, wall warts, and misc for me), you're using the box. If you haven't made a recipe that requires majoram in forever, but you cook and eat every day, it's perfectly reasonable to have a bunch of spice jars. And maybe you haven't used that 3-jaw gear puller you "customized" for a tight fit with an angle grinder since that timing belt change in 2019... but cars still need constant maintenance.
If you have given up the hacker lifestyle, and have decluttered your devices to a single iPad and a phone, both with wireless chargers, and think you'll never need a cable again...I pity you. But sure, give up the box of cables. But if you're constantly connecting and disconnecting things from other things, the combinatorics go up really fast and you need lots of cables.
LeifCarrotson
In 2021 I cut the end off a USB cable to expose the power leads which I scotch taped to the power meter on my bike to charge it. I kept that cable. In 2024 I used it to add USB disconnects to the light strip I attached to the bottom of my son's crib, allowing me to keep the light strip intact when we lowered the base from the baby height to the toddler height. A week later we got rid of the strip because we really didn't need the light like that any more. Still, no regrets. This was my version of using every part of the buffalo.
1-more
I feel seen.
When my wife and I moved into a new house, my big box of cables got sorted into several smaller boxes of cables, and an "other" bin.
I also have a travel bag of meticulously packed USB cables of all kinds.
3 times in the last month, I produced exactly the right cable for helping her set up some older hardware at her office at her small business.
The kinds of cables lesser men would have thrown away long ago.
RajT88
I decided years ago to limit myself to just one box of cables... So then I ended up having to keep finding a bigger and bigger box to switch them to.
One thing that bothers me though (or an excuse my brain uses to justify it maybe) is that it feels so wasteful to dump so many cables that will probably end up in landfill when I know there's someone out there who could make use of them.
If anyone has a suggestion on that or can tell me about the pop up local cable donation swap initiative I haven't heard of them that would be welcome.
kingrolo
You’re not serious about it if you only have one box
random3
Whoever does need it, I give you permission to throw out all your old cables, power adapters, and routers. Yes, on the off chance you do decide you need a Palm III dock, Linksys WRT54G, or Sony PSP charger that means you'd have to buy one on Ebay, but you can cross that $10 bridge if it actually happens.
VariousPrograms
Hot tip - buy a box of small / medium zip lock bags and bag them all up. Duplicates in the same bag are ok (10cm / USB-C) etc.
For the last 10 years my "techno box" has been a box of bags - the cables don't get tangled and small bits (adaptors / notes) get to live with the cables. Its one of the rare few home environment hacks I actually have!
comments (10)
Grouping them is key to deduplicating.
It's easy to look at a single legacy USB A-to-B "printer" cable in isolation and think "I might need this someday!" Because you really might need it someday. However, if you group them you might see that you have ten of them. And then you can get rid of... maybe 8 of them.
I also (mostly) put individual cables into baggies. You can get clear 2mil generic ziploc style baggies for super cheap on Amazon or elsewhere. $15 for 200 or something. Prvents tangles and way less effort than wrapping or tying them.
booty
I didn't know this; I had foolishly assumed that SATA power connectors were standardized on both ends.
SmasherEpilepti
We've been unspooling the stash of wood off-cuts, bits of copper pipe, and misc. broken or trash-picked parts from my late grandfather's workshop for the last few years. He always seemed to have materials at-hand to fix anything and, as a kid, I was in awe of that. Now I understand why.
I hope I can leave less stuff for my daughter to poke thru, but at the same time I want to be like my grandfather, seemingly being able to fix anything immediately.
EvanAnderson
The fact that you haven't used those cables in 10+ years doesn't mean that you haven't used the Big Box of Cables in 10+ years. "Declutter" advice doesn't work for needs like cables, auto maintenance, or cooking where doing the thing means you need a huge variety of tools/supplies on hand. Maybe you haven't used a USB 3.0 micro cable in years, but you use some cable every day.
If you pull some cable from the big box (multiple drawers labeled separately as USB, network, display, audio/RF, serial, AC, wall warts, and misc for me), you're using the box. If you haven't made a recipe that requires majoram in forever, but you cook and eat every day, it's perfectly reasonable to have a bunch of spice jars. And maybe you haven't used that 3-jaw gear puller you "customized" for a tight fit with an angle grinder since that timing belt change in 2019... but cars still need constant maintenance.
If you have given up the hacker lifestyle, and have decluttered your devices to a single iPad and a phone, both with wireless chargers, and think you'll never need a cable again...I pity you. But sure, give up the box of cables. But if you're constantly connecting and disconnecting things from other things, the combinatorics go up really fast and you need lots of cables.
LeifCarrotson
1-more
When my wife and I moved into a new house, my big box of cables got sorted into several smaller boxes of cables, and an "other" bin.
I also have a travel bag of meticulously packed USB cables of all kinds.
3 times in the last month, I produced exactly the right cable for helping her set up some older hardware at her office at her small business.
The kinds of cables lesser men would have thrown away long ago.
RajT88
One thing that bothers me though (or an excuse my brain uses to justify it maybe) is that it feels so wasteful to dump so many cables that will probably end up in landfill when I know there's someone out there who could make use of them.
If anyone has a suggestion on that or can tell me about the pop up local cable donation swap initiative I haven't heard of them that would be welcome.
kingrolo
random3
VariousPrograms
For the last 10 years my "techno box" has been a box of bags - the cables don't get tangled and small bits (adaptors / notes) get to live with the cables. Its one of the rare few home environment hacks I actually have!
piqufoh