The nuts & bolts of things

If you're like me you probably have 1 or more little metal or plastic cabinets with little plastic drawers to store all kinds of hardware and small parts. Problem is like yesterday i needed (2) 5/16 x 1 bolts to hang something and of all the drawers full of stuff had to settle for something that would work as I was not driving into town pandemic or not to buy them. I recently acquired a welding table which is forcing me into rearranging my shop and these bins need moved or eliminated. I bet I could find something I've had for 35 years in one of them. Being raised by depression era grandparents and being basically poor when I left home forced me to save all kinds of stuff for a time. I don't have an issue throwing stuff out or giving it away even though I've got bitten years later because I could have used it but, oh well.
What's everyone else done to maybe keep some fasteners around verses buying stuff as you need it?

My father grew up during the depression so I get the bit about never throw anything away. Would ya believe a couple of the bins hanging on my garage wall date back to my teenage years? Would ya believe they still have some of the same stuff in them?? Every once in a while another one will come to me somehow and that usually triggers a clean up the coffee can and small boxes afternoon.

Lately I've poking around real estate auction sites chasing cheap shop equipment. GoToAuction.com, hibid.com and proxibid.com mostly. There's always some commercial or industrial shop that's liquidating and ya can shop a variety of solutions. One problem here is that often as not they sell the bins with whatever is in them. Dove down the rabbit hole and came up with some examples.

https://www.proxibid.com/asp/Search...+organizer&category=all%20categories

https://witmanauctioneers.hibid.com/catalog/253842/lentz-milling-online-auction/

I could fill a pickup bed with leftover stuff, including a 2-foot square cabinet that's full of fasteners & small trim stuff in coffee cans.
I've started just giving it away to anyone with a Mopar who might need the stuff.
Plans in Spring are to list some of the fairly valuable stuff.
I scored a lot of it 35-40 years ago, wrapped it up, and stored it "just in case".

I got three like this years ago, rarely have to leave the house for hardware.

I use Lista cabinets for stuff like that. You can buy the little red plastic containers that fit in the drawers in different sizes for different parts. I don't allow coffee cans with misc nuts bolts and screws in my shop. I throw that stuff away. If it isn't clean and sorted by size then I get rid of it. When I was a kid my dad kept all his nuts and bolts in old coffee cans. Nothing was sorted by size and most of it was dirty. It took a long time to find anything and your hands were filthy by the time you did find something.

Wow Andy, that pretty swank! I just don't know if I want to maintain and inventory a miniature storehouse. Here's an example. I recently tore something apart and scrapped it. What I have left on my bench are (6) 5/16 x 4" bolts with washers, lock washers, and nuts. Like new. I will likely save the washers and nuts but, will the bolts be too long or too short or wrong diameter next time I need a fastener? That's what I'm seeing lately. The same could be said for plumbing fittings I have saved. Almost never have what I need or just make it work till I make a proper repair. All sounds like poor planning.

i have bags and boxes of new nuts and bolts all over, and have about half of them sorted and in cabinets.
a couple of years ago, i bought two beat up "bolt bins" for $5.00 at an auction because nobody bid on them.
they need some straightening and a few weld tacks to put into shape plus paint to put into service. [someday i'll get around to that ]
when we went to load them after the sale, the first one went into the pickup bed easy as pie.
when the second one was tried to be lifted, it took three men and a boy to get it up there ! found out it was filled with new freeze plugs, hose clamps, and a ton of other stuff ranging from brake hardware to lathe bits. it also had the required dirty, greasy nuts and bolts as a bonus............