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The cost of renting something and having to pay for delivery is probably going to be more than just buying it outright and owning it after that for whenever you

The cost of renting something and having to pay for delivery is probably going to be more than just buying it outright and owning it after that for whenever you need it again. Plus, the rental company is undoubtedly going to charge you jacked-up late fees when it turns out you don't get your project done on time and need to keep the tool for another day. When it's so cheap to just go buy a workable tool from Harbor Freight, or a really nice tool from Home Depot, why bother renting some beat-up, abused, crappy tool from a rental place? On top of that, when I need a tool for something, I sure as hell don't want to sign up and have to wait a week for it, I need it now to fix something. I may not use it often, but when I do need it, it's invaluable to have it immediately ready to use.

geebee 11y ago
You've identified why I have so much clutter in my garage and house. I do exactly this - it's cheap to buy most of these tools compared to the cost of renting, and there's a surprising amount of overhead and liability in renting stuff. That said, I do think there's something off about my accounting. I live in SF - the tool may cost X dollars, but what's the yearly rent on the square footage that the tool occupies? Just to sit there unused 99% of the time. I'm starting to rent things not because it's cheaper but because I'm beginning to understand the psychological effects of having too much clutter in a relatively small house. But yeah, renting is really expensive with all kinds of little gotchas, and it's a surprising hassle, too. Almost as much of a hassle as having a lot of clutter around.
- Grishnakh 11y ago
  Instead of renting, it would probably make more sense for you to buy the tool, use it for a while, and when you're done with it, resell it on Craigslist. Given all the hassle that goes with renting (as you mentioned), reselling on CL is probably no more hassle. And you'll wind up saving a lot of money too.

geebee 11y ago

You've identified why I have so much clutter in my garage and house. I do exactly this - it's cheap to buy most of these tools compared to the cost of renting, and there's a surprising amount of overhead and liability in renting stuff. That said, I do think there's something off about my accounting. I live in SF - the tool may cost X dollars, but what's the yearly rent on the square footage that the tool occupies? Just to sit there unused 99% of the time. I'm starting to rent things not because it's cheaper but because I'm beginning to understand the psychological effects of having too much clutter in a relatively small house. But yeah, renting is really expensive with all kinds of little gotchas, and it's a surprising hassle, too. Almost as much of a hassle as having a lot of clutter around.

Grishnakh 11y ago
Instead of renting, it would probably make more sense for you to buy the tool, use it for a while, and when you're done with it, resell it on Craigslist. Given all the hassle that goes with renting (as you mentioned), reselling on CL is probably no more hassle. And you'll wind up saving a lot of money too.