Reader Gary A wrote in with this story. I am always all-ears with stories that validate my hoarding instincts:
Finally, after years of “Why are you saving that …?,” I’ve been vindicated! My father always put leftover screws, parts, and other components aside because he “might need them some day.” I’ve always done the same. Well, some day finally came and neither my wife nor kids have apologized yet for 50 years of chastisement!
The post at the top of the above image was a “rivet” type (aluminum) fastener which failed. Before I headed off to the hardware store, I pulled out my “I might need that one day” stash and couldn’t have been more correct. I had saved several bolts from a canopy tent that had been destroyed in the wind. The bolts were the perfect size and length to make the repair! See, I told them so!