I will give the tool away. It means nothing to me. Others might benefit. The neighbor, in my case, should not feel obligated to give me a present, because I helped him out.
Guilt-free solution- give it to local Habitat for Humanity, and if he ever asks where it is, tell him you don't have any nuts or unions that big, and you hated to see such a fine tool go to waste, so you found a good home for it.
Or if you have any friend's kids going through trade school or apprenticeship, give it to them for a graduation present.
I learned a long time ago to never accept "gifts" from neighbors. Last guy tried to give me a broken week-eater that needed a fuel hose - guess what would have been expected of me once I got it running?
Chuckle. Especially for disorganized people like me. Very frustrating, knowing I own a certain tool, not being able to find it, and running out and buying another one to get a job done. I'm 3-4 deep in some stuff by now. Mostly cheap stuff, thankfully.
I really need to take a week of vacation, have somebody confiscate my car keys, dsl modem, and satt TV box, and do nothing but sort all this crap out. But there is always something more interesting to do than sort stuff. Need me a SWMBO, I guess, since I seem to lack the nesting gene. I wouldn't expect her to do the work or anything, just keep prodding me with a stick.
The trick is to just put the tool back in the same place each time. It doesn't matter if you have your tools scattered in several dozen places about the house, just make sure that each thing goes back to its home when you are done with it.
The biggest problem then becomes training yourself to put things away after a job, but that is a relatively simple 'trick' to learn (certainly easier than going through everything and organizing them, which often leads to CFS).
re: "just make sure that each thing goes back to its home"
In my case, "home" for the vast majority of my hand tools is one of 2 tool boxes.
Since I not only use my tools at home but also away from home (hobbies and volunteer work) most of my hands tools live in a tool box. Sometimes I need a lot of them, so I take the bigger fold-open multi- shelf tool box and sometimes I travel light and just take what I'll need in a smaller tool box.
Of course, once I'm home and need a tool, I have to look in one or the other tool box, depending on what I took along on the last "job". But first, I have to look for the tool boxes! Garage? Shop? Van? Trailer? Sheesh!
Better go see a doctor...I don't recall seeing any man say he needed someone to nag him :o) There are professional organizers who will come in a bring order to a home...my daughter hired one, after I spent about five years resisting the urge to just dig in and take care of it. I did vacuum her furnace ducts and other little things, but felt guilty about that :o) I used to organize my husband's tool closets (condo, no garage) but it isn't worth the punishment....he has filed for divorce, but had a small stroke so I guess things will go slow. Picking up his s--- will be good occupational therapy :o) I didn't wish it on him, it just happened :o)
When my kids were growing up, they had full, unrestricted access to my shop and tools. There was one rule that I applied very strongly: when done with a tool, either put it exactly where you found it OR leave it on my workbench and I'll put it away.
Now that the kids are grown and gone, I have some neighborhood teenagers who occasionally borrow tools. Before they get them, however, they have to recite the #1 rule to me.
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