2019 resolution - shopping my own bag and wallet collection. Any one else?

[pdxhb]

Here, too. They have pruned back the limbs that overhang our property. But the trees are so very tall that when there's a heavy storm with wind, limbs from their side can potentially break and blow over to our side, since their trees are right up against our fence. At least, that's what we think happened in this case.

I do agree with the laws that protect trees, but sometimes the municipalities can get overly aggressive.

Makes sense - I'd be eyeing those trees nervously.
Our neighbors also have two TALL firs which deposit pitch and needles with abandon onto all of the nearby properties. I am just waiting for one of them to go down in a storm. Crossing fingers it's not on a house or on a person when it happens.

 

[pdxhb]

We have the same law in California about trees. The problem is that redwoods are huge! The part that hangs over my fence is at least 2 stories up! Sometimes I wish my neighbors would prune the parts of my trees that hang over their fence. It is much harder cutting it on my side and trying to keep it from falling in their yard. Once another neighbor pruned my fruit tree and then tossed all the cuttings, including unripe fruit, back over the fence onto our side.

Oh boy - I understand that pain! They get so dang tall here too. I hope that the tossed branches and fruit were tossed....nicely?

 

[whateve]

Oh boy - I understand that pain! They get so dang tall here too. I hope that the tossed branches and fruit were tossed....nicely?

I can't imagine how it could have been nicely! I have a pet that shouldn't be eating fruit so it was lucky I got to them first. It was a mess cleaning it up because the fruit and leaves had already fallen off the branches. We usually prune that tree after the season is over.

 

[pdxhb]

I can't imagine how it could have been nicely! I have a pet that shouldn't be eating fruit so it was lucky I got to them first. It was a mess cleaning it up because the fruit and leaves had already fallen off the branches. We usually prune that tree after the season is over.

Ugh - no good! Glad you could get to it in time.
Our neighbor with the tall trees is also prone to tossing things in our planting areas near the curb. It's astonishing to me that tossing anything onto someone's property seems OK.

 

[ElainePG]

Ugh - no good! Glad you could get to it in time.
Our neighbor with the tall trees is also prone to tossing things in our planting areas near the curb. It's astonishing to me that tossing anything onto someone's property seems OK.

It's so annoying to have rude neighbors, isn't it? We're actually pretty fortunately that the lady with the redwoods is quite nice about it all. When there's any sort of problem, she never argues with us... she just sends her son over to deal with it. It's a good thing her son is a contractor... he has a truck, and power tools, and a crew. If she ever sells, and the new owner doesn't have a son like that, we'll be in big trouble!

 

[ElainePG]

8 of 10 in 31
One of my 3 newest bags - now I've carried all 3
I bought it in September. It was made around 1990 in the US.
Coach Ranch bag. I had wanted this style for a long time.
The London hangtag I got from another tpfer. I traded Las Vegas for it.View attachment 4316463

This bag is fabulous. Such a classic. Did you need to rehab it? It looks as though it's in terrific condition.

 

[ElainePG]

We have the same law in California about trees. The problem is that redwoods are huge! The part that hangs over my fence is at least 2 stories up! Sometimes I wish my neighbors would prune the parts of my trees that hang over their fence. It is much harder cutting it on my side and trying to keep it from falling in their yard. Once another neighbor pruned my fruit tree and then tossed all the cuttings, including unripe fruit, back over the fence onto our side.

What kind of person DOES that???

 

[catsinthebag]

Interesting discussion about clutter-clearing! When I read Marie Kondo's first book a few years ago there were some things that resonated for me, and others that didn't. I definitely was NOT motivated to go through my entire house, tossing things out just for the heck of it. But I was motivated, at the start, to take a good hard look at my wardrobe. And that's when I joined this thread... which was a real plus!

Now I go through my wardrobe several times a year. For me, it's not a "one and done" process.

Regarding things other than clothes, I do think there's a big difference between clutter and collecting. Someone might (f'rinstance) have a collection of art glass, beautifully displayed in the living room, or a collection of vintage rhinestone brooches tucked away in a bureau drawer, or a collection of cookbooks inherited from a favorite grandmother on a shelf in the kitchen. It would make no sense to get rid of any of these collection, in the name of "minimalism."

Clutter, on the other hand, is what ultimately gives me a headache. I don't tend to leave stuff out... I tuck it out of sight in filing cabinets, closets, or drawers. Then, because it's out of sight, it accumulates until it finally reaches critical mass. But this can take a long time! Last week I tackled the file cabinet next to my desk... when I was finished, I had a two-foot-high stack of old documents to be either tossed or shredded. It's not as though the file cabinet was bulging at the seams, but getting rid of those documents was, I must say, a very freeing feeling.

I will confess that I tend to accumulate clutter. I don’t automatically put things away out of sight because then I forget about them. I’ve had to train my DH (who is one of the neatest, most organized people I know) that there’s a method to my madness, at least sometimes. Like, if I have to return something, I’ll leave the receipt out on the dresser or the counter to remind myself. I’ll leave medications that need refilling out as a reminder as well. It goes completely against his natural tendencies to put things away so we butt heads sometimes. But there are also times when I don’t put things away because it’s work. I’m not naturally neat so it’s an effort to not be cluttered.

Clean, OTOH, is a completely different matter! He leaves dirty dishes on the counter and in the sink and I always put them directly into the dishwasher. Same with laundry — what is so hard about putting it right into the basket? Drives me nuts! Seriously, though — it’s interesting to me that those two things — neat vs. clean — can translate so differently!

 

[Sparkletastic]

Sparkletastic, you are an awesome story teller. Wow, that is an aggressive gutting of both your books and your collectibles (so brave.) Can you put the funds towards purchasing something for your new house, selected by both you and Mr. Sparkle (once you recover from the shock of today, of course?) I still love your LV Lockme II BB, by the way. Sending hugs

Thanks for the love. Lol! But, nope. All proceeds will go to meeeeeee! I got a whopping $25.80 at Half Priced Books. Ugh! I should have sold those books on eBay! Lol!

I really like how you tell stories Sparkle!! I was laughing reading your post. [emoji16]

Thanks, @msd_bags. Lol! I love to laugh and it was hilarious. So I’m glad I spurred laughter in you too!

I also love hearing your stories!!!! Do you get to replace any of the books you are getting rid of?? You really are doing so much to declutter!

OMG! I sooooo wanted to get more books. But, instead we’re getting upgraded Kindles. They have a program where you send your old one in and get current value towards a new one plus 25% off!!

Argh! What a sad experience! I can part with some of my books easier than my collectibles! I love the idea that you had a Star Trek themed room. At one time, we kept saying we were going to have an Addams Family room, but we never did.

Oooooh! Addams Family would be so cool!!!!
In my old house I went fill out on the 90’s/early aughts trend of theme rooms as interior design. Start Trek themed media room, Ancient Mayan themed game room, Princess DD’s room and sports DS room. As the kids grew I redecorates their rooms into non themey decor. Same for the game room. My beloved Star Trek was last to go when we sold.
But, that era is over so I’m not (totally) mad about the new direction. It was time
to let the stuff go.

Did you buy any books while there? lol

I wanted to!!! LOL!

@Sparkletastic , you are toooo funny! I'm laughing and smh as I type this.

Poor you, having to divest yourself of books. And the Star Trek collectibles too??? Eek! There will be some gleeful eBayers circling your seller page like hungry sharks, for sure.

I'll betcha there's one Kondo step you didn't take, though. When you divest yourself of something, you're apparently supposed to "thank it and say goodbye." I always forget to do this step (I just make sure it's clean, fold it neatly, and put it in the give-away box), but even if I remembered, I honestly can't see myself doing it. I'd feel a little silly.

OMG! No I did not thank any inanimate object when I folded or eliminated them. Lol! I just can’t.

Sparkle, I love reading your posts! Good job on the decluttering, but ... well, it seems a little one-sided to me. What is Mr. Sparkle giving up in this purge? Or is he one of those (annoying) people who never seems to accumulate stuff?

See...um...well... I had sorta pitched some of his stuff while he was on a business trip sooooooo... Let’s just say the world is a better place without 10 bazilliondy chess strategy books, 1990’s pocket squares and Duke Univ hoodies around. LOL!
That being said, we are both pretty manically neat and anti hoarding. So, we are good at keeping each other honest.

Stay safe, everyone! Sparkle, I loved your post! When I sold my house five years ago, I had to do a major un-haul too. I moved 15 cases of books and probably got rid of that many too. I’ve got an even bigger move in about four years when I retire, and I’m already steeling myself for that purge. My selfie will look like yours.

How does stuff multiply over the years? Just like a person can go “nose blind” I think we can all go “stuff blind” and not see when we don’t need things.

My friends, indulge me with my soap box...

With all this talk of Marie Kondo, I don't really understand why people get so caught up.

Surely people have always routinely decluttered? "Spring cleaning" is a thing for a reason. I routinely take stock of things and do clear outs.

But I have never konmari'd all my possessions. I know how much space I have everywhere. When I run out of space for any one category of things, say books, or pens, or shoes, or bags - I take stock, throw / donate some things, operate a one in one out policy and besides that I don't worry too much.

A drive for minimalism irrespective of need doesn’t resonate. If you have the space and resources and things are in good condition then you don’t need to pare it back a lot (in my opinion).

After all Marie Kondo started by advising on how to declutter to fit life into tiny Japanese living spaces. That’s why everything in Muji is so compact and space conscious as well. If you live elsewhere with more space, the cultural context does not carry well.

A large living space with hardly anything in it can look as bad as a small living space that’s over cluttered.

In my opinion.

Whatdyafink?

<climbs carefully off her soap box>

Funny you should ask. I had the same thought at first.

I think it’s less “caught up” than exploring a really fun approach to managing household items. As I mentioned above, Mr. S. and I are certifiable (-bly crazy) neat / clean freaks. So, we never have clutter. But, even well organized, nearly placed, super well cleaned items can lose their usefulness over time and become junk that needs to go. Different life stages, changing household memebers, new locations and climates, evolving fashion trends, category busting technology changes, etc. necessitate (IMHO) that some items need to move on. For example a year and a half ago, I moved from a ridiculously grey, cold, icy and snowy environment to a wonderfully warm, sunny, temperate climate. So, my previously critically necessary 20+ pairs of gloves instantly became junk that needed to exit stage left with the move. (I will never, no not EVER move anywhere cold again!!!!)

Technology and trends in particular can cause a seismic shift that means a wholesale purge. 20 years ago there were no e-readers. So, it made sense for me to buy lots of books. Now, we have e-readers and, I don’t want to give up wall space in my new house that could have pretty, on trend decor to unnecessary bookshelves. Same with my collectibles. I had a super cool media room. But it’s not 2002. LOL! Themed rooms are passé. So, all the previously thoughtfully & well displayed collectibles just don’t have a home.

I’m more of a large space with purposeful decor and no extraneous crap kind of gal. So, minimalism - in that I don’t want anything I’m not using / giddily enjoying - very much resonates with me even in the great state of Texas where they (have I been adopted yet? Lol!) do everything big. It’s like with my bags. Yea. I could keep 15 extra bags that I love but, don’t wear. But, why? Same thing to every other category in my house. It’s fun to get down to the great things and not have other stuff in the way - however neatly stored or displayed.

Just different strokes for different folks. My mother is the opposite of me. OMG! She wouldn’t part with a used toothpick! And, it’s all in a (horrifying to me) mess. My friend, that I call my evil twin, has a home like a well run warehouse. I bet she has every thing under the planet from pink hairpins to the Holy Grail and it’s all carefully stored and catalogued. I just can’t do it. If I’m not using it, it needs to go. If I am using it, I want the latest and greatest way to enjoy having it (neatly) live with me.

When spring comes up, we should all share our favorite cleaning / organizing tips!

 

[Nibb]

Bag #7 Orange BV Cervo baseball hobo.

 

[whateve]

View attachment 4316611 Bag #7 Orange BV Cervo baseball hobo.

Love!!!

 

[whateve]

I will confess that I tend to accumulate clutter. I don’t automatically put things away out of sight because then I forget about them. I’ve had to train my DH (who is one of the neatest, most organized people I know) that there’s a method to my madness, at least sometimes. Like, if I have to return something, I’ll leave the receipt out on the dresser or the counter to remind myself. I’ll leave medications that need refilling out as a reminder as well. It goes completely against his natural tendencies to put things away so we butt heads sometimes. But there are also times when I don’t put things away because it’s work. I’m not naturally neat so it’s an effort to not be cluttered.

Clean, OTOH, is a completely different matter! He leaves dirty dishes on the counter and in the sink and I always put them directly into the dishwasher. Same with laundry — what is so hard about putting it right into the basket? Drives me nuts! Seriously, though — it’s interesting to me that those two things — neat vs. clean — can translate so differently!

My DH leaves his dirty plate with bones on it on the counter right above the trash compactor. It would only take one extra step to open the trash compactor and dump the bones in. At least I've trained him to put his cereal bowl in the sink and fill with water. He doesn't always dump out the milk first though. I don't think he understands what the water is for.

I'm like you. I don't file receipts away until I know I'm not going to return. If I don't leave things out, I'll forget about them.

 

[whateve]

This bag is fabulous. Such a classic. Did you need to rehab it? It looks as though it's in terrific condition.

Thank you! I did rehab it. I usually rehab most vintage Coach. It looked a lot worse in the listing photos. All it needed was a bath and conditioning. I polished the hardware and colored the edges of the strap. There weren't any stains.

 

[ksuromax]

View attachment 4316611 Bag #7 Orange BV Cervo baseball hobo.

 

[ksuromax]

Ever since @ElainePG mentioned the Kondo drawer folding approach, I’ve redone every drawer we have. However, I seem to have chattered on about it a little too much because Mr. S suggested I Kondo-ize my book collection. Wait, what?







Sigh...

So, we spent the afternoon going through my books. There was a lot of wailing, screeching and rending of garments. But in the end I relinquished 8 large bins of books and only kept one bin.

Then the insanity spread to my Star Trek collectibles. Perhaps Mr. S. is trying to get me to file for divorce??? In our previous house, we had a Star Trek themed media room. However, we agreed (me quite reluctantly) that this house would have no “themed” rooms. <heavy sigh> So, my beloved items have been in boxes in the garage. The evil one (aka Mr. S) hauled them out and “assisted” me in sorting through those too. I have one tiiiiiiiny box left. The other 10 boxes I’m going to list on eBay in “lots” to get rid of it quickly.

So, now I sit in Half Prices Books with many of my precious things being taken away, sent away and marked for death.

I took a selfie...View attachment 4315698And here is my bag of the day #8 of 10 LV Lockme II BBView attachment 4315699

HAHAHAHAHA Spark, you're too funny!!!

My friends, indulge me with my soap box...

With all this talk of Marie Kondo, I don't really understand why people get so caught up.

Surely people have always routinely decluttered? "Spring cleaning" is a thing for a reason. I routinely take stock of things and do clear outs.

But I have never konmari'd all my possessions. I know how much space I have everywhere. When I run out of space for any one category of things, say books, or pens, or shoes, or bags - I take stock, throw / donate some things, operate a one in one out policy and besides that I don't worry too much.

A drive for minimalism irrespective of need doesn’t resonate. If you have the space and resources and things are in good condition then you don’t need to pare it back a lot (in my opinion).

After all Marie Kondo started by advising on how to declutter to fit life into tiny Japanese living spaces. That’s why everything in Muji is so compact and space conscious as well. If you live elsewhere with more space, the cultural context does not carry well.

A large living space with hardly anything in it can look as bad as a small living space that’s over cluttered.

In my opinion.

Whatdyafink?

<climbs carefully off her soap box>