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

[ksuromax]

Bag №9 Balenciaga Bazar Graffiti M, plus it's one of my latest ones

 

[dcooney4]

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.

Wow that is a bit passive aggressive on their part.

 

[tealocean]

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

Way to go! Books are hard for me to purge. I haven't read her book (yet), but sort of fold her way with clothes filed in standing up. I started a few years ago and love it! You can see everything at once. It sounds like you love it. It's funny though how it's giving your husband ideas for more categories to purge!

 

[tealocean]

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>

I completely agree! We clean out spaces when they need it. There is no reason to do the whole house at once.

I have several display cabinets. They would look sad with only a few things in them, and the room would look bare without the cabinets.

I'm not going to say goodbye and thank my things when I'm done with them. They are inanimate objects!

I think it is wasteful to get rid of things in order to achieve a state of minimalism, just for the sake of being minimalist. It makes more sense to me to use my things to the utmost. It makes me happy to know I have gotten maximum value out of the things I own.

The other day I was reading a thread where a woman was complaining that she loved things neat and tidy, and her husband liked to stock up on things and not clean up after himself. I consider myself to be the accumulator in our house and my husband is the minimalist. He has very few clothes. He would rather wear a few shirts until they wear out, only buying more when those are gone, than have 15 shirts he could rotate. The other day as we were leaving the grocery store, he said, "Oh, I forgot to get Dr. Pepper!" I said, "Don't we have a couple of cases at home?" He said, "Yes, but I like to stock up so I don't have to worry about running out." I was so happy we were on the same page.

Sigh, I need to do this too. I already own a ton of books I haven’t read yet. But I see a new one that sounds interesting and my brain defaults to “Ooh, shiny!” And I forget about the ones I already have.


Thinking of you! Hope you and the birds stay warm and comfy.


Gorgeous!


I think it’s a balance. It’s really easy for our collections to creep up on us, as someone said a few pages back, and out of sight can mean out of mind—I find it easy to forget what I already have for things I don’t use a lot, and I don’t always stop to consider whether what I have is working for me or if I still need it or even if there’s a better option/replacement.

So I like a reminder to go through everything, not just the usual clutter-clearing I do for spring-cleaning, and I do think sparking joy is a good test for that kind of stuff.

On the other hand, long before Konmari, I’d catch the cleaning bug and get rid of stuff I swore I’d never use again, and now there are lots of things I still miss and am kicking myself over.

Also, I agree with this 100%:

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

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 agree with your thoughts not to go to extremes. Some of us need a reminder to follow the one-in-one out rule and to make sure not to hang on things that really aren't needed. I'm familiar with Kondo but haven't read her book. I'm going through everything in the house this year really slowly, one drawer or shelf or small space per day. I've never done it this way, and so far it is really working for me. I wish I'd figured this out before. Usually I go through things seasonally, but I tend to do too much at once. It sounds like you're naturally good at staying on top of things. I was naturally clutter free on my own, but once I got married I had to learn how to keep a whole home in order. We were given so much hand me down furniture and "stuff", I was overwhelmed. I finally realized I needed to give most of it back. I keep surfaces clear; so it appears very clean/organized, but inside the drawers and cabinets are too many craft supplies, art supplies, toys, books, games...and on it goes. It's mainly things the children are growing in or out of; so it's hard to let these things go, but I want them to know how to balance their treasures. They're happier when it's less overwhelming, and they don't have to squeeze everything in. I'm happier with less clutter. I don't like a bare look, but too much ends up feeling like a never ending to-do list. There are some things we had/have more than we could ever use, and in that case it's win-win to pass extras along. They can be enjoyed now, and we have room to enjoy what we have.

 

[Rhl2987]

Bag №9 Balenciaga Bazar Graffiti M, plus it's one of my latest ones

Just to be sure, do you have two different graffiti bags? This is very, very cool!! Is this one LE as well?

 

[tealocean]

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

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!!
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.
I wanted to!!! LOL!

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

You reminded me of another reason I don't want to keep things we won't use/want. It is so much easier to clean!

 

[Rhl2987]

Decluttering and getting rid of things instantly makes me feel better! With moves, I’ve automatically done this but then we still end up having tons of stuff to move and I have no idea how we accumulate so much!! Years ago we lived in a duplex and moved into our first house. We decided not to pay movers and moved it all in a UHaul ourselves about 20 mins away to our new town, and we figured we’d be making just one trip in the truck. We ended up needing 4 SUV trips plus the UHaul trip, and we almost needed to take the huge UHaul back for a second trip. Stuff was just hiding in every nook and cranny. That was eye-opening. Moving may be a total PITA, but it also helps you to purge and clean as you’re doing it. We’ve moved about once a year for the past 8 years we’ve been together. First, it was individual moves before we lived in the same city and then it was moving together across town or between states.

Now that we have a decent sized house, I’m afraid of continuing to add and add more. As just one example, hubby has this weird thing about buying dog beds because he wants the dogs to be comfortable. We have accumulated (and gotten rid of) so many different metal frame and fabric dog beds. He thinks a fabric bed isn’t enough for the older dogs because of arthritis. He’s probably right but our bedroom does not look great because of dog beds piled on one corner of the floor. And they’re humongous to fit a Rottweiler!

Putting together the nursery, we needed to empty out that room and closet. We actually got rid of some massive furniture in our other guest bedroom to make room, like the huge dresser, three side tables, and ottoman, and took some other items to donate as well. It was a nice purge. Now we just have to furnish the nursery and finish the closet, and I can start arranging and decorating a little bit! I’m looking forward to that.

We also made a decision and we’re starting the master closet revamp early in February! We will combine our laundry room and current closet to make about 200 square feet of space total. My husband will tile the floors and paint the walls (and maybe put in a different light fixture) and we are having some open and closed cabinets put in to store bags, all of the clothes, shoes, etc. We will also eventually replace the IKEA dresser in the bedroom with a low dresser so that will be our final bit of clothes storage needed. Exciting! And that will also be done in time for “nesting.”

 

[ksuromax]

Just to be sure, do you have two different graffiti bags? This is very, very cool!! Is this one LE as well?

the other one was not graffiti, it was Tattoo
it's was a different, 100 years brand anniversary edition
this one is from graffiti line, not LE, but they vary from season to season and from size to size (e.g. size S has different pattern, etc) this is the mix of AW18 and SS 19 graffitis in various sizes and models, i snapped it a couple of days ago in the boutique
City Medium (aka Regular), City S, City mini, Papier A6 and Backpack (comes as unisex, but feels really huge) which has the most alike pattern to my Bazar graffiti M
separate stock pics of other Bazar Graf in S (3 shots) and XS (next 3 shots) and XXS (last 3 shots)

 

[ksuromax]

Further to above, Graffiti line also includes various wallets, small shoulder bag on the chain, a couple of clutches (i have 1) and they are (yet) part of permanent collection and appear in every season

 

[Sparkletastic]

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!

I agree. Neat and clean are completely different things. If I had to pick one it would definitely be clean. Lol!
I wonder if some of the clutter issues is distraction. A busy brain may just put something down as it moves to another task. Plus I find it impossible to be near if I don’t have EASY and proper storage with an automatic routine to put things in their place. Whenever I first move into a house it’s chaos for a few months as I try to figure out the best place to put things. For example, if I don’t have a place to sort and put away mail right as I come in the door with it, it will land on the first flat surface I sorted and forgotten til I pass it again. So I have 3 upright document holders in my mud room coat closet - His, Hers, Bills. I pitch junk mail in the trash can by the door. Same with keys. I immediately install hooks in the laundry room / mud room of every house because that’s how we enter from the garage. Otherwise, I’d never now where my keys went. My mind is busy and I’d just drop them somewhere and wander off. lol!

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

I miss having an orange bag in my collection. This leather is so shmooshy pretty.

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.

I have to use my to do list or I’ll forget. That’s the only way I can keep from having things “out”.

HAHAHAHAHA Spark, you're too funny!!!

Thanks!!

Bag №9 Balenciaga Bazar Graffiti M, plus it's one of my latest ones

This is so super cool!

Way to go! Books are hard for me to purge. I haven't read her book (yet), but sort of fold her way with clothes filed in standing up. I started a few years ago and love it! You can see everything at once. It sounds like you love it. It's funny though how it's giving your husband ideas for more categories to purge!

Yes!!! The drawer folding thing has given me life!!! LOL! I looooove that I can see everything!
I haven’t read her book yet either. All of the tips I use I’ve picked up on tPF. Lol!!

I agree with your thoughts not to go to extremes. Some of us need a reminder to follow the one-in-one out rule and to make sure not to hang on things that really aren't needed. I'm familiar with Kondo but haven't read her book. I'm going through everything in the house this year really slowly, one drawer or shelf or small space per day. I've never done it this way, and so far it is really working for me. I wish I'd figured this out before. Usually I go through things seasonally, but I tend to do too much at once. It sounds like you're naturally good at staying on top of things. I was naturally clutter free on my own, but once I got married I had to learn how to keep a whole home in order. We were given so much hand me down furniture and "stuff", I was overwhelmed. I finally realized I needed to give most of it back. I keep surfaces clear; so it appears very clean/organized, but inside the drawers and cabinets are too many craft supplies, art supplies, toys, books, games...and on it goes. It's mainly things the children are growing in or out of; so it's hard to let these things go, but I want them to know how to balance their treasures. They're happier when it's less overwhelming, and they don't have to squeeze everything in. I'm happier with less clutter. I don't like a bare look, but too much ends up feeling like a never ending to-do list. There are some things we had/have more than we could ever use, and in that case it's win-win to pass extras along. They can be enjoyed now, and we have room to enjoy what we have.

I think it’s 10,000 times harder to stay neat / organized / clutter free with kids. And, it’s not as simple as teaching them to put away their things (which is hard enough). It’s the sheer volume of stuff you need. A lot of my purging in past years was finally getting rid of paints, colored pencils, poster board, foam pieces etc that I had to keep on hand because there was always some project from grade school science projects to college cheer team pep rally signs - and I would have murdered everyone if I’d had to keep doing last minute, late night WalMart runs. LOL! So keeping “stock” was necessary. Now, no need for all the extra kid stuff. Neither of my kids are anywhere near marrying and having their own children but, I wonder what having grandchildren will do down the road. My kids still seem like babies to me. I cannot imagine having grandchildren.

Decluttering and getting rid of things instantly makes me feel better! With moves, I’ve automatically done this but then we still end up having tons of stuff to move and I have no idea how we accumulate so much!! Years ago we lived in a duplex and moved into our first house. We decided not to pay movers and moved it all in a UHaul ourselves about 20 mins away to our new town, and we figured we’d be making just one trip in the truck. We ended up needing 4 SUV trips plus the UHaul trip, and we almost needed to take the huge UHaul back for a second trip. Stuff was just hiding in every nook and cranny. That was eye-opening. Moving may be a total PITA, but it also helps you to purge and clean as you’re doing it. We’ve moved about once a year for the past 8 years we’ve been together. First, it was individual moves before we lived in the same city and then it was moving together across town or between states.

Now that we have a decent sized house, I’m afraid of continuing to add and add more. As just one example, hubby has this weird thing about buying dog beds because he wants the dogs to be comfortable. We have accumulated (and gotten rid of) so many different metal frame and fabric dog beds. He thinks a fabric bed isn’t enough for the older dogs because of arthritis. He’s probably right but our bedroom does not look great because of dog beds piled on one corner of the floor. And they’re humongous to fit a Rottweiler!

Putting together the nursery, we needed to empty out that room and closet. We actually got rid of some massive furniture in our other guest bedroom to make room, like the huge dresser, three side tables, and ottoman, and took some other items to donate as well. It was a nice purge. Now we just have to furnish the nursery and finish the closet, and I can start arranging and decorating a little bit! I’m looking forward to that.

We also made a decision and we’re starting the master closet revamp early in February! We will combine our laundry room and current closet to make about 200 square feet of space total. My husband will tile the floors and paint the walls (and maybe put in a different light fixture) and we are having some open and closed cabinets put in to store bags, all of the clothes, shoes, etc. We will also eventually replace the IKEA dresser in the bedroom with a low dresser so that will be our final bit of clothes storage needed. Exciting! And that will also be done in time for “nesting.”

YAY!!! On the closet!!! You will be in heaven!!

Dog beds. Lol! I think most of us have a “thing” we may be blind about. I will tend to know we need a thing and forget I purchased it. Then I purchase it again and again. Once I had something like 10 bottles of BBQ sauce in the pantry because I kept forgetting I bought it.

Moves are perfect for purging when you pack yourself. When we’ve had a corporation move us they pay for the movers to pack and unpack. So I tended to end up with everything at the new place. These last few moves were choice. So we packed and unpacked. OMG! When you have to wrap and pack an oddly shaped, fragile or leaky thing, you reeeeaaaallly start to wonder if you need the thing.

 

[catsinthebag]

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.

We’re both good at not leaving food or bones out. We have cats, including one who’s never forgotten he used to be a starving stray. Every time one of us rinses off a dish, he’s in the sink foraging for crumbs! So we’re careful not to leave things out that will tempt him. But silverware, left on the counter, which is directly above the dishwasher? Drives me crazy. Like you said, it’s exactly one extra step to put that used spoon away. But I can’t complain because then I have to hear about my clutter!

 

[ksuromax]

talking you accumulating stuff and keep bringing the same thing again and again...
My DH went to empty the trash bin last night, we have a huge skip behind our house, and oops! he did it again!
i just came back from Vets, did the first round of necessary procedures, now we need to wash her, it's a female and we named her Snowflake

 

[Nibb]

Love!!!

Thank you.

 

[Nibb]

talking you accumulating stuff and keep bringing the same thing again and again...
My DH went to empty the trash bin last night, we have a huge skip behind our house, and oops! he did it again!
i just came back from Vets, did the first round of necessary procedures, now we need to wash her, it's a female and we named her Snowflake

What a wonderful piece of stuff to accumulate. Love her she is a cutie.

 

[Rhl2987]

talking you accumulating stuff and keep bringing the same thing again and again...
My DH went to empty the trash bin last night, we have a huge skip behind our house, and oops! he did it again!
i just came back from Vets, did the first round of necessary procedures, now we need to wash her, it's a female and we named her Snowflake

OMG baby kitty!! She's adorable. Please post more pictures! We have 3 dogs, but I love kittens. I would have at least one if my hubby weren't so allergic.