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

[Sparkletastic]

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, peace on earth, and everything else that everyone celebrates… and thank you for the birthday wishes!

Sorry I've been missing in action the past week. I had a very bad fall a few days before Christmas, ended up with a deep laceration above my eyebrow that required 5 stitches, a major black eye, and… the most serious… a concussion.

They did a CT scan in the emergency room and I've been told that I won't have permanent effects from the concussion (huge relief!) but I can't drive for the foreseeable future, and I have to mostly stay very quiet. No loud sounds, no bright lights, no crowds, minimal screen time, and all that. Which is fine with me. Mostly I want to sleep.

But I'm feeling sorry for myself. So sometimes I want to shop.

My solution is to buy little consumable things, from sites that are having post-Xmas sales. Candles, body lotion, bubble bath, herbal tea, and more candles. The house is gonna smell really good in 2020!

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry to hear about your fall. Your concussion had to be pretty serious to have all those restrictions. I’m glad your DH is babying you. And, I don’t think it’s so bad to treat yourself a bit through your recovery.

When I fell and broke my arm and hip, afterwards I was shaking thinking that I was so lucky I didn't hit my head.

I've been doing a bit of online shopping these days too.

I must have been doing too much skimming. I registered that you broke your arm but not your hip as well. Oh my lord! I hope your recovery hasn’t been too hard on you. I’m wishing you every bit of health in 2020.

I really like the YSL mono cabas. It is understated. I can see how it doesn't excite you but serves a purpose. I have a bag I use when I travel that is like that. It goes with everything so I can carry it for days at a time, but I like my other bags better.

I like the YSL better than the LockMe (Sorry, I'm not a LV fan.) I think it would be a good addition to your collection.

Yes, the m cabas has been a good workhorse bag - which is why I bought it. I think I need to get comfortable with my collection growing a bit. There’s no reason for me to think one or two out for an in anymore because I’ve done the right sizing of my collection. But, it’s a hard habit to break.

I agree with you and @msd_bags who say the YSL is a different look from the LV. More sporty / edgy. So, I think it will be a good add. I just wish it was leather lined. But, again, I got it at such a good price that I’m not going to complain.

 

[Sparkletastic]

My 2019 Goals Review

I did pretty well this year!

1. Sell 2 bags - I sold 7!!! I didn’t see that coming at the beginning of the year. But, they were all bags I didn’t use often and had served their time. I don’t miss any of them even a teeny bit.

2. Buy no more than 4 bags and 1 SLG
I purchased one bag and was gifted 3 by Mr. S. No SLG’s in. So, Whoo Hoo! Goal met.

3. 100% success rate on purchases
This is the most important metric for me. I want to permanently exit the flipping cycle and I think I’ve pretty much done just that. None of the 7 bags I sold were purchased in the last 4 years. So, I’m doing a much better job of evaluating what works for me than in the past. For a while there, I was buying 10-15 bags a year and selling half of them off within 12 months. #dumbbunny

However, I am going to be putting the Chanel tote that I bought in January up for sale (with Mr. S’s health issues, I just haven’t had time or interest to do any listing.) I still think the bag is beautiful but, it just doesn’t function as I need it too. So, I’m giving myself a 75% success rate on purchases.

My 2020 Goals

1. Sell 2 bags
Unlike other years where I wanted to push myself to cut dead weight, I really don’t want this number to be any higher. I’ve cut to the bone, use all my bags and adore just about everything I own.

2. Buy no more than 4 bags and 1 SLG
I struggled with whether this should be 3. But, I already know 3 bags I definitely want to buy and want to give myself room for one serendipity bag.

That being said, I have some relatively expensive jewelry items I want to buy. So, I may hold off on buying so many bags next year. We’ll see.

3. 100% success rate on purchases

4. Wear my least used bags at least 10 times each:
• Dior Ltd Ed. Cream & Gold Diorama
• Chanel Dark Grey Lamb Jumbo Flap
• Dior Silver Microcannage Diorama
• Chanel 13c Red Lamb Jumbo Flap

These are some of my absolute favorite bags in my collection. There is no good reason as to why I’m not wearing them other than the habit of wearing other bags. So, I’m going to actively wear my most fun bags as often as possible!

 

[More bags]

My 2019 Goals Review

I did pretty well this year!

1. Sell 2 bags - I sold 7!!! I didn’t see that coming at the beginning of the year. But, they were all bags I didn’t use often and had served their time. I don’t miss any of them even a teeny bit.

2. Buy no more than 4 bags and 1 SLG
I purchased one bag and was gifted 3 by Mr. S. No SLG’s in. So, Whoo Hoo! Goal met.

3. 100% success rate on purchases
This is the most important metric for me. I want to permanently exit the flipping cycle and I think I’ve pretty much done just that. None of the 7 bags I sold were purchased in the last 4 years. So, I’m doing a much better job of evaluating what works for me than in the past. For a while there, I was buying 10-15 bags a year and selling half of them off within 12 months. #dumbbunny

However, I am going to be putting the Chanel tote that I bought in January up for sale (with Mr. S’s health issues, I just haven’t had time or interest to do any listing.) I still think the bag is beautiful but, it just doesn’t function as I need it too. So, I’m giving myself a 75% success rate on purchases.

My 2020 Goals

1. Sell 2 bags
Unlike other years where I wanted to push myself to cut dead weight, I really don’t want this number to be any higher. I’ve cut to the bone, use all my bags and adore just about everything I own.

2. Buy no more than 4 bags and 1 SLG
I struggled with whether this should be 3. But, I already know 3 bags I definitely want to buy and want to give myself room for one serendipity bag.

That being said, I have some relatively expensive jewelry items I want to buy. So, I may hold off on buying so many bags next year. We’ll see.

3. 100% success rate on purchases

4. Wear my least used bags at least 10 times each:
• Dior Ltd Ed. Cream & Gold Diorama
• Chanel Dark Grey Lamb Jumbo Flap
• Dior Silver Microcannage Diorama
• Chanel 13c Red Lamb Jumbo Flap

These are some of my absolute favorite bags in my collection. There is no good reason as to why I’m not wearing them other than the habit of wearing other bags. So, I’m going to actively wear my most fun bags as often as possible!

Great job on achieving your 2019 goals and laying out your 2020 goals, Sparkle. I hope Mr. Sparkle’s health continues to improve. You’ve really done a great job of fine tuning your collection. Your least used bags are all beauties! Congratulations on knowing what works for your style and your lifestyle. Best wishes on enjoying 2020 and in everyone enjoying (improved) health.

 

[Sparkletastic]

Great job on achieving your 2019 goals and laying out your 2020 goals, Sparkle. I hope Mr. Sparkle’s health continues to improve. You’ve really done a great job of fine tuning your collection. Your least used bags are all beauties! Congratulations on knowing what works for your style and your lifestyle. Best wishes on enjoying 2020 and in everyone enjoying (improved) health.

Thanks, More. You always express the loveliest sentiments. My best to you and yours as well.

 

[momasaurus]

Hi ladies, just a yearly pop in to say hi! I posted a little at the beginning of this year, and the year before, but this thread rolls at pace I can’t keep up with but I do lurk!
Best wishes to all in our endeavor to use and enjoy and let go, and the process of figuring that out. Someone started a thread on using a bag for a week at a time. That really has helped me decide what I really like and/or works in a bag as well as what doesn’t, so from there it stays or goes!

Thanks for this post. Maybe that could be one of our challenges in 2020. Use one bag for a week. Or use only 3 bags this month, or something.

 

[momasaurus]

A craft room and a purse room sound lovely! I know it must be a lot of work to clear them for company, but otherwise, that sounds ideal!

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry about your arm! I hope you have a speedy recovery. I'm also pretty bag content at the moment. I have a wishlist of a few things I know I eventually want to get, but like you, I have my bases covered. Congrats on the Garden Party--that's a great year-end score!

Thank you! I am now in a gigantic shoulder-to-wrist cast, which is protecting myself from myself, IYKWIM.
The GP helped me scratch a green itch I've had for a while.
Also my SIL has taken to making tote bags from old silk ties. Normally i hate stuff like that, but she made me a very pretty one for Xmas, LOL, so technically I have another one in.

 

[Jbizzybeetle]

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, peace on earth, and everything else that everyone celebrates… and thank you for the birthday wishes!

Sorry I've been missing in action the past week. I had a very bad fall a few days before Christmas, ended up with a deep laceration above my eyebrow that required 5 stitches, a major black eye, and… the most serious… a concussion.

They did a CT scan in the emergency room and I've been told that I won't have permanent effects from the concussion (huge relief!) but I can't drive for the foreseeable future, and I have to mostly stay very quiet. No loud sounds, no bright lights, no crowds, minimal screen time, and all that. Which is fine with me. Mostly I want to sleep.

But I'm feeling sorry for myself. So sometimes I want to shop.

My solution is to buy little consumable things, from sites that are having post-Xmas sales. Candles, body lotion, bubble bath, herbal tea, and more candles. The house is gonna smell really good in 2020!

Very sorry to hear of your fall!! A lot of that going around right now.....

 

[momasaurus]

Thank you - it's this thread that encouraged me to really think about my purses!

Thank you sweetie!
Happy New Year to you and yours as well!

Hahaha - well - I am totally guilty of having terrible shopping habits… but I have done so much better because of this thread. It has made me stop and think, and it's really helped with purses.
I have a spreadsheet for my scarves (nerd-alert) and looking at what I'm *really* wearing has made me realize that while I like the twill 90s, I love the 140 mousseline - and the gavroches. They are so fun and easy to wear all year round - and you can tie 2 together!
I think I will start more of a focus there, but I have to say that the scarves I bought this year in the boutiques are gorgeous and I'm not sorry at all!
I'm going to hide my 'sales goggles' though - they get me in trouble!

You broke your arm!?! ohmigoodness!! I hope you're okay!
I'd love to hear a review of your GP - I have been curious but not enough so to spring for one.

The heart wants what the heart wants - I hope your find your perfect gold!
I bet your DD just about died! What a wonderful surprise!

We talked about it last night, I was very surprised by his reaction as he's been in the store several times. He looked at other bags - the Alma in particular because he liked the color of red and the leather - but thought that the opening would be too small and that I wouldn't like that (zomg - so THOUGHTFUL!!) which is why he went with the Twist. But in the back of his mind he felt that the big LV on the front was not me, and he didn't really like that shade of red, or the Epi leather.
It's very interesting too that he is completely aware of things like that…

Thank you!
I use Goodreads to keep track of the books I read and have. My favorite books were:
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Where the Crawdads Sing by Della Owen
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Moneyman
The Obesity Code by Jason Fung

What a great DH you have! Seems like a combination of good instincts, basic training by you, and loving attentiveness to your style and taste. When i was married it took my husband six months to realize i had dyed my hair, LOL.
Here's my take on the GP. it is a Birkin without the bullsh*t. And I have a Birkin. Both are just totebags. The B has feet and hardware and a fairly useless flap that no one uses. Good thread here, and easy to read between the lines https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/here-goes-stupid-question-birkin-or-garden-party.1021702/
Re scarf buying: Your collex is gorgeous - glad you have no guilt. And hiding the sales goggles is a good idea but oh so difficult!!!

 

[momasaurus]

I'm so sorry to hear about your broken arm, @momasaurus . I hope you're not in too much pain (but you probably are). And I hope that you mend quickly.

Princess Grace can be your role model for wearing your Hermès scarves as slings.
View attachment 4624494

Yep. This is me. But i can't put my hair up with only one hand. Just try it!!

 

[momasaurus]

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, peace on earth, and everything else that everyone celebrates… and thank you for the birthday wishes!

Sorry I've been missing in action the past week. I had a very bad fall a few days before Christmas, ended up with a deep laceration above my eyebrow that required 5 stitches, a major black eye, and… the most serious… a concussion.

They did a CT scan in the emergency room and I've been told that I won't have permanent effects from the concussion (huge relief!) but I can't drive for the foreseeable future, and I have to mostly stay very quiet. No loud sounds, no bright lights, no crowds, minimal screen time, and all that. Which is fine with me. Mostly I want to sleep.

But I'm feeling sorry for myself. So sometimes I want to shop.

My solution is to buy little consumable things, from sites that are having post-Xmas sales. Candles, body lotion, bubble bath, herbal tea, and more candles. The house is gonna smell really good in 2020!

AAARGH!!! So sorry. This is a good time of year for keeping quiet, nesting, and burning lovely candles. I hope you mend quickly and fully!

 

[momasaurus]

Yes very annoying

I never notice the ads at all.

 

[dcooney4]

Need your advice / opinions. TIA

I took a step back from the Saint Laurent camera bag fiasco and thought about my collection when it comes to black bags. Other than a black tote, what I need is a dressy-ish black bag with good capacity to carry my things. I’m going to solve that by finally searching for the pristine black lamb Chanel single flap jumbo I’ve been planning on buying since I sold my black patent sf jumbo. I really should have already bought this.

However, once I get it, I’ll have 6 black bags which feels like a lot for my 23 bag collection:

• Fendi large By the Way
• YSL Mono Cabas
• Dior Diorama studded So Black WOC
• Louis Vuitton LockMe II
• Jimmy Choo Raven Hobo

That makes me wonder if I need the YSL camera bag. But, my black bags are by far the most used in my collection.

The reasons I’d get the YSL black on black camera bag are that it’s a great casual bag that can go with any jewelry / outfit and it would take the “pressure” off my LV LockMe II (my second most used bag) that I’m getting tired of using. Usually, I don’t buy bags that will cannibalize usage but, in this case I’d want it to do so. Plus, I really like the look of the bag. It’s feminine and edgy.

The reasons not to get it is that I worry it’s too much of an “on trend” bag and will date badly. I’ll happily carry older bags unless they seem like part of a dead trend. And, I worry about YSL quality since I struggled with my current YSL and have read about quality issues on tPF (although people screech about Prada’s poor quality and I’ve never had an issue with my Prada bags.)

Throwing in a wrinkle, I could sell my YSL black on black monogram Cabas to reduce my total number of black bags. I’m not crazy about it (it’s probably bottom 5 in terms of like in my collection) but, I do wear it quite a bit (it’s top 5 for usage because it’s “quiet” and works in tons of scenarios.) And for the love of Pete, I don’t want to sell any more bags.

So, help! Should I get the camera bag? Should I sell the YSL mono cabas? (here’s a pic of the latter in case that helps) View attachment 4624432

Get the camera bag. It looks both useful and beautiful. I don’t think it would date fast as they are to practical.

 

[dcooney4]

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, peace on earth, and everything else that everyone celebrates… and thank you for the birthday wishes!

Sorry I've been missing in action the past week. I had a very bad fall a few days before Christmas, ended up with a deep laceration above my eyebrow that required 5 stitches, a major black eye, and… the most serious… a concussion.

They did a CT scan in the emergency room and I've been told that I won't have permanent effects from the concussion (huge relief!) but I can't drive for the foreseeable future, and I have to mostly stay very quiet. No loud sounds, no bright lights, no crowds, minimal screen time, and all that. Which is fine with me. Mostly I want to sleep.

But I'm feeling sorry for myself. So sometimes I want to shop.

My solution is to buy little consumable things, from sites that are having post-Xmas sales. Candles, body lotion, bubble bath, herbal tea, and more candles. The house is gonna smell really good in 2020!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, peace on earth, and everything else that everyone celebrates… and thank you for the birthday wishes!

Sorry I've been missing in action the past week. I had a very bad fall a few days before Christmas, ended up with a deep laceration above my eyebrow that required 5 stitches, a major black eye, and… the most serious… a concussion.

They did a CT scan in the emergency room and I've been told that I won't have permanent effects from the concussion (huge relief!) but I can't drive for the foreseeable future, and I have to mostly stay very quiet. No loud sounds, no bright lights, no crowds, minimal screen time, and all that. Which is fine with me. Mostly I want to sleep.

But I'm feeling sorry for myself. So sometimes I want to shop.

My solution is to buy little consumable things, from sites that are having post-Xmas sales. Candles, body lotion, bubble bath, herbal tea, and more candles. The house is gonna smell really good in 2020!

Oh no! Heal fast!

 

[Jbizzybeetle]

While I have few bags, enjoy reading of others’ collections; I really appreciate “collection theory” discussions in general; and this seems a welcoming thread with a good sense of humor.

2019 opened with no bag strategy, but the seeds were planted given 2018 holiday travel experiences.

At the beginning of 2019
-Bags owned: Hermes DS w/couverture horse; MK tote; Warrior Creek leather shoulder & crossbody bag—identified problems: no bag with feet for nasty airline floors, didn’t want to injure DS; totes fall & stuff falls out; shoulder and CB bags difficult with H shawls/scarves; WC not large enough for fourbi transfer; not crazy about structured bags w/feet like Kelly or Birkin but travel requires at least enuf space to stuff in the occasional 140cm shawl.
-SLGs by end Feb: H couverture matching agenda cover used as wallet; matchey coin purse.
-Accessories: silk fourbi 25cm

By end February
Purchased soft-sided, optional shoulder strap, no-name tote for travel & miracle it didn’t color transfer onto fourbi! good for peace of mind at $24, but stuff can fall out on airline TSA rollers.

By end August
Rehomed DS, agenda cover, coin purse. DS purchaser carried H Evie GM, tried on and began to consider.

By end October
Purchased cute cheap tote with snap closure, but veggie leather just too stiff, tote too large to deal with on travels; this has become excellent Y/pool bag.

By mid December or so
-Lost mind and acquired Evie PM vibrato, canvas strap very comfy, bag will need some strip regluing, etc., early 2020.
—-Downside: nice bag purchase requires forgoing about 6 H scarves....arrrrrggghhhh; and fourbi doesn’t fit well so a different insert necessary, less convenient than direct transfer.

-upside for Warrior Creek, maybe: reacquire “transferring stuff” habits; use secondary black canvas shoulder strap for stability.

-acquired really cute obvious-so-notta birkin, 30cm, with painted sides, FEET!, inexpensive purchase but solid construction so no fear of setting grommets in ends for black canvas shoulder strap, no worries about big investment if doesn’t work out; eager to try traveling since can close the other-wise useless top or use sangles tight for TSA roller-derby.
—-Downside: even notta birkins lead to the rabbit hole of charm shopping.

 

[whateve]

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry to hear about your fall. Your concussion had to be pretty serious to have all those restrictions. I’m glad your DH is babying you. And, I don’t think it’s so bad to treat yourself a bit through your recovery.
I must have been doing too much skimming. I registered that you broke your arm but not your hip as well. Oh my lord! I hope your recovery hasn’t been too hard on you. I’m wishing you every bit of health in 2020.
Yes, the m cabas has been a good workhorse bag - which is why I bought it. I think I need to get comfortable with my collection growing a bit. There’s no reason for me to think one or two out for an in anymore because I’ve done the right sizing of my collection. But, it’s a hard habit to break.

I agree with you and @msd_bags who say the YSL is a different look from the LV. More sporty / edgy. So, I think it will be a good add. I just wish it was leather lined. But, again, I got it at such a good price that I’m not going to complain.

You didn't miss it. I never mentioned that I broke my hip too. That was a fairly easy fix. They did a hip replacement and I was walking the next day. The arm was worse because I broke it at the top, near the shoulder, and they can't set it when it is that high. So they just have to hope it heals in the right place. I found out later that they gave me the wrong kind of sling, so that might have made it heal worse than it could have.