2024 Resolution: Shopping my own Bag and SLG Collection

[Sparkletastic]

December Activities and Challenges - pick and choose as you please.

I. 2024 Year In Review Reflection
(Thanks @Vintage Leather)

Utilize these thought starters to evaluate your collection, your usage patterns and your lessons learned in 2024.
• What is your most useful purse?
• What is your best purchase of the year?
• We’ve all had a lot of lifestyle changes this year - how has it affected your style?
• What is the one thing we’ve learned this year that you want to take into the next?

II. Setting 2025 Goals
Take this month to consider what you want to do with your handbag collection, wardrobe or even your beautiful life in 2025. Share these thoughts in January when we start the 2026 Shopping Your Closet thread.

III. End of year optional challenges

• Holiday colors: December has many holidays celebrated across the world - red & green, brown & gold, blue & white and more! Pick the holiday that you want to honor and wear / show off your bags in those traditional colors.

• End with a bang: As we come to the last part of the year, wear the last bag you’ve purchased at least 3 times this month.

@Vlad please pin this to the top of our thread.

 

[cecchetti]

That's a great idea!
I'm carrying my Tory Burch McGraw today, and carried it yesterday too.
I don't have a photo though, will try for one tomorrow!

Awesome stats! Three scarves out is amazing!
(and - ahem - it's adorable!)

Oh honey - I'm so sorry. Sending you hugs.

Thank you…I need those hugs..it’s evening here..tomorrow she’s being cremated..the other 2 are with me..I’ve had so much support, but she was a big person in a little body …xx

 

[lill_canele]

January 2024

• 2 bags in; 0 bags out

Got my Celine Boston bag as prefaced in my 2024 goals.

Passed on the fine jewelry piece I was looking at so, got the Coach Hampton bag that was also on the wishlist.

• 3/14 bags used (it’s been busy at work, not much time to use and rotate bags in general)
• Celine Boston was most used bag. No surprise here! Excited to use a new purchase.

If you recall, last year I got a contemporary suede bag just to try it out. I was testing the waters to see if I liked suede or if it would work for my lifestyle.
I’m getting this feeling that it’s not working out. I seem to like just standard leather or coated canvas….maybe I’m just boring lol. (Denim is a no for me as well and I don’t like patent leather)

• SLGs: 0 in / 0 out
• Accessories: 1 in / 0 out
• Shoes: 0 in / 0 out
• Jewelry: 1 in / 1 out

This isn’t the fine jewelry piece I was looking at. This is actually a replacement piece that I’ve been planning on getting. In 2022, my husband took my silver David Yurman cable ring as a stopper for his wedding ring. My fingers have narrowed and the ring is too big now. I offered to buy him a new wedding band but he didn’t want to. So now it’s his!
I decided to get an upgraded cable ring in YG with half eternity diamonds. I enjoy the flexibility of one side with diamonds but also the other side with the cable design. So I can switch sides for different looks. Girl math tells me that’s like buying 2 rings for the price of one. lol

• Clothes: 2 in/ 1 out
• I finally ticked off a RTW wishlist item. A Saint Laurent blazer! I had tried on a few in December and had initially wanted to buy it around my birthday in March.
• By the time I went back into the store in mid-January the one that I was interested went down from 3 to 1 in stock. And the other one I was interested had all been booked and put on hold by other clients. I had expected this though. I knew SL had begun limiting their RTW production in 2021. It’s also the time when they stopped doing private sales.

So if I was going to buy it ahead of schedule I had prepared myself for it lol.


Anyway, a very spendy month! But I’m a very happy girl. Going to have a nice pause … until after taxes.

 

[dcooney4]

January stats

Bags in or out - zero.
Scarves in or out - 2 in, 1 out. The two in - one was a belated Christmas gift, the other was such a bargain (and I love the design!) that I had to get it.
(and one is in the pipe line but will count it for February )

Carried 8 different bags in January, and have a 4 way tie for most worn!
Dior Lady in black
LV Graceful - we were in FL on a mini vacation.
LV Pallas monogram
Nancy Gonzales Mini Erica Tote - part of the mini vacay bags.

Read/finished 4 books - The Dark is Rising, 2 easy/silly 'romance' books, and Home Before Dark. Currently reading The Prince of Tides (an old favorite re-read) and Starter Villain (Audible and laugh out loud funny).

One small bag of donations went out, and I've finished cleaning my studio/exercise room... I've put a canvas on the easel though I won't have time to start anything until probably March - but I could start the sketch.

I hope we get to see what you do create. I so enjoy other people’s work.

 

[whateve]

Yesterday was Terrible

I had to say goodbye to Tammy, who has been bravely fighting kidney disease for over a year, aged only 5 1/2.
Her kidneys failed completely and her organs were shutting down..

She wasn’t in pain..my Sister took me and she was peacefully put to sleep😭😭😭😭

I sold my Mario Valentino tote as a stress reaction because it was too large for not very much..

RIP sweet girl

I'm so sorry!

 

[whateve]

January 2024 stats
bags in 0
bags out 1
SLGs in 0
SLGs out 0

Besides selling one bag from my collection, I also sold some shoes and clothing. Selling is going very slowly, much slower than in previous years. After this year, I probably stop selling and donate whatever is left.

I carried 5 bags in January. My goal was to carry bags that didn't get carried enough last year and I carried each bag for about a week. Even though these bags were ignored last year, I still really like them.

I'm reading about 1 book a week on my kindle. Using a kindle, it is easy to forget the name of the book you are reading.

Our remodel is done but I still have things to put away and pictures to hang. We discovered dry rot in some of the trim on our house so we are getting that fixed and then we'll have the house repainted.

 

[papertiger]

January 2024

• 2 bags in; 0 bags out

Got my Celine Boston bag as prefaced in my 2024 goals.

Passed on the fine jewelry piece I was looking at so, got the Coach Hampton bag that was also on the wishlist.

• 3/14 bags used (it’s been busy at work, not much time to use and rotate bags in general)
• Celine Boston was most used bag. No surprise here! Excited to use a new purchase.

If you recall, last year I got a contemporary suede bag just to try it out. I was testing the waters to see if I liked suede or if it would work for my lifestyle.
I’m getting this feeling that it’s not working out. I seem to like just standard leather or coated canvas….maybe I’m just boring lol. (Denim is a no for me as well and I don’t like patent leather)

• SLGs: 0 in / 0 out
• Accessories: 1 in / 0 out
• Shoes: 0 in / 0 out
• Jewelry: 1 in / 1 out

This isn’t the fine jewelry piece I was looking at. This is actually a replacement piece that I’ve been planning on getting. In 2022, my husband took my silver David Yurman cable ring as a stopper for his wedding ring. My fingers have narrowed and the ring is too big now. I offered to buy him a new wedding band but he didn’t want to. So now it’s his!
I decided to get an upgraded cable ring in YG with half eternity diamonds. I enjoy the flexibility of one side with diamonds but also the other side with the cable design. So I can switch sides for different looks. Girl math tells me that’s like buying 2 rings for the price of one. lol
View attachment 5940484View attachment 5940485

• Clothes: 2 in/ 1 out
• I finally ticked off a RTW wishlist item. A Saint Laurent blazer! I had tried on a few in December and had initially wanted to buy it around my birthday in March.
• By the time I went back into the store in mid-January the one that I was interested went down from 3 to 1 in stock. And the other one I was interested had all been booked and put on hold by other clients. I had expected this though. I knew SL had begun limiting their RTW production in 2021. It’s also the time when they stopped doing private sales.

So if I was going to buy it ahead of schedule I had prepared myself for it lol.


Anyway, a very spendy month! But I’m a very happy girl. Going to have a nice pause … until after taxes.

Beautiful ring!!! Worth 'losing' you other to your DH

'Girl maths' is the only maths that adds-up

 

[lill_canele]

Someone posted they spend more on neutrals and go for contemporary when choosing a colour. For me, I'll invest more money for a variation of a bag I know well and have loved for a long time. Sometimes that means a special version of one I own already, sometimes, one I always, always, always wanted. What has made you invest more (or less) in a bag?

For investing less in a bag:
Whatever I see on the pre-loved market, haha.
It could be the drastic depreciation in price right after being bought. (because that means I'd rather buy it pre-loved)
It could be the wear and tear I see overtime based on the photos shown in one a pre-love bag site. (always helpful tbh)

For investing more:
Hmm...I guess if I put in my wishlist and check in weeks or months later, and still love it, then I'll probably be more likely to invest more in it. Or probably a dream bag.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

Yesterday was Terrible

I had to say goodbye to Tammy, who has been bravely fighting kidney disease for over a year, aged only 5 1/2.
Her kidneys failed completely and her organs were shutting down..

She wasn’t in pain..my Sister took me and she was peacefully put to sleep😭😭😭😭

I sold my Mario Valentino tote as a stress reaction because it was too large for not very much..

RIP sweet girl

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Tammy. Hugs.

 

[poleneinblack]

Last year I went 6 months without buying bags and being low buy in general, so I want to keep the good habits going for this year and beyond. But I am looking at the Polene Numero Un Nano in Burgundy and Sandalwood.

January 2024 Stats:
Bags Added to Collection: 2
Bags Sold/Decluttered: 0

I added the Polene Un Nano to my collection, a long time wishlist item. Then there are also two small bags I pulled out of storage. Although these aren't new bags, I had them in boxes that I have since recycled, so I pulled them out to get some use out of them. I wasn't using them before, but I'm enjoying them now. I also bought a gray wool coat secondhand since I have only one wool coat in black. It's come in very handy.

Goals for 2024:
-Continue low buy from 2023
-Continue habits from 2023 i.e. exercise, reading and writing
-More savings and investments. I recently contributed more money to my HYSA and my investment portfolio. It's a new year, so that means new ROTH IRA contributions.

 

[poleneinblack]

Last year I went 6 months without buying bags and being low buy in general, so I want to keep the good habits going for this year and beyond. But I am looking at the Polene Numero Un Nano in Burgundy and Sandalwood.

January 2024 Stats:
Bags Added to Collection: 2
Bags Sold/Decluttered: 0

I added the Polene Un Nano to my collection, a long time wishlist item. Then there are also two small bags I pulled out of storage. Although these aren't new bags, I had them in boxes that I have since recycled, so I pulled them out to get some use out of them. I wasn't using them before, but I'm enjoying them now. I also bought a gray wool coat secondhand since I have only one wool coat in black. It's come in very handy.

Goals for 2024:
-Continue low buy from 2023
-Continue habits from 2023 i.e. exercise, reading and writing
-More savings and investments. I recently contributed more money to my HYSA and my investment portfolio. It's a new year, so that means new ROTH IRA contributions.

Since we're on the topic of collecting and/or hoarding.

I'm very much anti-stuff. I think it's because I grew up in a household in which my parents are hoarders. My mother with stuff in general and my father with mostly books.
I don't blame them. They're immigrants I think there's a bit of a save-this-later for a rainy day mentality for all immigrant parents.
But their house, gosh, I'm not saying it's bad enough to go on a TV show, but there are a couple spots in which it is difficult to walk around in. It was like, save this 3rd refrigerator in case the 1st or 2nd refrigerator broke. Or save the oldest toaster as a backup to the backup...
Growing up, my mother would save my stuff for my brother (he's 6 years younger than me). So you can image all the clothes, books, textbooks, extra-curricular study books (math, reading, writing), that lined the walls of the house.
She would also save things like my baby clothes (which she still has), for "my future children" (which is not happening). Granted they are beautiful clothes and very well made with the 80s and 90s aesthetic haha, but I'm like, no, please, just throw them away. 😅

Whenever my parents went out on holiday, I would secretly toss out things that they have not used in years. And when they come home, they don't notice a thing. (Nothing important or sentimental btw, like emptying a jar of old pens/pencils, when they have 4 jars lying around.)

When it came to my house, it's not like I enjoy the minimal aesthetic or having a bare room. But I like the feeling of open space, or some kind of space in each room, including the closet.
I also traumatized myself in my youth acquiring too much fast fashion clothes (as stated previously), and I very much dislike having a jam packed closet. If I feel like there's starting to be too many clothes I'll purge. Which makes me very picky about the clothes that I buy now and I'm happier buying RTW that can be cared for and used for a lifetime.

I do admire collectors though. Like vintage, fine jewelry, bags, shoes, RTW. I watch all the Youtube videos of people collecting from certain era's or during a specific creator's time at a fashion house, and I find it so impressive how knowledgeable they are and how much they love and care for their collection.

I also have immigrant parents, although my mom is the problem, not my dad. He's just messy but he's perfectly happy to throw things. Besides my mom, it would be my grandparents but we have done a good job of keeping it minimized as much as possible.

Still, it's surprising how much stuff there can be. My family is cleaning out the garage and getting rid of old stuff. It turns out my mom kept all the baby stuff in the hopes I could use it later on, except its been decades and its definitely a hazard to use them now. I'm disappointed. If my mom had donated stuff back then, some of it could have been used. Instead, it's just more clutter for us to clean up.

 

[cecchetti]

I'm so sorry!

Thank you-I’ve woken just after midnight (Uk time) shaking…finding your message and an email from my sister , together with the other cats, plus the support I’ve received so far on PF is helping me get through xx.

What a wonderfui strong community we have

 

[cecchetti]

@ Everyone.

Thank you All for the support I’ve received..this is Far more than a handbag forum(although I expressed my grief my selling a bag far below value)..

It’s just turned Thursday and Tammy will be cremated today and come home in an oak casket..it will be hard day.
I’m drawing strength from the love I’ve received here, the love my family and friends have shown and the love of the other 2 cats.
I’ll never forget her..

Her eyes were a brilliant startling blue-I’m having a ring made with a tiny Argyle blue diamond the same colour set into the shank(hidden), to immortalise her beauty..

 

[msd_bags]

Yesterday was Terrible

I had to say goodbye to Tammy, who has been bravely fighting kidney disease for over a year, aged only 5 1/2.
Her kidneys failed completely and her organs were shutting down..

She wasn’t in pain..my Sister took me and she was peacefully put to sleep😭😭😭😭

I sold my Mario Valentino tote as a stress reaction because it was too large for not very much..

RIP sweet girl

Hugs. So sorry about Tammy.

 

[msd_bags]

I’ve not posted about my bag movement for a few years, hopefully I can go back to it regularly now.

January
Bag in: 1 (below)
Bag out: 0

I’ve fallen in love with the clean lines of APC bags and their amazing leather smell. I succumbed to the MyTheresa sale and got this Genevive. This is my third APC bag since October last year.

 

[cecchetti]

Hugs. So sorry about Tammy.

Thank you SO much-it’s Thursday morning now here and today she’s being cremated 😭.I went to pieces and cried earlier and the wonderful messages I’ve received on PF together with my other 2 cats got me through the night ❤️❤️