Thanks, girlie!
(I have been gone for awhile for a few reasons and just now got back..so I'm late responding.)
(My Gramma past away
..I also went back to my fiancee's family for a visit in Kansas...and then work can be HELL> What a whirlwind.
Hope everyone is doing well with their personal purging..
klj, I'm sorry for your loss...my prayers for you. On a different note, I am glad you are curbing the excess because that is just an additional stress.
When I was home at my parents house this weekend to help them purge old stuff to prepare for a move, I had a long talk with my mom about my uncertainty about my future plans and something she said struck me that she thought I had simple needs (other than my love of travel), and that I didnt necessarily need to make salary a consideration with my career reevaluation.
After graduating in 06, I did a combination of grad school/working, and then full time the past 2+ years. I always planned to go back to school to advance higher in my current field, which I know I would be good at/would make good $$, but I keep putting off going back, and now that Im near my personal deadline to go, Ive been panicking/increasingly questioning whether this is a poor field for me as Im worried about stress/unhappiness. So now Im doing some soul searching.
Anyway, my point is that my mom struck on one of the things thats bothered me lately, as my needs had been very simple, but Ive gotten caught up in excess. When I was a grad student making probably not even $20k and working 2-3 jobs, I thought about my purchases a lot more and I didnt buy everything I wanted, but I could buy everything I needed and was still able to treat myself from time to time.
Ive made some more sales (though some buyers have been slow to pay : (. Im going to try really hard to keep chugging along/clearing out, and putting the money into savings instead of a new bag. I think the less I see, the better Ive been feeling, and Id like to try to go back to living more simply.
thedseer - thanks for posting this food for thought. It struck me as well what your mom said - my takeaway is that with simple needs, salary could be less of a consideration to one's passion or what they are good at/want to do with their lives. I think a lot of us chase the big salary and then, when we get it, spend commensurate with that salary, but often trade that salary for longer hours at work, increased responsibility and stress, etc. A lot of people I know who do this are unhappy, and I just don't want to go there. I truly am jealous of those who seem so calm and happy despite the external chaos.
Is this your second master's degree you are deciding on right now? I am a bit hesitant on additional degrees for myself because it takes so much time and money and I'm not sure if it will make me any more happy or content in the end. Even the current projects I am on, I'm not sure about those, either. I think I too may need additional soul searching.
Thedseer-- I really love your post. It's a great reminder that we are often happiest when we have a few well loved things we use often rather than an excess of material goods. It can be hard in today's highly-marketed culture and tpf can be its own bubble reality. I, too, am returning to simplicity and am really enjoying it. I just feel as though I enjoy what I have now with a more grateful heart.
TM, it's great watching you through your "back to the basics" journey...it's definitely inspiring. I see your Longchamps have made a lasting impression...they are definitely low key but very luxe in my opinion! Hope you are doing well!
It's been a while since I've posted as well, and I'm really happy with my downsizing progress. I have been slowly selling off some of my collection and it's at a pace that I don't miss what I sell at all, even if I didn't get a good cost per wear on the item, which normally creates a doubt in my head whether I should just keep the item and get cost per wear. The buying/selling cycle of stuff bleeds money and time. At least it does for me.
I noticed most people "rebound" after doing a large purge, and go in the cycle of buy/sell/buy/sell and that's not what I want. It is taking up a lot of mental energy and time for me to purge and I really want to be content with my collection by next year. So far I know it is working because I have not bought a bag in months...nor do I feel the urge to do so. I went through a brief shoe phase, which fortunately is done since I really got what I wanted and it really filled the need.
I also can say that I do not buy anything I do not truly like, even if it's discounted and an approximation of what I want...if I truly want something specific, I will hunt and save for that specific item...it has been a waste of my time, energy, and money to settle for something that I don't really want and then having all the regret, guilt, anxiety of making a bad purchase.
I find that concentrating on home and professional stuff (more home, less professional lol) and going out shopping less helps me curb the inner want, as well as putting my money and time in building and maintaining the relationships I feel are very important to me.
It also helped that I had a lot of rare pieces in my bag collection. 
I'm about to list the last of what I have in my HH closet cleaning ad today. 
).....and congrats on your purge! It sounds like your really on your way to get what you've been working towards.
