Well done you! I wish I could control my weight more than I do my bag collection. Both keep creeping up but at least the bags bring me joy!
Share Your Edited Bag Closet Journey......
- Thread starter diane278
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I have two more to sell, so I am still doing my best to get down to the ones that truly make my heart sing!!
I have officially re-purposed one bag and two have been moved to the closet for departing bags. I haven't thought all that much about those two or really missed them at all, so I think I'm at the point that I feel OK to put them up for sale. One additional is also in the closet for departing bags, but I do think about that one so I'm not ready to sell that one yet, and it might make it back into my regular bag closet. We'll see. I'm also getting ready to put another bag in the closet for departing bags. I also just sold three bags - they had been up for sale for a while and were not included in my bag count, so it's not true reduction in numbers, but I'm glad they are officially out of the house.
While that sounds like progress, and I want to be proud of it, I have also purchased two bags, and my wishlist (which seems to become a "need to have" list) keeps growing.
It is at the point in which if, I purchase all I plan to, and get rid of those I realistically feel I can, I'll get at 39 bags. If, I am able to get rid of the few additional on my "maybe, but I'm really not sure I want to" list, I can bring that down to 36 or 37. But, I'm not counting on that because the ones on that "maybe, but I don't really want to" list are really hard to think about getting rid of right now. So, it basically means that I'll likely end up right where I started - a bag count that feels too high for myself.
I am trying to be really thoughtful about this whole process while not beating myself up too much for not getting down to a number I'm more comfortable with or getting my number down fast enough. If I'm being honest with myself, I just really want to get my number down, and I'm kind of mad at myself that I can't seem to do so. I feel silly and selfish and frivolous and materialistic. BUT, I'm trying not to think that way. I'm trying to tell myself that just because I have a really hard time thinking about getting rid of some of my bags now doesn't mean that I'll feel the same way in a 6 months, or a year, or a year and a half from now. With time, maybe I CAN fathom getting rid of some of my "maybe, but I don't want to" bags. And, I'm also trying to tell myself that maybe it's ok to have a collection that hovers around 40. I want that number to be less, but if I truly feel like I can't get rid of anymore, at least I'll have a collection of bags that I truly really love.
While that sounds like progress, and I want to be proud of it, I have also purchased two bags, and my wishlist (which seems to become a "need to have" list) keeps growing.
It is at the point in which if, I purchase all I plan to, and get rid of those I realistically feel I can, I'll get at 39 bags. If, I am able to get rid of the few additional on my "maybe, but I'm really not sure I want to" list, I can bring that down to 36 or 37. But, I'm not counting on that because the ones on that "maybe, but I don't really want to" list are really hard to think about getting rid of right now. So, it basically means that I'll likely end up right where I started - a bag count that feels too high for myself. I am trying to be really thoughtful about this whole process while not beating myself up too much for not getting down to a number I'm more comfortable with or getting my number down fast enough. If I'm being honest with myself, I just really want to get my number down, and I'm kind of mad at myself that I can't seem to do so. I feel silly and selfish and frivolous and materialistic. BUT, I'm trying not to think that way. I'm trying to tell myself that just because I have a really hard time thinking about getting rid of some of my bags now doesn't mean that I'll feel the same way in a 6 months, or a year, or a year and a half from now. With time, maybe I CAN fathom getting rid of some of my "maybe, but I don't want to" bags. And, I'm also trying to tell myself that maybe it's ok to have a collection that hovers around 40. I want that number to be less, but if I truly feel like I can't get rid of anymore, at least I'll have a collection of bags that I truly really love.
“Awareness” is what finally made me come around. One day I realized that no bag I ever bought really changed anything, no matter how much I loved or used it. It took years for me to get to that point...and many thousands of dollars.....so my ideas may not be all that good. 
I floundered around for a very long time buying, buying, buying. At one time I owned 14 Bottega Nodini bags. Several I never used. Not even once. I’ve kept one. I also just added up how much they all cost but I can’t bring myself to post that amount here. It’s offensive....and I feel like an idiot. And that’s just one style I owned. The fact that I never carried debt was my rationalization. But that’s BS....it’s just my excuse. But life goes on and I can’t change what I did back then. I CAN guarantee I’ll never do that again. I beat myself up at times but that didn’t work either. I finally accepted my behavior and that’s when things started to change for me. I now believe that sometimes we have to work through situations rather than try to go around them. Do be kind to yourself. If we do it right, we can learn from our mistakes.....and do better next time.
I floundered around for a very long time buying, buying, buying. At one time I owned 14 Bottega Nodini bags. Several I never used. Not even once. I’ve kept one. I also just added up how much they all cost but I can’t bring myself to post that amount here. It’s offensive....and I feel like an idiot. And that’s just one style I owned. The fact that I never carried debt was my rationalization. But that’s BS....it’s just my excuse. But life goes on and I can’t change what I did back then. I CAN guarantee I’ll never do that again. I beat myself up at times but that didn’t work either. I finally accepted my behavior and that’s when things started to change for me. I now believe that sometimes we have to work through situations rather than try to go around them. Do be kind to yourself. If we do it right, we can learn from our mistakes.....and do better next time.
One thing you should be proud of is that since you are having trouble deciding which bags to get rid of, it means that you've made good choices.I have officially re-purposed one bag and two have been moved to the closet for departing bags. I haven't thought all that much about those two or really missed them at all, so I think I'm at the point that I feel OK to put them up for sale. One additional is also in the closet for departing bags, but I do think about that one so I'm not ready to sell that one yet, and it might make it back into my regular bag closet. We'll see. I'm also getting ready to put another bag in the closet for departing bags. I also just sold three bags - they had been up for sale for a while and were not included in my bag count, so it's not true reduction in numbers, but I'm glad they are officially out of the house.
While that sounds like progress, and I want to be proud of it, I have also purchased two bags, and my wishlist (which seems to become a "need to have" list) keeps growing.
I am trying to be really thoughtful about this whole process while not beating myself up too much for not getting down to a number I'm more comfortable with or getting my number down fast enough. If I'm being honest with myself, I just really want to get my number down, and I'm kind of mad at myself that I can't seem to do so. I feel silly and selfish and frivolous and materialistic. BUT, I'm trying not to think that way. I'm trying to tell myself that just because I have a really hard time thinking about getting rid of some of my bags now doesn't mean that I'll feel the same way in a 6 months, or a year, or a year and a half from now. With time, maybe I CAN fathom getting rid of some of my "maybe, but I don't want to" bags. And, I'm also trying to tell myself that maybe it's ok to have a collection that hovers around 40. I want that number to be less, but if I truly feel like I can't get rid of anymore, at least I'll have a collection of bags that I truly really love.
I'm not doing too good. I've bought 5 bags since the beginning of the year. I haven't picked anything to get rid of in a while. I'm not feeling motivated to sell right now.
There’s no time requirement. I’d wait until you feel the timing is right....
For me, the selling market has ground down to a crawl right now, with bags that used to sell in an hour malingering in my Closet of Departing Bags for weeks or months.
Part of me thinks - just get rid of them! The other part of me? Well, the effort of selling is deterring me from shopping. Whenever I'm tempted to buy a bag because it's pretty, even though I know it won't work with my lifestyle, I just need to look at the Closet for Departing Bags and see all the other bags that I bought because they are pretty.
Still, it's a lot of stress and not a lot of moving on.
Part of me thinks - just get rid of them! The other part of me? Well, the effort of selling is deterring me from shopping. Whenever I'm tempted to buy a bag because it's pretty, even though I know it won't work with my lifestyle, I just need to look at the Closet for Departing Bags and see all the other bags that I bought because they are pretty.
Still, it's a lot of stress and not a lot of moving on.
I agree that it’s hard to be stuck when you want to get your momentum going. I feel like my collection is pretty much weeded out...at least for now. And I have enough bags....actually more than enough, but sometimes I miss the thrill of the hunt, or the experience of calling my SA @ Valley Fair and ordering a bag (BV happily ships overnight). On the other hand, my checking account is happier. I’m still thinking I should give myself extra points for loving clutches, because they take up less real estate in my closet. Oh, yeah...the lies I tell myself. Eleven clutches are a lot, even if two are in frames and the rest fit on 1 1/2 shelves.
In addition to my usual slow sputtering speed, I recently was ‘gifted’ with a new heart med....and it’s making me feel fatigued. On the other hand, I’m not worrying about anything at all.... although that's not conducive to continued editing.
In addition to my usual slow sputtering speed, I recently was ‘gifted’ with a new heart med....and it’s making me feel fatigued. On the other hand, I’m not worrying about anything at all.... although that's not conducive to continued editing.
I understand about the heart meds. DH is on a bunch of them and they make him feel tired and lightheaded all the time.
As you recently told me, there is no hurry to edit. You can do it when you feel like it.
Normally, I’d be stressed about not moving forward, but not now. My entire bag collection consumes only
three 24” shelves of closet space and one entire shelf is housing my two bulky totes. It’s a huge improvement over a few years ago. Last year, I donated two BV clutches to a cancer charity fundraiser (they auction off bags) and that was great. I’m planning on doing the same this year. You’re right....no reason to hurry....
It's helpful for me to read and participate in threads like this. It makes me reflect on my needs, wants, and buying habits, and I think I'm slowly coming to my own awareness. At least I hope I am. In at least some aspects anyway.“Awareness” is what finally made me come around. One day I realized that no bag I ever bought really changed anything, no matter how much I loved or used it. It took years for me to get to that point...and many thousands of dollars.....so my ideas may not be all that good.
I've been thinking a lot about Kon Mari and only keeping things you really love, etc, which has been a part of the way I've been approaching my collection. And part of my issue has been that when I'm "done" with what I plan on purchasing and foresee getting rid of, I will be left with all items that I really love, but it's still too many bags. And then, I thought to myself this morning, "just because you love it doesn't mean you need to own it". So stupidly simple, but it also felt a bit like a revelation to me. Honestly, I'm not sure how much it will help me with getting rid of items I already have - they're in my possession now, and I love them! But, I think it can help with future purchases. I've been justifying purchases by telling myself how much I really loved it, telling myself it's worth purchasing something if I truly love it and it "sparks joy". And while I think that is a really important basis for a purchase, it really cannot be my only justification. If it isn't going to serve great functionality or practicality for me or if I already have something similar, I should probably leave it behind, even if I do love it. It's helping me NOT to purchase a bag on sale at the moment - so tempting, so pretty with embellished flowers and crystals, and it's a flap shoulder bag with a chain, which I love. BUT, it's too small to get any really use from me, and I already have a bag that is embellished with flowers and crystals. I love this other bag, it's on sale, and I want it. But I'm telling myself that I do not need to won every pretty thing that I love.
I'll be 36 in a few months, so I'm young, relatively speaking, but also old enough to be doing better. As it is, I'm already embarrassed by the amount of money I've spent on bags in the last year and a half. I don't want to look back in 5 or 10 years from now, still overwhelmed by my bag count and even more embarrassed by how much I've spent. I do hope to learn from my mistakes and do better in the future (but it's so much easier to say that than to do that!).
Thank you for point this out! I keep beating myself for not being able to narrow down even further, but you're right - it does show I've managed to make my collection one of the best items for me, and there is some value in that. I also have no regrets about any bags I've sold thus far (knock on wood!), and there is probably something to be proud of in that as well. It's good to keep these small victories in mind as I go through this process!
I think we all struggle with "moderation" in all things....food, drink, clothes, cars, houses, jewelry, whatever it is. I have been through all of those phases. And we all falter at times. I am WAY older than any of you, so it is easier for me to be moderate. I have been there, done that. As long as you are aware and are trying... good enough. Don't beat yourself up about it.
Way older? I think I've seen pictures of you. You don't look that old.
I agree with you about moderation. It's definitely been a problem for me.
Trust me dear. I am WAY older, but I think young...obviously or I would not be on this site, lol. And I guess I wear bags too young as well. That is the beauty of being old.