Hi TGG and Prepster,
Pardon my delay. I actually have so many thoughts and things I want to say swirling in my head that I'm trying to figure out how to write it coherently without being long winded. So first let me just say thank you for allowing and welcoming me to share. My apologies in advance for rambling and I hope I'm not sharing too much and boring anyone.
Some background.... My interest in H started circa 1999 when my friend mentioned a Birkin and putting herself on the list. ( I actually don't remember the exact year but it was sometime between 1999 and 2002). She then proceeded to tell me how much it cost at the time, $4k and I almost fell off my seat and couldn't believe it. At the time I was in shock and couldn't fathom paying so much for a bag of any sort. Thought she was crazy!!! (laughing here now) It was so much money and far more than my meager salary could afford. After that I couldn't stop thinking about a Birkin and Kelly and it started to grow on me because I realized I wanted to stop pursuing the "It" bags and wanted to buy bags that would last a lifetime and be classic for a lifetime and that was Hermes.
In 2004, after I had saved a little money, I purchased my first H bag, a Kelly off the shelf at the H Boutique, a BBK 32. Seemed so classic, beautiful and of course Grace Kelly. I should have been satisfied but so the H addiction started. I then wanted a Birkin. At the time Birkins did make an appearance on the shelf, not as often as Kellys but it did and timing was key and I didn't know any better. So then when I spotted my first B35 on the shelf, I pounced on it. I debated and hemmed and hawed and couldn't decide because the color was Chartreuse. In the end I bought it. I had just missed out on a graphite so this time I took it after much debate. I finally got my Birkin.
I won't go on and on about each bag I procured but let me just say this, I was hooked on H. Some years I bought just one bag a year and some years I bought more than 1, B/K and lots of other styles. Hermes is brilliant. They make beautiful bags but they are smart, they know how to manage supply and demand which has increased desire while increasing profit margins. We all know the excitement of getting that magical phone call from your SA.
Last bit about my H journey before I get to the downsizing part etc. When I started my love for H I had no children. Now I am mommy of multiples and this also shaped my buying decisions for the better and worse.
So when I first discovered TPF I was so excited and lurked for the longest time and learned so much. During that time I had something significant happen in my life that has brought joy but also intense stress. And at the time H had become a huge slippery slope. But after awhile I realized I started hunting on TPF H thread for topics about "how much is too much" or "when is enough enough" etc. I then decided that I needed to let go of a few of my H bags. It was a very very hard decision and scary one. I never bought these bags thinking I'd sell them. Thought they would be my lifetime loves and I would use them forever but I bit the bullet and shipped them off to be sold. And so a couple of them did. I then had a friend introduce me to another website where I could sell some stuff on my own and so I started to do that and got rid of a few other bags but this time non-H. I sold
Prada, Fendi, LV etc, things I had collected over the years but just didn't use or love anymore.
In the last couple years things inside me started to change. My husband and I discovered the Marie Kondo book and it was great but it wasn't enough. My mental, physical and emotional clutter had hit an all time high and I decided everything had to change. Luckily I had a friend that was feeling similarly and introduced me to a podcast and bloggers about minimalism. And now my life has taken yet another path and turn which is a work in progress. I am realizing that all this stuff has really reduced my quality of life... my stuff, clothes, kids stuff, their clothes, toys, my handbags, the mess in my house, the paperwork, and the list goes on. My clutter inside and out was too much. This may sound like my house is a hoarding mess but really it isn't. Things at home got to a state where it became too much and it was controlling me and my life was devoted to always tidying and cleaning it up. I don't have natural OCD tendencies and getting rid of stuff was not in my DNA so it was something I have to work hard at achieving. In fact I was brought up not to waste and keeping things just in case. Well, my life is changing and my goals and visions are different. I want less stuff and only want to keep what I love. Through Marie Kondo's book, the Minimalism podcast and reading other bloggers I have been trying to rid my home of all the excess. It is also important to me now spend on experiences and not on the material possessions. This may seem obvious to many and it was to me but at the same time I wasn't living that life. My happiness was being purchased in short spurts with stuff and not being lived. My goal is not to be a true minimalist but get to a point where I have more time to enjoy life without having to worry about taking care of all my stuff or working hard just to buy stuff.
Do I still have a small H wishlist? Yes, I do. I love H and still go to the boutique but now I look at my purchases very differently. I no longer buy impulsively. Recently I told someone on IG that there are too many beautiful things in life to just buy maybes. It's true. Don't settle for the maybes, buy only the 10s. But I don't need every 10 but just a few that I know I will really use and love. I have made a list and I think about it long and hard and it's okay if I don't fulfill it right away.
I want to achieve what prepster has been experiencing. It's okay to let go because after awhile I won't miss it. This is not an overnight process but I am getting there and like she said, it will get easier and easier. One last story to share that has inspired me. About a year ago I was invited to a very nice dinner. I met a couple older than me who happened to live in my town at one point. Turns out someone wanted to buy their newly renovated house, made a good offer and so they sold it. They held an estate sale and at that time she sold a lot of her Chanel bags. So I asked her, "Do you miss your Chanels?" And what was her answer, "Not at all."
So thank you for listening. Sorry this is so long. Hope I didn't ramble too much. While I still have a lot of work to do to shed the stuff, I am motivated by my goals and hope to achieve them soon. Thanks again for letting me share.
