Acquisition as a precursor to decluttering?

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Acquisition as a precursor to decluttering?

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Started 1 year ago by PaulT00
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PaulT00
Member

I don't mean this quite the way it sounds. Obviously, acquisition of stuff is a necessary precursor to decluttering said stuff, in the sense that one can't do the decluttering without having the stuff first; but what I actually mean is that I am embarking on a decluttering phase but I seem to have acquired lots of stuff in the last couple of weeks. It's almost as if I needed to acquire some things before I could concentrate on decluttering.

In no particular order, I've bought:

a fountain pen (I collect fountain pens, usually vintage, and have wanted this particular model for nearly two years)
a pair of sunglasses (Oakley Romeo 1, in case anyone is interested - point being they're long discontinued and I managed to find a pair on eBay some 10 years after first trying on a pair in the shop and wanting them but not being able to afford them)
a flatscreen monitor (to connect to my main work PC to make it a triple-monitor setup, as I was forever running out of screen space with 'only' two!)
a pair of spectacle frames (a discontinued model, off eBay, which I'll have glazed up with my prescription after my next eye check later this year)
several novels (first books I've bought in a couple of months, which is going some for a voracious reader)

etc.

Having spent a not inconsiderable sum of money thus, I now feel 'freed' to concentrate on decluttering without the distraction of wanting/needing more stuff for a while. Aside from the books, all these items were things I've wanted or needed for some time - anything between 6 months and 10 years, for example - so not exactly impulse purchases. Also, all of these items were bought either used - 3 of them came from eBay - and/or at a significant discount off the usual retail price.

Does anyone else experience this sort of need to 'clear the air' ?

Posted 1 year ago #
dkvietzke
Member

I think the process of creating an uncluttered lifestyle is all about being authentic and choosing to include those items that you really identify with and enjoy using and getting rid of those that are not part of who you are. I have so many things that were either given to me or I've either purchased because at the time I "liked" them but didn't realize that I didn't need to OWN them. There is such a thing as enjoying something without owning it. Books are a perfect example. I used to love to troll used book stores and collect old books which I read and loved. But now I realize I can be just as happy checking them out at the library whenever I feel the urge. Any book I can't find can usually be ordered through the system.

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

i hear that!
i spent twenty years chasing my dream fountain pen.
in the end, I bought components and had it all assembled in the uk.
the nib was especially challenging.
once i had the pen I really wanted, it was easy to let the others go.

Posted 1 year ago #
PaulT00
Member

@bandicoot: the correct term is 'grail pen'. :) http://www.fountainpennetwork.com is a gateway drug...

I already have a number of pens which might be considered 'grail' pens, but the one I've bought is intended as a workhorse - it will ideally replace another from the same manufacturer which writes beautifully (same nib!) but whose styling I find increasingly irritating as time goes on.

(btw if anyone knows where I can get a Montblanc Hemingway, or a vintage 139, with fine or extra-fine nib for less than <insane> money, feel free to shout!)

I think there is probably an element of dkvietzke's point about being authentic and choosing to include items which fit your desired life. I just feel that these items (possible exception of the novels) are things which fit in the life I want, and having given them due consideration I'm yielding to those temptations to reduce the level of distractions in my life.

Posted 1 year ago #
Astreja
Member

Paul, I think it's a back-and-forth process rather than "must declutter first" or "must get my dream _____ before committing to decluttering."

In my opinion, it depends on whether a particular unfulfilled desire is causing stress and distraction, and on whether the pursuit of the desire is chewing up an unreasonable amount of time.

By the way, your pens sound wonderful.

Posted 1 year ago #
Mimi
Member

ha, i am glad that there are more of us. :) i have the montblanc that i always wanted and a special pencil , too... that is the reason why i literally don´t need (nor have) anything else to write with. these two wonderful pens and that´s it. i always take my montblanc with me, even when i ride my bike. and i love it. that is the feeling that i like, not only to have less stuff but to have remaining "stuff" that i really love.

Posted 1 year ago #
jbeany
Member

I think buying something new that I really need or have bought after careful consideration can be a huge impetus to decluttering. If I've bought one thing that I really love and works perfectly for what I need, I can get rid of several things that have been "make-do" solutions until then. I bought a massive organizer for all my jewelry supplies and collected all the bits and pieces from various odd sized storage bins scattered all over my craft room. Once the one organizer was filled, the others were OUT.

On the other hand, maybe it's just guilt over excessive consumerism. I bought all these things, now I HAVE to toss something!

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

those pen forums are scary!
who knew there were such fanatical lunatics out there?
apart from my own fanatical lunacy, I mean.

hmmm, the grail pen....it certainly is.
I've known since I was fifteen years old precisely what pen I wanted.
a black single jewelled Parker 51 with a silver cap....vacumatic fill... and a brand new broad oblique nib.
it still amazes me that the parts were all out there, just waiting for me.

Posted 1 year ago #
Parsifal
Member

To be blunt - you are rationalizing continuing to clutter. I sense that you feel this way on some level because you asked the question. I commend you on making the effort to declutter and don't let this final 'hurrah' set you back!

P.S. I am terrible about doing this. I'll spend Saturday morning at Target buying calendars, folders and notebooks to get my office organized, and by next Friday all I've done is added to my collection of pristine, blank notebooks.

Posted 1 year ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

I don't need to buy new things in order to declutter, but I often find that after buying something nice I tend to find more stuff to get rid of.

Posted 1 year ago #
susanintexas
Member

For me a lot of clutter is created in the search for the perfect . . whatever. Once I find it, the imperfect experiments can be released.

Another, different example: I wear prescription glasses to see distances. I have one very expensive pair and I know where they are at all times and take good care of them. My DH needs reading glasses and buys the cheap drugstore kind. He must have a couple of dozen pair and can never find them -- they are always turning up in odd places (like in the bottom of the swimming pool last week.)

Posted 1 year ago #
djk
Member

oh yes, I know this feeling. And sometimes I have a make-do mentality, and I really don't like shopping at all, and I don't like spending money on non-essentials (oh hush, y'all, that glass of wine after work today was an essential!). So what happens is I spend a lot of time with stuff that is just OK. When I finally give myself permission to get something nice, that I have wanted for a while, that brings me closer to my aesthetic goals, then I toss a lot of adequate things to make room for that fabulous whatever.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tweetie
Member

Oh, based on the title of the thread I thought this was going to be about the things you *have* to acquire before you can declutter the old one. For instance, it would be lunacy for us to get rid of our fridge, our sofa, or our leaky shower head before we had bought the much-needed replacements for those items. We are going to have a yard sale this coming weekend (if I can get my rear in gear to get it organized), and even though I would be happy to see it go, I won't be putting the sofa on the lawn. I doubt we'd even get fifty bucks for it, or even that we'd raise enough from the entire yard sale to afford a new one.

I do understand the idea behind this, though. I would like to declutter about half my wardrobe, but don't feel I could unless I had suitable replacements for the things I would donate (even though logically I'm probably not wearing about half my wardrobe). If I suddenly acquired a swath of new clothes, I would happily get rid of the stuff I rarely wear--out of relief, guilt, and the need to still fit all my clothes in the closet! :) Sometimes I think the only thing keeping me going on the uncluttering is the very confines of my living space!

Posted 1 year ago #
badger
Member

We definitely do this in our house--especially the part where we buy a number of random things in quick succession, and then get rid of other things with which we've been making do for months or years.

Our most recent acquisitions include a Kindle for my wife, which means we can relinquish some of our books (we are both Ph.D.s in English so this is serious business). We also replaced some hard-sided luggage with lighter luggage, and I bought a new camera to replace our 11-year-old point and shoot that must have been pretty awesome at one point.

The highlight of last year was buying new towels, and turning the ones that we had since freshman year in college into rags for wiping the dog's feet (the dog was also acquired last year and he's a great delight).

Posted 1 year ago #
Rosa
Member

Oh yeah, djk - not so much "give myself permission" as actually find something good. There's always 5,000 choices that aren't what I want, and it can take years to find the right thing (like the bike I just got is PERFECT and it took me 2 years to decide on it thne another 6 months or so to decide to spend the money.)

Posted 1 year ago #
Lucy
Member

Now I want a new pen.

Posted 1 year ago #
PaulT00
Member

@Rosa - yes, finding the exact right thing is just the beginning, then one has to persuade oneself that the purchase is the right one. In the case of my new fountain pen that took the better part of a couple of years...

@Lucy - no, you don't want a new pen. Honestly. Because stylophilia leads to small but perfectly formed objects taking over drawers in your home, and large payments exiting your bank account, on a regular basis. :) My collection is around 50 pens at the moment - it's taken more than 5 years to reach that stage though. However, as the addiction bites you will find that suddenly the concept of spending several hundred dollars, pounds or whatever currency units on a single writing stick doesn't seem so mad... and then the really nice stuff rears its ugly head and, well, my current 'grail' pen would be a Montblanc Hemingway, usually to be found (used! not new!) in the 1500-2000 dollar range... it's a slippery slope! And let's not forget... inks!

Posted 1 year ago #
ninakk
Member

I would be lying if I'd say no. This has been on my mind for a few weeks now and I can't let go of the need/want; new laptop (macbook pro), new phone (iPhone). I've written about it in the talk me out of it thread already so need to repeat myself. Most of all, the ideal setting would remove some major stress, so maybe it counts?

Another area I can think of immediately is my wardrobe. It's all over the place and missing some vital pieces, so I find myself thinking of a slow yet total makeover. Classic, many possibilities to mix and match. Will see what the lady comes up with.

Posted 1 year ago #
PaulT00
Member

@ninakk - you have my sympathy on the phone front, although I did manage to delay having a new laptop by doubling the memory in my old black macbook recently. I can feel a new phone coming up, firstly because I hate my current Blackberry - I wasn't supposed to have it, it was originally intended for my other half but he decided he couldn't deal with it so we swapped - and secondly because our pup Tressa took it off my nightstand a week ago and clearly wanted to see how it tasted, so it's now got a cracked screen and one side coming off. Still works though... dammit! But the little leather holster it lives in was so mangled it had to be thrown away.

Posted 1 year ago #
vjb
Member

Paul, the exact same thing's happened to me, only the acquisition has been concurrent with the decluttering. It's part of the process for a lot of people, I think, to replace the crap with a few truly right/perfect/high-quality things.

I bought a fountain pen to replace the old Parker with the scratchy nib I hated. It was a Lamy 2000, piston-fill with an extra-fine nib – absolute dream to write with! Sadly, I left it on my bedside table once too often when my dog was at home alone, and finally he couldn't resist having a chew. I was distraught.

Now I'm looking for a replacement, probably an all-metal pen that won't be considered a chew toy. It's sad, because I loved the warm feel and light weight of the makrolon. Can you and the other pen aficionados recommend anything?

Posted 1 year ago #

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