FinnFlair

Out With The Old!

I have noticed that I have a weird relationship with the stuff I own. I had to part with most of the things I had when I broke up with my ex (a long and sodden story) and after that incidence I have developed rather fixated attitude towards material things which has started to bug me. I know that starting basically from scratch was both mentally and financially challenging for me and this is perhaps one of the reasons why I tend to cling stubbornly to everything I have.

For awhile now I have found the idea of living simple very intriguing. I have asked myself again and again: Do I own my stuff, or does my stuff own me? I know from experience that emotionally charged relationship to material things can drag one down so I try my best to part with some items I really don’t need anymore. However, there is a wicked twist in the whole thing. Parting with excessive stuff doesn’t happen that easy.

By decluttering my life I would like to identify what is most important to me and eliminate everything else. I have heard though that getting to simplicity isn’t always a simple process. Rather it can be seen as a journey of two steps forward, and one backward. I guess I made a huge leap forward by realizing that after all these years I still haven’t made peace with my past. I should learn to let go the things I once had and accept the fact that they are part of someone else’s life now, not mine.

So I guess it’s out with the old, then. May the only permanent thing in life is change be my new motto from now on.

Sanna 22. February 2008 | | Comment [3]

A Major Clear-Out

My life has been full to overflowing with various things for quite some time now. Being the diligent academic project worker that I am, I haven’t been able to say no to any of the projects I have been offered. I have been all goody goody and committed myself to various tasks and at the moment I’m responsible of four highly demanding projects. Needless to say, I’m totally overemployed. Unfortunately the good girl syndrome has led me to the situation where I have found being the person everyone else is passing the buck.

I would like to be all organised and stress-free but when you have too much on your plate it is hard to stay focused and level-headed. I know there’s nothing I can do to my work situation during this year but there are plenty of other opportunities to straighten out my life. A major clear-out is an absolute necessity.

Clean Your Closets – Straighten Out Your Life

My life after a major clear-out. A girl can dream, right!?

Some of you might remember the origins of this blog project. I started this blog in order to document the tiny project called de-cluttering of my closets, but the inventory was never actually finished. Keepers are well in my closets, but so are the maybes and losers as well (well, they’re in my storage but still). Interestingly, this project seems to have gone deeper than that. Instead of solely cleaning my closets, my current aim is to simplify my life as much as possible.

Someone has wisely said that when your life begins to resemble a messy and disorganised closet, the first place to begin is in the closet. I tend to cling to so many things in life without which I believe I simply can’t be happy or even survive. Often I resolve to clean out the closet to get rid of unnecessary clutter and find myself stuffing most of it back – just in case! I have to admit I still have plenty of junk drawers at my house and I’m finally willing to get rid off all the clutter that doesn’t have any purpose in my life anymore. It is true that many things came into my life for a purpose but once these things are no longer needed, I should be willing to let them go.

For now I strive to keep only the items I absolutely cannot and will not live without. I want to keep in mind that the main thing here is really about straightening out my life and I should learn how to decide what really matters to me and what doesn’t.

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Big thanks for inspiration and motivation goes to The Suburban Queen whose example encouraged me to finish off with my long-term project.

Sanna 29. October 2007 | | Comment [3]

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse - Final Episode

Thanks to the rich discussion under the previous entries plus some serious background research, I have finally pulled together a few guidelines how to proceed with my online auction shebang. Here’s my online auction seller’s checklist so far.

Sanna’s Consumer-Friendly Checklist

  1. Scrutinize the item and note any flaws, wear, or damage.
  2. Only sell pieces which are in good condition.
  3. Take good and detailed pictures of the item. Document any flaws, wear, or damage with a photo.
  4. Write a catchy title. Remember to use expressive key words.
  5. Gather exhaustive information about the item in question. Describe the item clearly, accurately, and completely.
  6. Pack and weigh the item.
  7. Include postal fees to the starting price.
  8. Strive to keep those prices low.

Lets get those garments under the hammer!

Wanna share your online auction tips with others?

Read more: eBay’s Seller’s Checklist

Sanna 2. August 2007 | | Comment

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse vol. 2

First things first. Thanks for each and every one who has left a comment so far. Commenting is a great way to get to know other like-minded bloggers, and of course it’s nice to know that this blog has at least a couple of readers as well.

In my previous entry I was asking you folks if you sell or buy some recycled items online. Now I would like to talk a bit about prices we see at flea markets or online auction sites. For example, Jenni from Pupulandia and Desthea from Desthea.com both have noticed that nowadays people ask ridiculous prices at flea markets or online auction sites. I guess I’m not horribly wrong saying that more often you come across some serious – excuse my language – shite that is high-priced than something with a decent price-quality ratio. In my case high pricing has only one effect: these profiteers price themselves out of the market.

I’m about to sell some items at flea market and online auction site. My aim is to sell good quality pieces and I strive to keep my prices low as I’m not trying to make any money out of my used clothes. Now I would like to encourage you all to share your views on pricing principles (in English, Finnish, Swedish, French or whichever language you please!).

What is a definite deal-breaker for you when it comes to pricing and second hand shopping?

Sanna 30. July 2007 | | Comment [3]

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse vol. 1

My wardrobe inventory has come to the stage where I have to take the bull by the horns and decide which items to keep and which to toss. At the moment I have one big box full of shoes and two even bigger boxes filled with clothes waiting for a new home.

At first I thought I would drag everything to the flea market as I’m a flea market kind of girl myself. I had a flea market table last spring with my gal pal and I managed to sell almost all my stuff (which was five big boxes filled with clothes, shoes, accessories and home decor). Needless to say, I had only high quality items for sale and I kept my prices relatively low (for example, I sold a beautiful vintage burgundy leather jacket in top condition dirt cheap) as my aim was to recycle and reduce, not to make money. At that time I wasn’t aware of how online auction sites actually work for a seller.

Now I have a vague idea to put some of the stuff to online auction but as this would be my first time I’m not quite sure how to proceed. I have divided the stuff I want to let go to two piles. One is for online auction and another for flea market. I decided to trust my instincts and listen that gut feeling I have for what to sell online and what not. My key idea is to sell pieces I myself would buy online. For example, I decided that I won’t sell those shoes because I simply can’t describe all those tiny scratches and scuff marks my used shoes might have and I don’t want to deal with whiny customers afterwards. The fact that I very rarely buy shoes online myself was the thing that finally clinched it.

That said, which kind of recycled items you would sell/buy online?

Sanna 26. July 2007 | | Comment [8]

   

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