How do you afford your bags and how many per year? Credit debt or millionare lover?

[clinkenwar]

I'm 32 almost 33..yay!!I have 2 kids 11 and 6..I work part time as a substitute teacher and I'm married to a Marine..enlisted(not an officer)..we don't make tons of money but when we first got married (13 years ago) we were really broke and got into a lot of debt so I spent years paying everything off..I was not really educated about money growing up..and so I have since learned a lot..spent a few years working in investments...I now save a bit, pay off bills and splurge on things I think will last me forever! pretty much my paycheck is my own..and my DH is happy that I'm happy especially times like now when he is deployed...have purchased 2 LV bags and a cles..since he's been gone..he's only been away a couple of weeks but will gone for a few more months ..must slow down consumption ...That's all I got

[newlyminted]

I'm 33 and have just started buying high end bags. I make about 15k a month. My previous purchases were in the Coach category, but I have recently purchased a Jimmy Choo, Prada, and Burberry bags. I will probably not by more than one really expensive bag a year now, partly because I feel guilty about it. I read a NY Times article that said the majority of women buying highend designer bags (e.g.more than $1000 per bag) were between 20-35, and had average income of 40k a year. I guess most bag purchasers would fall into the credit/sugar daddy category then.

[hfxshopgirl]

i'm 27 and have been working for a few years since grad school. most of my bags are gifts from my bf or parents or bought with bday $ or bonuses from work. although there have been a few spontaneous purchases paid for with credit. i have a shopping problem and am working hard right now to pay down my debt. i have a good job, so with some discipline it shouldn't be too hard.

[frenchiefan]

Hi...I'm a newbie. I've been buying high-end bags for about 3 years now (2, maybe 3 per year). I'm 38, 2 kids and a hubby, but I make a very good salary after 12 years of college/grad school and pay for my bags myself. No cc debt. I figure I'm worth it after denying myself for so many years I do feel a little old though...I often wonder if all the great "It" bags are just for 20-somethings...

[esiders]

I'm 35 (will be 36 in May) and a single mom to a 4.5 year old boy. I make good money as a Senior Project Manager for a healthcare company...plus I work from my home, so I save money on gas/lunch/Starbucks. I have an inexpensive car that is paid for, paid off the student loans years ago, I don't spend money on clothes and shoes....they only things I splurge on are handbags and travel. I do have credit card debt, but I pay it off every year with my annual bonus or my stock options.

[ayla]

Originally Posted by frenchiefan

Hi...I'm a newbie. I've been buying high-end bags for about 3 years now (2, maybe 3 per year). I'm 38, 2 kids and a hubby, but I make a very good salary after 12 years of college/grad school and pay for my bags myself. No cc debt. I figure I'm worth it after denying myself for so many years I do feel a little old though...I often wonder if all the great "It" bags are just for 20-somethings...

Of course not ! I can't remember who posted the story, but someone mentioned seeing a grandmotherly looking person rocking a B-bag, and that's just about the cutest thing I've ever heard. If you wear it with pride, any age will do.

[SweetTreat]

Im new here im 25 have been living in Boston for the past 9 years but grew up in Orange County California. Im sure all who live there or see any shows on TV know the pressures of living in Cali. I am in college right now and work part time. I am lucky to have parents that help me financialy even with my bag addiction.:o) However since I have moved to Boston I have become a bargain shopper because they have so many incredible outlets here that you don't need to spend full price on clothing you can get desighner clothes for fantastic deals. My New Years resolution was to be more wise with my money. We will see how that goes considering I have already purchased a Pucci bag last week and a Kate Spade yesterday. Eeek

[Mariah]

haha so i'm 15...my parents buy me almost everything. i get a purse for my birthday and about 2 for christmas. and i got a wristlet for valentine's day last year from my parents. every summer my family goes to the outer banks and on the way down we always stop at this coach outlet and i get at least 2 bags then. although, i'm starting to move away from most of coach's products and i'm going to ask for less but nicer things.

each month i get $100 on my debit card and i try to save up that money to buy nice things. but usually i can get more by asking my dad very nicely

fortunately my mom likes purses too and i can borrow from her collection and she also buys them for me randomly if it's a good deal

also, every year my mom will buy me a purse for getting straight a's for my final grades because i'm obsessive about my grades and won't allow myself to get anything less

i wish i had a generous bf, but i don't have a bf at all lol. although, last christmas i asked a boy for a gift card to coach jokingly and he got me a $55 one...

anyways i'm going to try to get a job this summer and buy myself a nice purse!

[nekomobile]

great thread! i always wonder how everyone finances their handbags!

i'm 28, an engineer in telecom, have absolutely no debt, and make fairly good money. however, i grew up with thrify parents, and thus i have problems justifying spending so much on a single purse! 2005 was a landmark year for me in that i spent $900 on two bags and a wallet, the LV cerise pochette, LV epi business card holder, and a bally twisp suede hobo. out of those purchases, i use only the business holder daily (as a wallet to hold my credit cards, i never carry cash). the cerise i've carried maybe 4 times and the bally is still in its cloth bag! so it doesn't make too much sense for me, practical or otherwise, to buy expensive bags.

i do enjoy living vicariously through others purchases though and love lurking around handbag forums. :)

oh and i'm a major bargain hunter and not into pricey fashion, so i spend maybe $600 or so a year on clothes, and spend the most on eating out. (food is my hobby!) i also have no qualms spending $2k on a computer, and my biggest splurge was my 3 year young audi TT that i paid $26k in cash for. biggest expenditure is my yearly visit to japan where roundtrip tix + expenses average $2k+. i'm now saving for a house (in my area, dinky 600 sq ft condos start at 350k+), and everything else goes towards maxing out my 401k and roth ira. there's plenty leftover where i never feel i have to save for a handbag, but i mentally can't get comfortable repeatedly spending over $250 for one.

[Swanky Mama Of Three]

I'm 31 and I stay at home w/ my 3 children - twin 19 mo old boys and an almost 5 yr old daughter. We have a part-time Nanny thank goodness so I can still enjoy some free time w/ each kiddo!
My DH is 7 yrs older than me and when we met he had already began saving every nickel and dime he earned. He's progressivley made more money each year and for the last couple of years has made quite a bit as a Regional Director for a Pharmaceutical Co.
He travels all the time so I've been paying the bills for the last year or two and have recently discovered what that really means . . .
I can spend on whatever I want!! He'll never know! LMBO! J/J!
Actually, I'm pretty conservative/frugal, but I tend to buy something if I REALLY want it.
We use a Citibank Visa for almost every purchase and I pay it off in full every onth, we have NO revolving credit and pay cash for our vehicles, vacations, etc . . .

[ayla]

Originally Posted by nekomobile

great thread! i always wonder how everyone finances their handbags! i'm 28, an engineer in telecom, have absolutely no debt, and make fairly good money. however, i grew up with thrify parents, and thus i have problems justifying spending so much on a single purse! 2005 was a landmark year for me in that i spent $900 on two bags and a wallet, the LV cerise pochette, LV epi business card holder, and a bally twisp suede hobo. out of those purchases, i use only the business holder daily (as a wallet to hold my credit cards, i never carry cash). the cerise i've carried maybe 4 times and the bally is still in its cloth bag! so it doesn't make too much sense for me, practical or otherwise, to buy expensive bags. i do enjoy living vicariously through others purchases though and love lurking around handbag forums. :) oh and i'm a major bargain hunter and not into pricey fashion, so i spend maybe $600 or so a year on clothes, and spend the most on eating out. (food is my hobby!) i also have no qualms spending $2k on a computer, and my biggest splurge was my 3 year young audi TT that i paid $26k in cash for. biggest expenditure is my yearly visit to japan where roundtrip tix + expenses average $2k+. i'm now saving for a house (in my area, dinky 600 sq ft condos start at 350k+), and everything else goes towards maxing out my 401k and roth ira. there's plenty leftover where i never feel i have to save for a handbag, but i mentally can't get comfortable repeatedly spending over $250 for one.

Out of curiousity, is your username a reference to the movie Totoro ? I love the cat bus in that movie, so cute !

[coco-nut]

Originally Posted by pursemama

God, I feel soo old....am I too old for this blog site?!...thinking to myself. I'm just happy to know that I'm not alone, in my love for handbags.

Heh. I'm 45 and the mother of a three year old. I was a software developer and product manager before I was a stay-at-home mom. But now I'm going back to work as a real estate agent. My son likes being in pre-school better than being at home all day.

[Swanky Mama Of Three]

Originally Posted by newlyminted

I read a NY Times article that said the majority of women buying highend designer bags (e.g.more than $1000 per bag) were between 20-35, and had average income of 40k a year. I guess most bag purchasers would fall into the credit/sugar daddy category then.

WOW! I guess I was underestimating my conservativeness!!! My DH makes 10 times that and I've NEVER spent 1K on a bag! {yet!}

[nekomobile]

Originally Posted by ayla

Out of curiousity, is your username a reference to the movie Totoro ? I love the cat bus in that movie, so cute !

that's a great guess! however, the reality is that i'm really lame. my friends call me neko, and nekomobile is what i call my car. i also loved the cat bus in totoro, and i have a little magnet of it on my fridge!

[ayla]

Originally Posted by nekomobile

that's a great guess! however, the reality is that i'm really lame. my friends call me neko, and nekomobile is what i call my car. i also loved the cat bus in totoro, and i have a little magnet of it on my fridge!

That's a really cute name for a car though, 猫の車 ! I'd love to have a TT myself, they look like they're so much fun to drive. Until then, I've got Brunhilda, my Volvo !