Cost per wear? Do you care?

[GoStanford]

For me, CPW is critical. I will not buy something that I will not wear enough. My goal is $1 per wear...I like tracking things and I love cataloguing my bags. So, I do actually maintain a catalogue of my bags, with details like usage notes, purchase price, insurance replacement costs, materials, maintenance costs, date purchased...

I don't care for CPW. In all seriousness if we really deep dive into our closet of shoes, cocktail dresses, jewelry, etc. you can't ever justify it.

Really like both viewpoints and the fact they highlight both ends of the spectrum. Vintage Leather, please come and catalogue my closet for me!! This sounds like the type of satisfying number-crunching that makes clothes and accessories shopping somewhat logic-based, and I think your system sounds great.

applecidered, at the same time I agree with you. Basically by having a computer and ability to connect to tPF and option to even have choices in different brands of bags, we're already in the luxury zone.

 

[applecidered]

applecidered, at the same time I agree with you. Basically by having a computer and ability to connect to tPF and option to even have choices in different brands of bags, we're already in the luxury zone.

Totally agree with you. I also think if we apply this cost per wear concept to wedding dresses (yikes!) and other areas of life, it's just not worth it for me to contemplate too heavily about. I definitely try to wear my bags and take them out as opposed to having them sit in the closet since I'm a firm believer that bags should be used!

 

[reginaPhalange]

This is a really interesting thread, I guess with more expensive purchases I've tried to use cost-per-wear or use as a justification to buy the item but I've never bothered to calculate the number. I could see how it's useful when setting a price to sell something though.

 

[bakeacookie]

I do and I keep track of cost per wear. It keeps me as grounded as possible, to fill my wardrobe with as many things I can use.

I want to wear the things I have not have them sit and remind me of an imaginary lifestyle I'm not living.

It also helps me figure out whether or not an item was worth it.

 

[Kendie26]

On a few threads people have discussed cost per wear - do we look at a how much a bag costs us in terms of how much we wear it vs. just how much we want it....
Hey Sparkle!! I learned of the "cost per wear" thought from either you or someone is Bake's "shopping from my own closet" thread. That was a little "ah ha" thought for me that made a lot of sense when I read it, because I have never considered that before. For the bags & special SLG's that I've bought most recently I've given much more thought to them before purchasing. I definitely appreciate my finer luxury bags more than others & use them more so now compared to my mid range bags (plus I've sold a ton of bags that haven't been in use) I also loved the idea I learned here on tPF about keeping an inventory (I loved & used the album feature on here & sure hope it can come back sometime since I can't figure out how to make an album now) I found doing that was useful because whenever I'd be itching to buy a new bag, I'd doublecheck my album inventory & look for redundancy....that actually saved me a few times from buying a bag that was way too close to one that I already owned. Thank you!

 

[melburnian]

I do and I keep track of cost per wear. It keeps me as grounded as possible, to fill my wardrobe with as many things I can use.

I want to wear the things I have not have them sit and remind me of an imaginary lifestyle I'm not living.

It also helps me figure out whether or not an item was worth it.

+1

I use the stylebook app to easily keep track of cost per wear.

My threshold is $5/wear - I remember seeing this written somewhere. I know it's probably arbitrary but it works for me (and is more achievable than $1/wear haha)

 

[bakeacookie]

+1

I use the stylebook app to easily keep track of cost per wear.

My threshold is $5/wear - I remember seeing this written somewhere. I know it's probably arbitrary but it works for me (and is more achievable than $1/wear haha)

Stylebook is awesome!

I try to get my all bags and accessories to $10 or less per wear, $5 per wear of designer clothing, $1 per wear of mall brand clothing.

For occasion clothing, like jackets in So Cal and party dresses, I try for $20 per wear.

This keeps me from overbuying things I can't wear often like heavy jackets, long dresses, and expensive, flashy jewelry.

 

[ladysarah]

Here is a vogue example for CPW i value clothes and generally try to buy the most expensive items I can possibly afford and as few of them as possible. Ultimately it comes to dressing for our real lifestyle, real climate etc. For example a cashmere coat may be a good purchase if you live in Scotland, but perhaps not so good for Hawaii.

 

[reginaPhalange]

View attachment 3397164 Here is a vogue example for CPW i value clothes and generally try to buy the most expensive items I can possibly afford and as few of them as possible. Ultimately it comes to dressing for our real lifestyle, real climate etc. For example a cashmere coat may be a good purchase if you live in Scotland, but perhaps not so good for Hawaii.

I'm definitely a visual person so this kind of helps more. Some of the numbers are stretched in my opinion though, as the age retired is 90!

 

[bam253]

Yes, I do factor in the cost-per-wear for every bag I buy, even the preloved ones


I carry a card inside my agenda, with a list of all my bags, their purchase price, and the number of times I have to use each (price divided by 5 Euros for the most expensive ones i.e. price above 300 Euros, and by 50 Euro for the cheapest ones) so that I can make sure each gets its full price use! Only after this happens for one bag will I even consider buying another one - and then only if it´s worn and torn without a chance of repair.


Thus, in my case a 500 Euro bag has to be worn at least 100 times; a 1000 Euro bag, at least 200 times; a 20 Euro bags, at least 40 times. Every day I take out the "check card" and write a little vertical stripe beside the bag I have worn that day. Simple, efficient, and eye-opening as to the cost-efficiency of each piece.


This, of course, means that for instance a hypothetical 8000 Hermès Kelly (definitely NOT an everyday bag, or a workhorse) would have to be worn at least 1600 times. Is that feasible or even reasonable, or would I get sick of it before that happens? By this (subjective) measuring rod, a lot of dreamy bags are automatically excluded, and I concentrate my expensive purchases around really usable, tough bags like LV Retiro/Speedy, Chloè leather bags, or classic Mulberries (and the more affordable, but equally undestroyable Liebeskinds).

Omg I love this! Haha I'm
Going to copy you! I never had a system, but yours seems pretty great

 

[Babydoll Chanel]

I agree with folks here - I think the more I spend on a bag, I'd better get my money's worth out of it. I sold a couple of bags which were just lying in my closet gathering dust as they were rare and hard to find, but then I figured what's the point of getting something only to have it sit in the closet all the time? The bags I have gotten over the past year or so are getting much better use, so more bang for my buck

 

[Minty Tea]

Prior to purchasing a luxury item, I do consider the number of times I will use/wear it but not to the point of doing the calculations. I don't have a certain dollar amount in mind, as long as I still wear (even occasionally) and love it then it's worth cost.

 

[Pursestan]

Not really.
As long as the bag is available when I want to use it, then it's worth having as far as I'm concerned. The only bag that's too expensive for me to have is the one that I will never use, so that could technically apply to a $50 off-brand bag if it just sat in the corner collecting dust.

 

[bam253]

Not really.
As long as the bag is available when I want to use it, then it's worth having as far as I'm concerned. The only bag that's too expensive for me to have is the one that I will never use, so that could technically apply to a $50 off-brand bag if it just sat in the corner collecting dust.

I agree. If I spend $25 on a bag and I never use it then that cost too much.

 

[bam253]

Since I'm a new mom NONE of my bags get used. If I'm ever without my daughter to run to the store or something I'll take a purse but that's MAYBE 1-3 times a month. It's starting to drive me crazy because my purses were my babies before her....but carrying 2 bags and a baby is just too much. So I'm thinking of investing in a speedy 35/40 bandoliere to act as a purse and diaper bag, but we'll see..