How are you able to afford Hermes bags?

[papertiger]

Just to remind everyone that this thread is 12 years old from OP to this message.

Take part in the poll if you like, but be advised the OP may have evaluated how people afford their Hermes.

 

[pinky7129]

I have a stash away bank account that a certain dollar amount automatically goes into it from every pay check

 

[iseebearbears]

Well, I don't make much. I just spend what I can on these indulgences and save some.

 

[Tina_Bina]

My husband.

 

[allanrvj]

I have a sugar daddy

 

[880]

I went back to OPs original post. And, I realized that a year after I joined TPF, I gave a partial answer
The truth is, between DH and me, all five criteria somewhat apply. And, we’ve been very fortunate to succeed in following
our dreams (one of many reasons why I took a long hiatus of many years from TPF was 1. My H SA left; and 2. bc life became exceedingly busy lol . So I would say, be realistic about your dreams; and then, work extremely hard. And, then, you still have to be willing to sacrifice and hopefully be lucky. Bc even if you are born into money, or marry it, there are strings attached unless you make it yourself.

I hope wherever @littlepea is, or whatever she has chosen to do, she is happy and fulfilled. She started this thread a year after 2008, which was the subprime mortgage disaster, and I’m sure that caused many of us to revisit our goals and direction.

I wanted to see if there are any successful artists out there.
3) I wanted to know how many of you followed your dreams and had to struggle to get where you are and afford what you can now, or did you find something you liked (and maybe wasn't your dream) and that has the lifestyle that you would like (as far as maybe stability, money, free time, etc.) and choose from there? And I ask this because I've always been the kind of person who believed strongly in my dreams, but as I've grown up the past couple of years, as my mom's implemented in me that money is everything and love can be learned (which I will never believe) and as I've seen the economy crash, I have to admit that it has somewhat influenced me

Little Pea, I'm a lawyer, and artist and writing a cookbook. As others have said, do what you love and the rest will follow. In this economy, I also find that broadening where/how you purchase anything helps you get what you want for your comfort level: for example, I have a very good relationship with my personal trainer and have bartered some catering for personal training (saves dough for H and other things); I've also traded some chanel for some H with friends (am too afraid to sell on ebay although that might change); I have benefitted greatly from the recommended reseller listings and tpf wisdom; and I also cultivate my SAs at H and elsewhere. From 1985-last year, I never really considered anything beyond H scarves, so I am a very new collector, but I have to say the wait has made me appreciate and cherish what I have now (8 bags, 7 GMs, and various cadenas, charms, bracelets) Good Luck, it is a wonderful journey!

 

[haute okole]

I went back to OPs original post. And, I realized that a year after I joined TPF, I gave a partial answer
The truth is, between DH and me, all five criteria somewhat apply. And, we’ve been very fortunate to succeed in following
our dreams (one of many reasons why I took a long hiatus of many years from TPF was 1. My H SA left; and 2. bc life became exceedingly busy lol . So I would say, be realistic about your dreams; and then, work extremely hard. And, then, you still have to be willing to sacrifice and hopefully be lucky. Bc even if you are born into money, or marry it, there are strings attached unless you make it yourself.

I hope wherever @littlepea is, or whatever she has chosen to do, she is happy and fulfilled. She started this thread a year after 2008, which was the subprime mortgage disaster, and I’m sure that caused many of us to revisit our goals and direction.

Wow! In 2008, Hermes was not even a thought for me because I had other financial obligations that made Hermes out of my reach. Fast-forward to 2013, I turned 50 and decided to treat myself to 1 purse as a gift. I eventually went back to school and took finance courses and became more serious about my stock portfolios. I discovered I had a knack for investing and would treat myself to a little Hermes here and there as my luck increased. However, my husband just semi-retired and I have taken a hard look at my budget and have decided to scale back. Not only did I get carried away recently because the collections have been good the last 2 seasons, but the offers have been great. But after 10 years, my closet is STUFFED. Two of my family members have moved temporarily to Europe and I would rather spend my money visiting them and trying my luck at Hermes Paris, which is 30% cheaper. Well, I can clear up some room for Paris purchases. BTW, @880! Cookbook? May I please have an autographed copy ?

 

[Midge Maisel]

For me, it's always eye-opening to think about life in 2008, when my life was very different. Well, the main difference is that I was a teenager in 2008. So Hermes was "grown-up stuff." Even though I grew up in a city known the world over for wealthy people, back in 2008, teens were allowed to be teens and no one felt compelled to wear Gucci or Prada for clout. I got my first designer item at 13, but it was made very clear to me that it was a special occasion item. I didn't start getting real designer things until college.

Ultimately, the reason I can afford these things is because a) I have my own money; b) I have what was basically a trust fund but not called that; c) I'm obsessive about deals in every area of my life, save for H; d) I'm really a very moderate spender; and e) at the end of the day, I'd rather buy fewer high-quality things than a closet of stuff I'll toss right away. Yeah, it was a lot cheaper when I bought my clothes at Forever 21, but was it, really? I'm not going to argue that I'm saving money on my wardrobe now, but I'm certainly building a long-lasting closet!

 

[BagsbunnyNYC]

littlepea, Ardneish has pretty much said what I wanted to say, so I'll just add this: My DH and I made our money the old fashioned way--working ourselves to the bone day in and day out to make our respective businesses successful. For most people hard work is the only way to make money; the government stimulus checks won't make you rich, being a doctor won't guarantee you'll be rich and worry free, and marrying a rich man usually involves a prenup and very little love. My career advice is this: put the expensive wishlist on hold (just thinking about it makes you more likely to spend your free cash sooner than you should) and figure out what you want to do for a career regardless of how much it pays. Trying to change careers because you hate what you do is very very costly. Good luck with school!

Totally concur what you said. As much as social media tried to depict easy to obtain shortcuts in life when it comes to financial success, working hard is the only reliable way to guarantee it. It takes years of hard work. I was carrying canvas totes for many years before I could afford my first Hermes. Best of luck!

 

[horselove]

Just read through the entire thread and what a refreshing read! So interesting to see how pragmatic and down-to-earth all the responses are. Also a few hilarious responses make this a very entertaining thread as well. For me, l think when you are young and just starting out in your career it’s important to be frugal and invest early. Material goods should be the last on the priority. I’m in my 40s and have only recently started to see the compounding effects of my investments, and a promotion at my job allowed me some extra disposable income for Hermes. Also, l choose to drive an old car, which l do happily.

 

[Midge Maisel]

Totally concur what you said. As much as social media tried to depict easy to obtain shortcuts in life when it comes to financial success, working hard is the only reliable way to guarantee it. It takes years of hard work. I was carrying canvas totes for many years before I could afford my first Hermes. Best of luck!

I know everyone knows this, but let's just repeat it again in case anyone's feeling down or needs a reminder: SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT REAL LIFE! Have fun scrolling, but remember that it's a performance and a game, far more than a real glimpse at anyone's life. And you (general you) are a full person, not a reel or a tiktok or a random photo.

 

[BagsbunnyNYC]

I know everyone knows this, but let's just repeat it again in case anyone's feeling down or needs a reminder: SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT REAL LIFE! Have fun scrolling, but remember that it's a performance and a game, far more than a real glimpse at anyone's life. And you (general you) are a full person, not a reel or a tiktok or a random photo.

Not to mention with AI backed deep fake technologies these celebrities/ influencers don’t have to go places. A green screen and photoshop would do unbelievable magic

 

[PursePrincessT]

Also, l choose to drive an old car, which l do happily.

Can I just say that I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one driving around with my H bags in my old car. I love my car, it's nice enough, it drives well and never gives me any trouble. Why get a new one?

I think it's great that we are talking about these things because I think sometimes social media and luxury content can create very unrealistic expectations about lifestyle. My husband and I are both in high earning professions (engineering and law), I have family money and have inherited some of it, but I don't think we live glamorous lives in private jets and holidays every year. We still have financial obligations and other priorities, and we still have to budget and save when we want things. When we got married, I didn't buy myself anything for years because we were focussed on building our dream house and starting a family. Only now that we have the house, we have the family, I have gotten my business off the ground, and we have investments do I feel comfortably splurging on nice things sometimes. Even then, we still have to budget and consider what we are buying but I'm grateful we are in a solid financial situation where we even that those options. If my biggest problems in life are having to choose between buying another bag or flying business class then I consider myself very lucky.

 

[BagsbunnyNYC]

Can I just say that I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one driving around with my H bags in my old car. I love my car, it's nice enough, it drives well and never gives me any trouble. Why get a new one?

I think it's great that we are talking about these things because I think sometimes social media and luxury content can create very unrealistic expectations about lifestyle. My husband and I are both in high earning professions (engineering and law), I have family money and have inherited some of it, but I don't think we live glamorous lives in private jets and holidays every year. We still have financial obligations and other priorities, and we still have to budget and save when we want things. When we got married, I didn't buy myself anything for years because we were focussed on building our dream house and starting a family. Only now that we have the house, we have the family, I have gotten my business off the ground, and we have investments do I feel comfortably splurging on nice things sometimes. Even then, we still have to budget and consider what we are buying but I'm grateful we are in a solid financial situation where we even that those options. If my biggest problems in life are having to choose between buying another bag or flying business class then I consider myself very lucky.

I respect you so much for saying that

 

[880]

we got married, I didn't buy myself anything for years because we were focussed on building our dream house and starting a family. Only now that we have the house, we have the family, I have gotten my business off the ground, and we have investments

These are the things that matter
Even our SAs know that none of their clients need another bag, dress, accessory yada yada

 

[missrxx]

Want to echo what seems to be the common theme from a lot of you here - have dreams/goals and work hard for those dreams and goals. Ever since I can remember I’ve been a purse lover. My ultimate dream designer bag was the LV Neverfull. I was obsessed with it growing up! My mother knew how badly I wanted one, and one year agreed to take me to the store for my birthday. I’ll never forget, we went in, and I was in awe of all the bags. We took a look around, and after some consideration on her part, she decided they were too pricey and out of budget so we didn’t get one. From that day, my goal was to graduate college and find a “big girl” job asap.My goal became that bag and you can guess what I bought with my first paycheck shortly after. I got my dream LV, and I have it to this day. I recently also got my first Birkin, alot earlier in life than I would have ever thought. I’ve worked very hard, and after my priorities and obligations are taken care of, I splurge on what makes me happy, and that’s bags. With my B, it was a gift from my husband, and we got lucky in Paris. While the B is extremely special and will be forever cherished, what I have also saved is the Michael Kors bag he got me one Christmas over ten years ago when we began dating. It’s become really sentimental and a reminder of our hard work over the years. I also love that he appreciates and supports my love for bags, without being judgmental on the spend (for the most part lol). I educated him on H quite a bit.