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.

 

[Winiebean]

#3

 

[Siha77]

Hello beautiful ladies,
Unfortunately we (my Husband and I) did not inherit vast sums of money, we never had a trust fund, we never earned over 5 figures in employment. We are middle class with a lower middle class income.
Many of my friends outside the Purse Forum poke fun at TPF for the ladies with $50,000- purses.
I however understand this is simply NOT the case. Many people here are very hard working and resourceful. Many collections on this forum are a lifetime of work and sacrife.
Today I wanted to show the younger people (I am early 50s) how the choices you make can help with funds for more purses.
We drive a 2014 Honda Civic. It just reached 200,000 km (about 125K miles). The car has probably got another 200,000 kms left.
Instead of buying a German or European car we choose a Japan economy car. Great gas mileage, very reliable and it leaves the rest of the money for items we prefer. My husband has an amazing wrist watch collection...... I have some amazing purses and luggage.
It is all about choice. In a great country like America/Australia/UK you can decide what is more important in your life!

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I love this so much. How inspiring!

 

[jiljenner]

I was born into, and then married further into, money. I don't afford Hermès, but I did inherit a sizable collection.

 

[Daosabao]

I came from a very poor family and did not have any nice things when I was little. After graduating from university I tried several jobs but I did not find my footing until many years later, where I settled into a career in finance. Money for me came little by little, saving a portion monthly for many years. Im not born or married into money, I guess I am just a regular working mother and as I earn more over the years through career progression (2 decades of working after university) I can afford Hermès.

We live in a home and drive a car we can afford. I think that’s very fundamental because that’s the basics for us to live comfortably and not worry about mortgage. Whatever’s left after paying the bills and doing whatever we need to do as responsible grown ups is the disposable income we can spend on anything else, including luxury items. I’m also blessed with a sensible husband who works hard too and buys me nice things every year for my birthday. He doesn’t spend much on himself though haha because he is quite simple at heart (so that’s extra funds for me hehe).

I have friends who spend the most part of their income on their mortgage or on traveling pre-covid and not carry any luxury items. It’s really a matter of priorities.

 

[Swanlake85]

Combination of 1 and 2. Although i rather invest than spend in luxury. So i don’t buy much. I think. Which kind of is subjective too. Considering i got two chanel shoes, some accessories and a hermes belt recently

 

[shrpthorn]

As @papertiger points out this is 12 years old so I will shrug it off the stereotyping about how women can achieve financial success in life- but the poster didn't include the "Other" options such as "I work in science /engineering" (which may I also note pays very well)....
Also a big supporter of @Daosabao 's response.

 

[Daosabao]

Oh dear so sorry I didn’t realize this is actually a 12 year old thread until now! When I saw the eye catching thread title at the top of the threads I just kinda drifted back in time when I was a much younger person and wondered often how in the world could I ever afford a nice purse haha.

 

[CTLover]

Combo of 1 & 5, plus, I just diligently set aside money until I have enough to purchase. I also don't buy a lot of clothing/accessories in general. I'm more of a less is more kind of person, and I sell anything I don't use (or have fallen out of love with), and use the proceeds to buy things I will use/love. The good thing about buying quality, is that there's always a resale market for it.

 

[QuelleFromage]

I'm kind of a fan of the earlier responses in this very old thread. I think the OP, who would be around 30 by now, probably now has a very different view of life beyond "I want to be an artist, but I also want to be rich, so what should I do?"

There are 1,000+ different career paths and life choices that can put one in a place to afford luxury bags, as well as inherited money (not just at birth - it can happen later in life). I suppose one could also literally win a lottery. But it seems that hard work and smarts are the top responses. tPFers are an impressive bunch

 

[Grande Latte]

It would be nice if one is married into money or born into it. There's an old saying about money "marry it, bury it, earn it". Notice is the sequence. Truth is, if the money isn't yours, sometimes your parents or spouse won't let you spend it.

I remember years ago, there was this beautiful woman at Versace. We we eyeing the same expensive evening gown. Guess who got it in the end? She begged her husband for it for quite a while over the phone, and was turned down. I ended up with the dress, but in my heart, I seriously thought it looked better on her!

 

[EmilyM111]

I'm kind of a fan of the earlier responses in this very old thread. I think the OP, who would be around 30 by now, probably now has a very different view of life beyond "I want to be an artist, but I also want to be rich, so what should I do?"

There are 1,000+ different career paths and life choices that can put one in a place to afford luxury bags, as well as inherited money (not just at birth - it can happen later in life). I suppose one could also literally win a lottery. But it seems that hard work and smarts are the top responses. tPFers are an impressive bunch

Apart from working in the industry that pays well, I got a payout for a discrimination case at work and what was the best way to spend it? my mental health was severely affected, H bags and other items were the best way to fix it.
so another of 1000+ options

 

[QuelleFromage]

It would be nice if one is married into money or born into it. There's an old saying about money "marry it, bury it, earn it". Notice is the sequence. Truth is, if the money isn't yours, sometimes your parents or spouse won't let you spend it.

I remember years ago, there was this beautiful woman at Versace. We we eyeing the same expensive evening gown. Guess who got it in the end? She begged her husband for it for quite a while over the phone, and was turned down. I ended up with the dress, but in my heart, I seriously thought it looked better on her!

Yes, this is a real issue. I would be so upset if I could not control my own finances. I know many people with trusts that are administered by others and they need to ask when they need the money....it is one way people avoid inheritance taxes as well as other taxes, but it does not always turn out well.
I would put "earn it" first in the list. And if I could have my parents back I'd give up every penny and then some, so "bury it" seems really sad to me.

 

[trendologist]

It fundamentally started off with number 1. I was born into money but family is very strict when it comes to conspicuous consumption. They would gladly pay for any education and give us each a reasonable home to start with so we never have to worry about student loan and mortgage. However when school is finished, they stop all allowance at once and it has been entirely up to us to earn a living and make our own lifestyle from that point on.

So what really allows me to enjoy luxury shopping is number 5. I could afford luxury shopping since first salary, not because it was high but because I had no debt to pay off. But my luxury funding really took off when I started my own business consultancy practice after accumulating years of industry experience. It truly was the driving force for my Hermes collection nowadays.

So for all youngsters who want to follow similar path, really begin with work that makes you TRULY happy. Because you will be enjoying every minute of learning, developing and wanting to be as best as possible. Then capitalize that expertise and most likely you will end up being already truly happy at work AND super happy at the mall

 

[mrs.JC]

#1 in part because my husband has always had high paying work, but I also have a career of my own that has allowed me to buy designer goods a few times a year. We invest a lot of our take home pay and keep our expenses as low as possible, though.