How did you afford your Cartier Love pieces?

[americanroyal89]

Haven't read every answer in this thread but WHY is "having (lots of) Cartier pieces" automatically associated with a rich family or a rich boyfriend?! Kinda implying that woman can only get the love pieces though a wealthy family or bf? I am sure every woman is able to get a Cartier love piece through hard work and smart financial planning! What I've realized is that good qualification really helps with getting a good paid job. Even without one, you can get a good qualification/good job through hard work. If thats not of your interest then you can afford the love pieces with smart financial planning: put a fixed amount of money aside when you get your wage (a small amount like 100€ or whatever suits your lifestyle) and you will be able to afford a love bracelet in a few years! Good job + budgeting is the key imo.

Idk, I did not interpret her message that way.
When she said “Unfortunately I do not come from a rich family, don't have a rich boyfriend and also just an average job.”

I read it as her listing off how people usually afford things. She mentions her job, family, or significant other. Meaning buying it herself or being gifted the jewelry. I don’t think she was implying that women either have to come from wealthy families or date wealthy men to get nice things since she did mention her job.
At least that was my take away.

 

[ugaugauga]

Idk, I did not interpret her message that way.
When she said “Unfortunately I do not come from a rich family, don't have a rich boyfriend and also just an average job.”

I read it as her listing off how people usually afford things. She mentions her job, family, or significant other. Meaning buying it herself or being gifted the jewelry. I don’t think she was implying that women either have to come from wealthy families or date wealthy men to get nice things since she did mention her job.
At least that was my take away.

It kinda sounded a bit like that to me but I might have interpreted that wrongly. Sorry if thats the case, it was not my intention to offend anyone.

 

[americanroyal89]

It kinda sounded a bit like that to me but I might have interpreted that wrongly. Sorry if thats the case, it was not my intention to offend anyone.

I don’t think you offended anyone
and who knows, maybe I’m the one who interpreted wrongly. It’s all good. I like that this forum has different people with differing perspectives. It would be beyond boring if we all agreed and saw things the same way all the time.

 

[Rockysmom]

I didn’t have kids... I can afford a lot that my friends with kids can’t.

 

[lalame]

Woo! Fellow Bay Area homeowner here too!

Curious who else is from the bay area on this thread? Anyone East Bay specific?

Me too but I’m on peninsula. I could “afford” a lot of things if it weren’t for 5 figure mortgage payments each month.

Honestly I wonder all the time how people can afford a lot of the things I see on this site. But remember, “affordability” is relative. To some, it means you literally have the money while to others it means you could comfortably buy it without much consideration, stress, or sacrifice. OP, don’t let other people’s choices peer pressure you because everyone’s situation is so different. I’ve often found myself drooling over a friend’s lifestyle or purchases only to realize they had to make severe sacrifices I wouldn’t be willing to make to achieve it. And of course, other friends who earn the equivalent of a love bracelet a day haha. Neither correlate to my personal lifestyle so it’s pointless to model my spending that way.

 

[MsKaren]

I only have a Love bracelet now because I lost both my parents and it was a piece I chose to buy with money from my inheritance as a kind of last gift from them and a way to remember them. Prior to that I’m not sure I would have ever been able to spend so much on one piece of jewellery whether I had the money or not because it really is a lot of money. But that’s kind of opened the door for me and being in a better place financially I am considering buying another but I’m late 30’s and it’s taken a while to get here. And even though I can afford it now I still think it’s a lot of money and question if it’s smart!

 

[Egel]

In my case the title of this thread should be "how could you afford your Cartier Love pieces?" Not only do I not have one, I also have no idea how I could ever get to one. Unfortunately I do not come from a rich family, don't have a rich boyfriend and also just an average job. But when I look at all these great jewels on TPF, I get ispired to I think about what I have to change in my life in order to be able to post photos of my Cartier pieces here one day.

I'm in the same boat as you. For now it's best to have a minimum wage job and not deal with any additional stress. Since the pandemic I found out how much money I was spending on fast fashion, magazines, coffee to go and restaurants.

My first step was looking at everything I didn't need. Second step was to treat it as food. A crash diet will only have a jojo effect. So skip on coffee to go, but allow yourself one a month. Some times that one coffee felt so luxurious, some months I could do without. I also buy one magazine a month. That saved me a ton of money. One movie subscription is also enough. Define your wants from your needs.

I'm a person who knows how much money there is in my account. Putting away a certain amount on payday is something I don't feel, but I do see my bankaccount grow.

There will be enough people who will call you crazy for spending so much on something that they don't deem worthy, but if this does make you happy just go for it. Just don't get blinded by things like Instagram or blogger culture and think that a six figure income is normal. It is to some, but not for most. But if you do find a good legal way of making more money apart from what is already mentioned on YouTube, please let me know

 

[lalame]

I only have a Love bracelet now because I lost both my parents and it was a piece I chose to buy with money from my inheritance as a kind of last gift from them and a way to remember them. Prior to that I’m not sure I would have ever been able to spend so much on one piece of jewellery whether I had the money or not because it really is a lot of money. But that’s kind of opened the door for me and being in a better place financially I am considering buying another but I’m late 30’s and it’s taken a while to get here. And even though I can afford it now I still think it’s a lot of money and question if it’s smart!

I relate to this so much. This is how I got my Rolex and though it is something I'd consider too extravagant for myself, because of the sentimentality I will never part with it or feel guilty about it.

 

[MsKaren]

I relate to this so much. This is how I got my Rolex and though it is something I'd consider too extravagant for myself, because of the sentimentality I will never part with it or feel guilty about it.

I’m sorry for your loss, I’m glad you’ve got your Rolex, it just makes it that little bit more special and is a really nice reminder. I like mine being on my wrist because I feel it all the time and because I never ever take it off it feels like a constant, a presence and I find that really comforting.
I did still have a little bit of guilt buying it though. My parents were very different when it came to spending, my dad would have loved it and been really thrilled that I got it and asked me about it all the time, my mum would have fallen off her chair and screamed ‘you spent how much?!’ But the thought makes me smile

 

[marisanz]

I'm glad you created this thread, as I'm sure every purchase here has been the product of a lot of thought, a lot of work and of great sentimental value. I always wanted the Cartier Love Bracelet and/or the Cartier Love Silk Cord Bracelet, so much so that I emailed Cartier about it, and the price of each then was $2,975.00 and $525 respectively (I still have the email from Cartier haha). I had just graduated Law School and although it was a lot of money then, I figured I had just become an attorney, I was on my to making tons of money (LOL) and I deserved to treat myself! But then the 2008 Recession hit and finding a job became really hard, so I never pulled the trigger. I finally got my first Cartier piece last year - it was the Trinity Silk Cord, a beautiful gift from my boyfriend. Now, the Love Bracelet's price has doubled (and it will not go down anytime soon). Sometimes I think "Man, had I pulled the trigger then, I would've had it for all these years!" I guess I made the right decision at the time, but I do think about it a lot!

Point is: Life gets complicated sometimes; in fact, it always will. Tomorrow is buying the house, and next year it will be planning the wedding and then after that, the baby, and then three years later, maybe another baby. If you can afford it now, get it. Treat yourself! It will be a reminder of your hard work, a celebration of this point in your life. If anything, it's a sound investment LOL because like I said, the price keeps going up! the time is now!

 

[asdfghjkl12345]

I have two Cartier pieces and both were purchased last year within a month of each other. The first were my Diamants Legers YG earrings which I love and have not taken off since the day I got them. That was a gift to myself for my birthday and being a semester closer to graduation. Those weren't that expensive and I saved up for them for a couple months since I knew I wanted to purchase them. My second piece is the thin YG JUC that my parents gave me for my birthday.

 

[Ilovetandco]

I live rent-free with my parents and I'm in no rush to move out any time soon. I have more than enough for a house deposit, lots of savings and a good job. However, even though I'm very fortunate to be in a position where I could buy the Love bracelet tomorrow if I wanted to I just can't bring myself to do it. The only luxury items I want are the Love Bracelet and a Chanel Classic flap and what stops me is constantly thinking about how many people could be fed on the cost of those items, people in my own neighbourhood struggling and also with my parents growing up poor, I don't think I could ever justify it.
So yeah I'm very conflicted and not sure what to do.

Growing up poor had the exact opposite affect on me. I sat on the sidelines watching everyone else get nice things and now that money isn't a problem it is not going to be a problem if that makes sense!

 

[Ilovetandco]

The usual way: sexual favours.

Lol, after 3 kids I would rather just save haha

 

[myfirstchanel]

For me my bf and now husband always sets a budget for me to buy luxury things I want. We started out as steady jobs then we owned our own business so then the budget would flexure depending on our commitments. For example I got my love ring in 2016 when we weren’t making as much but still make space for me to buy things after all other commitments ofc. And in 2019 (27 years old) I got the sm love in rose sm JUC in rose and diamond Tiffany T in rose. Next month I’m planning to get JUC pave ring in white gold and in October thin pave love in white gold. I always plan it in the year so I know I am working towards something. When ever I make a purchase or special holidays I would also make small donations. Also I started off collecting bags and now that my collection is pretty good I went to jewelry. We don’t have kids yet but is planning soon so I want to make as many purchases as I can now lol

 

[ChanelCartier]

For me my bf and now husband always sets a budget for me to buy luxury things I want. We started out as steady jobs then we owned our own business so then the budget would flexure depending on our commitments. For example I got my love ring in 2016 when we weren’t making as much but still make space for me to buy things after all other commitments ofc. And in 2019 (27 years old) I got the sm love in rose sm JUC in rose and diamond Tiffany T in rose. Next month I’m planning to get JUC pave ring in white gold and in October thin pave love in white gold. I always plan it in the year so I know I am working towards something. When ever I make a purchase or special holidays I would also make small donations. Also I started off collecting bags and now that my collection is pretty good I went to jewelry. We don’t have kids yet but is planning soon so I want to make as many purchases as I can now lol

Do you buy to mark a special occasion or just when budget allows?