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.