These are the best. I have to admit, the first is truly pressing on me now, thanks to a NYC size closet. I suppose I should be thankful!
Share your strategies, tactics, stories of how to avoid Ban Island
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These are the best. I have to admit, the first is truly pressing on me now, thanks to a NYC size closet. I suppose I should be thankful!
1. Don't carried by popular opinion. It may look great on others and is selling for 6 x retail on ebay but LEAVE IT. That includes EVERYTHING
2. Don't buy any second choices. Phw but not ghw, Rouge H but not RCYou will still want what you wanted in the first place.
3. Forgive yourself the odd nonsense purchase (for me Paddock Flots because I only have one H bag it works with). Guilt and returns only lead to more spending. Find a way to make it work . Selling is actually too easy. This rule teaches how much effort is required to make things work and to not repeat.
4. Don't buy something you can't afford. Ever.
5. Trying on doesn't cost anything but once you've tried on you may well be calling a boat for Ban Island. Stick to your wishlist. Everything looks and feels good in H but you can't have everything.
6. Don't pop in 'on the way' to anywhere. No wishlist, no H visit. No time to consider. No H visit.
7. Don't go to H when you are feeling down if retail therapy is your thing. Getting carried away in H is going to do a lot more damage than going, erm, well anywhere.
8. Off-wishlist. If you want an H souvenir/birthday treat/gift for self etc, a keep sake to mark something stick to the one thing. It will make it even more precious.
9. Can't choose between a cw? Ask you SA to hold them both for an hour. Have lunch or a sit in the park to consider and come back. H doesn't do 2 for 1 offers so why buy both when you only wanted one. (I seem have doubles of everything but then I'm obsessively symmetrical - my excuse).
10. Love and use what you've got already. It's surprising how many things we love too much to use or even forget what we have.
Great advice! I strongly agree with no. 4!
But overall really great, I'm doing a lot more of no. 10 these days too and it's making me really appreciate all the beautiful things already IN my closet!I was raised by and economist (my dad) ... that kind of knowledge may help with your head, but it's a useless defense against your heart, which just wants more H!
I have gotten to the point where every time I see something I "have" to have, I start comparing it with some of the other items in my closet. Do I love this red bag as much as I love my red Kelly? Do I love this silk scarf as much as I love my Jungle Love 90? Usually the answer is no, which puts it in perspective, a bit. Not that I don't still want the item, but it takes away some of the gotta-have-it-right-now urgency.
With bags, I sometimes will intentionally inundate myself with images of it. A lot of the time, I will manage to wear myself out on an item, or something else will catch my eye.
My SA said something once that really put it in perspective. She pointed out that H is a master at putting out new colors, but a lot of the time, the new colors are just a fraction of a shade off the old ones. There will always be something new to fall for. That's the flip side of the "gotta get it before it's discontinued" coin. There will always be new stuff to fall in love with, so if you miss this one thing now, all is not lost!
You are so right! I am trying to practice this with my "gotta-have-it-now" problems and I've gotten better.
And your SA is so right! A few years back I was sad I missed out on a light pink birkin (I was offered a 25...I wanted 35 can't remember the name of the shade) so I said no. And then I was sad because that shade of pink was seasonal...but many other pinks have come since so all is definitely not lost!
1. Don't carried by popular opinion. It may look great on others and is selling for 6 x retail on ebay but LEAVE IT. That includes EVERYTHING
2. Don't buy any second choices. Phw but not ghw, Rouge H but not RC
3. Forgive yourself the odd nonsense purchase (for me Paddock Flots because I only have one H bag it works with). Guilt and returns only lead to more spending. Find a way to make it work . Selling is actually too easy. This rule teaches how much effort is required to make things work and to not repeat.
4. Don't buy something you can't afford. Ever.
5. Trying on doesn't cost anything but once you've tried on you may well be calling a boat for Ban Island. Stick to your wishlist. Everything looks and feels good in H but you can't have everything.
6. Don't pop in 'on the way' to anywhere. No wishlist, no H visit. No time to consider. No H visit.
7. Don't go to H when you are feeling down if retail therapy is your thing. Getting carried away in H is going to do a lot more damage than going, erm, well anywhere.
8. Off-wishlist. If you want an H souvenir/birthday treat/gift for self etc, a keep sake to mark something stick to the one thing. It will make it even more precious.
9. Can't choose between a cw? Ask you SA to hold them both for an hour. Have lunch or a sit in the park to consider and come back. H doesn't do 2 for 1 offers so why buy both when you only wanted one. (I seem have doubles of everything but then I'm obsessively symmetrical - my excuse).
10. Love and use what you've got already. It's surprising how many things we love too much to use or even forget what we have.
You have written the book, Papertiger, amazing wisdom here.
my h purchase started a few years ago when my father buy me a couple of scarves, and a B because his friend's daughter has one, and he wanted me to get one too. the boutique doesn't have the scarf ring I was looking for, so i discover there is something called H.com.....
things on the website were wonderful, i can check them even without going into the shop. i adore all the bracelets, however, everything was under control so no purchases.
this year, i was browsing websites and not so accidentally came to here, tpf. the pieces everyone reveals or shown here was TDF! now it becomes: saw a photo-> like the items-> want everything ->buy everything.
therefore my imaginary best strategy:
1) stay away from h.com, also my personal favourite, chanel.com (not yet applied to real life)
2) stay away from tpf, especially reveals, your xx in action, show your stack, ode to xx (not yet applied to real life)
3) tell yourself how much you can spend. like this month my budget is $10000 for h jewelry, then after few purchases, i stopped (painfully), wait for next month. money needs time to generate.
4) ask opinion from DH, DS, DD before buying. i usually asked for DS to accompany me to the boutique, he's got quite an exquisite eye to judge whether an item/color way look good on me. and he's still young so haven't learn to lie about whether i looked nice or not = = that saved me a few thousand from those "look very nice, many people have it, but don't look good on me" type of H items
hope these helps.
things on the website were wonderful, i can check them even without going into the shop. i adore all the bracelets, however, everything was under control so no purchases.
this year, i was browsing websites and not so accidentally came to here, tpf. the pieces everyone reveals or shown here was TDF! now it becomes: saw a photo-> like the items-> want everything ->buy everything.
therefore my imaginary best strategy:
1) stay away from h.com, also my personal favourite, chanel.com (not yet applied to real life)
2) stay away from tpf, especially reveals, your xx in action, show your stack, ode to xx (not yet applied to real life)
3) tell yourself how much you can spend. like this month my budget is $10000 for h jewelry, then after few purchases, i stopped (painfully), wait for next month. money needs time to generate.
4) ask opinion from DH, DS, DD before buying. i usually asked for DS to accompany me to the boutique, he's got quite an exquisite eye to judge whether an item/color way look good on me. and he's still young so haven't learn to lie about whether i looked nice or not = = that saved me a few thousand from those "look very nice, many people have it, but don't look good on me" type of H items
hope these helps.
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1. Be focused on what you want. Write them down in a journal with the exact specs.
2. Don't be afraid or shy to say NO to items you do not want or items that are not in the exact specs. Always keep tabs on items in point number 1. Do NOT waver!
3. If SA offers anything different from point number 1, then point number 2 applies.
Just my two cents. It's a strict regime that I follow and it's worked well for me.
Great suggestions, Miss Al! I need to start making a list and be very specific. I shop aimlessly and this applies to other non-H items like clothing and shoes too. I have unworn items in my closet with tags still attached. Yikes! I need to be more specific and really know what I want and not just what strikes my fancy. And with H, that's just about everything!
I'm a bit better with bags where I try to only buy a style I haven't already own. Harder to do with scarves though--they all look so pretty and different--but I'm going to try to focus on colorways that I don't already have. I have a couple of scarves that are very pretty but don't look good on me at all. May be I should frame them or sell them away (gasp!).
I think that's why they call it the orange slippery slope.
I'm very grateful to all my tPFer friends for all the helpful advice and strategies. I'm starting to compile a list of how to conquer my H addiction.
honeypeach, I already got #1, 2 and 3 on my very long list. I was thinking that I need to set a budget for all things per quarter and if I end up spending it all on H then I can't buy anything else. I've been buying H AND everything else; hence, my fast wilting money tree.
I also have to learn how to say no to myself. I'm my own worst enabler! My friends think I should become a personal shopper when I retire. My DH doesn't make a very good sounding board as I've trained him too well on H scarcity and quality. My little DDs are just turning 4 later this month so they are mostly saying that's pretty mommy. Plus if we go into H together they'd be running about so I'd end up rushing and buying without thinking things through. I guess I should add to my list: not to bring DDs when I go H shopping.
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huh, you have such self control! Since discovering H.com, little orange packages have been showing up here and there. The sad part is I want to make sure I utilize the shipping charge that I have to pay anyways so I check to see if I "need" anything else.
I wouldn't call it sell control
I just like to touch and try on things before I buy them. Plus I am too cheap to pay for shipping. That is why boutique visits are so dangerous for me.
I also have to learn how to say no to myself. I'm my own worst enabler! My friends think I should become a personal shopper when I retire. My DH doesn't make a very good sounding board as I've trained him too well on H scarcity and quality. My little DDs are just turning 4 later this month so they are mostly saying that's pretty mommy. Plus if we go into H together they'd be running about so I'd end up rushing and buying without thinking things through. I guess I should add to my list: not to bring DDs when I go H shopping.
yes. at the moment i found all those budgeting, and "tell yourself no" strategies are not as useful as my DS.
thank god i got a very REASONABLE AND SENSIBLE son...he's just 12 but sometimes i think he acts like an old man.
he told me to quit smoking by listing all the health concerns when he was 9 (and i quit my 15 years habit straight away no turning back).
or when i start browsing the goodies and whinging about how pretty they are, then give him the doggy eyes hope he will give me a "yes", he will take a look and say either "it looks good on you" or "don't waste money"....(and i obey, split second decision!)
oh, if i am lucky to get a daughter like you, that would be wonderful, since i will have a NEW excuse to shop:
everything i shopped now will be for DD later....[ever think like this when you shopped?]
and obviously DD will not say "NO" to the stuff i wanted, as girls can never say NO to anything H....the blings or B or K...
although again, boat to ban island awaits. = =
as you said, DH are trained by us so well, how about trying to get a son? in 12 years time he will learn to tell you NO and stop your urge of buying the whole shop.
although his older sisters may be dominating the shopping power in the house by then.
Ok live case study, how do you say no if your sa just emailed you and say we've got a blue patrol lizzie medor in the store, are you interested?
Ok live case study, how do you say no if your sa just emailed you and say we've got a blue patrol lizzie medor in the store, are you interested?
In the immortal words of Nancy Reagan: "Just say no". (writes the TPF'er whose theme song is "I'm just a girl who can't say no".)
Ok live case study, how do you say no if your sa just emailed you and say we've got a blue patrol lizzie medor in the store, are you interested?
Remind myself that my DD still has to go through K-12 and college and we would like to be able to pay for it (say the person who couldn't sleep for days after being offered a certain kind of H bag).
huh, you have such self control! Since discovering H.com, little orange packages have been showing up here and there. The sad part is I want to make sure I utilize the shipping charge that I have to pay anyways so I check to see if I "need" anything else.
So true.............