I went from one bag a year on my birthday to 3 bags since December. I have to pace myself and stop! I deactivated my Facebook so now I have even more time to browse tpf and LV.com. This is bad!
Successful trip to Ban Island? Esperiences and Tips?
- Thread starter midnight_beauty
- Start date
Oh no!!!
I have also been on a FB break for about 5 weeks now and I spend too much time on here instead.
Lol you can tell I've been working in behavioral health with kids! I'm all about rewarding positive behavior
I had a really bad LV addiction between 2008-2011. I was buying at least one LV item every month (bag or SLG). I stopped my crazy addiction in late 2011 because my husband (fiancé at the time) started medical school and I was the only one making $. We also moved to Wisconsin, where people don't really carry LV there (Coach and DB are more popular there). I think I was influenced by my surroundings and I stopped carrying my LVs. Soon, I found myself selling them on eBay; then I used the money toward traveling (exploring something new). We took 2-3 trips a year and I realized how much I enjoyed traveling. At the same time, I was also saving up for our wedding so buying bags was not my top priority. I think I broke the "ban" in 2013 when we were in Portland, OR. I took an advantage of the 0 sales tax and bought a Pallas. The next time I bought a bag was when we were traveling in Italy in 2015 (again, taking an advantage of the excellent exchange rate + tax refund).
I've actually never successfully stayed on the ban island when I was super crazy about LV. I think my perspectives and priorities are very different now (vs 2008-2011). I definitely enjoy traveling way more than buying LVs. In fact, we've taken our daughter (18m) everywhere with us. I love creating new memories with my little family. Anyways, I think in order to stay on the ban island, we just need to find a new hobby or have a different perspective on life.
PS: My husband is a resident now and he works 60-80 hours a week. When he told me that we couldn't take a trip until (maybe) later this year. Guess what I did? I used our travel fund and bought myself a LV bag, 2 wallets (LV and Chanel), Multicartes, and a pair of LV sunglasses, all within 1.5 months LOL! I might be stuck on the ban island for a while [emoji38]
I've actually never successfully stayed on the ban island when I was super crazy about LV. I think my perspectives and priorities are very different now (vs 2008-2011). I definitely enjoy traveling way more than buying LVs. In fact, we've taken our daughter (18m) everywhere with us. I love creating new memories with my little family. Anyways, I think in order to stay on the ban island, we just need to find a new hobby or have a different perspective on life.
PS: My husband is a resident now and he works 60-80 hours a week. When he told me that we couldn't take a trip until (maybe) later this year. Guess what I did? I used our travel fund and bought myself a LV bag, 2 wallets (LV and Chanel), Multicartes, and a pair of LV sunglasses, all within 1.5 months LOL! I might be stuck on the ban island for a while [emoji38]
I just re-started my ban island stay a week ago and oh my goodness, I cannot believe it's only been a week!
I got a new Dior bag and also a Dior wallet last week. Before that I was a good girl on ban island since late 2014, so I had a successful stay for slightly over a year. I hope I can achieve that again! During my last stay, my motivation was wanting to save money for my wedding and more importantly, life after the wedding with DH. Now my new motivation is that we are (slowly) saving for a house, and we also want to work in a vacation to Europe next year.
I'm still on tpf, but personally I visit the brand specific subforums a lot less now, especially super active subforums like the Chanel one. Staying on a handful of more general threads can actually help me cause I share with others that I'm on ban island and can get support that way. Not checking sites like Yoogi's, Fashionphile etc "just to see what's new" has also helped heaps. Definitely consciously spending time on other hobbies instead, for me it's reading and cooking.
I got a new Dior bag and also a Dior wallet last week. Before that I was a good girl on ban island since late 2014, so I had a successful stay for slightly over a year. I hope I can achieve that again! During my last stay, my motivation was wanting to save money for my wedding and more importantly, life after the wedding with DH. Now my new motivation is that we are (slowly) saving for a house, and we also want to work in a vacation to Europe next year.
I'm still on tpf, but personally I visit the brand specific subforums a lot less now, especially super active subforums like the Chanel one. Staying on a handful of more general threads can actually help me cause I share with others that I'm on ban island and can get support that way. Not checking sites like Yoogi's, Fashionphile etc "just to see what's new" has also helped heaps. Definitely consciously spending time on other hobbies instead, for me it's reading and cooking.
I don't necessarily put myself on Ban Island, but recently I've been purchasing some things (1 SLG, 1 bag charm, 1 bag and anticipating a Pochette Metis very very soon) so I think I may have to so I can slow down! It also helps that I live in a tiny old home with little closet space, so I have to be practical about what I can actually store.
I have to agree with other posters, what helps me most is staying away from tPF and Youtube videos/unboxings/etc. I actually find I'm not super influenced by posts specifically, like I won't see a reveal and immediately want that specific bag but it does inspire me to start looking again and I find my willpower isn't as strong when I do that. I get paid weekly so it makes it a lot easier to budget and save up, and what also helps me is that every pay I set aside some "fun money" so that in the event I see something I like, I can buy it without feeling guilty or blowing my savings. I haven't actually bought an LV bag since June 2010 because there has been nothing I truly have loved (well, that was in my price range) but coming here to look definitely inspires me to give into impulse a lot more.
I actually stopped buying many high-ticket items from about 2010-August 2015 because instead, I realized "wow for the price of that bag, I can go to Disney World!" (or elsewhere, but I'm a huge Disney fan). Saving for those goals really helped to also distract me from LV etc, because I would say "wow for that price, I would rather go to the place I love!" I would never take those experiences back, but when I was recently debating the PM, my friend said to think of it in terms of vacations. Yes, it may cost the same, but a vacation is short-lived and the purse can/will last ages, and I have traveled so much recently that maybe investing in a purse is good and I shouldn't feel guilty about buying it vs. travel since I really have traveled a lot lately.
Maybe if you start to budget some money here and there, before you know it it'll grow and you can buy something without feeling like you're jumping ship from Ban Island! It takes a lot of willpower but for me, I feel better when I wait it out and sleep on it because when I eventually do it whatever it is, it feels great vs. the guilty feeling I sometimes get when it was impulsive.
I have to agree with other posters, what helps me most is staying away from tPF and Youtube videos/unboxings/etc. I actually find I'm not super influenced by posts specifically, like I won't see a reveal and immediately want that specific bag but it does inspire me to start looking again and I find my willpower isn't as strong when I do that. I get paid weekly so it makes it a lot easier to budget and save up, and what also helps me is that every pay I set aside some "fun money" so that in the event I see something I like, I can buy it without feeling guilty or blowing my savings. I haven't actually bought an LV bag since June 2010 because there has been nothing I truly have loved (well, that was in my price range) but coming here to look definitely inspires me to give into impulse a lot more.
I actually stopped buying many high-ticket items from about 2010-August 2015 because instead, I realized "wow for the price of that bag, I can go to Disney World!" (or elsewhere, but I'm a huge Disney fan). Saving for those goals really helped to also distract me from LV etc, because I would say "wow for that price, I would rather go to the place I love!" I would never take those experiences back, but when I was recently debating the PM, my friend said to think of it in terms of vacations. Yes, it may cost the same, but a vacation is short-lived and the purse can/will last ages, and I have traveled so much recently that maybe investing in a purse is good and I shouldn't feel guilty about buying it vs. travel since I really have traveled a lot lately.
Maybe if you start to budget some money here and there, before you know it it'll grow and you can buy something without feeling like you're jumping ship from Ban Island! It takes a lot of willpower but for me, I feel better when I wait it out and sleep on it because when I eventually do it whatever it is, it feels great vs. the guilty feeling I sometimes get when it was impulsive.
Lol, I would do the same if I have the extra funds. Lol. I'd like to think I do but I think I don't. Lol. We travel twice a year too, sometimes we are gone 1 month going international and still can't keep my mind off of handbags.
everything i buy, i have to think a lot of times, do i need this really, does it last a long time/durability . will it be out of fashion within a short time.
i do this since a few years. and i buy less stuff. or i go for a beter alternative, which may be a lot more expensive, but last longer/ better looks for a longer time.
i do this since a few years. and i buy less stuff. or i go for a beter alternative, which may be a lot more expensive, but last longer/ better looks for a longer time.
