What was your road to paying thousands for a bag?

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#46
Started when I was in the highschool. I remember that my most expensive bag was a black tote from Ralph Laurent. I think it was very popular at that time. I paid 60 EUR and all my friends were shocked. But I paid it from my pocket money. And then the price went up and up from 60 to 100 and then to 200.

My first 1000 EUR bag was a Gucci which I paid with my first salary :laugh: And then in 2013 I got the Celine mini Luggage from my Parents.

Since 2013 I have started with my Collection. I am trying to get one premiere Designer Bag a year :D It depends really on my budget. If I do not get it, It is also okay with me. Of course I would not say no if I get one as a gift :D
 
#47
I'm about to buy my first expensive bag this week. Maybe tomorrow if I go and they have one that I find perfect in person.

Prior to this, I've never really had an interest in bags and only carried really cheap ones ($100 USD and under), but I collect and spend money on jewelry, clothes, and accessories from designer brands. When both of my everyday bags (one small, one large) started to break once again, I started looking at bags and realized I liked them a lot more than I originally thought.

It seems like a big jump to go from a really cheap to a really expensive bag without going for the middle, but since I invest in quality for other things, might as well do so with bags too. I carry them every day so it's not like something I will use rarely.

.....I already have plans for buying about 5. I originally didn't intend to get more than a bigger one and a small one, but...
 
#48
Mariapia said:
The Apple watch will be much cheaper in a few years'time....whereas an LV bag.....[emoji17]
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Plus the watch will become obsolete like all tech, whereas the bag won't. Which does make me wonder why I'm willing to spend on tech and not as much on bags. I guess since there are cheaper bags available it's harder to justify. But heck, there are cheaper computers out there too and I still don't feel bad about buying Apple!

Maybe deep down inside it's about what you think is worth it and some part of me has made the judgment that $1300 for a laptop I use all the time is more worth it than $1300 for a piece of leather that I will rotate weekly or monthly...

Jen123 said:
I remember feeling terrible about the purchase after. My normally spending conservative mother made me feel better by telling me I had wanted this bag forever and to just keep it and enjoy it and remember all the hard work I did to get the bag. I guess her approval meant a lot to me and I stopped feeling bad. After that I progressed to bv, bal and Hermes without a second thought.
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This made me wonder about where the guilt comes from, whether it's from us overspending or just external messages from parents or society that we've internalized. Which voice is what I really want - to save of to buy the bag??

If I have the money, why do I still feel guilty? Yes I could spend that money on useful things but that could be said of any non-essential spending, and a few hundred bucks a couple of times a year is not actually that much in the long run.
 
#49
beggarbaby said:
Plus the watch will become obsolete like all tech, whereas the bag won't. Which does make me wonder why I'm willing to spend on tech and not as much on bags. I guess since there are cheaper bags available it's harder to justify. But heck, there are cheaper computers out there too and I still don't feel bad about buying Apple!



Maybe deep down inside it's about what you think is worth it and some part of me has made the judgment that $1300 for a laptop I use all the time is more worth it than $1300 for a piece of leather that I will rotate weekly or monthly...







This made me wonder about where the guilt comes from, whether it's from us overspending or just external messages from parents or society that we've internalized. Which voice is what I really want - to save of to buy the bag??



If I have the money, why do I still feel guilty? Yes I could spend that money on useful things but that could be said of any non-essential spending, and a few hundred bucks a couple of times a year is not actually that much in the long run.
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I won't spend ANYTHING on tech unless my previous version breaks. I've only had 2 computers in my life. A desk top from 2004 to 2011. And my laptop since 2011. I still have a tube television in my rec room... because it still works (don't exactly get why I should prefer a flat TV). Still using my 3 year old iPhone 4S. But prob should replace that before it dies. Never owned a tablet/iPad & have no interest. I've never had a DVR. I've only had 1 iPod.

I would definitely spend my money on bags over tech. Because I enjoy my bags. I don't get any more enjoyment watching something on a flat TV vs a tube TV. My TV doesn't make me feel *fabulous* ;)
 
#50
beggarbaby said:
Plus the watch will become obsolete like all tech, whereas the bag won't. Which does make me wonder why I'm willing to spend on tech and not as much on bags. I guess since there are cheaper bags available it's harder to justify. But heck, there are cheaper computers out there too and I still don't feel bad about buying Apple!



Maybe deep down inside it's about what you think is worth it and some part of me has made the judgment that $1300 for a laptop I use all the time is more worth it than $1300 for a piece of leather that I will rotate weekly or monthly...







This made me wonder about where the guilt comes from, whether it's from us overspending or just external messages from parents or society that we've internalized. Which voice is what I really want - to save of to buy the bag??



If I have the money, why do I still feel guilty? Yes I could spend that money on useful things but that could be said of any non-essential spending, and a few hundred bucks a couple of times a year is not actually that much in the long run.
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That is a very valid point... I do wonder the same thing where that guilt comes from. I feel guilty every time I purchase something as small as a $40 tee shirt, it's so odd.
 
#51
QueenLouis said:
I won't spend ANYTHING on tech unless my previous version breaks. I've only had 2 computers in my life. A desk top from 2004 to 2011. And my laptop since 2011. I still have a tube television in my rec room... because it still works (don't exactly get why I should prefer a flat TV). Still using my 3 year old iPhone 4S. But prob should replace that before it dies. Never owned a tablet/iPad & have no interest. I've never had a DVR. I've only had 1 iPod.
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I'm also still using my 4S, though it's starting to crash so eventually I might give in and buy the newer version.

I'm the same way with tech. I don't need to buy the latest versions. I use whatever I have until it doesn't work right anymore. I've had my current laptop since 2012. The one before that I used for about 7-8 years.
 
#52
I guess the difference for me is that I own the tech for 7 years and use it without feeling guilty about it, but if I have a bag that I've had that long, I'll still feel guilty about it. Tech doesn't have the same social stigma of "frivolous" unless you do go crazy and upgrade every other year or something.

That said, I don't have 10+ laptops like I have bags... lol Maybe that's it - not how much it costs, but how many you have vs need. I suppose if I just had two bags, even if they were $$$$, I wouldn't feel as guilty.
 
#53
Jen123 said:
That is a very valid point... I do wonder the same thing where that guilt comes from. I feel guilty every time I purchase something as small as a $40 tee shirt, it's so odd.
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My view is that for purses, the mindset is still set on the target audience being women, that it's a female thing to carry bags. Lots of men carry only a wallet, and for brands the men's line is not anywhere near as developed as the women's. Maybe that has changed, and varies in different countries; but additionally, for conservative mindsets that I'm used to seeing, it was almost frowned upon for women to spend on herself. Nowadays, when lots of women are in the workforce, the assumption persists that the money she spends is not earned by herself, but is somehow provided by the men around her (father, husband, etc.).
 
#56
My first designer bag was the LV Speedy 35, which I bought 10 years ago. It was 450 Euro back then. My second was a Gucci tote for 750 and then a LV Neverfull for 630 Euro. After I finished my MA and got a full time job I gradually started to spend more, such as 1450 Euro for the Chanel WOC and 1650 Euro for a Prada Saffiano Lux. My most expensive bag is the Chanel Jumbo, which was 3450 Euro last year (has gone up to almost 5000 since then, which is absurde even for me as a handbag addict). I will never again spend so much money on a bag, it was a once in a lifetime thing. If a designer bag is under 1000 Euro, I consider it "affordable", if it is over I think munch longer about getting it (like I just do with the Celine Phantom in black which is 2300 Euro...AAHHH!!).
 
#57
Oh golly, my first purchase was. Gucci many many years ago when sample sales were just that before the days of outlets. That was about 1980 or so. Then I rested and started with a beautiful Isabella Fiore about 10 years ago. Worked my way up to my Bottega Veneta and my Celine trapeze. $3,000 is about when I start to think about it. Should I or should ... I wait a week, if I still am dreaming about it, yes. It is the beauty of a bag, or the spirit, lively, calm, bright, structured, that can make or break an outfit, or just take it in another direction. It is an addiction.
 
#58
lovingmybags said:
My view is that for purses, the mindset is still set on the target audience being women, that it's a female thing to carry bags. Lots of men carry only a wallet, and for brands the men's line is not anywhere near as developed as the women's. Maybe that has changed, and varies in different countries; but additionally, for conservative mindsets that I'm used to seeing, it was almost frowned upon for women to spend on herself. Nowadays, when lots of women are in the workforce, the assumption persists that the money she spends is not earned by herself, but is somehow provided by the men around her (father, husband, etc.).
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I definitely agree that is a huge part of it. Even in the workforce it seems very frowned upon to spend on yourself. It probably depends on the industry though.
 
#59
CoachCruiser said:
For me, it was a slow but steady road into hell. Once upon a time, my stomach turned at the thought of paying just under $300 for a beautiful leather Coach bag, and over the years, that price point just went up and up and up -- it's amazing how one can become desensitized to a certain price and think, "Yes, $1200 is actually quite reasonable for a 'premier' bag." (?!!!!?)

I'm happy to say I've reached my limit. I have a YSL that I adore and that's the most I will ever, ever pay for a bag. I'm tempted to sell it because I feel ashamed at what I paid for it, but I know that if I DO, I'll always think about it and regret it, and will make some lame attempts to get the same bag back, and by that point the price will have gone up.

I have to say that as much as I adore TPF and all of the wonderful ladies and gents on here, avoiding it or limiting my time on the site has helped my addiction. (When other kind women agree that yes, $1200 IS a bargain for a bag, you've entered a danger zone where likeminded people enable you into buying things you may not be able to afford.)
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Even after spending $700 on my Chanel and $450 on my LV, my stomach STILL turned for five days while I hemmed and hawed over purchasing my vintage Coach Sonoma satchel made in Italy for $242! I literally got sick over it. I just received it today and gotta say ... she's STUNNING and in immaculate condition. Plus I've been told that not only is that particular bag HTF in any color, finding a pristine one in bright red with the strap and everything is particularly rare. This was the first bag I've purchased in a year and puts me at six total. I'm hereby done. My collection is small, yet high quality and perfect.
 
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