Your Marc Jacobs obsession...

#31
Interesting topic, lovekooba.
I'm similar to a lot of the gals above. I went through a crazy phase the first 2 months after joining tpf. Fortunately, everything I bought was within my means, though, but it was still crazy nonetheless and scared me for a bit. I feel like I'm cooling down now and a lot better able to control my impulse to buy everything I see on this forum. Also, as others have said, now I'm better at discerning what doesn't work for me and what I really want.
That said, I think my bag-buying habits will never be the same after joining tpf! I guess I'll be buying a lot less clothes, which is what I used to spend my me-allowance on.
 
#33
This is such a cool idea for a thread and I find it so interesting how many PFers went through the same initial "out of control" period. Obviously "out of control" means different things to different people, but there definitely seem to be parallels between everyone's experiences!
 
#34
yeah i must say after first join tPF i bought more bags than normal....well not really more...just more expensive LOL but i think that prob. pretty normal...cuz tPF opens your eyes to a new kind of bags...whether is a new designer or just designer bags in general...

i've tamed my "need" for every pretty new bag is see...except for the occasional one :graucho:
 
#35
it's difficult not to spiral out of control at one point or another. the bags are all so beautiful and we're in a community filled with people who are just as enthusiastic as we are about our obsession. enablers, the lot of ya!

when i was younger and first got my credit cards, i was definitely on the unhealthy side of spending, but it wasn't with mj. damn my lack of foresight! since then i've paid off all my debt and refuse to buy a high ticket item unless the funds are coming right out of my checking account. i figure now's a good a time as ever to be a bit freewheeling in my shopping habits: i'm not married and i don't have kids yet. plus, although he would never presume to tell me what to do with my money, my bf is really great at keeping me in check. we just bought an apartment together and there are a lot of expenses involved: furniture, appliances, decor, etc., so he'll remind me to cut back to two instead of four. ;)

anyway, after all that rambling, i would say that i'm on the healthy side. great topic, kooba.
 
#36
When I first found the MJ forum, I fell crazy in love with many bags, and without anywhere to see them in person, it was very hard to tell if a bag would work for me, or not. I did my best to judge size based on measurements, modeling pics, etc., but I ended up making some mistakes. I also made some mistakes trying to find the right bag in a category I wanted to fill - e.g., I wanted a black, quilted bag with chain handles and ended up with three, because I didn't know which I might like best! I am selling one now and will force myself to sell another. Even though I like all three of those bags really well, the reality is that I don't need three black, quilted bags with chain handles!

Financially, I never purchase anything that we can't afford, including bags. But buying too much can get out of hand quickly and that it brings on all kinds of guilt for me. I don't want that to happen, so now that I know a little better what works for me, I'm doing my best to buy only what I really love and will really use.
 
#37
Fortunately, I don't think I've ever been so out of control where I couldn't say no and walk away. There have definitely been a few months where I have spent more than I am comfortable with, but never where I was in danger of hurting myself too much financially.

I also find it interesting how a lot of us find that we have had unhealthy bouts. What do you think "pulled you back from the edge?"
 
#38
I agree with the others that said initially I was a bit of a spend thrift, lol!

I did't know what bags really "fit" my lifestyle (running with four little kids under the age of seven all day.....chain bags don't fly on a baseball field! and sophias don't fit sippy cups and an extra pullup! and a guinieviere is easy access open for a three year old to grab your keys and lose them in a mall while you shop! yes, these are all from personal experience :roflmfao:)

so after MUCH TOO MUCH splurging, I got to know what I liked and disliked and started purging! now I like purse monkey; sell, and sell and have extra cash in my Paypal account and DH doesn't really know what I buy or return. I am a shopper, lol, it's my nature. UPS and USPS make daily rounds to my house, not just items I buy myself, but for the kids too. I have to watch my spending because I can get out of control when I see something I WANT :drool:
 
#39
I'm probably in the middle too. When I first came here I bought a bbag, 7 RM's, an ABACO, and a couple of other smaller designer bags. Then I had to step back and breathe! I actually am happy with just about all of my purchases, except for oddly enough, the bbag, if I had to do it over I never would have bought it. I know it's going to have to go at some point which is kind of sad, but I have too much money sitting there that doesn't make me happy. Then I settled down and know more about what I really want. Course buying two mj's in 24 hrs. was a little much maybe but they were bday presents so that doesn't count, right? As far as paying for them, we are not in debt, we pay our credit cards off every month. Also, I teach skating so I make enough to more than pay for the bags I want plus other stuff. And the great thing is I always have cash to give to DH when he needs spending money! I have always had a bag fetish so DH is used to it. And he's a good one too, he even takes pics of purses he sees that he thinks I might like. usually he's way wrong but I think it's cute that he tries. I would never put us in dept, so I don't feel too guilty about this hobby since I really don't have much interest in clothes or shoes.

Now if I could just find that VIOLET STELLA I will stop for awhile!
 
#40
we all have different ideas of what is healthy and what isn't

I have bought five Marc Jacobs handbags since I discovered this forum last year in november and I honestly would say that isn't much

DH on the contrary feels it's crazy

Being on TPF definitely influences my ideas: everyone on here has a wonderfull collection and I adore all the new additions!
 
#41
I think my Obsession is Healthy. At one point I was averaging a new MJ item every month (including accessories) but my gauge has always been whether or not I really Loved it. I've always been pretty practical and I'm not living paycheck to paycheck. Prior to the MJ bag craze, I really hadn't bought any new bags in over a year or 2. Since I've come to realize that I'd rather have MJ bags that I love, I cut back on buying clothes that I'm on the fence about :P However, I do realize that if I didn't have to pay Home Owners Asssociation fees every month , that money could buy like 6 or 7 MJ bags per year (or 3 full priced ones)...which I guess would also mean I wouldn't have a mortgage to pay so I would probably be a little more crazy with my bag spending if I had all this extra money to spend. Since I'm not married and have no kids, I feel like now's the time to enjoy my "obsession." I guess I could always sell off some bags if I really needed to in the future!

Good thread Kara! Nice to see you around ;)
 
#42
I think mine is more healthy - although many people would disagree with me. :P I only buy if I have the money for it and if I really LOVE what I'm getting. My sale goggles are locked up in storage somewhere. If they happen to come out, I get home and the goggles come off and I end up returning things.
 
#43
LadyRacerTRD said:
I think mine is more healthy - although many people would disagree with me. :P I only buy if I have the money for it and if I really LOVE what I'm getting. My sale goggles are locked up in storage somewhere. If they happen to come out, I get home and the goggles come off and I end up returning things.
Click to expand...

That's actually really good self control! Plus, since you KNOW you'll return things you don't absolutely love, this is a good way to minimize regretting NOT buying something you end up deciding you have to have!
 
#44
rachieface said:
I also find it interesting how a lot of us find that we have had unhealthy bouts. What do you think "pulled you back from the edge?"
Click to expand...

i know with me, it was partially having to pay a ton of $$ this year in taxes, because it was the first year i have worked for myself as a self-employed artist. it was both liberating and a downer, because they take a ton of $$ from you....but i guess it's the price one pays to make your own hours. at that time, i got deep into L.A.M.B. in a hot 'i cheated on MJ badly' fling. and sold those to cover my a$$ with taxes, because I didn't put enough in savings for it (you'd think a senior level college course would instruct you the correct % to take out of your earnings :tdown: ).

it was kinda a combination of that and also these pictures i took about a year ago of my 'bag collection' which was just way to many bags and overwhelming...i had a ton with tags still on, and many that were very similar in color in size & shape...at that point, i was a collector, and just kept on collecting.

I also started reading this thread over on TFS which really intrigued me too. It was about FRENCH style, and shopping habits, and how unlike here in america, where many products are bought and disposable (old navy shirts/pants/etc, cheaply made but cheap to buy clothes) the french aesthetic revolves around having a set of basics in your wardrobe and then adding key pieces each season of high quality, so your wardrobe develops and last a long time. This really changed the way i shop period. and it was right as i finished up school.

I got out of school and my personal style did a complete 360. i felt like i had lost my style.....and really sat down and reevaluated everything...found LAMB, cheated on MJ, bought and sold...and sold some more, with the idea of keeping my bag collection down to a minimum. So i made a pact with myself, which would help me from overspending and also to keep my collection low, that if i wanted a new bag, an older one would have to go.

I may break that rule in the future, if i cannot part with one of my key bag pieces, but right now, it keeps me in check, and also allows me to really enjoy the bags i own. Doing this as well allows me to get excited about paying attention to my new bag, and this fall i am revolving my wardrobe around my new julianne bag.

Also, from all my trial and error, I have found what works for me, and what doesn't. and that's half the battle too because i dont have any stores near me that have MJ...
 
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#45
^ i've read about the french way of shopping, and i find it's a much more fulfilling way to build one's wardrobe. i eventually hope that i'll develop enough discipline in the future not to buy everything and anything i sort of think is cute.

rachieface said:
I also find it interesting how a lot of us find that we have had unhealthy bouts. What do you think "pulled you back from the edge?"
Click to expand...

for me, it was credit card debt. it was a hole i dug myself into and now that i'm out, i never want to crawl back in again.
 
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